Berkley
Published July 14, 2026
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier
Set in London in 1930, The Cloak and Dagger Club plays homage to Golden Age mysteries and The Detection Club, using both as inspiration to create a clever, fun-to-read novel.
Lucy Hubbard has published her first mystery novel and is star-struck when she receives an invitation from legendary author Horace Hazelmoor asking her to join the exclusive Cloak and Dagger Club. Lucy’s ex-fiance Frank Murray is also a member of the club, and the chance of seeing him gives Lucy a bit of pause, but even that can’t deter her from accepting the invitation. But the meeting does not go as Lucy imagined it would. Horace gets drunk, one of the authors punches him, and overall, there’s a general sense of unease and barely concealed hostility. Two days later when Horace’s body is discovered with a knife in its back, and Frank is the prime suspect, being a member of the Cloak and Dagger Club definitely loses some of its shine. However, in spite of their past, Lucy is certain Frank isn’t a murderer, and they join forces to clear his name. As they dig into the lives of the club members, Lucy and Frank begin to uncover lots of secrets that would serve as excellent motives for murder, and as they get closer to the truth, they also realize their own lives may be in danger.
Jackie McMahon doesn’t spend much time setting this novel up as an historical mystery, in spite of stating that it’s set in 1930 in London. McMahon does make it exceedingly clear that the Cloak and Dagger Club is based on The Detection Club, but other than creating a cast of mystery authors as the suspects, that doesn’t come into play much, either. Nevertheless, McMahon spins a great tale with lots of red herrings that obscure the solution, she plays fair, giving the reader all the clues, and she delivers a believable ending to the mystery that includes a nice bit of comeuppance. She also delivers some characters that have interesting stories and personalities, along with a romance or two that add interest to the story without detracting from the mystery.
The Cloak and Dagger Club is McMahon’s debut novel, but the members of the club are strong enough characters that McMahon may have more in store for them, and they would be well worth following.