Berried Alive

Manor House Mysteries #6

by Kate Kingsbury

At the height of World War II, Elizabeth Harleigh Compton, the lady of Manor House, struggles to make sure that everything goes smoothly, a task complicated by the mysterious deaths of four American servicemen, all of whom had red hair, spent their last nights alive at the Tudor Arms, and died by poisoning. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Historical Mystery, World War II, Historical Fiction, Cozy, Fiction

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Kate Kingsbury grew up in London, England, and at a very early age began telling stories to her school friends during the London Blitz of WW II while huddling in bomb shelters. Kate moved to the U.S. in the early sixties, and had passed her 50th birthday when she published her first book. Writing as Doreen Roberts, (her real name at the time) she published 26 romance novels for Harlequin/Silhouette. In 1991 her first Pennyfoot Hotel book was published and since then Kate has written 35 mysteries, including the Manor House mysteries, the Bellehaven House mysteries(written as Rebecca Kent) and the Raven's Nest mysteries, (written as Allison Kingsley.) Her new series, The Merry Ghost Inn Mysteries debuted in January, 2017 with Dead and Breakfast, featuring a B & B on the Oregon coast. She has one son, Regan, and lives with her husband, Bill, in the beautiful state of Oregon.

Reviews

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was okay I guess. The good thing is it's short and a very quick easy read. In this book someone is targeting red headed Americans. At first it's thought to be some stomach bug that took them out, but Earl has some brains a realizes the men who died all had red hair and suspects poison. He asks Elizabeth to investigate and of course she jumps right in. This is less annoying than the one where she just decides she's better than everyone else and buts in where she doesn't belong. As always the police in these types of books are bumbling idiots another cozy trope that needs to die. It's been done where law enforcement are good at their jobs and protagonists who aren't cops help solve crimes.
Anyway back to the book. Elizabeth soon learns the poison is little berries and the book leads us completely in one direction only to take a sharp left and go in a way totally unexpected with a culprit no one saw coming which is nice if you are one if those people who like to be kept guessing which I am.
There's the usual goings on. Martin has lost his glasses, Violet is her sarcastic self. Sadie has settled into the main cast, and there might be romance in her future, poor Polly had her heart broken. I'm still not feeling the romance between Elizabeth and Earl. I just don't get any chemistry between them, maybe because I'm not a big fan of the whole married man going to war and using the marriage isn't working, you know, the my wife doesn't understand me line. I just don't like Earl that much, but then again I'm not that big a fan of Elizabeth either so maybe they do go together.
Winston Churchill may or may not make a cameo, there's also a mysterious box of scented soaps that people keep taking from poor Martin who has no clue what's going on. Rita Crumm and gang I call Mom's Army (I wish Britbox would put Dad's Army back on) have a scavenger hunt, sone revenge is had on Rita who is turning into a WWII Hyacinth Bucket (Bouquet) but compared to Elizabeth who brutally fat shames a grieving mother (comparing her to a cow, really?) in this book, she doesn't seem so bad. I feel like I'm only sticking around for the secondary characters and their stories. Will Polly get over Sam? Has Sadie found love? Where are Martin's glasses? Is there someone hiding out in the attic and that's who Martin keeps seeing and talking to? Will Violet ever learn to cook a decent meal? Stay tuned cause these questions are all that keep me coming back cause Elizabeth kind of sucks.

[M. White · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoying the manor house series.

[Sandra Strange · Rating 2 out of 5]

The love/tension in this series, with the protagonist unrequitedly in love with the married American AF officer billeting in a wing of her stately family manor, comes to an end in this volume. The puzzle --deaths of 4 red headed American servicemen by poison--is solved satisfactorily.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout most of the book, I was all set to give "Berried Alive" a 3 star rating. As usual, the mystery seemed rather obvious. Except it wasn't. For the first time, Ms. Kingsbury threw me for a loop and I was completely surprised as to the killer's identity. I thought for certain Annie Adelaide would be the killer. The real culprit never even entered my mind.

Another drawback to this entry was the fact Elizabeth seemed different somehow. Maybe because she was so preoccupied with herself. I didn't get the same feeling of concern for her tenants and others as I have in previous books. She annoyed me a bit in this one. The secondary characters, however, were all spot on. And I do love the intense, heartbreaking interplay between Elizabeth and Earl.

Then the ending came, fast and furious, really packing a punch and pushing up the rating. My goodness, I did not see that coming! What will happen now? And will Earl and Sam ever return? I can't believe Ms. Kingsbury is going to end the relationships here, but you never know. I can't wait to read the next one and find out what happens from here.

I also loved the scene where Nellie Smith got the best of Rita Crumm. Ha ha! Too bad Elizabeth wasn't around to enjoy the moment.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.

[IslandRiverScribe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story begins several months following the conclusion of the previous novel, “Paint by Murder.” It opens with Martin, the butler, who has lost his glasses somehow and four redheaded GIs who have lost their lives, in four separate incidents, as a result of ingesting toxic berries. What do Martin’s glasses have to do with the dead GIs? Not a thing, but they are both mysteries that Lady Elizabeth needs to solve before anyone can rest easy at the Manor House again.

As Lady Elizabeth and Major Earl Monroe work to solve the mystery behind who killed the GIs and why, Kingsbury uses that investigation to explore several major issues. First, Kingsbury explores the devastation wrecked upon British girls and their families when pregnancies occur and the American GIs involved refuse to accept responsibility. And secondly, Kingsbury explores the problem of the married GI and the unmarried British lass.

While this is the situation that Lady Elizabeth and Earl Monroe find themselves in, Kingsbury also brings to the story a situation with a pair who are much younger and of much lesser rank than Elizabeth and Earl. Thus, the author creates yet another opportunity to explore honor and morality versus the desire to live in the moment, all colored by the fear that the GI may be dead the next day.

But it is the ongoing situation – spanning into the 6th book now – between Polly, Lady Elizabeth’s assistant, and Sam Cutter, an American flyboy, that Kingsbury uses to illustrate the emotional toll taken on British women when their Yank boyfriends are ordered back to America. And just when you think that situation, which you have seen coming for the last two books, has played out, Kingsbury jerks you up and twists you in the wind.

So, beware. The end of this tale is not pretty. It is realistic, but it is not pretty.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set during WWII, Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton strives to be the lady of the manor despite the Americans billeted there and being reduced to eating in the kitchen with her small eccentric staff. When red headed Yanks start dying of poison, her duty is to find who is disrupting her village. I like the glimpse of the English village in the midst of changes brought by WWII and the Yankee invasion. Elizabeth is a likeable village sleuth as well as a young women struggling to be the leader and strength that many look up to and lean upon even though she feels unready due to the early death of her parents.

[Quetzi Fernald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton owns the Manor in her quaint English village. As the Lady of the Manor she has several tasks at hand. One, making sure everyone is taken care of in the village & solving the occasional murder or two. This time, it appears to be someone targeting redheaded American service men. The local police aren't interested & the Army Base isn't sure what to make of this, but Lady Elizabeth won't tolerate such behaviors in her charge. Also her love from afar, Major Earl Monroe is becoming more & more a attatched to Lady Elizabeth & things heat up only to be thrown another twist! This is another 5 Star read that you don't want to miss.

[cloudyskye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh no, a cliffhanger ending! I'm glad I've already ordered the remaining 3 volumes. Nice little stories, nice setting - England's home front in WW II, rural version, likeable characters. My only peeves are Polly, the teenage housemaid/secretary, who keeps throwing herself at the American bloke almost 10 years her senior, and that weird "m'm" with which many of the villagers address Lady Elizabeth. Anyway, I really want to know now where things are going with the lady and the major. Not to forget Sadie and her redhaired lieutenant.

[Allison Ketchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://hollybooknotes.blogspot.com/20...

[❂ Murder by Death · Rating 3 out of 5]

A re-read of a series I quite enjoyed the first and second time around.

Full review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/740205...

[Bionic Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bit cosy.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nice, quick read centering on the poisoning of red headed American soldiers. Some personal changes going on at the Manor House too.

[Diane Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mystery, but was left hanging high and dry... must read the next book in the series.

[Teddi · Rating 2 out of 5]

seemed like only half a book. Only one mystery was solved, the other to carry on in future books. Also a terrible cliffhanger type ending.

[Linda Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Enjoyed the whole book will read next one want to find out what happens to lady Elizabeth and earl Great mystery