Book Description:
Amateur detective duo Flora Steele and Jack Carrington have gained a reputation for crime-solving. But will they be able to untangle the latest baffling murder in the cosy village of Abbeymead?
Sussex, 1957: When Flora and Jack hear that Percy Milburn – a newcomer to the area who has ruffled more than a few feathers with his grand plans for modernising Abbeymead – is missing, they’re determined to find him. But after scouring the village, Flora is shocked to discover the body of the poor man in the cellar of a crumbling farmhouse.
Percy’s murder is tragic but not unexpected, as his ambition had made him many enemies within the small, rural community. Flora and Jack get stuck into the case, but they’re sent on a wild goose chase around the village. Whoever is behind the death has taken careful steps to cover their tracks…
Was it Miss Minnie Howden, the nervous housekeeper who loved Percy? Sir Frederick Neville, the owner of the farm Percy was trying to buy? Or Colin Palmer, made rich by Percy’s death? Did any of the suspects dislike Percy enough to end his life?
The amateur detective duo finds themselves outfoxed at every turn, unable to find any concrete clues. When their prime suspect is murdered, Flora and Jack have their work cut out to find the culprit. But the clever killer has pulled the wool over their eyes and is reeling them ever nearer to danger.
Will this case finally bring Flora and Jack closer together? And can they unravel the mystery before they’re led like lambs to the slaughter?
A completely addictive cozy crime novel set in the fictional Sussex village of Abbeymead. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis!
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Murder At Abbeymead Farm' by Merryn Allingham.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Merryn Allingham, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 11th May 2023.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author. It is also the sixth book in the 'Flora Steele Mystery' series. I have previously read 'The Bookshop Murder' which is the first book in the series, 'Murder At The Pier' which is the second book in the series, 'Murder At Primrose Cottage' which is the third book in the series and 'Murder At The Priory Hotel' which is the fourth book in this series and all of them I highly recommend, although they can each be read as a standalone.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis for this series stated that this series is 'A completely addictive cozy crime novel set in the fictional Sussex village of Abbeymead. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis!' I am a huge fan of all three of those authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Merryn and if this is half as good as 'The Bookshop Murder', 'Murder On The Pier', 'Murder At Primrose Cottage' and 'Murder At The Priory Hotel' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue and 32 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Sussex, England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited and holidayed in Sussex on many occasions including this year and next year again so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Flora Steele ad Jack Carrington. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
Another fantastic success by Merryn!!! Absolutely devoured this book in one sitting!!
Well I must say this is yet another explosive book in an absolutely addictive series!!! The storyline was very interesting and very fast paced. I absolutely love the fact that the main characters (Flora) owns a Bookshop and Jack is an author. I always look forward to meeting them and am gutted to come to the end of each book as they have become like friends to me. There is just something about a book where there is a lot of emphasis on books for me and this book was packed with them!! I really enjoyed that it was set in the past and the storyline really suited that. It really is a nice cozy mystery that will keep you guessing throughout. Abbeymead farm is up for sale but the villagers are not happy with the fact that the new potential owner Percy Millburn wants to turn it into a hostel. When he doesn't turn up for a meeting Flora and Jack decide that something isn't right so go to look for him. They soon find him but not how they were expecting at all and they end up trying to discover who was responsible for his grim ending. However, this time they seem to be in deeper trouble than usual when Flora finds herself a target when her beloved bookshop is vandalized. The more that Jack and Flora dig into this mystery the more dangerous the attacks on Flora become. Will they find out who is responsible before there's another murder or before the killer has their final revenge on Flora?? You'll just have to pick up a copy of this fantastic coz mystery today to find out more!!! At no point did I suspect who was doing what or why so another huge well done there Merryn!!! I have read many a mystery and find that I am working out the killer/perp quicker every time and there's nothing worse than working out who did what when your need even half way through a book. I loved that this book is based in Sussex as the atmospheres suit the book perfectly. Not only is this a suspense and action filled mystery but there was just the right amount of quirkiness, laughter and attitude to give it a nice mix!!! This book was extremely well written and I do believe alot of research went into it as everything linked correctly in with the era it was set in which was 1955. It is a real bug bear for me when I read a historical novel and the author hasn't done their research and gets basic information mixed up so well done Merryn!! It was very well written and I found the synopsis and the cover fitted the storyline perfectly, The descriptions were great and it really felt as if I was in the storyline along with Flora and Jack. Merryn describes life in a small village perfectly with everyone knowing everyone else and their business, growing up and living in one now she has definitely got it perfectly!! This book is yet another fantastic addition to a brilliant cozy mystery series that I absolutely love looking out for the next book in!
OMG!!!! THAT ENDING!!!! LOVE, LOVE, ABSOLUTELY LOVED!!!! 😍 😘 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ WELL DONE MERRYN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! DID I MENTION I LOVED IT???!!!!!
A fun, addictive, unputdownable cozy crime mystery. Clear your schedules as you won't be able to put this book down!
Although this is the sixth book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I am thoroughly invested in the characters and really enjoyed meeting Flora and Jack again both with their fantastic and quirky personality!!! In fact all of the characters had their own individual personalities which worked really well with each other. I am definitely looking forward to meeting Flora and Jack again and some more of the villagers. Some of the characters I was glad to see the back of but what fun would there be if we got along with them all. Flora and Jack have definitely become like friends to me and I look forward to meeting them again each time Merryn brings out another fantastic book in this series. I have loved watching Jack and Flora getting closer and closer and I really hope she gets over her fear of marriage and that they finally tie the knot soon as they make the perfect partners in crime and love!! Some of the other characters I enjoy meeting each time include Flora's friend and cafe owner, soon to be married, Kate, Alice and Jack's little helper Charlie. I wasn't a fan of Winifred who was trying to bully everyone into agreeing to what she wanted, especially the lovely Minnie. Anyway I won't say anymore as I don't want to give anything away but as always with this great seriea there is a perfect mix of strong and realistic characters to make an addictive storyline.
Congratulations Merryn on yet an absolutely fantastic book in an absolutely epic series!! I am really looking forward to see what Flora and Jack get up to next!!! Here's to your next success 🥂
Overall an page turning, perfect mix of mystery, crime, suspense and quirkiness which kept me turning the pages late at night!! An explosive addition to an addictive series!!!
Genres covered in this novel include Suspense, Cozy Animal Mystery, Mystery, Thriller, Cozy Culinary Mystery, Women Sleuths, Crime Thriller, Cozy Crafts And Hobbies Mystery, Police Procedural, Women Sleuths, Cozy Mystery, Amateur Sleuths, Murder Mystery and Crime Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Helena Dixon, Agatha Christie, Faith Martin, Joy Ellis, Verity Bright, Clare Chase, Dee MacDonald, Fliss Chester and anyone looking for a historic cosy mystery!!
266 pages.
This book is just £1.99 on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £7.99 in paperback (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
#MurderAtAbbeymeadFarm #MerrynAllingham #AFloraSteeleMystery#Bookouture #BookoutureAnonymous #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour #Goodreads #NetGalley #Amazon #AmazonKindle #Bookstagram #Bookblogger #KindleUnlimited
@MurderAtAbbeymeadFarm @MerrynAllingham @AFloraSteeleMystery @Bookouture @BookoutureAnonymous @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Goodreads @Netgalley @Amazon @AmazonKindle @Bookstagram @BookBlogger @KindleUnlimited
Author Bio:
Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
Social Media Links
Website: https://merrynallingham.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/merrynwrites
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Merryn Allingham here: https://www.bookouture.com/merryn-allingham
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BNQXDTB4social
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you'll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo
Comments