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Lady Margaret Turnbull #5

Murder at the Manor

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Former UK British army Major, Digby Roberts, is found dead; poisoned during a birthday celebration given for his adopted daughter Natasha at his prestigious luxury manor on the outskirts of Bangalow, a sleepy country village in northern New South Wales, Australia.

Detective Tom Sullivan is called to investigate and is surprised to find Lady Margaret Turnbull already on the scene. He knows that she is way ahead on solving this murder mystery; much to his annoyance. Former UK resident Lady Margaret, the proud owner of Lawler's Loft, the region's finest bed and breakfast guesthouse, is also considered to be the village busy body and part time amateur sleuth. Together they work well.

"Poisoning is not random. It's a private, personal affair" is Maggies line of thought as this woman sleuth sorts her way through a myriad of suspects including a neglected, subservient wife, a drunkard bother in law and an over protective boyfriend - all with secrets to hide - making this crime fiction women sleuth novella even more captivating.

In his latest international cozy mysteries series, mystery novel Australian crime fiction author C T Mitchell serves up another feast of twists and turns that will keep you guessing right to the end. You won't pick the ending in this amateur sleuth murder mystery - in fact it will surprise you!

28 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 17, 2015

38 people are currently reading
148 people want to read

About the author

C.T. Mitchell

50 books45 followers
C T Mitchell is an internationally acclaimed author specializing in mystery, thriller, and cozy mystery genres.

With a knack for creating gripping narratives filled with unexpected twists, Mitchell has captivated readers worldwide with unforgettable characters and edge-of-your-seat suspense.

His bestselling series, featuring amateur sleuths, cunning detectives, and charming small-town settings, keeps readers guessing until the very last page.

Whether you crave a spine-chilling thriller or a heartwarming cozy mystery, C T Mitchell delivers stories that are impossible to put down.

Dive into the world of C T Mitchell Books today and join a community of readers who love a good mystery!


To grab two FREE mystery bestsellers at http://www.ctmitchellbooks.com or follow him on Facebook.com/ctmitchellauthor

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Community Reviews

5 stars
39 (23%)
4 stars
44 (26%)
3 stars
49 (29%)
2 stars
22 (13%)
1 star
13 (7%)
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
Profile Image for Gail.
1,545 reviews
November 22, 2016
Another amazing cozy mystery. I just Lady Maggie. She reminds me of Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote. Wherever she goes trouble seems to happen and someone dies. This is a short and fast paced cozy.
Profile Image for Crystal.
524 reviews24 followers
May 11, 2020
Book is interesting, intriguing, mysterious, suspenseful and has good plot(s).
I highly recommend it.
Will I read again? Most likely. In Fact, I hope to to read the whole series in Paperback.
I look forward to read CT Mitchell's books in paperback & print.
Profile Image for Cheryl .
2,419 reviews80 followers
June 3, 2017
This novella is an outstanding improvement on the previous work in this series by the author.
The plot was exciting, the pace perfect and I feel the author has executed the slight changes within the personalities of the two protagonists with style and aplomb.
The only reason I didn't give this 5 stars was the very ending which let the story down.

***** Spoilers *****

While I feel Lady Margaret was acting well within her character to orchestrate the "getting away" of our two culprits, Detective Tom Sullivan's reaction to this was out of place. I just can't see him condoning or letting happen something which is so against his beliefs as a policeman, irregardless of his personal feelings.

I look forward to reading more of this series.
Profile Image for Robin Morgan.
Author 5 books287 followers
October 1, 2016
I love reading the short story Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

While I found this endeavor by C T Mitchell to be an enjoyable quick read I found it lack the same kind of succinctness the Holmes stories possess. Things readers had hoped to read about; weren’t there.

The book in my opinion could use a bit of editing, and while the author had used British phraseology it adds an authenticity to the dialogue given the setting for the story. Since I can’t give a half star to a review, I’ve given the author and his short story 4 STARS.

190 reviews
January 15, 2017
Lady Margaret Turnbull is in top form while helping Detective Tom Sullivan solve the murder of Major Digby Roberts. Who would poison such a despicable, woman chasing man? While Tom is a good detective, Lady Margaret has the special touch that allows her to determine the killer's identity. The ending is a surprise.
Profile Image for Bonnie Dale Keck.
4,677 reviews58 followers
May 14, 2017
Got this on a freebie day, and didn't realize until looking that it was not kindle unlimited which didn't matter to me after having seen that I have the first 4 books as a set so read them all back to back. Now I do understand that them not being ku and all that many have not read the other books so some background is needed, but even taking that in to account jeez the same old over detailed crap in every single one, multiplied by 5 now for me.

There is still tense changes from past to present that make no sense, there is still scene and location changes that are abrupt, and there are still issues with pronouns confusing the issue {her and her in the same sentence but talking about 2 different females}. Why would making guests always use a side entrance not be an insult, as there was front entry, and they were not tradesmen or the such? As an aside, one cannot 'stroke' a cup of tea, a cat or something yes. And if you send someone to your house, but you are under house arrest somewhere else, they are not going to show up to the other house first. There are enough inconsistencies and various tense changes and language problems in general to make a book, a longer 'book' than any of the stories.

amazon 2 equates to didn't like, but to make the rating similar had to go with a 2 on goodreads too
Profile Image for Sheila.
Author 85 books190 followers
October 19, 2017
Major Roberts has designs on his adopted daughter, and doesn’t like his nephew stealing her affections. But Lady Margaret intervenes when the two men come to blows, and ends up staying the night--a night that ends in screams. Luckily, Lady Maggie’s an amateur detective, as well as being good friends with the local police. She’s also a very good judge of character and motivation, and a fun protagonist in this, the short introduction to an Australian detective series—perhaps she’s the Miss Marple of Bangalow, New South Wales.

Murder at the Manor is a quick read with clear plot and characters—just enough to entice the reader to want more, and an excellent introduction.

Disclosure: It was on a deal and I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Joy.
603 reviews33 followers
January 13, 2021
This was a fun short story. Fifth in the series, but works well as a standalone as well.

Lady Turnbull, owner of a B&B and a cooking school in a sleepy Australian town, is also an amateur sleuth, and good enough that her investigations don't rankle the local police detective.

The titular murder, is of a local man who wasn't well-liked by anyone, including his own wife! Everyone is a suspect, but Lady Turnbull's knack for logic leads her to the proper killer. At only 30 pages, there isn't too much investigating going on, but there are enough suspicions and clues to pique the reader's interest, plus some clues are known only to the characters and not to the reader. A fun book and I'd like to read more of the stories.
4,417 reviews43 followers
February 3, 2017
Thank goodness for Lady Margaret.  Other than her, pretty much everyone here had a reason to want the arse dead.  She also knew that Cambodia had no extradition treaty with Australia.  On the other hand, Lady Margaret plays with a different set of rules than most.  I think that she thinks that people are more important than laws.  I really like her and I recommend this book.
422 reviews4 followers
July 3, 2017
Cozy, but too short!

I can see Lady Turnbull In my minds eye as Maggie Smith from Hogswort and Downton Abby fame. Sharp as a tack, and doesn't bother to be tactful when dealing with brutes like the murder victim of this story. I only wished he'd been done in sooner, so he couldn't cause so much pain.
Profile Image for laura8759.
150 reviews18 followers
April 14, 2018
thanks to instafreebie for the pdf download of murder at the manor by Ct Mitchell in this story lady Margaret Turnbull is helping detective tom solve the murder of major Roberts it was a great whodunit with a lot of twist and turns and a few surprises at the end a great short story I would recommend this story to my friends and family LAURA8759 . https://takeeachdayonebookatatime.tum...
12.7k reviews190 followers
July 14, 2017
Lady Margaret is already on the scene when a murder happens. It's a short and enjoyable read to make you want more.
Profile Image for alice Tileston.
739 reviews5 followers
August 9, 2017
Received free for review:

Not really a fan of short stories.
They seem unfinished, like a serial book with no next one....
Just not for me.....
Profile Image for Allison.
674 reviews36 followers
August 22, 2016
This is fairly short at about 32 pages but I enjoyed it. Lady Margaret Turnbull has been invited to dinner at a friends mansion and encounters a bit of a domestic disturbance while she's there. As this is a short story the Author moves the pace along quite quickly and we find Lady Turnbull sleeping over and in the morning a murder has been done. Well written, enjoyable characters although fairly brief introductions due to page constraints.
Profile Image for Marie Shirley Griffin.
808 reviews10 followers
September 23, 2016
Short, but to the point?

I like Lady Margaret. She's smart, but not obnoxious about it.

I gave this book only 3 stars, because it was so short that I felt key items were left out and we were here handed a neatly gift wrapped package.
40 reviews2 followers
December 11, 2016
Enjoyable

An enjoyable short story well constructed. The characters held my interest as to how they would r e act to the developing story line. will read more of CT Mitchell's work.
Profile Image for Marcia Witherspoon.
180 reviews1 follower
October 30, 2015
Great and quaint short story

Great little read and I loved the characters especially Lady Margaret. Another Miss Marple and I look forward to more of these novellas.
Profile Image for Ted Tayler.
Author 79 books299 followers
December 28, 2015
A short story about the murder of an old lecher. Okay but a bit long-winded.
382 reviews102 followers
November 2, 2015
Hoping the full length novels are better. A pretty disappointing novella.
Profile Image for Lisa.
644 reviews9 followers
April 21, 2017
Not a good mystery. Unlikable characters, poor story, and poor main character.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews

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