A group of mystery writers meeting as a literary critiquing club, great idea! What could go wrong? Well...murder, Intrigue, deception, to just name a few.
Horace Hazelmoor, bestselling author of crime mysteries has created an elite club of fellow writers at London's The Ritz Hotel. Lucy Hubbard received a formal invitation from Horace Hazelmoor himself! She's finally made it, to be recognized and invited to Hazelmoor's club means her crime novels, her writing, Lucy herself are now literary successes.
At her first meeting, she is introduced to the other writers, all invited by Horace and publicly famous for their novels. Only one is a surprise to Lucy, he is her childhood best friend and ex fiance, Frank. Their romance ended badly and now she must face him in his realm as part of the elite writers group.
Horace meets up with Frank before the meeting and tensions rise. Horace has a habit of collecting secrets and using the information to his advantage. He has details on his writer's lives that would best remain hidden. Horace has found out information about Lucy and Frank and now has leverage over Frank as well.
Lucy's first meeting of the Cloak and Dagger Club comes at a cost when Horace Hazelmoor is found dead in his hotel room the following morning. Now, every member of the Cloak and Dagger Club are suspects. A regular crime mystery unfolds and the writers are unraveling the unwritten plot. Will Lucy and Frank remain estranged or will murder and mystery bring them together once again? Who actually killed Horace Hazelmoor?
Jackie McMahon does an amazing job of weaving plot and intrigue amongst the lives of her characters which creates a story with depth and emotion in her book, The Cloak and Dagger Club. Her setting, 1930's London is rich with history and such a fun location to place her story. I felt completely invested in the people, the story and McMahon's writing voice. The overall effect of her novel made it memorable and left me hanging on the whodunit until it was revealed at the very end. As an avid professional reader, that's quite a feat. I can usually solve the murder well before the end, not this one. I was constantly guessing and I was consistently wrong. That's the mark of a great writer, keeping the truth hidden until it is purposefully revealed. McMahon succeeds splendidly!
I rate The Cloak and Dagger Club five stars and recommend it to anyone who loves a great crime mystery!
The Cloak and Dagger Club, is publishing on July 14, 2026 by Berkley Publishing Group. Thank you to Net Galley and Berkely Publishing for the Advanced Reader's Copy of The Cloak and Dagger Club by Jackie McMahon in exchange for an honest review.
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