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Alasdair and Toby Investigations #1
An Act of Detection
Stars of the silver screen Alasdair Hamilton and Toby Bowe wow the post WWII audiences with their performances. But when they depict Holmes and Watson life starts to imitate art. They get asked in by a friend to investigate a mysterious disappearance only to find a series of threatening letters—and an unwanted suitor—make real life very different from the movies.Then there's an unpleasant co-star who's found murdered during an opening night. Surely detection can’t be that hard?
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 22, 2019
15 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Cochrane
86 books372 followersBecause Charlie Cochrane couldn't be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes. Her mystery novels include the Edwardian era Cambridge Fellows series, series, and the contemporary Best Corpse for the Job. Multi-published, she has titles with Carina, Samhain, Riptide and Bold Strokes, among others.
A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People and International Thriller Writers Inc, Charlie regularly appears at literary festivals and at reader and author conferences with The Deadly Dames.
A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People and International Thriller Writers Inc, Charlie regularly appears at literary festivals and at reader and author conferences with The Deadly Dames.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
December 28, 2019
An Act of Detection
By Charlie Cochrane
Published by Williams and Whiting, 2018
3.5 stars
Two novellas that share a setting and primary characters, “An Act of Detection” is an intriguingly stylized period piece – something with which fans of Cochrane’s Cambridge Dons series will be familiar.
The place is London, the year 1950, and two of Great Britain’s brightest film stars are about to start filming a swashbuckling pirate movie. Alasdair Hamilton and Toby Bowe are under contract to Landseer Pictures, and also among its chief moneymakers. They, working with Fiona Marsden as female lead and romantic interest in their films, give the British audience what it wants and needs to escape the realities of the post-war UK. Princess Elizabeth is married to the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles is two years old. George VI and Queen Elizabeth are triumphant symbols of the Crown, in spite of ongoing tight rations and plenty of physical reminders of war.
Among other things, Alasdair and Toby are known for their contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and in the first half of the book they take on the role of amateur sleuths to track down a missing secretary for a friend. In the second part of the book, as they prepare for a seafaring-themed movie, there’s a murder mystery to help solve.
Cochrane gives us a vivid sense of time and place, capturing the language and attitudes of two handsome young men, both having fought in the war, who are national heartthrobs but in truth only have eyes for each other. Their public image is carefully managed, and they exercise extreme caution in their private lives, living in separate houses and being seen in public with beautiful young women on their arms. They don’t even allow themselves to be photographed together, lest some curious fan begins to get the wrong idea. Cochrane’s story surely has echoes of what was going on in Hollywood at the same time.
The entire book feels spot-on, as Alasdair and Toby gleefully – and competently – pursue their amateur sleuthing. The trouble is, for me, that we learn very little about them beyond the pretty, polished surface of their discreetly shared life together. Because their co-star Fiona is not in on their secret (and, they ponder, might well be puzzled as to why her relationship with Alasdair hasn’t gone further than it has); we know virtually nothing about her other than she’s beautiful and appropriate as the unknowing third wheel. Indeed, in their movies, Toby is the third wheel, because the hero (Alasdair) always gets the girl (Fiona); while in real life Toby is the love of Alasdair’s life. In the course of the two investigations, we do meet a few equally closeted gay men who are sort-of friends. There is, however, no sense at all that Toby and Alasdair have any kind of personal life other than with each other. Everything else is for show, for the studio. It seems very sad, and also oddly flat.
At the very end of the book, Alasdair muses that “If his bed was the only place Toby could be himself, then the world wasn’t that bad.” It is an oddly poignant finale in a very constrained romance. We see nothing of our two golden boys’ love life, other than some kissing and handholding (because even the devoted and discreet valet, Morgan, can only be expected to endure so much). I have a horrible feeling that this represents a reality in 1950 that my generation cast aside simply because we could. Rather than getting the reader caught up in the past with her gay characters, as she did with the Cambridge dons, “An Act of Detection” left me anxious to leave them behind. The genteel playing at being detectives couldn’t distract me from the hard truth of a world where brave, beautiful gay men – even rich ones – had to hide their love from everyone in order to survive.
By Charlie Cochrane
Published by Williams and Whiting, 2018
3.5 stars
Two novellas that share a setting and primary characters, “An Act of Detection” is an intriguingly stylized period piece – something with which fans of Cochrane’s Cambridge Dons series will be familiar.
The place is London, the year 1950, and two of Great Britain’s brightest film stars are about to start filming a swashbuckling pirate movie. Alasdair Hamilton and Toby Bowe are under contract to Landseer Pictures, and also among its chief moneymakers. They, working with Fiona Marsden as female lead and romantic interest in their films, give the British audience what it wants and needs to escape the realities of the post-war UK. Princess Elizabeth is married to the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles is two years old. George VI and Queen Elizabeth are triumphant symbols of the Crown, in spite of ongoing tight rations and plenty of physical reminders of war.
Among other things, Alasdair and Toby are known for their contemporary take on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, and in the first half of the book they take on the role of amateur sleuths to track down a missing secretary for a friend. In the second part of the book, as they prepare for a seafaring-themed movie, there’s a murder mystery to help solve.
Cochrane gives us a vivid sense of time and place, capturing the language and attitudes of two handsome young men, both having fought in the war, who are national heartthrobs but in truth only have eyes for each other. Their public image is carefully managed, and they exercise extreme caution in their private lives, living in separate houses and being seen in public with beautiful young women on their arms. They don’t even allow themselves to be photographed together, lest some curious fan begins to get the wrong idea. Cochrane’s story surely has echoes of what was going on in Hollywood at the same time.
The entire book feels spot-on, as Alasdair and Toby gleefully – and competently – pursue their amateur sleuthing. The trouble is, for me, that we learn very little about them beyond the pretty, polished surface of their discreetly shared life together. Because their co-star Fiona is not in on their secret (and, they ponder, might well be puzzled as to why her relationship with Alasdair hasn’t gone further than it has); we know virtually nothing about her other than she’s beautiful and appropriate as the unknowing third wheel. Indeed, in their movies, Toby is the third wheel, because the hero (Alasdair) always gets the girl (Fiona); while in real life Toby is the love of Alasdair’s life. In the course of the two investigations, we do meet a few equally closeted gay men who are sort-of friends. There is, however, no sense at all that Toby and Alasdair have any kind of personal life other than with each other. Everything else is for show, for the studio. It seems very sad, and also oddly flat.
At the very end of the book, Alasdair muses that “If his bed was the only place Toby could be himself, then the world wasn’t that bad.” It is an oddly poignant finale in a very constrained romance. We see nothing of our two golden boys’ love life, other than some kissing and handholding (because even the devoted and discreet valet, Morgan, can only be expected to endure so much). I have a horrible feeling that this represents a reality in 1950 that my generation cast aside simply because we could. Rather than getting the reader caught up in the past with her gay characters, as she did with the Cambridge dons, “An Act of Detection” left me anxious to leave them behind. The genteel playing at being detectives couldn’t distract me from the hard truth of a world where brave, beautiful gay men – even rich ones – had to hide their love from everyone in order to survive.
October 8, 2019
Two ok mysteries, but somehow these characters just didn't grab me like Jonty and Orlando have. Still, I didn't figure everything out before the reveal, so I enjoyed both stories.
December 30, 2019
There's two novellas in this Cochrane offering, and whilst I enjoyed the first one enough, my interest began to badly wane by the start of the second. There's a Jeeves/Wooster feel to the investigation and unfortunately, I didn't really warm to either of the investigating MCs very much.
September 22, 2024
It’s quite verbose and feels padded. I like the setting and sometimes it shines but I had a hard time connecting with the characters or the writing and would not read another.
September 9, 2019
The Case of the Overprotective Ass
This pair was just as fun and fascinating to read as they were the first time around in the author's Home Fires Burning duo. I loved reacquainting myself with the boys and although I recalled the outcome, I was never bored or put off having remembered the ending. Sometimes mysteries just cannot be revisited, knowing the whos and whats and whys just don't make it fun but not Charlie Cochrane's mysteries, I can reread them for years to come.
The Case of the Undesirable Actor
When I originally read Alistair and Toby in another of the author's collections I knew I wanted more. Now we got it. I won't speak for the mystery as I don't want to give anything away but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right up to the reveal. As for the boys themselves, there are no doubts whatsoever how they feel about one another and though they can't love openly in 1950s England they can do so behind closed doors and that's enough for them. The friendships, the bickering, the romance, the banter, all blended with mayhem make this an absolute reading gem.
Overall Duet Review:
Let's face it, on the surface the idea that two actors playing Holmes and Watson trying their hands at a little real life detecting sounds like a cliche joke but it is really a perfect setup. Character driven fun mixed with loads of mayhem and set in a pretty accurate historical setting(I can't speak from personal knowledge that this is how the acting community behaved in 1950s London but knowing the author's love of history I'm willing to accept this as spot on) just makes her stories a joy to lose yourself in. Rom Com + Romantic Suspense = You Can't Put It Down.
Home Fires Burning containing The Case of the Overprotective Ass
Original Review February 2015:
Both tales are amazing. It's the simplest and easiest way to describe it. In This Ground Which Was Secured At Great Expense, you can't help but feel what Nicholas is going through. Not only is he dealing with the heartaches of war but he's also has his heart set on a man he didn't reveal his feelings for before leaving. He's given a chance at exploring physical love when he has a new tent mate in Nicholas. In The Case of the Overprotective Ass, we see 2 actors entertaining post WW2 audiences with Sherlock & Holmes but they are given a chance to play detectives for real. Alastair and Toby share similarities with Miss Cochrane's famed Orlando and Jonty from her Cambridge Fellows series, but they are definitely their own pair. Both tales, although shorter than what I would like, are most enjoyable and very entertaining reads.
This pair was just as fun and fascinating to read as they were the first time around in the author's Home Fires Burning duo. I loved reacquainting myself with the boys and although I recalled the outcome, I was never bored or put off having remembered the ending. Sometimes mysteries just cannot be revisited, knowing the whos and whats and whys just don't make it fun but not Charlie Cochrane's mysteries, I can reread them for years to come.
The Case of the Undesirable Actor
When I originally read Alistair and Toby in another of the author's collections I knew I wanted more. Now we got it. I won't speak for the mystery as I don't want to give anything away but there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right up to the reveal. As for the boys themselves, there are no doubts whatsoever how they feel about one another and though they can't love openly in 1950s England they can do so behind closed doors and that's enough for them. The friendships, the bickering, the romance, the banter, all blended with mayhem make this an absolute reading gem.
Overall Duet Review:
Let's face it, on the surface the idea that two actors playing Holmes and Watson trying their hands at a little real life detecting sounds like a cliche joke but it is really a perfect setup. Character driven fun mixed with loads of mayhem and set in a pretty accurate historical setting(I can't speak from personal knowledge that this is how the acting community behaved in 1950s London but knowing the author's love of history I'm willing to accept this as spot on) just makes her stories a joy to lose yourself in. Rom Com + Romantic Suspense = You Can't Put It Down.
Home Fires Burning containing The Case of the Overprotective Ass
Original Review February 2015:
Both tales are amazing. It's the simplest and easiest way to describe it. In This Ground Which Was Secured At Great Expense, you can't help but feel what Nicholas is going through. Not only is he dealing with the heartaches of war but he's also has his heart set on a man he didn't reveal his feelings for before leaving. He's given a chance at exploring physical love when he has a new tent mate in Nicholas. In The Case of the Overprotective Ass, we see 2 actors entertaining post WW2 audiences with Sherlock & Holmes but they are given a chance to play detectives for real. Alastair and Toby share similarities with Miss Cochrane's famed Orlando and Jonty from her Cambridge Fellows series, but they are definitely their own pair. Both tales, although shorter than what I would like, are most enjoyable and very entertaining reads.
May 8, 2022
Almost Done In by The Cover
I am sure someone in the publisher's office thought putting the two characters on the cover in pseudo-thespian costumes would bring in the bucks. Problem is they were out-thinking themselves because the two main characters, Toby and Alasdair, and the era in which this one takes place--post WWII England--need more definition on the cover to bring the reader in.
That's a shame because the only reason I grabbed this one is that I love Charlie Cochrane's work. And once in I was told that Alasdair and Toby were both exceptionally good looking but closeted men who were not only England's Holmes and Watson on the screen but also in bed. I wanted more of Cochrane's imagination on the cover.
Once inside there are two mysteries, each of which are clever but also both suffer from just too many words that seem to want to spread the thin plot lines out. In the end they are clever but also you will probably figure them out before the characters do.
Still, I might give the sequel a chance--at least the cover is more realistic.
I am sure someone in the publisher's office thought putting the two characters on the cover in pseudo-thespian costumes would bring in the bucks. Problem is they were out-thinking themselves because the two main characters, Toby and Alasdair, and the era in which this one takes place--post WWII England--need more definition on the cover to bring the reader in.
That's a shame because the only reason I grabbed this one is that I love Charlie Cochrane's work. And once in I was told that Alasdair and Toby were both exceptionally good looking but closeted men who were not only England's Holmes and Watson on the screen but also in bed. I wanted more of Cochrane's imagination on the cover.
Once inside there are two mysteries, each of which are clever but also both suffer from just too many words that seem to want to spread the thin plot lines out. In the end they are clever but also you will probably figure them out before the characters do.
Still, I might give the sequel a chance--at least the cover is more realistic.
June 15, 2021
A Post-WWII pair of cinema stars who portray Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson while hiding their relationship right under everyone's nose find themselves detecting in real life in a pair of novellas.
Alasdair Hamilton plays the leading man who gets the girl and portrays the heroic figure while Toby Bowe work for the same studio and star in the same films with a beautiful woman star to mask the fact that their on-screen chemistry together is not due to La Marsden, but their own secret off-screen relationship. Toby was an RAF pilot in the war and his father got high up in Scotland Yard, but Alaisdair is no slouch in the intellectual department and has good contacts in the entertainment world so that when they are asked by Toby's friend to help solve a real life mystery, they jump on it.
An Act of Detection grabbed my attention because I already enjoy the author's historical cozy mystery, Cambridge Fellows series and some of her standalones. I hadn't read far before I was comfortable with Toby and Alaisdair because they felt like the Jonty and Orlando just set in the post-war and against the film industry.
This book didn't spend much time fleshing out the character and felt like it was part of an ongoing story when it opened, but I adjusted and soon was tracking with the new pair of heroes. It has a closed door, closeted romance and fun banter. I love old movies so the background and their lifestyle was a fun part. There is a light, cozy mystery tone throughout. I really, really hope the author writes more mysteries for this pair to tackle.
An engaging, light and sweet standalone m/m historical cozy mystery that I can recommend.
Alasdair Hamilton plays the leading man who gets the girl and portrays the heroic figure while Toby Bowe work for the same studio and star in the same films with a beautiful woman star to mask the fact that their on-screen chemistry together is not due to La Marsden, but their own secret off-screen relationship. Toby was an RAF pilot in the war and his father got high up in Scotland Yard, but Alaisdair is no slouch in the intellectual department and has good contacts in the entertainment world so that when they are asked by Toby's friend to help solve a real life mystery, they jump on it.
An Act of Detection grabbed my attention because I already enjoy the author's historical cozy mystery, Cambridge Fellows series and some of her standalones. I hadn't read far before I was comfortable with Toby and Alaisdair because they felt like the Jonty and Orlando just set in the post-war and against the film industry.
This book didn't spend much time fleshing out the character and felt like it was part of an ongoing story when it opened, but I adjusted and soon was tracking with the new pair of heroes. It has a closed door, closeted romance and fun banter. I love old movies so the background and their lifestyle was a fun part. There is a light, cozy mystery tone throughout. I really, really hope the author writes more mysteries for this pair to tackle.
An engaging, light and sweet standalone m/m historical cozy mystery that I can recommend.
November 27, 2023
I really enjoyed reading how Alasdair and Toby began their real sleuthing and the first two cases were funny especially the group that sent the threatening letters because they didn't approve how they portrayed Holmes and Watson(probably not far-fetched in real life)and then the murder occurred after the ghastly opera they had to endure. The man who was murdered was a very unpleasant man and you knew he had injured an actress on an earlier film that had been covered up and that he was a womanizer with wandering hands. Plenty of suspects but I didn't expect the actual culprit and not sorry he was found out because he killed an innocent cat along with framing other people. Hope there will be more stories especially with the Cambridge dons.
June 13, 2020
3.5*
Two tales of actors Toby and Alasdair who play Holmes and Watson on the silver screen, doing the Holmes and Watson in real life.
I did struggle a bit to get into the stories, which I was disappointed in, being a huge Jonty and Orlando fan. Though Jonny Stewart did get a few mentions.
However, the twists and turns were there and, especially in the second story, the culprit was suitably disguised until the end.
Two tales of actors Toby and Alasdair who play Holmes and Watson on the silver screen, doing the Holmes and Watson in real life.
I did struggle a bit to get into the stories, which I was disappointed in, being a huge Jonty and Orlando fan. Though Jonny Stewart did get a few mentions.
However, the twists and turns were there and, especially in the second story, the culprit was suitably disguised until the end.
July 12, 2023
1950's gay romance and murder mystery
Toby and his lover are film stars and have played Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in a couple of movies among many other roles. But it is as the famous sleuths that they are asked to solve a simple disappearance that enlarges into a really big case. The characters ring true to the times, the suspect list is large and the mystery will keep the reader involved right to the end.
Toby and his lover are film stars and have played Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in a couple of movies among many other roles. But it is as the famous sleuths that they are asked to solve a simple disappearance that enlarges into a really big case. The characters ring true to the times, the suspect list is large and the mystery will keep the reader involved right to the end.
November 10, 2021
I have mixed feelings with this book. On one hand it was well written, had a tight mystery to unfold, a compelling plot and characters, but on the other hand, it didn't hold my interest. Though I enjoyed the set-up and the main characters, the twist and turns in the mystery didn't hold my interest and I'm not sure why.
March 28, 2021
Very enjoyable pair of novellas set after WW2. Well written with likable characters.
April 10, 2021
This is a great historical gay mystery.\ series, I love them all!
May 9, 2023
Likeable, but for some reason neither plot nor characters caught me like some of the others have, I don’t really know why.
Will try the Jonty/Orlando crossover though.
Will try the Jonty/Orlando crossover though.
May 4, 2025
I tried to finish, but it's super boring. progress 43%
August 27, 2019
4 1/2 stars, I think, because I was getting kind of confused with who was who among the minor characters in the second story in this duet. I felt like there were a lot of names to remember, but that might have just been me. I noticed some typos and a few places where the wrong word was used, but I figured out what was meant to be there in most of those instances. (Sorry, I'm supposed to notice those things -- and in some cases, I'm supposed to fix them.) I'm sure that now I've said something, I'll have a bunch of typos in this review.
These are the second and third stories in a series. Mrs. Cochrane has the first, "The Roaming Heart," available. There's likely a link on her website. I'd read the second, "The Case of the Overprotective Ass," some time ago in another duet of stories. I liked it pretty well. That's the first of the two stories in this book.
The new story is titled "The Case of the Undesirable Actor." There were a lot of red herrings, which may have led to some of my confusion with who was who among minor characters. There were some Agatha Christie references. One reference was to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and another I think was to And Then There Were None. I haven't read the second book, but I think it was deliberately unnamed in this story because the original title of that book was offensive, and the time period this story was set in would most likely be the time that particular Agatha Christie book had its original title. I also had Opinions about The Murder of Roger Ackroyd when I read it for a class about mystery fiction. I guess everyone who has read it does, even fictional characters. :)
Toby and Alasdair find many, many possible motives for various characters to have killed the murder victim. The character who is murdered was certainly a bad actor in terms of his behavior towards others in a number of ways. I didn't figure it out, but of course the protagonists don't figure it out until the end, either.
Much of the focus here is on the mystery, and Toby and Alasdair go their separate ways during the day several times to talk individually with people they think may have useful information for them. But they remain an established couple, not able to publicly show their love for each other, but very happy in their relationship with each other. They have a circle of acquaintances in the theater (or theatre) world who are also gay. This showed up more in the first story in this duet. That was not surprising to me. Toby and Alasdair know they're not alone in being gay. Some young gay men in the 1950s were awfully isolated, but there were certainly social groups of gay men in London at the time. (And social groups of gay men had existed for centuries in London in one form or another, historians tell us.)
Toby and Alasdair and their frequent co-star Fiona are all veterans of World War II, and memories of wartime are vivid to them. Jules Jones told me that rationing continued for some time after the war, and was much more severe than rationing in America was. Jules is only a few years older than I am, but she's well versed in details of British and Commonwealth history. Some of the older characters in this series are veterans of World War I. I feel like there's a good sense in these stories of how things were in the 1950s, from what I know of it.
I enjoyed various aspects of these couple of stories, including Toby and Alasdair's loving relationship, the sense of the history, and trying to figure out "whodunnit."
These are the second and third stories in a series. Mrs. Cochrane has the first, "The Roaming Heart," available. There's likely a link on her website. I'd read the second, "The Case of the Overprotective Ass," some time ago in another duet of stories. I liked it pretty well. That's the first of the two stories in this book.
The new story is titled "The Case of the Undesirable Actor." There were a lot of red herrings, which may have led to some of my confusion with who was who among minor characters. There were some Agatha Christie references. One reference was to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and another I think was to And Then There Were None. I haven't read the second book, but I think it was deliberately unnamed in this story because the original title of that book was offensive, and the time period this story was set in would most likely be the time that particular Agatha Christie book had its original title. I also had Opinions about The Murder of Roger Ackroyd when I read it for a class about mystery fiction. I guess everyone who has read it does, even fictional characters. :)
Toby and Alasdair find many, many possible motives for various characters to have killed the murder victim. The character who is murdered was certainly a bad actor in terms of his behavior towards others in a number of ways. I didn't figure it out, but of course the protagonists don't figure it out until the end, either.
Much of the focus here is on the mystery, and Toby and Alasdair go their separate ways during the day several times to talk individually with people they think may have useful information for them. But they remain an established couple, not able to publicly show their love for each other, but very happy in their relationship with each other. They have a circle of acquaintances in the theater (or theatre) world who are also gay. This showed up more in the first story in this duet. That was not surprising to me. Toby and Alasdair know they're not alone in being gay. Some young gay men in the 1950s were awfully isolated, but there were certainly social groups of gay men in London at the time. (And social groups of gay men had existed for centuries in London in one form or another, historians tell us.)
Toby and Alasdair and their frequent co-star Fiona are all veterans of World War II, and memories of wartime are vivid to them. Jules Jones told me that rationing continued for some time after the war, and was much more severe than rationing in America was. Jules is only a few years older than I am, but she's well versed in details of British and Commonwealth history. Some of the older characters in this series are veterans of World War I. I feel like there's a good sense in these stories of how things were in the 1950s, from what I know of it.
I enjoyed various aspects of these couple of stories, including Toby and Alasdair's loving relationship, the sense of the history, and trying to figure out "whodunnit."
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August 5, 2019What the heck?
Is this Google Translate's latest work of art or some creepy joke? What kind of blurb is that?
Huge formulation problems and a disastrous punctuation may explain the calamity. You understand, Author, that with such "introduction", I don't want to "get introduced" to the story at all...
*The cover is another masterpiece, but I could have ignored it if the blurb wasn't that much ... (replace the ellipsis with the ideal adjective if you find one, because I failed!)
Is this Google Translate's latest work of art or some creepy joke? What kind of blurb is that?
Huge formulation problems and a disastrous punctuation may explain the calamity. You understand, Author, that with such "introduction", I don't want to "get introduced" to the story at all...
*The cover is another masterpiece, but I could have ignored it if the blurb wasn't that much ... (replace the ellipsis with the ideal adjective if you find one, because I failed!)
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