Up to Noir Good

Secrets of the Castleton Manor Library #11

by Jan Fields

A bunch of would-be detectives give Faith Newberry a run for her money when she tries to uncover a local chef’s killer.

A heat wave grips Cape Cod, and librarian Faith Newberry struggles to keep her cool when she agrees to deliver a lecture about the detective code to the crime enthusiasts attending the So Noir literary retreat. Soon, she and her tuxedo cat, Watson, must play real-life detectives when Oscar North, chef and local restaurant owner, falls from the balcony and dies. Oscar's death is rumored to be a homicide, and chaos breaks out at Castleton. The joint's lousy with wannabe gumshoes, and they launch their own investigation into who bumped off the chef.

Meanwhile, Oscar's widow knocks Faith for a loop by begging her to find her husband's killer. As Watson sniffs out clues, Faith presses the suspects for information. When Faith becomes a target, it's noir or never to solve this case.

This clever whodunit from Annie’s Secrets of the Castleton Manor Library series is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries, reading, pets, and female friendships.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Cozy

196 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[CatReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This mystery was a nail biter. It's noir detective fiction themed. A retreat filled with want to be PI's. There was a scene with Watson that gave me a tiny heart attack. I didn't figure out the killer or the reveal.

[Christi Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super cute and cozy addition to the Castleton Manor series. This one revolved around a retreat for noir mystery lovers during the hottest days of summer and featured an uncomplicated but interesting and fun storyline.

[Short, Sweet and Cozy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up To Noir Good is the 11th book in the fabulous The Secrets of Castleton Manor Library cozy mystery series. This book and series have everything cozy fans love- likable interesting characters, an intriguing cozy mystery, a literary theme, friendship, and Watson the cat. Even after 11 books, I can’t wait to read the next book! Castleton Manor is a literary retreat and each book focuses on different themed books. In Up To Noir Good,the theme is Noir mysteries which I am not familiar with but are generally men detectives with grittier darker crimes. Don’t worry, thus is definitely a cozy. Faith Newberry is the librarian at Castleton Manor library and has a cat Watson, who is quite the character. Generally he is a low key character who finds a clue or two. In this book, he sees himself as a detective which is kind of funny. The retreat guests are very interested in solving crimes, and when a death occurs, they are more involved in finding clues than Faith which causes problems. Wolfe Jaxon and his family own Castleton Manor and he and Faith are starting to hang out, but according to Faith they are not going out. This book and series are extremely enjoyable! I had the audiobook and it is well done.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read previous books in this series, but took a break from the series for a time. I also (in my head) had it confused with another series (one that has a secret library) so mentally, it took me a bit to reconnect with this series.

The noir genre, which is the focus of the retreat in this book, is not one with which I am overly familiar. There seem to be quite a few fedoras and trenchcoats--it makes me wonder if there are no other stereotypes within the genre.

There are scenes from Watson's point of view though most are from a human perspective.

As usual for me, I did not guess the killer prior to the author's reveal. (Your experience may differ.)

I will read more books in this series.

[Loraine Nunley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love visiting Castleton Manor and being involved in the literary retreats they have. This one was a nod to the Noir Detective genre. As usual, Watson attempts to steal the show. He's even begun to fancy himself a sleuth. This was not my favorite book in the series. Faith seemed a little harder somehow which I didn't care for. But everyone has an off day (or week in Faith's case) so I'm looking forward to the next story.

[Angel (Bookn.All.Night) · Rating 5 out of 5]

During a retreat focusing on a Noir theme, a body is found and so begins another mystery for Watson the detective cat and his human Faith.

This is another favorite in this series. I absolutely love how much more Watson is featured in this one. I just can't say enough how much I love this cozy mystery series.

[Cheriwinkle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is written by a group of authors—Jan Fields being one of them. I don’t care for her contributions to the series as she makes Watson the cat the hero of the story (I feel like I’m reading a children’s book), she writes Marlene with overboard acidity, and there are more noticeable continuity problems.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Watson comes to the rescue. He did a great job protecting his human. When Wolfe said “I am beginning to get the feeling that Faith Newberry and careful are words that will never go together.” Faith’s response, “ I don’t go looking for trouble,. . .”It comes to me.” Watson agreed and enjoyed his cuddles with his human. I enjoy these books!

[bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful Castleton Manor mystery. This one involved a "noir" retreat, and a local being discovered dead. It took me ages to unravel this mystery and it felt like I was on the wrong path for most of the book. The way the ending came together was thrilling - in a cozy mystery style of way!

I can't get enough of this series and can't wait to start the next one.

[Tambra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving these Library Mystery books. I cant wait for more. Another great story in the series.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story just didn't work for me, but it wasn't a horrible read. It relied entirely on Watson finding clues. The humans seemed almost an afterthought.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great murder mystery in the Secrets of Castleton Manor Library series.

[Marguerite Corbett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not my favorite in the series.

[Nate Balcom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #25 of my #30BookSummer Challenge! Challenge! Secrets of the Castleton Manor Library #11: Up to Noir Good by Jan Fields. Always enjoy a fun and cozy Castleton murder mystery.