Treated as Murder

Edith Horton Mysteries #1

by Noreen Wainwright

Set in 1931, Edith Horton is a former VAD who finds herself not only struggling with her inner demons, but with the presence of evil in her village in the Yorkshire Dales. Her brother is suspected of murdering an elderly wealthy widow, and sins of the past have echoes in her life and the lives of those close to her.

Genres: Mystery, Amazon

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 17, 2014

Reviews

[Barbara A Renaud · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very confusing. Too many different characters and to make matters worse, lots of typos, especially in the names. Julia vs Julie. Green vs Greene. Missing periods and commas. Also very depressing. No humor at all. I don’t recommend this book. Read Jacqueline Winspear for books written about the era.

[Mystica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dealing with a mental breakdown in a small village where everyone knows your business is not an easy task. Sister of the doctor added to the burden. Recovering from a breakdown in the local mental asylum as they were called in the 1950s Edith is trying to come to grips with the loss of her fiancee, her breakdown and get back to living.

When she finds her brother reluctant to welcome her back home, she finds solace with her aunt and a friend (who has marital troubles of her own). The story which involved mystery and murder was for me a better focus on Edith and her mental health and how hard it must have been for someone without her willpower and the support of others to come back to live a so called normal life.

I enjoyed this read immensely . This was a free download from Amazon and I appreciate that.

[Nick Crutchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crime novel set in a post-war, quaint English village. Well written, with interesting characters, especially inspector Greene and his sidekick, Brown, as they investigate both murderer and motive.

The pace lacks in some instances due to character back stories and musings, but this style of storytelling many readers enjoy. This and the passive style, again ubiquitous among published talent, leads to the loss of a star. This is only a personal preference, rather than a criticism.

Overall, I think this work will be of interest to those who read Agatha Chrisitie, M.C. Beaton, et al, or who like to relax back into the dreamy English countryside, where everybody has a secret, and a story to tell.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in the Edith Horton mystery series set in 1931 England.

Single and living with her doctor brother in the Yorkshire Dales, Edith Horton finds herself not only struggling with post traumatic stress syndrome for her volunteer nursing experiences during WW I, she is also struggling to recover from a mental breakdown. Her brother, who is not very supportive at the moment, is a prime suspect in the murder of a village widow who left him a legacy, there is a poison pen writer sending missives to villagers and causing behind the scenes issues and pretty much everyone is dealing with various personal issues producing strange behaviors.

[judy mitchel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am surprised by what other reviewers wrote....I found the book to be very interesting...showing extremely realistically time A while after WWI. It isn’t the fastest moving book I’ve ever read..but to get the characters developed enough it had to move the way it did. The ending was a surprise, I must say. This book is definitely not a read quickly and be done mystery...it is much much more..good effort from a first time writer,,

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The usual "first book" bumps can be found, but overall an absorbing tale. Characters are pretty well-defined (there are a lot of them), and you'll be pulling for Edith to face her demons, overcome them, and help her brother escape from a unlawful murder charge, as the plot indicates. She succeeds on all counts, while an unsettling saga unfolds around everything and everybody, driven by madness.

[Sandra Knapp · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was rather bland and didn't leave me feeling strongly one way or the other.

From the beginning, I never had a clear picture of where this story was going, or where it was coming from as well. It wasn't "bad" but it wasn't really all that "good" either. And it appears it is the first of a "series?" Not for me, it isn't.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

This book is one that takes you back to the history of a time after world war one and the people of that time.

[Beverly Button · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book moves too slowly and has too many characters introduced too rapidly. Much is made of nothing. Then the mystery's solution is slammed at the reader out of the blue, and the book ends.

[Gabrialle Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocked

The tale begins slowly, with beautiful descriptions of the countryside and the cottages. Builds to an unexpected end. Very good.

[Liette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Long, tedious and makes no sense due to too many side stories.

[SANDYE · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes tedious with a great ending

Archie & Edith are siblings who join the British Army in 1916. The story is set in 1931 well after the war has ended and people are continuing to put their lives back together. Archie has a medical practice in his home, and is a well-designed doctor to many. Edith has been in asylum for 20 years after having my a nervous breakdown. When one of Archie's elderly patients died from an overdose of heart medication, he becomes the main suspect. Edith is the only person who can clear his name, and being in the asylum makes that one monumental task. While the characters are well-developed, and the ending is phenomenal, at times the story seemed to drag on a lot slower than I'd like. As part of a series, I may read the next one at some point, just to give this series another chance to grab my interest fully. If you like family drama, historical fiction, and a good mystery all rolled into the same story...This book has all of it.

[Patricia Ferreira · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, a very gripping story.

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little confused at first, because the book started out with a narrative of a devastated woman who had a breakdown and her time in an asylum. Then there was another story of a woman in the same asylum. I finally figured out the first asylum narrative was someone unknown at the time. Her story was in italics and told strictly from her perspective and thoughts. The other woman is Edith Horton, who has had a nervous breakdown that caused her to behave very badly over a friend of her brother's. But Edith has a sympathetic doctor in the asylum who wishes to try analysis and so helps her come to terms with things.
The book is set not long after WWI. Edith was in the VAD and nursing just behind the lines. Her fiancee was killed in the war. Her brother, Archie is a doctor and was also in the war. His wife was a doctor in the war also and was killed in a bombing raid. Edith's best friend, Julia's fiancee came home from the war but he is currently rather a mess and she's not sure how to deal with him or what has happened to the person he used to be. Then an elderly patient of her brother's dies and was discovered to be murdered with an overdose of her medication. The patient left a small amount of money to her brother and the police seemed to be convinced he killed her. But there are poison pen letters going around to many of the prominent citizens that are upsetting lives and peace of mind for many. Rather complicated.
But the story of the lunatic asylum and the difference between the two times and patients are interesting.

[Nicholas Crutchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crime novel set in a post-war, quaint English village. Well written, with interesting characters, especially inspector Greene and his sidekick, Brown, as they investigate both murderer and motive.

The pace lacks in some instances due to character back stories and musings, but this style of storytelling many readers enjoy. This and the passive style, again ubiquitous among published talent, leads to the loss of a star. This is only a personal preference, rather than a criticism.

Overall, I think this work will be of interest to those who read Agatha Chrisitie, M.C. Beaton, et al, or who like to relax back into the dreamy English countryside, where everybody has a secret, and a story to tell.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book although found it hard to follow. But once I really got into the story it was much easier. I loved the characters and how they were portrayed and interacted with each other. I found the main character Edith to be a very strong woman and really enjoyed how she sort of pulled herself back from the brink. I look forward to reading more from Noreen Wainwright.