Lightning Review

Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers by Tessa Arlen

B

Poppy Redfern and the Fatal Flyers

by Tessa Arlen

I reviewed the first book in this series, Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murdersand when I received an email from the book’s publicist that book two was available, I leaped on it. While there were some elements about the first book that were present in the sequel and just as annoying as they were the first time, I really enjoyed visiting Poppy again. Tagging along as she and her merry band of mammals (her dog, Bess), humans (her she’s-not-sure-what-the-status-is companion, Griff) and imaginary characters (the heroine of her novel in progress) was as absorbing as it was in the first book.

Poppy now works for the London Crown Film Unit as a script writer, and her first assignment is to travel to an airfield to profile the female civilian pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary. Known as the “Attagirls,” these were real trained pilots who, because they were women, were ineligible to enlist, but were desperately needed to fly planes from factories out to airfields during the war.

The mix of history, setting, and character is the best part of this series. Poppy is as clever and indomitable as ever, whether she’s pinching her remaining coins to try to place expensive phone calls back to the main office of the Film Unit or to Griff, or trying to make her very limited travel budget stretch to cover her room and meals. The Attagirls are all individual characters, nuanced and distinct, and seeing what they do and the circumstances under which they work is fascinating. The mystery plot begins after a somewhat slow start when one of the best of the Attagirl pilots dies on film in a crash, and it’s labeled an accident by ‘pilot error.’ Poppy isn’t so sure, and neither is Griff, conveniently alongside Poppy while he’s “on leave,” or so he says. Poppy is determined to investigate what happened, using the cover of the film project as an excuse to stick around. Once the mystery plot gets going, it’s a ride. I couldn’t put it down.

The parts that annoyed me carried over from the first book, too: Poppy is writing a book series, and her heroine talks to her in her head, usually pushing her toward some new course of action, counseling her to be a bit more brazen, a bit more daring. Sometimes it was a bit much for me. Griff is as charming and secretive as he was in the first book, only this time more so, and Poppy’s tolerance for his behavior started to irritate me. Her allowances for his inconsistencies made her seem even more inconsistent as a character. Her introspective musings about Griff’s secrets and those from her fictional heroine grew repetitive, but the liveliness of the Attagirls, the characters surrounding Poppy and Griff, and the revelations of the mystery plot made up for it.

I really like this series, and am going to keep up with it. I probably won’t re-read them, but despite the parts that bugged me, I still think about Poppy, both books, and the world of the novels – definitely a sign of a good mystery. I’ve recommended book one to several historical mystery fans I know, and I’ll definitely recommend book two to them as well.

SB Sarah

Poppy Redfern is back on the case when two female fighter pilots take a fatal dive in an all-new Woman of World War II Mystery by Tessa Arlen.

It is the late autumn of 1942. Our indomitable heroine Poppy Redfern is thoroughly immersed in her new job as a scriptwriter at the London Crown Film Unit, which produces short films featuring British civilians who perform acts of valor and heroism in wartime. After weeks of typing copy and sharpening pencils, Poppy is thrilled to receive her first solo script project: a fifteen-minute film about the Air Transport Auxiliary, known as Attagirls, a group of female civilians who have been trained to pilot planes from factories to military airfields all over Britain.

Poppy could not be more excited to spend time with these amazing ladies, but she never expects to see one of the best pilots die in what is being labeled an accident. When another Attagirl meets a similar fate, Poppy and her American fighter-pilot boyfriend, Griff, believe foul play may be at work. They soon realize that a murderer with a desire for revenge is dead set on grounding the Attagirls for good. . .

Historical: European, Mystery/Thriller
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