The Measby Murder Enquiry

Ivy Beasley Mystery #2

by Ann Purser

Cantankerous spinster Ivy Beasley has quickly learned that spending her golden years in the quaint village of Barrington won't be as quiet as she thought. Ivy hasn't been in assisted living at Springfields for long, but she's already found new friends, formed a detective agency, and solved a murder. And as autumn falls, Ivy and her team are asked to investigate a mysterious death in the village of Measby-in between card games, of course.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, British Literature

325 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 3, 2011

About the author

Ann Purser lives in the East Midlands, in a small and attractive village which still has a village shop, a garage, pub and church. Here she finds her inspiration for her novels about country life. She has only to do her daily shopping down the High Street to listen to the real life of the village going on around her.

Before turning to fiction, she had a number of different careers, including journalism – she was for six years a columnist in SHE magazine – and art gallery proprietor. Running her own gallery in a 400-year-old barn behind the house, she gained fascinating insights into the characters and relationships of customers wandering around. She had no compunction about eavesdropping, and sharpened up her writer’s skills in weaving plots around strangers who spent sometimes more than an hour in her gallery.

Working in a village school added more grist to the mill, as does singing in the church choir and membership of the Women’s Guild. She reminds herself humbly that Virginia Woolf was President of her local WI…

Six years hard study won her an Open University degree, and when she faltered and threatened to fall by the wayside, writer husband Philip Purser reminded her that he was paying good money for the course. During this period, she wrote two non-fiction books, one for parents of handicapped children (she has a daughter with cerebral palsy) and the other a lighthearted book for schools, on the explosion of popular entertainment in the first forty years of the twentieth century.

Ten years of running the gallery proved to be enough, and while it was very successful she decided to sell. The business moved down the street to another barn and owner, and Pursers stayed on in their house next to the village school – another rich source of material for the stories. Time to start writing novels.

Round Ringford became Ann’s village in a series of six novels, each with a separate story, but featuring the same cast of characters with a few newcomers each time. The list of books gives details of each story, and each features an issue common to all villages in our rural countryside. “Just like our village!” is a frequent comment from Ann’s readers.

Next: the Lois Meade Mysteries, each title reflecting a day of the week. Ann has always loved detective fiction, and determined to make it her next series. So Murder on Monday was born, followed by Terror on Tuesday, and Weeping on Wednesday. The rest of the week follows!

Mornings are set aside for writing, and the rest of the day Ann spends walking the dog, retrieving bantams’ eggs from around the garden, gossiping and taking part in the life of the village. She is never bored!

Reviews

[Lennine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had a hard time staying with this book. Did I like it? Not sure. First time reading Ann Purser, so I will give her another try.

[Jade C. Jamison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to say anything negative about stories, but in this case I must. I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it either. I realize I started with book two in the series, so I'm not judging it on anything I might possibly have missed. What I disliked most were issues an editor probably should have caught--a lot of forced exposition (one of my pet peeves) and head hopping and not an interesting enough story or characters to help me overlook those problems.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read book #1 a few years ago and thought I would go back to this series. This was disappointing. It plodded along and didn't have a very satisfying conclusion. Now I plan to read the rest of the series. Ugh!

[Kathi Olsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A murder mystery set in English countryside and being investigated by seniors, most of whom llive in a retirement home. Kind of fun and easy to relax with

[Robbin Golden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and easy read that held my attention.

[Debra Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like others of hers better

[Doward Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not think I was going to enjoy this books but then it sucked me in and didn't let go. Ivy and her friend, Roy, live in assisted living at Springfields, a home for the well heeled. Along with her cousin, Deidre, and Gus, who has retired from something secretive, they have formed Enquire Within, a detective agency. They have solved a previous murder and are now investigating the mysterious death of an elderly man in Measby and the scamming of a new resident at Springfields. Set in the British countryside with entwined suspects and various plots this is a well done murder mystery. The story covers infidelity, blackmail, extortion, addiction and love. If you like the classic Agatha Christie or Mary Roberts Rinehart, you should enjoy this. I am going to read the rest of this series and another one by this author because I really enjoyed this one so much.

[Emilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit I have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with this one :) I love the idea of elderly sleuths - I've read a few books with such characters :) Here, Ivy, very stern, perhaps a tad despotic seems to have enough energy for all, somehow the whole book got too many things in it, the connection between events blurry... THe whole time I was waiting for something big, some climax, and somehow... Don't know.
Overall I give it 4 stars, for other than cozy-mystery reasons.
I liked the way the difficult family ties and issues were tackled, the intrigue itself was brilliant, connection between the past and present times great as well. :)
Thumbs up for the ending... which I won't talk about not to give it away ;)

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivy Beasley is a clever elderly woman who is living in a retirement home in England. In this second book in the series, Ivy is involved in a detective agency with fellow "inmate" Roy, cousin Deirdre, and possible former spy Gus. A new resident at the Springfields assisted living facility, Mrs. Alwen Wilson Jones seems to have a mysterious past...a connection to Jones Brewing Company...and a murder in nearby Measby.

As readers of Ann Purser's other series starring Lois Meade know, Ann is an amazing story teller. She brings the English countryside to life. And I love that our heroine is elderly. And that our elderly heroine has found love!

Great English cozy mystery.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ivy Beasley is a single woman with a feisty nature who lives in Springfields, an assisted living home She along with her new friends have formed a detective agency called Enquire Within. Previously, they solved a murder mystery and now are looking into a murder in a neighboring town. When a new resident moves into Springfields and announces she has been cheated out of a large sum of money, they offer to help her. It seems many of the characters have secrets that Ivy and her associates try to unravel. It is an easy but entertaining read with all its twists and turns. I will look forward to reading more books in this series.

[Eleanor Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I'm predisposed to like Ann Purser as I love her Lois Meade mysteries. This cozy does not disappoint. I'm coming to really like these characters and look forward to more of their adventures. They are a motley crew, to be sure--to say more would be a spoiler. But this odd pack goes about solving crimes to the best of their (often challenged) abilities. I'd have to say the characters themselves are the strongest part of the book. I especially like being able to peek into everyone's thoughts, not just one character's. Often touching and very amusing. Also charming. For lovers of the classic British village cozy, this fits the bill.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our newest senior citizen private investigation team, doing business as "Enquire Within," has been called back into action. One of Gus' previous 'contacts' has advised him of a possible crime which has been kept out of the papers.

Our intrepid team must suss out crime of murder, blackmail, extortion, while a blossoming romance grows.

I really enjoy this tale and it's characters. It was an interesting weave of histories that the villagers wove and kept me involved until the last page. I, also, love the interaction of the assisted-living facility members.

I look forward to the next book.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the ideas of the oldsters solving mysteries and getting in trouble with the home's caretakers. We have other younger (and racy/lively) characters in the mix as well and a good mystery to wrap your brain around. The most is made of the English culture and small village ways in this series. This is the second in the series and I'm sure there will be many more. Ann Purser always delivers a good mystery with a mix of tart/acerbic and solid, sweet, and steady characters. I can say more for fear of spoilers.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a change of pace. Set in England, in a Senior Living facility, a group of 4 senior form a investigation team called Enquire Within. Leas by a feisty gal, Ivy Beasley and her boyfriend, Roy Goodman, Ivy's cousin, Diedre, and Gus, the only one with actual investigative experience. An actual paying customer comes to them, a new resident of the facility, Alwen, comes to them as an actual paying customer, but her problem later comes into question. A fun book, with a slower pace and a lot of interesting characters.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ivy Beasley and her friends at the Enquire Within detective agency are asked to help a new resident at Springfields, the upscale retirement home where two of them live. Apparently the woman has been swindled. But then again, maybe she hasn't been. Does this swindle have anything to do with the death of an elderly man at a nearby village? And why is one of their number, the mysterious Gus, missing?

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spinster Ivy Beasley has had to move into assisted living in a village close to her cousin. She has managed to help start a detective agency and solve a murder. This is the 2nd book in the series with another mystery that starts when a new resident moves in. I found this one a little disjointed, but it may have been the fact that I could only read small parts at a time so I couldn't follow the story as easily as I usually can.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the characters in the Ivy Beasley mystery series--just fun, pleasant little cottage mysteries. Great books to read between more serious contemplative books. Clever plotting adds to the fun. I find that I often do not guess who the bad guy is--which is unusual--because I read so many mysteries, am hard to fool!

[Yeva · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked parts of this book, but the ending was disappointing. It was just a no-show. After I finished the book, I felt flat. So, even though I've checked out two other books by Ms. Purser from the library to read over the holiday, I'm not sure I will indulge. It might be time to try a different writer for a change. Pooh.

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I used to really enjoy Ann Purser's novels, I tried the first one in this series and found it so boring I never finished it! This one I did finish, liked some of the characters but there was just way to much that was hard to keep track of and the ending really didn't end....which was just a come on to read the next in the series!

[Sharneel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite the prosaic nature of the stories, I would still recommend Ann Purser's novels to the readers who enjoy British village mysteries. They are not riveting, nor highly suspenseful, but the characters have their own special allure that make the reading enjoyable.

[Pamsholley · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the same author who writes the One, Two, Three mysteries starring Lois Meade. This new series featuring Ivy Beasley takes place in a home for older people as Ivy and her dear friends Roy, Deidre and Gus solve one murder after another.

[Jacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second outing for "Enquire Within" and for Ivy Beasely as an investigator rather than the "spinster of Round Ringford" or the peripheral character in Lois Meade's books.
A good old-fashioned cosy with sharp edges and Ann Purer's usual way with characters.

[DAISY READS HORROR · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although I liked the cozy cover, I got to 100 pages on this one. It was slow paced for my liking and I also had a hard time keeping up with all of the characters that were introduced so early on into the story. I also disliked the main character Ivy. She was very snappy and unpleasant.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good, fun read, but the ending didn't wrap everything up for me and left me a little annoyed because of that. I will still read the next book in the series though, since these books are fun, enjoyable reads.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

For once I read a series in order! All two books of it.
Ann Purser has a delightfully chatty style, evoking British village life with skill. Her brusque hero, Ivy Beasley, reminds me a bit of Beaton's Agatha Raisin, though more sensible and straightforward.
Recommended.

[Sandra]

Love Ivy Beasley! I will model my life on her!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner in the Ivy Beasley series

[Jerry Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

[Lbaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, a little forced, trying to prove old people are interesting and useful.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of the Ivy Beasley Mystery series. We learn more of Gus' past and Ivy is lively as usual. Good read.