Murder at Kelleven Castle

Tommy & Evelyn Christie #10

by Catherine Coles

A Wedding, A Castle, and a Deadly Drowning...

Tommy and Evelyn travel to Ireland for the winter wedding of Tommy’s sister, Constance, to the dashing Earl of Chesden. The grand occasion is set against the backdrop of an ancient castle lavishly decorated for Christmas—no expense has been spared.

The celebrations come to a screeching halt when the best man, Rupert Hardwick, is found face down in the freezing waters of the moat, and the local police arrest the groom! With suspicion swirling among the guests and secrets lurking around every corner, Tommy and Evelyn must unravel the truth before the killer strikes again.

With snow on the ground, tension in the air, and Constance’s new husband facing a lifetime behind bars, can Tommy and Evelyn save the day before it’s too late?

Genres: Mystery Thriller, Mystery

Kindle Edition

Published February 21, 2025

About the author

The daughter of a military father, Catherine was born in Germany and lived most of the first 14 years of her life abroad. She spent her school years devouring everything her school library had to offer!

Her favourites were romance and mysteries. Her love for the Nancy Drew books led Catherine to check out every mystery story she could find. She soon found Agatha Christie who quickly became Catherine's favourite author.

Catherine writes cosy mysteries that take place in the English countryside. Her extremely popular Tommy & Evelyn Christie mysteries are set in 1920s North Yorkshire. Her new series, the Martha Miller cosy mysteries, are set in the years following the Second World War in Berkshire.

Catherine lives in northeast England with her two spoiled dogs who have no idea they are not human!

You can connect with Catherine on her website - www.catherinecoles.com

Reviews

[Susan]

December 1923. The Christies and family are attending the wedding of Constance to Alexander Ryder, Earl of Chesdon, at Kelleven Castle in Ireland. After a drunken best man speech where he insulted many of the guests, Rupert Hardwick is discovered dead. What secrets did he know. Is that why he was killed. Inspector Nolan investigates but so do Tommy and Evelyn.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast of likeable characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series.
I received a free copy of this book from the author via BooksFunnel and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Trish]

Tommy and Evelyn (Lord and Lady Northmoor) are at Kelleven Castle for the wedding of Tommy's sister Constance to Alexander Ryder,Earl of Chesden. The best man, Rupert Hardwick, gives a strange and insulting sort of toast at the Wedding Breakfast. Rupert is found murdered in the moat later that evening. Almost everyone had a motive, but the police focus on Alexander. Tommy and the very pregnant (hurrah!) Evelyn try to clear him and find the actual murderer. Before they can identify him (or her), another murder occurs. They finally get the police to set a trap and get a confession of theft and another murder that was originally thought to be an accident.
It is always a pleasure to visit with Tommy and Evelyn and family, especially Aunt Emily. And how exciting that there is to be a spin off series with characters from this book!
I love that Tommy respects Evelyn's ideas and insights and how he wants to protect her but doesn't want to keep her from doing what she sees as necessary.
I am reminded of Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. (For those who don't know, they are characters by the late, great Dorothy L. Sayers.)

[Jane]

Another delightful Tommy and Evelyn installment!
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2025
I received an advance copy of this latest installment of the Tommy and Evelyn mysteries and thoroughly enjoyed another one of their escapades. It had all the elements of a good cozy mystery with a setting in a large castle and a cast of characters that included many red herrings. I also greatly enjoyed the tension between our heroes and the inspector who was surprisingly snarky. In his defense though, the setting is Christmas Eve and he likely wanted to be at home with his own family and not chasing around a castle with several suspects and more than one victim. Especially in the snow! There were a number of twists and turns that kept me guessing throughout as well as scenes that were quite surprising. Once again, our devoted investigative duo comes through! I am delighted to see that there will be another Tommy and Evelyn mystery coming out towards the end of the year and I’m looking forward to reading it as well

[Beki]

Another great Tommy and Evelyn mystery!
Tommy and Evelyn have journeyed to Ireland to celebrate the wedding of Tommy's sister. The ceremony goes without a hitch, but trouble begins during a rather inflammatory speech from the best man. When a dead body is discovered before the wedding day has even finished, Tommy and Evelyn realise that once again they need to solve the mystery before the police arrest his sister's new husband for murder.
The book was well-paced, and it kept me reading as the duo investigated and uncovered lies and secrets galore! There were enough clues for me to follow the deductions and appreciate the denouement when it arrived.
Another satisfying and enjoyable book from Catherine Coles!

[Cathy Donaldson]

Another "keep you guessing" mystery for Tommy and Evelyn

Catherine Coles delivers yet another cozy mystery involving the "not detectives", husband and wife team of Tommy and Evelyn. Her characters are build with details that keep you guessing " are they good or are they bad.". I appreciate her focus on the story line without extensive detail to the surroundings. The web of misdirection as to characters' motivation adds to the suspense. She doesn't rush the ending, but lets you feel the resolve and relax with a closing time with Tommy & Evelyn and their family. Definitely recommend this mystery book.

[Ann Thompson]

This is another enjoyable story featuring Tommy and Evelyn Christie who again are determined to use their abilities find the killer who ruined a lavish Christmas Eve wedding. The local constabulary is not happy with their interference but they are not to be deterred, especially since it's personal as the setting is at Tommy's sister's wedding. There are lots of red herrings, complicated relationships, and interesting personalities to keep the reader guessing and engaged. Don't skip the cast of characters at the beginning of the book! I've enjoyed this series of books (they remind me of Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence stories) and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[Roger]

Murder at Kelleven Castle: A 1920s Cozy Mystery (A Tommy & Evelyn Christie Mystery Book 10), my first read from author Catherine Coles , an author I'd not heard of before this book. An entertaining, well-written historical mystery. “I received a complementary Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. I look forward to more from this author, since I own 7 other books by her that shouldn't be a problem. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Lois]

More murderous shenanigans with Tommy and Evelyn, this time at his sister's wedding to Alexander Ryder, Earl of Chesden. The plot was fairly convoluted and we were fed bits of information as we went. It was fairly obvious who the killer was early on, but I did not figure out the reason until much later. The usual characters were all there, but I was disappointed that Aunt Em played such a small part as she is my favourite. 3.75 stars

[Sharmani Jayaram]

Evelyn and Tommy were at Kelleven Castle to celebrate the marriage of his sister Constance. The Best man Rupert Hardwick caused high drama and was later found dead. There is a lot going on than it seemed with another murder.An intriguing read which has you captivated to the end. I received this ARC copy and recommend this book to other readers.

[J Young]

An intriguing mystery!

A wedding celebration disrupted, a knave murdered, and an inspector befuddled. Fortunately, Tommy and Evelyn are there to solve the case and set things right. The clues are sprinkled through the storyline making a fun trail of crumbs to follow. I received a free copy, but may review is honest and voluntary.

[Carol]

As Aunt Em puts it, "There will come a time when no one will want to go anywhere with you two", when somehow, the universe keeps placing dead bodies in the path of Evelyn and Tommy. And it is not amusing when it happens at Tommy's sister's wedding! But the obnoxious victim seems to be asking for it.

Another exciting read from Catherine Coles, 5 stars as always!

[Dwayne Keller]

Tommy and Evelyn are visiting Kelleven Castle for his sister’s wedding. During the breakfast, the best man makes disparaging remarks about most every one. Shortly after, he is found dead in the moat. Was it an accident or was it murder? Another enjoyable mystery with Tommy and Evelyn finding the clues and piecing together the story.

[Joanne]

Love these stories. Tommy and Evelyn Christie aren't a typical couple of their time. They seem to find themselves in the middle of so many who dun its but aren't just passive observers. I always enjoy watching them in action and try (and usually fail) to figure things out before they do. Even if you haven't read their previous adventures you can enjoy this one

[Rosemary]

I've enjoyed all the books in this series so far although some are a little convoluted and I frequently return to the casts of characters which are very useful, but the confessions disclosed when it came to the reveal did surprise me initially. I had, however, worked out who the killer was and neither was I surprised to read who had killed Alexander's mother.

[Lisa Bjornstad]

Another triumph

I love Tommy and Evelyn, and Catherine Coles has only added to my enjoyment of their sleuthing skills with this latest adventure. She definitely knows how to craft a mystery that keeps the pages turning!

[Stephanie Curran]

Loved it!

Tommy and Evelyn are one of my favorite detective duos. A great cast of characters, an intriguing mystery and a satisfying conclusion all make reading this book a great way to spend a cozy evening or two.

[Dorothy]

Tommy and Evelyn can’t even go to a family wedding without dead bodies showing up. Lots of twists and turns and multiple possibilities are involved. Love the characters that are part of the fun. So much fun!

[Jackie]

Tommy and Evelyn think they’re just going to a wedding, big surprise. They get involved in solving a murder instead. Who did this dreadful deed and why. As always well written just the way a mystery should be.

[Mary]

Excellent mystery

This was a very well done mystery. I pretty much read it in one sitting. I really like this series and this book didn't disappoint.

[Patti]

Great book

I love these characters and the mystery had plenty of twists and turns. This is one of my favorite series.

[Lee Brothers]

Surprising turn of events, twisted little read. Really great stuff!! I love Tommy and Evelyn, they are such a great pair.

[Tanvi]

Loved this installment of the series. As usual it was brilliantly written and it's a short read, which surprised me because even then it did full justice to the plot and the characters.

[Julie Burnett]

As always a great read and a good puzzle.

[Mary T]

A surprise admission.
A Christmas wedding that isn't the happy occasion it should be.

[Dora]

murder at kelleven castle

Just loved this one, great read, can’t wait for the next one, shall miss Tommy and Evelyn, until their next mystery!!

[Mallory Reynolds]

Enjoyable book

Another enjoyable entry in this series. Tommy and Evelyn are a great couple.
The author keeps you guessing until the end.

[Tonya Dunn]

Excellent Read

This book is an excellent book. Setting is post Victorian era. Very clean, no cussing, or inappropriate behavior. Provides excellent descriptions of the Irish countryside. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.