The Murders at Clarion Castle

Homefront Sleuths #5

by Anna Elliott, Charles Veley

A missing heroine. A moribund butler. And a millionaire's castle chock-full of secrets...

July, 1941. When Evie Harris vanishes after visiting her late fiancé's parents, the Homefront Sleuths of Crofter's Green vow to find her. But their investigation takes a bizarre turn when Nigel's police superiors send him to nearby Clarion Castle.There, the first under-butler has just taken his final bow in the castle's wine cellar.

Could there be a connection with Evie's disappearance? Or with a hush-hush VIP visit to the castle?

The Sleuths must navigate a maze of deception, and nothing is easy. Harry finds the murdered butler's journal, but it's in a code, Blake knows codes, but he and Katherine are busy unlocking secrets in the castle library, hampered by her still-fragmented memory, Alice dons pilgrim garb to infiltrate suspicious travelers (her herb basket now doubling as spy gear), and Dorothy must size up mysterious tea shop visitors and give her friends at the castle a warning.

Not to mention Evie, who must discover where she is and then find a way to escape.

With time ticking louder than Harry's pocket watch, Evie and the Sleuths must reunite to unmask a master spy before a the course of the war is changed forever.

A delightful blend of historical mystery, wartime espionage, and village intrigue—perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen, Susan Elia MacNeal, and Agatha Christie. Scroll up and One-click now!

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Historical, Crime, Fiction

311 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 5, 2025

About the author

Anna Elliott is an author of historical fiction and fantasy. She enjoys stories about strong women, and loves exploring the multitude of ways women can find their unique strengths. She was delighted to lend a hand with the Sherlock & Lucy series, and thrilled to continue a new spin-off series featuring Becky and Flynn. Her first series, the Twilight of Avalon trilogy, is a retelling of the Trystan & Isolde legend. She wrote her second series, The Pride & Prejudice Chronicles , chiefly to satisfy her own curiosity about what might have happened to Elizabeth Bennet, Mr. Darcy, and all the other wonderful cast of characters after the official end of Jane Austen’s classic work.

WEBSITE: http://sherlockandlucy.com
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sherlockand...
FACEBOOK READER GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/77782...
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Anna-El...

Anna lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and five children.

Reviews

[William]

Entertaining spy listening 🎵👒

This kindle ebook novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account book 5 of 10

This story is set in Britain during WWII with a number of people investigating murder. This leads to the uncovering an assassin plan to kill a high British political. It all comes to a happy ending. 🌃😁

I would recommend this series and authors to readers of British history adventure thriller novels 🏙🤔 2025 🎶🙃

[Jessica-sim]

This is a fun mystery! The whole series is included in the audible plus collection I see, so I will go back and look the others up for sure. As it stands I read this one first, that works just fine. It’s a very exciting spy mystery set in the English countryside.

[Diane cheeseworth]

The best yet

Couldn't put this down .The cast of characters all work so well .This is the best in the series so far .Cannot wait for the next book .

[Jessica Beaupre]

I love this series with my entire heart please to the authors keep writing more they are incredible. 10/10 for this story no notes!!!

[Morgan]

This series started off as being a pleasant, lightweight, easy read with fun characters. But each book has become gradually more ridiculous, less consistent and with more egregious continuity mistakes. This book has fully jumped the shark, with any attempt at a plot just replaced with ridiculous nonsense.
It comes to something when by the end, the character with whom I held most sympathy was the seemingly hyper-intelligent, linguistically gifted Pomeranian. Someone should give the dog a typewriter, as he’d likely do a better job of writing a novel than this one.

[Mary]

This series gets better with every book.

[C.G.Koens]

More intense than previous books in the series

This one definitely kept my heartrate a little elevated (though I never thought any of the gang would die... it's too Nancy Drew-esque for that!). Evie's realization that {SPOILER} someone she thought long dead was, in fact, not, was not a surprise (saw that one coming), but it didn't dim my enjoyment of the story. I like the way each of the characters are growing and becoming more confident and working together. This one was less "cozy mystery" and more action, but still a good addition to the series.

[Julie Jordan]

I really enjoy books written by these authors, and this book is no exception. It is well written, a good mystery, and I learned new information about WWII. Highly recommend the entire series!

[Alice]

Obsessed with the gang obsessed with the spy murder mystery, absolutely love the ‘need to rescue the woman you love but haven’t told her yet’ trope which runs throughout the whole of this book!

[livros100fim]

The Murders at Clarion Castle is the fifth book in The Homefront Sleuths series, and for me, this felt like a real step forward for the series.
There is much more action this time, with the story moving beyond Crofter’s Green and the espionage becoming far more central to the plot. The stakes also feel considerably higher. Evie finds herself in genuine danger, and there were moments when I felt her life was truly at risk.

I particularly enjoyed seeing the wartime espionage move into the foreground. Even Winston Churchill becomes involved in the events, which gives the story a much greater sense of scale than the mysteries in the earlier books.
There is also progress in something that had been left unresolved in the previous book: the relationship between Evie and Inspector Nigel. I liked seeing that develop alongside the main investigation rather than taking over the story.
And then there is the revelation concerning Evie. I definitely won’t spoil it, but it changes what we thought we knew and has the potential to completely alter the direction of her life. I’m particularly curious to see what the author does with it in the next books.

Overall, I enjoyed this one more than the previous instalments. It feels as though the series is growing, with more danger, more espionage and a wider story beyond the village. It didn’t quite give me that final “wow” feeling I need for five stars, but it was a strong four-star listen.

And I’ve already started book six, The Harvest Festival Murders!

@livros100fim

[Justine Shenton]

Very enjoyable war time thriller and MM
Good characters too

[Mathilde]

This is so far the book in the series I liked less, I was happy about the progress in the main characters personal life, but the timeline at time did not made sense, it felt as if the writing process had been rushed

[Amy Ingalls]

I have been reading these all in a row, and I am still enjoying myself. On to the next book.

[Erika with a k]

I read this as a stand-alone (even though its book 5 in a series), and though I think it's doable, I'm sure I'm missing out on character development and me bonding with the characters because of it. That could be part of why I've given it such a low rating.
Something about the writing (maybe the over explaining of every clue or over explaining of every move) plays out like a Matlock episode. This isn't a good thing.
I'm trying to like it with the historical fiction vibe, but I'm just not thrilled about it and, in fact, struggled.
The last 15-20% felt like a fever pitch, and I was finally interested.
I don't think I'll read anymore from this series (unless it's a book club pick like this one was).

[Ashlee]

Although these books are suggested to being standalones, I do think that reading the first four was incredibly helpful. When I finished the 4th book, the cliffhanger was so epic I immediately jumped into this book. It didn’t disappoint. So many things were tied up nicely, yet so many new ideas were opened. Loved this one.

[Beverly]

Evie finds out Paul is still alive and is Siegfried. Evie accomplishes the impossible- shooting herself and pretending she’s dead to avoid being killed by him, then climbing up an old keep to prevent Paul/Siegfried from killing Winston Churchill

Clarion castle is based on Chilham Castle in Kent. There is a White Horse Inn and Woolpack in in the Village is the inspiration for the Shepherds Rest that is on the Pilgrims Way to Canterbury

[Jill E.]

I sure do love this series

One way to know how well this book is written is that the author continues to create an excellent thriller with a variety of “regulars“ and still prevent the reader from becoming confused.

The characterizations are very good: in this fifth book of the series, the author has introduced us to people who I recognize without confusion, even though a little time has passed since I finished the last book…waiting for this new installment.

Evie spends a good deal of time away from the company of her sleuthing friends, but the time is not wasted even though she has been temporarily but effectively “taken out of commission“ in this excellent thriller. Harry figures predominantly as the leader of the effort, first to find Evie, but then also to take the reins…with Nigel…regarding a murder at Clarion Castle, where important and war-altering events are unfolding. There are quite a number of characters at the castle that could be undercover German operatives.

The rest of the sleuthing friends come together to play specific parts using their skills, either professional or natural, to try to locate Evie. Some are also involved at the castle, looking for clues in the murder investigation.

I would suggest that everyone start this series from the very beginning because while this book could probably stand alone, there is too much important backstory that begins in the very first of the series that plays an enormous part in the mystery, suspense, and eye-opening truth regarding the plot underway of the castle in this book.

Without giving away anything important, the reader and the sleuths will finally be able to put a face and identity to the Nazi spy Seigfried.

Plot is developed around strategic events that threaten Britain in its war against Germany in World War II. With the information that is presented, the plot’s pacing never suffers… Even while the perspective of a chapter may switch from one character to another, it is done so effortlessly that there is no confusion; in fact, if nothing else, it often amplifies the tension and suspense.

This is an unlikely kind of series in that our heroes are every day kinds of people who are doing the best they can amidst the struggles of war time and threats by the Nazi regime. Food and supplies are scarce; loved ones are at war, have returned from the war, or have been lost to the war. But this book captures the essence of the desire of good people, not only to lift each other up, but also to protect one another. It shows people who are working together to make the best of a terribly difficult time in history. It demonstrates the capacity that people have to be their best under the worst circumstances.

I very much enjoyed the book; I had to force myself to put it down so I could go to sleep last night. The characters are believable and admirable. The villains are sneaky, despicable…and, in some cases, extremely surprising.

I am happy to recommend this book, and will wait as patiently as possible for the next one. An important note to add is that while I read other mysteries in series and have to try to remember the characters and backstory, I never have to do that with this series. Memorable characters, solid and exciting plot development, and some big surprises. An absolute pleasure!

[Meg]

A conclusion to the Seigfried saga! In a cliffhanger from the last book, Evie is kidnapped while visiting her deceased husband's parents. But it turns out that they are not Paul's parents at all but German spies who are working with Paul, who is not dead and who is in fact Seigfried. They want to interrogate Evie to find out how much she knows about their plans since she and her cohorts interrupted some of their messages in the prior book. Evie plays along and pretends that she is happy to see Paul still alive and that she'll help him in his work as a double agent, fully knowing that his is just a German spy. She hopes that she can learn what their plan is. Meanwhile Harry and Nigel are called out to Clarion Castle, a place that was in one of the coded messages that Blake cracked in the previous book, to investigate the death of a footman. The castle houses a military signal corps that is working to intercept messages and it will soon be hosting a meeting with Churchill and Mr. Walker, a steel magnate. Walker wants the murder handled quickly and discreetly so that the meeting can still take place but Harry and Nigel aren't convinced that the murder isn't related to the PM's visit. While they are working on that case, Alice, Blake, Katherine, Dorothy and Tom are working on finding Evie. They track down Paul's parent's house in London and find a clue that Evie left. Then they are able to track her to a safe house in the country where Bonzo is instrumental once again in locating her. She fakes her own death so that Paul will leave her behind as she and the others race to Clarion Castle where Evie has learned that Paul plans to assassinate Churchill. Harry and Nigel come to the same conclusion as their investigation reveals that Walker's secretary is a German spy working with Paul and that they had to kill the footman when he figured out their plan. Evie saves the day by capturing Paul before he can get a shot off and Nigel rescues Evie from killing Paul.

[Jo Lynn Bruno-Diehl]

The more that I read this series, the more I am loving it. Each story is filled with suspense as well as a very respectful nod to historical facts. The Homeland Sleuths' characters are developing and the relationships are becoming stronger.
It picks up where the last book left off, with Evie being kidnapped by German spies led by Siegfried. There are surprises throughout including Siegfried's identity. There is also a new murder to solve at Clarion Castle. A butler is murdered and as Harry and Nigel investigate it becomes clear that it may be related to Evie's disappearance. There is a sixth sleuth as Katherine, Blakes amnesia wrought fiancé, takes up the mystery. As always, Bonzo the Pomeranian comes to the rescue more than once.
I like the structure of these books. Each character's thoughts and actions are their own chapters. It seems to work very well for this Father Daughter writing team. It actually makes the continuity of the book work better. I believe that they divide the writing by gender which gives more distinct personalities and multiple views of situations.
Anyway, I am hooked and will be starting the next book very soon.

[Milly Reynolds]

The fifth in the series and I would recommend reading the first four as each book builds the characters and to drop into book 5 without the backstories would be a little hard - in my opinion. The cliffhanger at the end of Book 4 meant that I picked this one a little earlier than I intended. The thread that I thought I had spotted in that book carried on in this one and for once I was right. Our little group of wartime sleuths have a real job on their hands as their is a German plot to assassinate Winston Churchill. So not only do they have to find the German spies and stop the plot but one of their group is missing, taken by the spies so a rescue mission is also needed. Little Bonzo is proving to be a very good member of the group and each of our little gang steps up to the task. I enjoy this series as it is a very easy to listen to when I am pottering in the kitchen. The characters are immensely likeable and there might even be a romance in the future to look forward to. Looking forward to Book 6.

[Giannina Roy]

A wonderful read in this series. Evie Harris disappears at the end of "The Judas Monk Murders". Dorothy calls Nigel and Harry with her concern so they go to Paul's parents home to find her. Unfortunely after they check the residenceand find no one there. They no sooner get back then they are called out to Clarion Castle in regards to the murder of the under butler. Clarion Castle is owned by an American industrialist who is in negiotiations with the British government. Alice investigates by going on the Pilgrim Path which goens by the castle to find any trace of Evie. While investigating the murder a notebook is found with a secret code, so Katherine and Blake get involved. Intriguing and exciting from beginning to end. The wonderful part of these stories is that each person advances the story along and keeps the reader so involved that it is hard to put down the book. Kept me up late into the night and hungry for the next book.

[Georgie]

Have loved all the other books in the series and while this one was also good, I thought the romance could've been better.

I understand that the story isn't told from Nigel's perspective so we don't know exactly how he feels at any given time, but from other characters' povs, he doesn't seem he's too bothered with Evie's disappearance. Harry doesn't tell Nigel that Evie may be the "sick wife" in the cottage near the castle otherwise Nigel would barge in there immediately. So they go there the next day and Evie is gone and Nigel isn't perturbed nor angry at Harry for keeping the information to himself which ultimately led to Evie been moved somewhere else.

I understand that Nigel keeps feelings bottled up, but surely he'd have shown some emotion at least then?!

Happy that Nigel eventually redeems himself and shows more of what he feels for Evie but the cottage scene above just seemed so weird to me!

[Teresa Delaney]

Evie, Nigel, Harry, and the rest of the Homefront Sleuths are back—and this time they’re finally closing in on Siegfried, the German mastermind who has been stalking Evie since her spy days in France. When Evie suddenly disappears, her friends must race against time to find her before Siegfried can take his revenge. The stakes feel higher than ever, and the second half of the book absolutely delivers with tension, twists, and a dramatic rescue involving the prime minister himself.

The authors once again keep readers guessing about the culprits’ identities, and the historical detail about wartime England remains one of my favorite aspects of the series. While the first half moves a bit slowly, the payoff is worth it—the back half is gripping and hard to put down. This is the best installment yet, and I’m already eager for the next book. Love this series.

[Rachel-Leigh LaBuschagne]

This series, as I keep on reading, keeps on getting better and better. The characters keep on evolving and even though their lives are stagnant in this town they can go out into the neighbouring towns and cities which allows the storyline to continuously evolve and stay interesting. So having a murder mystery at a castle is very smart of the author to have done. Still loving the wartime theme that is the backbone of this series. Instead of trying to glorify or wash over the fact that we have had world wars, the author is taking this significant part of real history and creating interesting attention grabbing fiction that has true historical facts woven in. Still love the fact that at the end of the book they give you those historical facts. Definitely gonna continue reading this series.

[Lisa]

I am currently going through a time where I am obsessed with this series. I'm in a full-on binge phase and this is 3 in a row (and I'm reading the next one too!) 🤭

It's a war-time cosy mystery series set in an English village. The sleuths are comprised of villagers of differing ages and skills and I love it.

I think it's the camaraderie and friendship in terrible times that is pulling me in.
Our world feels like it's falling apart at the moment and I'm just enjoying a perspective where times were terrible but it brought people together and they supported each other (obviously there are still villains!)

The mysteries are compelling and the stories are of the heroic variety. Loving it!

[Sharon Coles]

An easy, highly engaging read featuring beloved characters in a wonderfully cosy community setting. The historical backdrop is thoroughly researched, weaving in fascinating historical facts that keep the background context truly interesting. While the prose is predictable at times, it remains well written throughout. It is disappointing that the rest of the series has been removed from Audible, as I would have loved to continue listening. That said, this installment provides a perfect conclusion to the current narrative arcs. While not every single plot thread is neatly tied up, the main concluding points are tidy enough to leave me satisfied—yet hopeful that I might cross paths with this delightful cast of characters again in the future

[Sam Agnew]

The Murders at Clarion Castle by Anna Elliot offers an entertaining escape for fans of lighthearted whodunits, earning a solid three-star rating. As the fifth installment in the Homefront Sleuths cozy mystery series, the novel succeeds in establishing an atmospheric, cinematic setting within a historic castle filled with shadowy corridors and festive holiday gatherings. The premise features a charming blend of amateur sleuthing and suspense, exploring themes of loyalty, community secrets, and friendships tested by suspicion.
However, several plot developments prevent it from rating higher: the growing affection between Evie and Nigel feels unconvincing and rushed, and Evie’s husband Paul’s sudden reappearance as a double agent for the Nazis stretches credibility and feels entirely unpersuasive. While the cozy tone and picturesque descriptions still make for an enjoyable and fast-paced read, these narrative stretches leave seasoned mystery readers wanting more depth. Overall, it is a decent addition to the series that was enjoyable to listen to, but I’m not sure if I would listen to it again—however, I will read the next one.

[Dan Rees]

Once again, I was privileged to receive an advance copy of this book (thanks, authors, I appreciate it!) and am happy to post a review of it. The previous episode of the Homefront Sleuths had a cliffhanger with Evie being abducted, and this book carries on with her dangerous position and the search for her by her colleagues, in addition to the investigation of a murder at Clarion Castle which might have national consequences. There is an interesting twist to the plot, which I will leave for you to find out for yourself, but the action and feelings are intense and keep you engaged right up to the end. I can hardly wait for the next installment in this series.

[Kav]

The best of the series so far and I've rated them all 5 stars! And so different because Evie is separated from the rest of the Homefront Sleuths for most of the book. Loved the multiple points of view and the way everyone has their own unique strengths and talents they can contribute to the mission. And this one is big! German spies on home ground and Evie coming up against a jaw dropping part of her past. And she is so spunky and clever and the best heroine ever! I'd definitely want her by my side in a fight! And our fearless Pomeranian is back! Woot! So many stand up a cheer moments! Hope this series goes on forever!

[Chautona Havig]

Oh, boy. I did not see this one coming. And the brilliant thing is... I should have.
Our friends in Crofter's Green really pulled together in this one. Evie's missing, things aren't looking good, and while they're off to the rescue... they aren't at the same time. Or rather... yeah. Can't say! EEEP!

Seriously, this is one of my all-time favorite series. I drummed my fingers for the next book for MONTHS after the book released so I could listen to the audio. YES, it was worth the wait. 100% But man... it was HARD. Now I wait for the next. *sniffles


Note: I am guessing on date I read. Wish GoodReads would fix their sidebar "currently reading" thing. Grr.