Poppy Denby, Arts and Entertainment Editor at The Daily Globe, covers an exhibition of Russian Art, hosted by White Russian refugees, including members of the surviving exiled Romanov Royal family. There is an armed robbery, a guard is shot, and the largest Faberge Egg in the collection is stolen. The egg itself is valuable, but more so are the secrets it contains within – secrets that could threaten major political powers.

Suspects are aplenty, including the former keeper of the Faberge Egg, a Russian Princess called Selena Romanova Yusopova. The interim Bolshevik Russian ambassador, Vasili Safin inserts himself into the investigation, as he believes the egg – and the other treasures – should all be restored to the Russian people.

Poppy, her editor Rollo, press photographer Daniel, and the other staff of the Globe are delighted to be once again in the middle of a sensational story. But, soon the investigation takes a dark turn when another body is found and an employee of the newspaper becomes a suspect… The race is on to find both the key and the egg – can they be found before the killer strikes again?

Poppy Denby, arts and entertainment editor at the Daily Globe is back and this time she is on the trail of a stolen Russian Faberge egg, which was taken during an art exhibition held at Crystal Palace. With more than one person notedly having an interest in getting their hands on the egg, Poppy is thrust into the midst of a dangerous investigation involving both the red and white Russians.

I love Poppy, for a woman living in the 1920’s, she has lots of charisma and a no nonsense attitude. Once she is on a case she won’t give up until she has all the answers, even if it does mean getting her hands dirty, and placing herself in grave danger. She doesn’t seek out praise for her work, she just wants to solve the case. She follows her gut instincts and has an eye for the small things that no-one else notices.

There are certain periods in history that I have no interest in and I tend to stay away from historical novels if possible, but the 1920’s was an exciting period, and Poppy brings the era to life. Very often it doesn’t feel like you are in the 1920’s as Poppy seems like such a modern woman. Also, after having read the first book ‘The Jazz Files’ and falling in love with Poppy I was eager to find out how her career was going and what new was in store for her

Fiona has created a powerful novel mixing both facts with fiction in an enjoyable, yet educational story. I personally had never heard of the red and white Russians, and had to do a bit of research into them, although Fiona has written a section at the start of the book explaining who they were, and how they came about. There is also a map of London showing the places that are mentioned in the book, plus a list of characters, and who they are, as there are a lot of them in the book, some real life, and some fictional.

The book is a whodunnit, filled with mystery, suspense and intrigue. You are kept second guessing who may be the culprit of not only being the thief, but there is also a murderer on the loose, could the two be connected?

The story is complex, but it never felt complicated. Fiona’s writing style holds you to the pages, gripped with the need to find out the truth. She doesn’t reveal all the clues at once, but feeds them slowly throughout the book, making The Kill Fee pure enjoyment and thrilling to read.

Formerly a journalist, Fiona Veitch Smith is a writer of books, theatre plays and screenplays.

Her children’s picture books, the Young David series, are now published by SPCK Publishing. Her adult mystery series set in the 1920s, Poppy Denby Investigates, is published by Lion Fiction. The first book in the series, ‘The Jazz Files’, is available now.

She lives with her husband, daughter and two dogs in Newcastle upon Tyne where she lectures in media and scriptwriting at the local universities. She loves gardening, eating cheesecake, practising Pilates and playing jazz clarinet – not all at the same time.

You can find out more about Fiona by reading our interview with her – ‘The Writing Life of: Fiona Veitch Smith

www.fiona.veitchsmith.com
www.poppydenby.com
@FionaVeitchSmit
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