False Wall

Abbot Agency #10

by Veronica Heley

Bea Abbot discovers that at least one of her neighbours is hiding a shocking secret in the latest intriguing Abbot Agency mystery

When the party wall dividing the gardens of Bea Abbot and her fiancé Leon collapses, amongst the ensuing chaos a human skeleton is unearthed in Leon’s garden. Having only just purchased the property, Leon and Bea set out to discover more about the house’s previous owners. Before they can proceed in their investigation however, the pair fall victim to an elaborately-laid trap. With her home, livelihood and the agency under threat, Bea appears to be the subject of a meticulously-planned vendetta. But why? And why is Leon becoming strangely distant?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2016

About the author

Veronica Heley has published more than fifty books, including crime fiction, historical, and children's titles. She is currently involved in the Ellie Quicke series of crime stories and a variety of other projects. A full-time writer, she has been married to a London probation officer since 1964, and has one musician daughter.

AKA Veronica Thorne

Reviews

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The garden walls separating Bea's home from her neighbors collapse. The walls brought down the large tree in Bea's garden damaging her house and the Agency. Rumors are circulating that the walls are Bea's and she is responsible for the damaged. Leon had brought the house behind her and his walls are down. Before this happen bones were found in his Garden. As a result, Bea and Leon find themselves in danger. Leon decided to fly to the continent to save a Holland affair. He expects Bea to go with him as the Agency is closed. Bea refuses to go and her friends arrive to help her in this time of need. This is one of this best books I have read recently. I highly recommend this series. While each book is complete and can be read as a standalone, reading them in order will allow you to see the development of the characters. I am now up to date with series and will need to wait for the next one.

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the beginning of Veronica Heley’s False Wall, the 10th novel in a series featuring the redoubtable widow Bea Abbott, I was a bit put off. Where was the strong, savvy businesswoman I’d grown to love? Where was a woman who knew she could count on her friends? Bea was whiney, self-pitying — nothing at all like her usual self.

Bea Abbott inherited the Abbott Agency, a company that places domestic help — temporary or permanent — with London’s better families and firms. She has built up a business that is both profitable and demanding. When an unscrupulous neighbor tries ruin that business through some tricky machinations, Bea’s friends — including Oliver Ingraham and Maggie, her kind-hearted, competent former lodgers — come to her rescue. How wonderful to see the many, many people Bea has helped step in.

And, despite my initial dismay, the mystery at the heart of False Wall kept me turning pages into the wee hours of the morning. Why is Admiral Payne and his formidable wife, Lady Edith, trying to destroy Bea Abbott and her friend, Sir Leon Holland? And what has become of Sir Leon? Heley pens some really suspenseful ordeals for Bea, and I couldn’t put the book down, if you’ll forgive the cliché. But, for once, it was true!

I’ve loved all of Bea Abbott’s adventures, and, while False Wall doesn’t rank up there with False Charity, False Picture, and False Diamond, the novel delivers in the end.

[Bookish_predator · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Huge thanks to Veronica Heley, Severn House Publishers and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun and engaging mystery, although it's the 10th in an established series you can get right into the story as you're given as much info as you need to the characters and places to enjoy it rather than wondering who each person is.

Human remains, unfortunate neighbours and horrible happenings are abound throughout and it was a thoroughly enjoyable time.

I will definitely be picking up the rest of the series, especially if they are as enjoyable as this.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well Bea, your castle was attacked and your knight in shining armor is looking a bit tarnished, but again you and your gaggle of geese have solved all the problems of the world and ridden off into the sunset.

Actually, this was one of the better stories in this series (Book 10). Hamilton has been put on the back burner, Piers is too busy painting to be much of a bother, CJ must be on vacation and Leon has washed his hands of this fiasco!
Except for Mona, all the new characters are the kind you love to hate, and hate them I did.

The cover blurb says Bea is a Miss Marple-like heroine, no she isn’t, they are as different as apples and oranges.

PS - that nonsense about Pelicans is NOT true! Google it!

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the tenth book in the excellent Abbot Agency series of mysteries. Bea's garden wall suddenly collapses one day causing the mature Sycamore tree next to the wall to fall almost reaching her house and nearly hitting Bea herself as she is standing in the garden.

This causes a whole chain reaction of events which puts Bea and her friend Leon Holland in physical danger. Why are Bea's neighbours suddenly against her? Why is everyone blaming her for the wall's collapse? It will take all Bea's ingenuity and a great deal of effort on the part of all her friends to try and rise above everything and keep the agency functioning in spite of everything.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this latest episode in the Abbot Agency series and positively raced through it to find out what was going to happen and who was behind the campaign against Bea and the Agency. I like Bea as a character, probably because she is about my own age and has similar doubts about her capabilities as I do at times. I also enjoy reading about her crowd of friends - Maggie and Oliver, ex-husband Piers, and various other people she has come into contact with over the rest of the series.

If you like something a bit different in the cosy mystery line with excellent plots and well drawn characters then give this series a try. They are best read in the order in which they were written in my opinion. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Marple she isn't. One in the series is enough for me !

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series of books about Bea Abbott just keep getting better and better. This one starts off with a bang and never lets up. Bea and Leon go to a party, only to be drugged; they escape by the skin of their teeth; someone starts a fire at the back of her residence ... etc. etc. but Bea has a lot of friends in her time of need and she is well taken care of. Couldn't put it down. Very entertaining.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever

There may be a murder but this one is really more about trying to destroy two people's reputation,the idea that friends are there for you in bad times and that a crises shows you some ones true character. So maybe this one is a bit more soap opera or high drama than your average cozy but if you are familiar with the series I would really recommend giving this addictive one a read.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bea Abbott mystery: Bea Abbot discovers that at least one of her neighbours is hiding a shocking secret. When the party wall dividing the gardens of Bea Abbot and Leon collapses, amongst the ensuing chaos a human skeleton is unearthed in Leon’s garden. Leon and Bea set out to discover more about the house’s previous owners. Before they can proceed in their investigation however, the pair fall victim to an elaborately-laid trap.

[Margaret Barbour]

A False Wall by Veronica Heley.

An enjoyable read that is easy to read, understand and interesting. It is a horrible and scary situation that Bea found herself in, but along with some friends and her staff, she managed to get to the bottom of it, and sort it out. Yes, I will recommend it.

[Bethany Delson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one stressed me out so much that I would put it down for weeks at a time! I also find the random Christian stuff to feel off-putting and a bit jarring. I don’t feel it adds much but rather it pulls me out of the story because it’s so unexpected.

[Anne Herbison · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no time to settle in to the story as you might expect. It's all on within a few pages. Chaos, mayhem and danger. Bea proves her mettle as ever, although the stakes seem to be getting higher each time she's faced with a challenge.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Abbot Agency mysteries are a fun read!

[Constance Meccarello-Gerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good smart read.

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did rather enjoy this story, with it's mystery.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

another good story

If you like the previous books you’ll like this one. Good to be in the company of Bea and her extended family. This one was a good yard with lots of twists and turns.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series a lot. Although I am tiring of nasty people, this book brought back in so many previous characters it felt like a lovely family reunion.

[Irene Soulsby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. False wall

Another great read from Veronica Heley ,love the characters in this book. Bea does get into some tricky situations in this book

[Jacqueline freegard · Rating 4 out of 5]

intriguing story

Yet again Bea is threatened, I thought she was going to completely crack this time. This story certainly emphasis “blood” is not always thicker than water.

[Bonnie Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not relaxing

Rather a hectic book, it was hard to concentrate on the story for all that was going on. I will try the next in the series to make a
new judgement

[Rowena Onions · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cant quite believe that I managed to get to the end of this book. In my opinion it is badly written tosh.

[Shaunda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to NetGalley , Veronica Heley and Severn House Publishers and for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the tenth book of the Abbott Agency mystery series and while I liked this book, I did not love it and that may be because I haven’t read the previous books. The wall dividing Bea and her friend Leon’s property collapses and unearths a human skeleton, which puts in motion incidents that lead Bea to wonder about the former owners of the home, as well as wonder why it seems the neighbors are against her.

I plan to go back and read the other books, because I felt like I was just plopped down into the middle of the story and did not know its past. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers, but would advise them to read the earlier books in the series first.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bea's garden wall collapses, and her neighbors seem to blame her, unjustly. Then she becomes the victim of an organized campaign, with no idea why. Her billionaire boyfriend is also targeted. With the help of her good friends and her native intelligence, she manages to overcome her obstacles and figure out what's going on. But what I don't like about Heley, and why I've totally given up her other series, which originally I did like, is that her characters always seem to be confronting gangs, cabals, conspiracies against them rather than looking for individual criminals. It reminds me of the Philo Vance books I've also been reading, where each crime is the "most mysterious, most prominent, most terrifying..." in history.

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very exciting mystery. Bea Abbot is standing in her own doorway, watching the neighbors clear the ivy off the common wall, when too many pulls results in the entire garden wall coming down like dominos, which uproots a large tree, which land almost on top of Bea in her door. So begins a fast-paced adventure mystery staring Bea and her merry group of friends. What is hidden in the neighbor's garden and why are they trying to make Bea and Leon look guilty? You'll enjoy this one.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bea Abbott makes me feel like I am the laziest person when I compare what I get done in a day with what she accomplishes. Good thing she's fictional!

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The tenth Abbot Agency mystery is another not-too-cozy adventure of Bea Abbot, sixty something business woman and erstwhile amateur detective and her appealing and motley crew of unrelated family.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries
An Abbot Agency Mystery