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Maggie Newberry Mysteries #8
Murder in the Abbey
Situated in the rolling hills of England's pastoral Cotswolds, the Abbey is a charming Bed & Breakfast allowing its guests to taste the pleasures of rank and prestige from a bygone era--until murder slams face first onto its welcome mat.
When the victim turns out to be someone close to both Maggie and Laurent, they leave their vineyard in France to say goodbye--and to find out why.
Once in England, they discover that the tranquil countryside of Shelley and Wadsworth can be every bit as treacherous as the most sinister souk in the backstreets of Marseilles.
What Maggie also discovers is that if she ever hopes to be able to live with herself--or face Laurent with her own guilt--she'll need to find the killer...
... preferably before she ends up face down in one of the Abbey's bucolic fishing ponds.
When the victim turns out to be someone close to both Maggie and Laurent, they leave their vineyard in France to say goodbye--and to find out why.
Once in England, they discover that the tranquil countryside of Shelley and Wadsworth can be every bit as treacherous as the most sinister souk in the backstreets of Marseilles.
What Maggie also discovers is that if she ever hopes to be able to live with herself--or face Laurent with her own guilt--she'll need to find the killer...
... preferably before she ends up face down in one of the Abbey's bucolic fishing ponds.
342 pages, ebook
First published March 25, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
October 1, 2017
I wanted something light and quick to read while on the plane and in airports. Being a who-done-it story I was engaged enough to want to finish reading it once I got home but was disappointed in the ending. It seemed to me that some of the clues given were not accounted for and so instead of feeling "oh, I see now!", it was "well wait a minute, what about ....?". So perhaps this would actually be a good book for a book club that wants a quick and easy read that would definitely lead to some discussion. Perhaps I missed a few things.
December 23, 2016
This book had characters that were too perfect and got on my nerves.
May 27, 2018
A complicated pastiche
The book does get on at a reasonable pace and the descriptions of places and people are interesting but the plot is complicated not to say convoluted. It’s decently written and the two central characters are sympathetic enough but there are too many byways to make it anything more than something to skim through because the byways are not sufficiently developed to create proper red herrings. I have a minor carp that in what I read as a classic British murder, the author does use americanisms like a cell tower and whiskey when any Brit would say whisky.
The book does get on at a reasonable pace and the descriptions of places and people are interesting but the plot is complicated not to say convoluted. It’s decently written and the two central characters are sympathetic enough but there are too many byways to make it anything more than something to skim through because the byways are not sufficiently developed to create proper red herrings. I have a minor carp that in what I read as a classic British murder, the author does use americanisms like a cell tower and whiskey when any Brit would say whisky.
May 5, 2020
This is the first of the Maggie Newberry Mysteries I have read, and look forward to reading others. Maggie and her husband, Laurant, own a vineyard in Provence where they live with their two young children. Laurnat gets a call from his best friend's sister and finds that he, Roger, has died. They, of course, go to London for the funeral, where they meet his wife, Anastasia and her son Nigel. Neither Maggie nor Laurant like Anastasia or Nigel from the moment they meet them, and their feelings toward both of them worsens each minute they spend with them. They are invited to spend a few days at the Abbey, Roger's fantasy resort, where guests pretend that they are 1920's aristocrats, spending a few days in the country. The Abbey is beautiful, well maintained, and has been updated, except there are no locks on the bedroom doors. After their first inquiries the police declare Roger's death and accident, but later declare he was murdered. Maggie and Laurant become entangled with the entire family and staff, some of whom Laurant knew, as well as Roger's sister, nephew and his wife and his unacknowledged son. All had means, motive, and opportunity to kill Roger, the question is: which one?
February 25, 2017
A good cozy, reminded me of A. Christie: house party, murder, etc.
May 30, 2020
Love, love, love Susan Kiernan Lewis. Just the right kind of cozy mysteries, her Maggie Newberry series especially appeals to my wanderlust in that most of them are set in France my new favorite country! This book was set in the Cotswold area in England (another favorite place!) in an old country mansion set up as a period hotel known as the Abbey where all the guests dress in Edwardian clothes and act as the upper crust while the servants also play their below-stairs counterparts. It begins on a sad note as Laurent's oldest friend (and former con man buddy) Roger has died under mysterious circumstances. He was a half owner of the Abbey. Maggie agrees to go with Laurent to the memorial service which involves their staying at the Abbey and learning that Roger's death was murder (of course) .... he'd been stuffed in a laundry chute on an upper floor and fallen to his death in the cellar. What transpires is a classic tale of too many suspects all with motive to do away with Roger. Maggie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery for Laurent's sake and because she felt guilty for discouraging his relationship with Roger (read the early books in the series for an understanding of her rationale!). As usual Maggie bumbles around suspecting different characters and putting herself in harms way. A great read.
December 26, 2018
Although this book is #8 in the series, it was my first venture into a Maggie Newberry mystery, which worked out fine. The references to past events didn’t leave me confused or thinking that I’d missed out too much.
Set in both the English Cotswolds in England and the Village of St.-Buvard in Provence, France, both rural settings are nicely contrasted and described. Maggie and her husband Laurent Dernier are interesting characters as are most of the secondary characters, though a few were too stereotypical.
The plot is a typical English whodunit with unsavory family members eager to get their hands on the patriarch’s fortune. For equestrian fans, there are plenty of references to horse jumping and hunting, which makes the story a little more unique and adds another level to the danger Maggie faces. This is an enjoyable whodunit that cozy and amateur sleuth mystery fans will likely enjoy. It would also be suitable for teenage readers.
Set in both the English Cotswolds in England and the Village of St.-Buvard in Provence, France, both rural settings are nicely contrasted and described. Maggie and her husband Laurent Dernier are interesting characters as are most of the secondary characters, though a few were too stereotypical.
The plot is a typical English whodunit with unsavory family members eager to get their hands on the patriarch’s fortune. For equestrian fans, there are plenty of references to horse jumping and hunting, which makes the story a little more unique and adds another level to the danger Maggie faces. This is an enjoyable whodunit that cozy and amateur sleuth mystery fans will likely enjoy. It would also be suitable for teenage readers.
December 14, 2016
Characters not bad; a bit if character development.
Plot reasonably interesting tho we are never told specifics of Laurent's past. Maggie's sense of entitlement to investigate murder seems unrealistic.
Dialogue sometimes stilted.
Several editing issues.
Would not seek out another book in this series.
Plot reasonably interesting tho we are never told specifics of Laurent's past. Maggie's sense of entitlement to investigate murder seems unrealistic.
Dialogue sometimes stilted.
Several editing issues.
Would not seek out another book in this series.
September 19, 2017
I did not breeze through this "cozy mystery" as fast as the others. It felt heavier, and I'm not sure why. I've been trying to read a bunch of these to try to catch up on my Goodreads challenge because I am super far behind, and when I saw this one I didn't realize it was book eight. I just saw that it was taking place at an abbey and so naturally I snagged it because it was also free. I probably would have liked it much better had I read the previous seven. At the same time there were a lot of characters to keep track of and it's not nearly as light as most "cozy mysteries" have been thus far.
September 20, 2017
Well mysteries are not my favourite read but there are some mystery writers whose books I love, this book was not one of them. Continually alluding to the con artist past of Maggie's husband Laurent became just annoying, never really detailing the scam that was going on. None of the characters, aside from possibly Laurent, were endearing or interesting or honest. The whole phoney English Aristocracy Bed and Breakfast was equally annoying. Sorry, I won't be searching for more Maggie Newberry mysteries.
December 6, 2016
Amateur sleuth mystery. Suspects galore, but no clear evidence. Looks insoluble til additional mayhem occurs. Pretty good stand alone book, but would no doubt have been better if the previous books in the series were read first; there was clearly a lot of backstory implied.
February 10, 2017
I found the book to be rather contrived and Maggie, the main character to be annoying. Not sure if it was the Kobo publication but grammar, punctuation and French phrase errors bothered me. I found it hard to believe the characters.
March 31, 2024
3.5 - 4 Stars
Murder in the Abbey is the eighth book in the Maggie Newberry Mysteries series by Susan Kiernan-Lewis.
The Maggie Newberry series of books by Susan Kiernan-Lewis turned out to be a great cozy mystery series that kept me engrossed the whole way through. Throughout the series we follow thirty-something, Maggie Newberry, an advertising copywriter who has been unlucky in love. Her ‘normal’ life gets upended when her sister, who has been missing for quite some time, turns up dead. Then to add an extra layer of complication, Maggie must now travel to France to locate her young niece that she didn’t even know existed. Arriving in France, thing take a dangerous turn when her sister’s murderer then sets his sights on Maggie and her niece. Add in a sexy Frenchman to add a little extra layer of intrigue, plenty of dramatic developments, secrets, lies, crime & investigation, and the story takes an engrossing turn.
From book #2 onwards-
Maggie’s sexy (French) boyfriend, who we met in the first instalment has inherited an ancient vineyard in a small rural village in France- so Maggie quits her job and sets off for a year abroad. But trouble soon follows, when a vicious murder takes place, thrusting them into the middle of an investigation that links to a 50year-old murder. What happens makes for intriguing reading….and so the series unfolds, with each book bringing another cozy mystery for Maggie to investigate. Sprinkled with mystery suspense, tension, drama, danger, romance, marriage, motherhood, travel, and recipes- made this series a memorable read. It is a light-hearted and enjoyable series, the ‘clean’ stories mean there are no sexy times, violence, or profanity.
Happy Reading…
Thank you, Susan Kiernan-Lewis!
Murder in the Abbey is the eighth book in the Maggie Newberry Mysteries series by Susan Kiernan-Lewis.
The Maggie Newberry series of books by Susan Kiernan-Lewis turned out to be a great cozy mystery series that kept me engrossed the whole way through. Throughout the series we follow thirty-something, Maggie Newberry, an advertising copywriter who has been unlucky in love. Her ‘normal’ life gets upended when her sister, who has been missing for quite some time, turns up dead. Then to add an extra layer of complication, Maggie must now travel to France to locate her young niece that she didn’t even know existed. Arriving in France, thing take a dangerous turn when her sister’s murderer then sets his sights on Maggie and her niece. Add in a sexy Frenchman to add a little extra layer of intrigue, plenty of dramatic developments, secrets, lies, crime & investigation, and the story takes an engrossing turn.
From book #2 onwards-
Maggie’s sexy (French) boyfriend, who we met in the first instalment has inherited an ancient vineyard in a small rural village in France- so Maggie quits her job and sets off for a year abroad. But trouble soon follows, when a vicious murder takes place, thrusting them into the middle of an investigation that links to a 50year-old murder. What happens makes for intriguing reading….and so the series unfolds, with each book bringing another cozy mystery for Maggie to investigate. Sprinkled with mystery suspense, tension, drama, danger, romance, marriage, motherhood, travel, and recipes- made this series a memorable read. It is a light-hearted and enjoyable series, the ‘clean’ stories mean there are no sexy times, violence, or profanity.
Happy Reading…
Thank you, Susan Kiernan-Lewis!
September 1, 2022
Maggie Newberry’s neighbors in France are giving her a hard time again because the advertising for the fete that is supposed to happen soon did not leave enough time for folks to prepare for their booths. Everyone is in an uproar and it’s all her fault as the American transplant. She doesn’t understand the French way of handling issues, she’s too direct in her explanations and upsetting people. Laurent meanwhile is caught up in getting ready to harvest his grapes for the grape growers collective. The leader of the gypsy’s they hire for harvesting the grapes is dragging his feet trying to up their price for their services. Meanwhile Kitty Dickerson the other American entrepreneur is working on getting her new Bistro ready to open. Kitty is not a nice person and has some people who really hate her. When she ends up dead in her bistro brutally murdered and field dressed, like hunters do, the shock of her murder shakes up the community. To add to the mix, Maggie’s best friend is living with them after her split, along with her teenaged daughter. Lots of action in this book. Nothing boring in this read.
May 5, 2024
no passports required...
take an enchanting trip to England, stay at a converted and ancient abbey that now stays afloat as an AirB&B where its former owner has just been murdered and you have the ingredients of an old-fashioned murder mystery that a certain American horse woman from the Deep South and her droolable French husband cannot seem to leave alone. it took a few chapters for me to coalesce all the players, most of whom were paying guests in for the upcoming Abbey Hunt, but once I got the relationships straight (absolutely vital to any armchair sleuth), the story was captivating. there are quite a few French phrases that Wikipedia hasn't learned yet, but it became apparent that they were pretty basic phrases that could probably be translated contextually so I just guessed and lost nothing in my presumptions and the tale wound quickly to its reveal, and I have to admit, this time, I didn't see it coming. so I read another murder mystery and it out named me, which means s.k.-l. did a bangup job of crafting it, and isn't that what we read this genre for in the first place? it is for me.
take an enchanting trip to England, stay at a converted and ancient abbey that now stays afloat as an AirB&B where its former owner has just been murdered and you have the ingredients of an old-fashioned murder mystery that a certain American horse woman from the Deep South and her droolable French husband cannot seem to leave alone. it took a few chapters for me to coalesce all the players, most of whom were paying guests in for the upcoming Abbey Hunt, but once I got the relationships straight (absolutely vital to any armchair sleuth), the story was captivating. there are quite a few French phrases that Wikipedia hasn't learned yet, but it became apparent that they were pretty basic phrases that could probably be translated contextually so I just guessed and lost nothing in my presumptions and the tale wound quickly to its reveal, and I have to admit, this time, I didn't see it coming. so I read another murder mystery and it out named me, which means s.k.-l. did a bangup job of crafting it, and isn't that what we read this genre for in the first place? it is for me.
September 4, 2021
It was okay. This is the first time I’ve read a Kieran-Lewis book (apparently this one is #8 in a series). At first, the French words in the conversations were off-putting. A little checking revealed that one of the characters was French, married to the main character, which answered that question.
I just couldn’t get into the story and characters - I just didn’t care enough about what Maggie felt or cared for. Yeah, a couple of people died, but it didn’t seem to matter. There was a ‘fox hunt’ with horses and dogs (of course), but I couldn’t care, not even when Maggie’s horse freaked out. Yeah, the murders got solved, but I can’t identify who was killed - and that’s okay.
I probably won’t read another Susan K-L novel based on my response to this one.
I just couldn’t get into the story and characters - I just didn’t care enough about what Maggie felt or cared for. Yeah, a couple of people died, but it didn’t seem to matter. There was a ‘fox hunt’ with horses and dogs (of course), but I couldn’t care, not even when Maggie’s horse freaked out. Yeah, the murders got solved, but I can’t identify who was killed - and that’s okay.
I probably won’t read another Susan K-L novel based on my response to this one.
March 22, 2020
Book 8 in this murder mystery series, this time set in England, not France.
Maggie and Laurent get some bad news which means they have to travel to England. Of course, Maggie can't leave well alone and soon she's investigating the murder of one of their friends.
Set in an Abbey, which has been set up as a character driven hotel from a time looking ago when houses had upstairs and downstairs staff, a friend of theirs loses their life. Is it an accident or a deliberate action by someone else?
By asking questions, Maggie gets herself into trouble again, however, this isn't her only problem. There seems to be some history between Laurent and some of the ladies there, from his time as a con man before he met Maggie. Can their relationship survive this? Is someone out to make trouble for Maggie and Laurent?
Back home, there's also an issue with a couple of newcomers to the village.
Life is never dull around Maggie!
I'm enjoying this series and am looking forward to book 9!
Maggie and Laurent get some bad news which means they have to travel to England. Of course, Maggie can't leave well alone and soon she's investigating the murder of one of their friends.
Set in an Abbey, which has been set up as a character driven hotel from a time looking ago when houses had upstairs and downstairs staff, a friend of theirs loses their life. Is it an accident or a deliberate action by someone else?
By asking questions, Maggie gets herself into trouble again, however, this isn't her only problem. There seems to be some history between Laurent and some of the ladies there, from his time as a con man before he met Maggie. Can their relationship survive this? Is someone out to make trouble for Maggie and Laurent?
Back home, there's also an issue with a couple of newcomers to the village.
Life is never dull around Maggie!
I'm enjoying this series and am looking forward to book 9!
December 18, 2023
Having not read the previous books in this series, with no knowledge of the protagonists, I found this to be an interesting, hard-to-put-down read. Unlike many mysteries, this one was long and as I started into it, I wondered why and how the author could hold my interest. But with the twists and turns and cast of characters, I managed to read through this 364-page thriller/mystery in two days. It takes a gifted author to write a long, detailed mystery and hold the reader's attention. Susan Kiernan-Lewis delivers an entertaining cast of characters, caught up in a complex and exciting mystery.
April 14, 2018
This could easily be a script for Midsommer Murders. Takes place in an Abbey in England (of course), The posh people staying for the weekend are there for the funeral of a murdered owner, and it seems like nearly everyone has a motive. Many hidden secrets and past relationships are revealed. Accusations are tossed around, a second murder occurs, an attempted murder occurs, a fox hunt takes place, a cottage is blown up, and the case is solved satisfactorily in the end. All we needed was Barnaby to solve it quicker than the local constabulary could.
May 11, 2018
I generally don't like starting a new series this far in, but the price was right (free) and the plot sounded interesting.
I was not disappointed what so ever. Maggie is a spunky American married to a French wine grower, living in France with their two young children.
In this book, the couple go to the funeral of her husband's good friend (a friend Maggie could do without) in England.
This was a solid cozy with really interesting characters and was well-paced. I didn't enjoy the initial scenes in France as much as I enjoyed those in England. But I can easily chalk that up to the fact that I was starting with the eighth book of the series.
I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more in the series as long as the price is right.
Well worth the read if you enjoy English cozy mysteries as I do. I give it four and half stars -- and look forward to more books in the series.
I was not disappointed what so ever. Maggie is a spunky American married to a French wine grower, living in France with their two young children.
In this book, the couple go to the funeral of her husband's good friend (a friend Maggie could do without) in England.
This was a solid cozy with really interesting characters and was well-paced. I didn't enjoy the initial scenes in France as much as I enjoyed those in England. But I can easily chalk that up to the fact that I was starting with the eighth book of the series.
I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more in the series as long as the price is right.
Well worth the read if you enjoy English cozy mysteries as I do. I give it four and half stars -- and look forward to more books in the series.
August 22, 2018
Roger is Laurent's best friend & now he is dead. Maggie, Laurent's American wife is an investigater in a "previous life" so when the police indicate his death was not an accident, much to Laurent's dismay, Maggie jumps into action. The list of suspects is long, each with a motive for murder but who actually did the deed? This book was hard to put down...the only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was the British vulgar slang used throughout the book. For me it added nothing to the story & shouldn't be billed as a "cozy mystery" because of it. Otherwise, it kept me on the edge of my seat.
January 31, 2020
Started off good with the family of Maggie and Laurent, and Roger coming to visit. Maggie wasn’t happy about it, yet he was a close and dear friend of Laurent. Then the murder of Roger and they go pay their respect at the funeral and wake. Then the story shifted, to more about people, and Laurent was distant and sullen. A horse ride and Jill saying she had Know Laurent before as they lived together, He didn’t denied it, then later says it was untrue. Mix of American and British words. Was okay murder.
January 4, 2018
Susan Kiernan has a way with murder, even though the Newberry series is written with a formula method Ms. Kiernan-Lewis can do murder in a grizzly manner with the best of writers, they are all originally, deliciously thought out. Murder and mayhem, the perils of Pauline all rolled into one!
A very enjoyable read, and as usual she writes her locations with knowledge and a narrative that brings locations to vivid life.
A very enjoyable read, and as usual she writes her locations with knowledge and a narrative that brings locations to vivid life.
January 3, 2019
Grief
Interesting and different. Not really my cup of tea. I don't seem to care for the English ones new ones. I did get the French at all not understands the workings of that relationship. Had some good moments and it kept you guess in who done it. I never would have guessed the murders. A lot of injury and no one seemed to be in pain I found that weird. It was ok but not interested in future ones didn't grab me
Interesting and different. Not really my cup of tea. I don't seem to care for the English ones new ones. I did get the French at all not understands the workings of that relationship. Had some good moments and it kept you guess in who done it. I never would have guessed the murders. A lot of injury and no one seemed to be in pain I found that weird. It was ok but not interested in future ones didn't grab me
July 27, 2017
I like mysteries, but this one took a minute for me to get into. I didn't realize that there were other books in this series,as a lot of the back story was not explained well. It is overall a ok read if you are waiting for another book from a favorite author. This book is not a cozy mystery, it says it is, in my opinion.
September 26, 2017
Number Eight of a great series.
Maggie and Laurent rush to England to the funeral of his best friend. While there they find that Friend Roger has been murdered. Staying at one of England's great homes turned inn, they begin to unravel the hidden clues to the murder. Read to find out who the murderer is and join a Fox Hunt.
Maggie and Laurent rush to England to the funeral of his best friend. While there they find that Friend Roger has been murdered. Staying at one of England's great homes turned inn, they begin to unravel the hidden clues to the murder. Read to find out who the murderer is and join a Fox Hunt.
March 30, 2018
Even though this is part of a series, the story stands on it's own. This is the first I have read by this author and was OK for light vacation reading. The plot while not too intricate was entertaining, a little of "Upstairs, Downstairs" type of story but the upstairs were want to be and not really upper class folk.
May 23, 2018
I read this as my book by the bedside. I found myself having to reread often - as I wasn't sure who was where and when..which made the book longer than normal for me to read. the true murderer wasn't revealed until way into the story. There were many suspects and I often wavered between characters. That made me keep reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2018
Terrific mystery and love story.
The characters and love story of the two main characters developed rapidly throughout the story. The murder mystery had plenty of twists and turns and clues. The end wasn't a complete surprise and was a great close to this story. I plan on starting this series at the beginning. Great book.
The characters and love story of the two main characters developed rapidly throughout the story. The murder mystery had plenty of twists and turns and clues. The end wasn't a complete surprise and was a great close to this story. I plan on starting this series at the beginning. Great book.
July 27, 2018
Well crafted page turner. As usual, storyline develops a number of viable suspects, each with a reasonable motive. Enjoyed the active participation of Laurent as more of his past is revealed. Definitely a few surprises along the way as the mystery is resolved and an ultimate happy ending is revealed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews