A Family Concern

Chiltern Hills Mysteries #4

by Anthea Fraser

A new Rona Parish mystery: Journalist Rona Parish is eager for a fresh challenge. A chance encounter with an old friend, Kate, now married into the Tarlton family, gives her an idea. Rona will research the histories of several long-established family firms in the town, notably the Tarltons, long-time owners of the Clarendon Hotel. Then Kate enlists Rona's help in getting to the bottom of sister-in-law Freya's terrifying nightmares, and Rona finds herself drawn into the complex web of relationships linking the families.

Genres: Mystery, British Literature, Fiction, Cozy Mystery

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

aka Vanessa Graham

Reviews

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rona's friend Kate, asks for her help with a relative's nightmares. Rona speaks to the woman, and makes new discoveries about the family's back garden and secrets the nanny was keeping. Meanwhile Rona's husband has an interesting encounter with one of the art students, Rona's father moves out, and Rona's sister continues with her dreadful affairs.

I adore this series. Though very dated, it's well written and the characters are very interesting. Rona has a strong will, and is a complete saint compared to all of her relatives and friends. All very interesting and real to life characters. I will be sad when I get to the final book.

[Liz Fielding · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the first three books in this series and pre-ordered this one. However, in this fourth outing the focus was on the personal lives of the characters and, while there was a mystery, it lacked much of the crime element.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rona Parish is writing a series of articles on long established local family firms when she is asked to try and find the cause of Freya's nightmares which are waking her up every night and making her ill through lack of sleep. Rona doesn't feel qualified to do this but agrees to try and find out what might have happened in the past and whether Freya could have witnessed something as a child which upset her and which she now can't remember.

Rona herself has family problems which are concerning her and she is worried about twin sister Lindsey and her complicated love life and about her separated parents. Naturally her investigations into Freya's nightmares stir up old hurts and it seems as though Rona once again managed to disturb a hornet's nest.

This book is the fourth in this well written and interesting series of mysteries. I liked the background to the story and I thought the plot was well constructed. The clues are there but I didn't spot the solution. I am enjoying this entertaining series - though I don't think it is quite as good as the author's DCI Webb series. If you prefer your detectives to be amateurs then you may prefer Rona Parish.

[Katy M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a book with an article of clothing or accessory on the cover

There weren't many clues to the main mystery. Probably because too much was going on with the parents' divorce, the husband's stalker, and the sister's complicated relationships.

And almost everyone in this book was either currently or in the past engaging in extramarital affairs. Because apparently this is normal moral behavior.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Web of Secrets

Anthea Fraser outdid herself with 'A Bookish Killer'.
One English village, filled with family and friends whose relationships intertwine into a web of secrets and lies. Try as you might to separate these silky strands and discover who spun them and where they lead; you'll find some strands are re-spun breaking the path that leads to the killer.

[Charline Romine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Music Box

What a story! Several plot lines going at once and a girl with nightmares. My very favorite sentence in this book, “Then, before Rona realized what was happening, the girl’s eyes closed and she slid bonelessly to the floor.” How descriptive! The reason why was the purpose of the whole story! Enjoy reading this mixed up story.

[MS M ADAMS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story

I have become quite attached to Rona and her family. This was a problem that she got entwined in accidentally and strangely did not actually solve although she discovered relevant information. It is as much about family relationships as it is about murder.

[Linda Butler-Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. I love this series. The characters are well developed and the story lines are engrossing. You think you have it figured out, and then you realize that you on the totally wrong track. Highly recommend, and I can’t wait for the next one in the series to be published.

[julie young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing

More relationship trials for Rhona and her family, as she looks for a new work project a friend asks for her help and once again Rhona finds herself involved in a murder mystery. Such an entertaining ,enjoyable series.

[Gary Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

an enjoyable read

In the cozy mystery genre this is a very enjoyable series. This one explores loss, change, trust and family ties as our heroine continues to write local interest articles.

[Robert Polhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story

A good read right to the end, well worth a read, just loved the way its set out and is in touch with reality, you wont be disappointed.

[✎ᝰ. # ◞ ℋeather ✧. ✉︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i feel like the series slowly lost its crime aspect, it was a really good mystery but the murder reveal just felt so sudden and i didnt like how it developed

[Jacqueline Whitington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent read

This series of books just get better with each addition, not only solving murder but the ongoing family situation unfolding throughout the plot

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Either I enjoyed the first 3 in this series more, or after a short break, this 4th one was just not up to the standard of the first 3.

[Elainebowden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

These books are brilliant the characters are really well written and enjoyable to read I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cosy mystery series.

[Kim Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

This was much better than I thought it would be. Though I should admit that I wasn't really sure what to expect. I would certainly read another.

[Reggie Billingsworth · Rating 1 out of 5]

The reading list from a friend recommended this author.

I randomly picked this title up, did not skim my usual pages inside and once home, opened the book to discover a family tree in the front pages.

A clue....and not one that was promising, as in: things could get complicated quickly. And then they did.

Within the very first two paragraphs of the entire book, seven characters are introduced or alluded to in a complex web of shifting relationships that suggested pencil and paper would be necessary to keep it all clear. This is just the cast of characters. Not the mystery. That apparently takes a distant back seat to all this eye-rolling web of inter-connectedness with not one personality worth the work to keep track of it all.

Good Grief.

I won't embarrass the friend by ever admitting I bailed very early on and ditched this grand soap opera, but I felt it was worth posting a warning on this site for those who might feel the same.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this book is marketed as a crime novel, in reality it's more of a tale about journalist Rona Parrish's life in the weeks in the run-up to Christmas, rather than a murder mystery.

The 'mystery' involves Rona being asked to investigate Freya Tarlton's nightmares, which stem from an incident she saw as a child. As the story progresses, Freya's nightmares become more and more detailed, to the point where we realise that she witnessed someone murder her mother. When the remains of Freya's mother are discovered, the whole of the Tarlton family have to face up to the fact that there's a murderer in their clan.

However, there's little in the way of suspense, and since Freya's mother was killed 20 years before the action in the story takes place, it's hard to really care why she was killed or indeed who did it.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I'm still really enjoying this series, but I'm only going to give this book 4 stars because of the balance between the amount of the time spent on solving the mystery and on the personal life of the main character Rona Parish.

I enjoy the storylines about her parents, her husband Max and her sister Lindsey, but in this story they rather overwhelmed the mystery she was trying to solve. There were a lot of characters involved in this - two families, each with complicated relationships - and I never really felt I'd sorted them all out.

I think this could have been balanced better just by making the book slightly longer and going into more depth on the 'detective' story.

A lot of the threads in her personal life were tidied up at the end of this book so it will be interesting to see what the next book in the series is like.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

#4 in the series. Rona Parish is a writer and in the process she solves mysteries/murders. She's asked by a friend to try and help her sister-in-law who is being plagued by nightmares that seem to be progressing and becoming more frightening. In process she uncovers a family 'secret' and she feels this could be the cause of the nightmares. And in her own life there is change: her father retires, her parents split up, and rumors start about her husband. And to make it all harder it's Christmas time. I enjoy the character of Rona and her husband, they make the story enjoyable.

[Cybercrone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd have given it a 3 except for the whole long "pity poor me, it's all my fault" section at the end.

The author telegraphs situations, too, before they happen, so if you are partial to stories where the twists sneak up on you, this may not be for you.

[CLM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Must find better audios for the car because I always guess the killer long before Rona does!