Murder at Lowry House

Hazel Martin Mysteries #1

by Leighann Dobbs, Alison Larkin (Narrator)

When mystery novelist Hazel Martin receives a secretive letter from an old friend who suspects her relatives have murderous intentions, she packs her bags and heads to the country.

Tampered medications, symptoms of poisoning and suspicious accidents all add up to attempted murder and it’s up to Hazel and her siamese cat Dickens to sniff out the clues. But with a house full of relatives who all have a motive, will Hazel be able to unmask the culprit before things turn deadly?

USA Today Bestselling Author Leighann Dobbs brings back the spirit of the Golden Age of mysteries in this classic whodunit set in the 1920s.

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

Audible Audio

First published January 10, 2017

About the author

USA Today bestselling author, Leighann Dobbs, discovered her passion for writing after a twenty year career as a software engineer. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband Bruce, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty.

Her book "Dead Wrong" won the "Best Mystery Romance" award at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention.

Her book "Ghostly Paws" was the 2015 Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem First Place category winner in the Animal Mystery category.

Reviews

[Josue · Rating 2 out of 5]

My favorite escapist reading is historical mystery. Particularly historical mystery set in the UK in the first half of the 20th century, and particularly if it's set among the upstairs downstairs world of the landed gentry and grand manor estates. So this would appear tailor-made for me. But alas alack. Aside from the mystery being paper thin and fairly obvious - which I honestly don't mind so much, I'm here for the milieu not the murder - what really brings this story down is the lack of attention to detail. I was never sure exactly when this story was supposed to be set, and I'm afraid neither did the author. I thought sometime in the 20s but at other times I thought before WW1. At still other times, I was just totally baffled. The narrator talks of how there were hardly any horse and carriages in town anymore, which would suggest before the war but the fairly young characters never seem to make mention of having been involved in any war. She refers to a table and a sofa as "Edwardian" which suggests some time later. They talk of calling the police, so I assume a telephone exists, but then she can only communicate with her own home by way of notes passed along by servants. And then there are the ceaseless Americanisms that slip into the narrative. The manner of talking seems totally out of place but also I got the impression the author was sometimes thinking of a Southern plantation or something akin as her basis for "aristocrats." Of a stone cottage on the estate - which would likely be at least a century old or more - she talks of a "screen door" slamming. At dinner a character "slathered butter on a biscuit." She talks of her maid baking "cookies;" she hopes someone will "run interference" (a football derived term that didn't come into parlance until mid century) and so on. These are just the ones I remember offhand. When people talk of self published works needing an editor, they are usually referring to typos, misspellings and bad grammar. None of that exists here, but it is in definite need of an editor who would have kept the historical accuracy on point - among other things (does the cat have to meow in the dialogue quite so often?). The bones are there and it had potential but as it stands now it reads like somebody who just watched a lot of Downton Abbey and decided to wing it. If you want to sell us historical fiction, just a little research wouldn't go amiss.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is her first in a series about Hazel Martin - a young widow who writes mysteries and has the help of her sidekick, her siamese cat, Dickens.

What happens when they have a real mystery to solve?

A cozy read.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the comedy series "Are You Being Served" an exasperated Mrs. Slocum was known to shout: "Weak as water!" Well, that's how I felt about this story.

I had thought it set in present day at first, with the only real clue coming later about horse-drawn vehicles giving way to cars. Since I never cared much for any of the charcaters, especially the protagonist, revelation of the murderer was not a big deal; I just wanted it to be over. Rather than a cute hook, the cat was just annoying. Wasn't real fond of the way Hazel treated the cop either, but he seemed to wise up that she was using him.

Audio narration seemed to fit the text, which meant that the reader didn't do much to elevate things; if anything, she made them sillier. This is one future series I'd be sure to skip.

[Linda Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start but would like more period detail. Guilty party was pretty obvious I thought.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall, the book gave the impression that the author hadn't conducted much historical research beyond a few interesting sidebars on pens and typewriters. The plot featured a lot of anachronisms in the way characters spoke, interacted, and lived their daily lives that made the entire novel feel a bit silly and unbelievable. Those anachronisms also had the jarring effect of keeping me from becoming immersed in the world or the story.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, easy read like most of Leighann Dobbs' books. The timescale is a bit different - late-1920s at a guess although it isn't too clear. I liked the main character, but I was a bit annoyed with the Americanisms in the speech when it's obviously set in England and the characters are supposed to be English.

[Melli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listening to this book on audio from my library and it is the first book the this authors pen name. I have read her other works. I think this is a great start to the series. Definitely a good weekend read and or listen.

[Celest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm never disappointed by Leighann Dobbs

Leighann Dobbs is one of my favorite authors and she never fails to come up with an excellent story. There were well developed characters, but I did want to spend more time with Hazel's staff. This is probably something that I can look forward to in the next book. I will say that I was surprised by the murder victim, sometimes you just can't guess what the author has in store for us. Just part of the fun and I do love the cozy mysteries for a few hours to escape into another world. Very entertaining, don't miss this one. There may be some romance coming in future books and a lot more fun from Dickens.

[D. Barretta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little cozy

I chose this book because I enjoy period pieces and the 1920s was such an interesting time. Hazel is a good main character. Her background was not poor little rich girl. She's a widow, missing her husband, who writes mysteries. I've read another series by thus author but I definitely related more to Hazel. Also, she's an amateur sleuth who makes mistakes. I like that you get to watch her grow and discover her skills. If you like genuine characters, this book is worth the read.

[Madelyn Flammia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I found the main character likeable and the overall concept enjoyable, the novel lacked detail and development. The production quality was very poor.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never felt a connection with the characters. I felt it was hard to follow because my mind wanders a lot. It just did not keep my attention

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love this author. Sadly this one didn’t appeal to me as I guessed who did it from the beginning.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many questions and going in circles instead of dialogue and plot development. First mystery book that I figured out who the killer.

[Angelina Kerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: Murder at Lowry House
Book Author: Leighann Dobbs
Source: Downloaded from Amazon Kindle Unlimited.
Rating: 5 stars

So this is my first time venturing out into Leighann's other series. It was interesting and fun to read, especially about Hazel's feline companion.

Hazel received a letter about someone thinking that she was being targeted for death. Being a mystery author and having insight into how cops work from past experiences, she decided to follow up on the letter by going to the Lowry House. Things took a turn after she got there, especially with her buying a new dress. ;)

What I liked about Hazel was her not so perfect nature. She made assumptions and things were bad from those assumptions. Though, she could write a great mystery novel, in reality, it was a different experience where things were more complicated. While being at the house, she did start and finish her next novel and the real life experience really did help her to get out of the funk and she learned something about herself in the process.

It's a fast read, a little travel of going to the past for the reader, but interesting nonetheless.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hazel Martin has received a letter from an old friend who needs her help. She feels there's a threat on her life and would like Hazel to find how what's going on. So, Hazel goes off to the country estate with her cat Dickens to visit and solve the mystery.

As others have pointed out, this story has potential. Sadly, it's not really developed that much. There's a whole houseful of potential suspects, none of them very likeable, and Hazel's friend Myrtle seems off somehow, like she's losing her memory. The actual killer seems pretty obvious from the beginning.

There are whole sections of the book where Hazel's just sitting in her room going over clues with her cat. While I like the cat, the book would be better served for Hazel to have a human companion and/or partner. There also needs to be more tension, more drama, something to keep the story from dragging as Hazel's investigation moves slowly along.

Overall, I just found it hard to stay interested because of the pacing and lack of drama.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was completely bored. None of the characters were engaging. We seem to be dropped in the middle of this woman’s life and are expected to feel a certain way about her life and relationships because the author tells us; not because she’s given us a chance to get to know the characters. I couldn’t care less about whether or not Hazel gets together with the police inspector. I don’t know either of them and I didn’t feel like I knew them by the end either.

This felt like it was trying to be another Miss Fisher’s Mysteries or maybe even Agatha Christie’s style of mystery, but instead it read very unpolished and half-baked. There was little to no character development. The mystery was incredibly clunky and read like a middle schooler had plotted it. And Hazel was, quite honestly, too stupid to live. Other than apparently wanting to sleep with her, I don’t know why the police inspector would want to include her on any investigation. I didn’t even care who had committed the crime in the end.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 1920's era manor house mystery. Hazel Martin is a successful mystery novelist, as a member of the upper class. She's a widow, still mourning her police detective husband after three years, whose only family is the staff at her inherited manor house.

Hazel is summoned by an elderly family friend who fears that someone is trying to kill her. The attempts, if that is what they were, could fall in the realm of accidents or coincident. In the first half of the book, Hazel is sorting out clues, uncovering resentments, and hatred within this supposedly close-knit family. The murder doesn't occur until the second half of the book, and the murderer is revealed after unraveling an extremely tangled knot of motives, misdirections, and petty crimes. This was a fun read. Very short audio book....just over 4 hours.

[Corinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mystery was easy to figure out, even for me. I usually am surprised at the solution. Too many times the main character's thoughts about possible suspects led to nothing. There were frequent jarring expressions used that I had to look at the book description to find out that it was set in the 1920's. Did anyone in that era speak about "vibes"? To top it off, the narrator of the audiobook had an annoying voice.

[Ruth Evelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was clearly neglected in the editing process. Things were stated and restated. Then concluded. The time period was amorphous, with characters having (poorly written) modern dialogue and attitudes. I forgive quite a few anachronisms for an enjoyable mystery. Sadly this was not that either.

[Lavanya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anachronistic language and too many Americanisms

I would recommend the author make some effort to write the way people spoke in that time period in that place. To have modern language and Americanisms pop up everywhere is very jarring.

[Ана Хелс · Rating 5 out of 5]

В кримките с дами детективи главен спомагателен герой винаги е кучето – понякога полезно носи разни улики или вика помощ, когато главният персонаж го закъса, или просто седи отстрани, подскачайки и тихичко лаейки сладко… или дразнещо, зависи от гледната точка. Но, признавам, по-любими винаги ще останат за мен криминалните поредици с котешки фамилиари, може би защото те никога не се задоволяват да стоят отстрани и да пускат косми, докато дремят по 20 часа на ден като класическа фелина доместика, ами участват активно в разкриването на престъпления, и не се свенят да си ползват всичките към милион остри като бръсначи нокти върху физиономиите на злодеите.

Такъв е и котешкият войн Дикенс, пръв асистент и приятел на лейди Хейзъл Мартин, вдовица от умерено весел тип, писателка на криминални романи и по съвместителство неволен детектив, която разкрива убийства в богаташки имения, където всеки е виновен за нещо. Благородниците винаги крият най-пикантните тайни, обичайно обвързани с мрачни готически истории и залози от най-висок тип, така че да се пожертва някой обикновен човечец, прислуга или някоя особено кисела пралеля, която продължава да не дава така заслуженото наследство на гладната си за още диаманти рода, не е никак трудно решение. Но сиамският котешки детектив Дикенс ще разкрие и най-добре пазените тайни, които ще измъкне с лапичка от най-затънтения край на именията за милиони, и ще остави на своята благородна стопанка да ги разкости пред отбрана публика с класически Поаро замах.

Това е една малка, но много свежа поредица, класическа в стила си, но много лека в изпълнението си. Не е най-оригиналното писание на света, но е много разтоварващо, уютно и приятно четиво, за някоя ваканция, празник или просто спокоен снежен уикенд у дома. За съжаление Лиан Добс отдавна не е писала нови приключения за тези така мили и чаровни свои герои, тъй като залага повече на съвременните мистерии, но едва ли ще спра да се надявам на още от котешката Мис Марпъл. Позволете на повече котки да разкриват престъпления, добри са!

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Murder at Lowry House by Leighann Dobbs is the first in the Hazel Martin Mysteries series and I listened to this novel on the Audible recording.

Hazel is a novelist writing crime fiction, and sadly the widow of a police officer who has been killed while on duty. Now she is in the position of writing her latest novel without his forensic input. Then she receives a letter from an elderly friend who asks her to visit her at her home, Lowry House to celebrate her 80th birthday as she suspects she is being poisoned by a family member.

Hazel attends with her cat,Dickens, and they spend the weekend in the company of the eccentric family investigating all the apparent accidents that have happened to here over the last few weeks and tries to work how who is behind the murder attempts when all of the people in the house that weekend had a motive.

While this sounded like an interesting take on the great Country House mysteries of the golden age of fiction supposedly set in 1920 this fell from far from the mark. Non of the characters have much depth including Hazel who is the main character. The plot followed an obvious path and failed to have any significant depth. Usually even books that are quite poorly written can have an added level of interest with a good narrator to bring the characters alive but I felt Anne Larkin didn't really achieve that although to be fair to her she didn't have the best material to start with. However I think the thing that let this book down more than anything else was that it was so apparent from the start that this was written by an American audience who had chosen to set her work in England a hundred years ago without really understanding what life here was like at that time and the constant Americanisms became irritating. The one that stuck out for me and annoyed me the most was after a walk in woods Hazel reflected on hearing the birdsong of the chickadees!

It felt badly written, badly researched and badly performed by the Audible narrator and while it passed a few hours of travelling the best that I can say is it wasn't too long and it will be instantly forgettable.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

When she receives a letter from a friend who believes her life to be in danger, Hazel rushes to her aid. Because she is a mystery writer, people expect quirky behavior from Hazel, so she can snoop without raising suspicions. She finds her friend, Myrtle, to be a bit confused, but on the eve of her 80th birthday maybe that's to be expected. In fact, Hazel isn't entirely convinced that Myrtle's life is in danger at all, but if she is, the culprit is certainly one of her relatives.

Although this book is meant to take place in the 1920's there isn't much in the story that gives a great sense of time or place other than some comments about fashion. Also, Hazel seems to be a woman of means from a family of means, yet there's little discussion of the classism that was so rampant at that time. There were a suitable number of red herrings, but it was really easy to identify the potential murderer long before the end. I didn't find Hazel incredibly compelling, but I would try others in the series to see if she develops.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of folks disliked this book as it wasn't "historical" enough. I don't generally gravitate to historial mysteries, so this did not distract me so much, although I could see how the time period was a bit vague. Despite the description of fashion, what period is it when a mystery author has "millions" of readers? I did like the initial premise of the story; nice to have a mystery that was 'pending' in a way - with the MC trying to prevent a crime, rather than just trying to solve a murder. I was hooked at the start, but found myself starting to fade as the book became an overwhelming barrage of rhetorical questions from the MC. A lot of suppostion, with the repetitive mulling over of ideas and not a lot of actual clue hunting or crime solving. Albeit expected, enjoyed the little twist at the end. Many readers hated the cat element, but I did not object to it as distinctly as others. I may continue this series. I must say I enjoyed the reader of the audiobook - I may not have enjoyed the book as much without her.

[Jo Prince · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can certainly see how the author writes so many books, she doesn’t spend any time on research!
I’m not quite sure why she wants to write about England in some peculiar, non-existent timeframe… when there weren’t many horses and carts any more (in this rural area) but also servants and few telephones. She has chickadees, blue jays and chipmunks bobbing about, but none of them exist in the uk as they are indigenous to North America. She talks about faucets when it should be taps, blocks when it should be roads or streets and backyards when she meant a garden. In the UK a yard is an area enclosed by a fence on a farm between the buildings. It is usually muddy and unattractive and might contain old bits of tractors, piles of lumber etc.
The language is sooo American too. Snuck, gotten, cookie, dandy, shoot, oftentimes, store, dumb to mention a few.
If the author had set the book in southern America it would just have been a weak storyline with rather two dimensional characters, as it is I would strongly advise British readers to read Dianne Freeman instead.

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite optimistic after reading the opening scene with Hazel talking to her cook about how to disguise the taste of poison in the breakfast marmalade, but from then on the book went downhill.

I usually enjoy an historical mystery, but I didn’t really get a feeling for the historical period with this story. It felt like an element of the book was missing.

As for Hazel, initially I quite liked her, but she did spend too much time deliberating over every fact and possible culprit. At times it felt like the investigation was going around in circles. Also it didn’t help that the cast of characters was so pallid, there was very little for Hazel to ‘bounce off’.

Once the murder happened I hoped the story would ‘perk up’, unfortunately at this point the author tried to introduce the possibility of some romance.

This wasn’t a bad ‘cozy mystery’ but there was nothing special about it, or Hazel. Overall it was a bit boring and I won’t be reading book two.

[Sam Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun enough story, easy to read and entertaining but not overly complex.

Repetitious at times and some annoying inconsistencies.

For example going from from “X is a very logical explanation for Y” to “I can’t possibly think why any one would do Y!”. The MC accurately stating facts about something, only to being excited to find out that information later and leaping to the conclusion previously stated quote matter of factly by the same character.

(Actually come to think of it, these chapters follow each other it feels like they should actually be the other way around. Perhaps a misguided scene swap to satisfy the subplot?)

Oh and an honorable mention of ‘they can’t be murderers - they’re rich!’ logic clearing two suspects, followed immediately by an assertion that thinking it could be one of the staff was literally laughable.

Narration by Alison Larkin was fabulous, will definitely be keeping an eye out for this voice actor on other books.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little apprehensive about this book based on all the poor reviews but it turns out those people are just a bunch of Negative Nellies. This book was well written. Hazel does exactly as a good friend should when asked to help investigate who might want to kill the letter-writer. She rushes over to help her friend who seems confused about all that is happening in her life as she approaches her 80th birthday. Her family is there and some strange things have been happening to her friend Myrtle.

Hazel sets about to discover what is going on looking at the loose paving stones, the mixed pills, the arrant arrow - all things that point out that someone is indeed trying to do in Myrtle. But things are not as they seem! And it takes Hazel's cat to point that out just in time.

I enjoyed the first book in this series and look forward to reading the second book.

[Katy Cameron · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm going to caveat this with the fact that given the rant on my last review, this would not have been my first choice for my next listen, but I was stuck in a traffic jam and had to take the next thing in my library, blurb unseen...

So, this was worse than the last book. It's another 'American thinking the UK is America with bad weather' job in terms of language and behaviour, except that the author didn't seem to know where the story was set. Or when. I'm taking it from the cover that the author was aiming for the 1920s, but there is nothing to anchor the book in either a place or time period beyond a couple of references to London and talk of horses and carts having been replaced by motor vehicles.

From an audiobook perspective, that cat was the most annoying thing I've ever heard. Never again!