Mirabelle Bevan Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of Mirabelle Bevan Mystery Books

Mirabelle Bevan Mystery is a series of historical mystery fiction novels written by Sara Sheridan. The books tell the stories of a former secret service operative who cannot steer clear of mysteries and murders.

+The Story
The Mirabelle Bevan Mystery series starts with ‘Brighton Belle’, the first novel in the series which introduces readers to Mirabelle Bevan. It is 1951. WWII just ended and the country is struggling to move forward.

For Mirabelle, the war gave her life purpose. She worked in the secret service department, though she never actually went into the field. Mirabelle was married to a desk. There she did her part to assist her colleagues in the field.

But the experience made her a master investigator. By the time Mirabelle left the position, she had read every manual the secret service had to offer, and her new employer, the owner of a debt collection agency, saw the benefits she brought to the table.

For Mirabelle, even though her days in the secret service were some of the most satisfying of her life, she was ready to settle down. Her new debt collection position should have allowed her to do just that.

The heroine was certain that she had taken her first steps toward a tranquil and relaxing destination. But then the unexpected happened. A client came into the office and asked Mirabelle to find a woman who had absconded with a significant sum.

In attempting to do her duty, Mirabelle learned that her target and her unborn child had been murdered, a development that drew her attention to a doctor who had suddenly experienced an influx of wealth, and the victim’s sister who wasn’t particularly broken up over her death.

Mirabelle knew that she was better off leaving the investigation to the police. But the heroine was in desperate need of some excitement, and a puzzle was the perfect tool to take her mind off the problems that had plagued her for so long.

So Mirabelle plunged headlong into the murder mystery, unaware of the impact the decision would have on her life.

The Mirabelle Bevan Mystery series tells Bevan’s story, delving into the events that changed her from an uninspired former secret service operative to a determined private investigator.

The Mirabelle Bevan novels are light historical mysteries. They are quick reads with simple mysteries.

The historical setting doesn’t have that drastic an impact on the story. The author provides enough information for readers to accurately envision Brighton in the 1950s but she doesn’t deliver so much detail as to fully immerse readers in a post-war England.

Some readers appreciate this scarcity of details. Others hate it and believe that the approach lessens the strength of the Mirabelle Bevan series as a historical fiction novel.

You won’t find Sara Sheridan fans complaining, though. They appreciate the fact that her books place so much focus on the characters, Mirabelle Bevan in particular.

When readers first meet Mirabelle, her life is far from appealing. On the surface, Mirabelle is the perfect woman. She is beautiful, fashionable, and witty. And her intelligence tends to intimidate most men.

However, Mirabelle is hurting. She had a lover during the war called Jack who died unexpectedly and Mirabelle never recovered. So she spent a significant period of time as a lonely, friendless woman.

Mirabelle is forced to embrace life once more when she enters the debt collection game. It is there that she meets Vesta Churchhill, an enthusiastic black insurance clerk. Even though Mirabelle initially pushes Vesta to help her investigate her mysteries, the two quickly become friends.

Vesta proves to be the one person Mirabelle can rely upon. But her life is far from perfect, though her bright and bubbly personality might suggest otherwise. The author uses Vesta to highlight the social ills that black people suffered in the 1950s in England.

Besides Vesta, Mirabelle is also aided in her cause by Alan McGregor, a detective superintendent. The police hate Mirabelle’s interference in their work. But McGregor always stands up for her.

Even though he has a sexist view of the world and boasts a grumpy demeanor, McGregor eventually develops a fondness for Mirabelle. It is the potential for romance between them that drives McGregor to protect Mirabelle from the police.

For the most part, the Mirabelle Bevan Mystery series is concerned with the mysteries and murders that Mirabelle comes across. Initially, the mysteries search Mirabelle out, finding her in the course of doing her duty as a debt collector.

Over time, Mirabelle begins to crave the mysteries. While a lot of time is spent following the heroine around as she collects clues and interviews suspect, the author always finds opportunities to delve into the personal lives of Mirabelle and her friends.

Some readers have complained that these novels unnecessarily idolize Mirabelle Bevan.

+The Author
Sara Sheridan is a Scottish author who grew up loving books and obsessing over Victorian explorers.

Born in 1966 in Edinburgh, the author has produced works in a variety of genres, though she is best known for her historical fiction.

+Brighton Belle
1951 finds Mirabelle Bevan in Brighton. With the war over, and Mirabelle’s work as a secret service operative behind her, she has chosen to become a debt collector.

Mirabelle doesn’t expect to encounter much trouble when a pregnant Hungarian refugee takes out a loan and the heroine is asked to recover it. But then the refugee in question ends up dead along with her unborn child, and Mirabelle notices that the sister doesn’t seem particularly bothered.

Rather than leaving it to the police, Mirabelle decides to investigate the murder, unraveling a web of evil along the way that stretches into the darkest corners of the continent.

+London Calling
Lindon Claremont is a young sax player whose career comes to a halt when he is accused of bringing harm to Rose Bellamy, an 18-year-old girl who went missing. Rather than letting the police deal with the matter, Lindon flees, finding solace in the arms of Vesta, his childhood friend.

With Lindon at his wit’s end, he has no choice but to follow the leading of Vesta who asks him to trust Mirabelle Bevan with the mystery.