Kate Westbury’s debut historical mystery, The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies, is an engrossing story of Cold War espionage set in academia. Although there’s a search for someone spying for Russia, it’s the story of two students enlisted in the service of England’s Security Service that is compelling.
Known only as the Rook, the man has already worked with Sidney Braithwaite during the Second World War. Braithwaite, a coal miner’s son, worked undercover as an asset, carrying messages and working for the Secret Intelligence Service until an injury and his own nightmares made him quit. Now, Sidney is at Oxford on an ex-serviceman’s grant, studying classical languages, Latin and Greek.
The Honorable Ginerva Bishop is a first year student studying German, after courses in the Romance languages in finishing school. It’s her first year at Oxford, but she has all the confidence of a former debutante who is the daughter of a viscount. After the murder of a librarian who worked for the Rook, the handler believes the two of them will work well to dig out the spy who is sending information to the Russians. Although he was reluctant to get involved again, Sidney sees both of the students as “broken, brittle creatures”. They both need the money the Rook promises them, though.
While Gin and Sidney find a clue that narrows their suspects to four, three of them university dons, it’s the descriptions of university life, the parties, the rooms and other students, the libraries, that bring the time period and the story to life. The story of gambling and partying at the Damocles Club, along with the accounts of the entitled young men who participated in their activities, or hoped to be included, is part of the post-war university. “In a way, the Damocles Club represented the very worst parts of the waning British aristocracy: They were idle, excessive, and elitist.” Gin, who represents the upper class, and Sidney, a figure from the working class, rub each other the wrong way. But, they also are attracted to each other. Those opposing emotions keep the story moving.
Westbury successfully wraps up The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies. It’s a clever mystery that clings to secrets from the past. However, she also leaves the reader wanting more, with more secrets known to the Rook, and family stories to uncover in a future book. It’s an intriguing debut.
Kate Westbury’s website is https://www.katewestbury.com/
The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury. Minotaur Books, 2026. 352p.
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of the book, with no expectation of a positive review.
