Book Review for The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury

 

The Oxford Guide #1

The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate Westbury

Published:  September 1, 2026 by Minotaur Books

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Mystery

 

Taken from Goodreads:  Set against the backdrop of post-WWII Oxford University, The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies is the irresistible debut from Kate Westbury that seamlessly layers mystery, romance, and a dash of academia to introduce the Crown’s newest undercover operatives.

Oxford, England, 1951 - The Honorable Ginevra Bishop likes red lipstick, clever retorts, and earning top marks in her tutorials. She’s following her mother’s footsteps by studying at Oxford, eager to prove she’s more than a debutante.

Sidney Braithwaite likes brooding, Latin, and ignoring his nightmares. He’s determined to forge a new life for himself at Oxford, far from his childhood mining village and free from memories of the war.

Though Gin and Sidney have little in common, the British Security Service is keen to unite her charm with his espionage experience: there’s a Soviet spy at the university, and the agent tracking them down was poisoned. MI5 wants Gin and Sidney to pick up the trail and identify the informant before more sensitive information is compromised. As a team, the pair of undergraduates clash in personality, upbringing, and taste––but have a connection neither can deny. Gin and Sidney must unite their respective talents to follow the clues before they’re caught in the traitor’s crosshairs…if the sparks flying between them don’t blow up the operation first.

My Thoughts:  Spies, espionage, and mystery.  Sounds wonderful!   The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies has a lot going on.  Gin and Sidney are college students trying to live life as they get pulled into a murder mystery involving a campus employee.  

I enjoyed Gin and Sidney’s adventures.  I am not always sure that they were going about their spy work in the right way and a few times I was sure they were on the wrong path, but it always seemed to work out for them.   Their relationship had a light romance feel, and I am excited to see where that will head.   These two are characters that I need to know more about and see where the future heads for them.  

The Oxford Guild to Scandal & Lies is not a quick read.   There is a lot of attention to details, sometimes too much attention, which slows the book down.  But the storyline is fun and I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you Minotaur Books for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Meet the Author (taken from her website):  Kate Westbury grew up a voracious reader of detective fiction, and unraveling plot twists became her favorite pastime. She now puts her whodunnit obsession to good use writing historical mysteries. Beyond the page, Kate teaches Latin and dreams of moving to an English village with crimes to solve.