Mysterious Invitation: The Whole Book

by Bernice Bloom

Six people are invited to a funeral, but not one of them has even heard of the deceased. The six people do not know one another.
What is going on??
They are told that someone called Reginald Charters invited them on his deathbed, but who on earth is he? And what does he want with them?
The group members are told that they have 20 hours to work out why they have been invited in order to inherit a million pounds.
But it's complicated. Not everything is as it seems.
More clues arrive, they are told that someone will not receive money, and Mary Brown has to give a speech at the funeral of someone she's never met.
"A lovely, intriguing and funny story."
Can they get to know one another well enough to make the connections.
CAN YOU MAKE THE CONNNECTIONS AND SOLVE THE RIDDLE?
And where are the Gower family, who should also be there? What on earth happened to them? Can they be found?
"I really loved this book. it made me laugh, lifted my spirits and kept me completely entertained."

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

337 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2021

About the author

Bernice Bloom writes comedy, romance and mystery novels. She has written dozens of novels including the best-selling Adorable Fat Girl series. She has sold over 100,000 books and is an Amazon best-selling author

Website: www.bernicebloom.com
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3iwKUOW
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3iv7NlO
Instagram:https://bit.ly/3nlBVUn
Books on Amazon (US): https://amzn.to/3cYuCwW
Books on Amazon (UK): https://amzn.to/3lfPwui

THE ORDER OF THE ADORABLE FAT GIRL BOOKS:

BOOK ONE: Diary of an Adorable Fat Girl
BOOK TWO: Adventures of an Adorable Fat Girl
BOOK THREE: Crazy Life of an Adorable Fat Girl
BOOK FOUR: Christmas with Adorable Fat Girl
BOOK FIVE: Adorable Fat Girl on Safari
BOOK SIX: Cruise with an Adorable Fat Girl
BOOK SEVEN: Adorable Fat Girl Takes up Yoga
BOOK EIGHT Adorable Fat Girl goes to weight loss camp
BOOK NINE: Adorable Fat Girl goes online dating
BOOK TEN: Adorable Fat Girl and the six-week transformation
BOOK ELEVEN: Adorable Fat Girl in lockdown
BOOK TWELVE: Adorable Fat Girl and the reunion
BOOK THIRTEEN: It's Christmas Again (out in December)


You can also buy the books in box-sets, there's a series of Mary Brown Mystery books, non-fiction books and lots more to come

MARY BROWN MYSTERIES
BOOK ONE: Marvellous Mary Brown and the Mysterious Invitation
BOOK TWO: Marvellous Mary Brown & the Manhunt (out in December)

THE BOX SETS
BOX SET ONE: First three books combined
BOX SET TWO First three holiday books combined
BOX SET THREE: The first two weight loss books
BOX SET FOUR: Romance books combined (6-week and reunion)
BOX SET FIVE: Mystery books combined (available in December)
BOX SET SIX: Christmas books combined (available in December)

NON-FICTION BOOKS:
Adorable Fat Girl shares her Weight Loss Tips
Handbook for Adorable Fat Girls

PLUS

Look out for the stand alone books:

I'm dating a Hollywood Star! is out in November 2020

Mother & Son is out in 2021

Then there's the SUNSHINE COTTAGE series about the wonderful Lopez family based in Cove Bay.

The first book is out now, and the whole series will be available in 2021

Thank you for your incredible support xx

I HAVE THE BEST, MOST LOVELY, LOYAL, SUPPORTIVE READERS IN THE WORLD.
Here are some of my reviews:

"I adored the various storylines, loved the quirky and captivating characters, and was beguiled by Ms. Bloom's colorful and highly amusing writing style. I am hopelessly addicted. More Fat Girl, please!"

"The book was just a delight to read. Every time I picked the book up I could guarantee that it was going to make me smile. The full-length novel was funny, this one was hilarious, and heart-breaking at the same time. I was completely and utterly hooked to the pages and didn't want the book to end."

"The last thing on earth I need is another addiction, but I fear I have acquired a new one for the cunningly amusing author Bernice Bloom and her wily Adorable Fat Girl series. Mary Brown is an adorable yet outrageous Queen-Sized trouble-magnet and party animal who manages to embroil herself in the oddest of quandaries."

"I can't recommend this book enough.
This series is fast becoming my favourite and I can't wait to see what's in-store next for Mary. I urge you to pick up these books, you won't be disappointed!"

"Cruise with an Adorable Fat Girl is just THE most heartwarming, funny and emotional read. It's great to have a more real life heroin

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 2 star read, only because I thought the summary of it was misleading, so it wasn't the kind of book I thought it was. Six people are invited to the funeral of someone they have never heard of, in a place they have never been. They also do not know the other people invited. Sounds like the start of a good mystery, doesn't it? Well, it is not. I can't really describe it without spoilers. There is an emotional mystery and they do eventually solve it. But it's not what I really wanted to read.

[Mrs Jayne Wiltowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put it down

My mum recommended this book to me, we don't normally have the same taste but this is a winner. The story unfolds chapter by chapter building up the bigger picture of all the links. The second half is a little crazy but still incredible and ends as expected.

[C Montaño · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the interlocking stories and how they all tied together. I appreciated the mystery element though it was much more a puzzle to be solved rather than any thriller type of setup.
Main character was cool enough. I was a bit put off by the obsession with food. I get that she is overweight and loves food (same, girl.) I did not understand why the food had to be constantly brought up and explained in detail though. Perhaps it is realistic to the main character.

I disliked the boyfriend. From the getgo. He was rude and dismissive and controlling. I didn't understand why she stayed with him. He did not have qualities that redeemed his bad ones. I would have preferred she ditched him early on.

[Jacki · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a mess and not in a good way. Body shaming, fatphobia, shallow characters, run away plots… you name it. Pretty poor showing from the author. Also baffled this is part of series. But to each their own I guess

[Ferne Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart warming, lovely story

This book is very different from most books I read. I love how it is written going from present to past and back. The main character, Mary Brown, is funny and caring and I really felt like I got to know her. The characters are well developed and likable (except one). Six people are invited to a funeral of a man they have never met (Reginald) , never heard of and can't find out anything about him. The 6 people don't know each other either. Reginald has left clues for each of them. The I love the way the author fills in the blanks as the six people are trying to put the clues together. Finally, after the funeral they get to watch a video, on his deathbed, explaining why they are there and why they are inheriting his money. The two people who are responsible for all of this will inherit a bulk of Reginald's fortune, but they could not be found. A year after the funeral, they all get together again to find the missing couple. It is a lovely story. Funny at time, sad and heart warming. The ultimate message is be kind to others. I l9ve this book.

[Eileen Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd but Uplifting

This is a strange little book about a group of strangers who are invited to a funeral of a man they don't know and asked to solve a mystery about who he is and why he might want to leave them all money. The present day story is interwoven with a story of the past, starting in World War II and stretching into the 1990s, a tale of family and friends and hardships and love and loss. It's all very peculiar, but it's a good story with a satisfying conclusion, and I'm glad I read it.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Brown (and five others) receives an invitation to the funeral of a man she doesn't know. In fact, neither she nor her parents have ever heard of Reginald Charters. And an internet search leaves them no wiser. When she contacts the solicitors mentioned in the invitation to see if perhaps they have the wrong Mary Brown, they assure her that she really is the Mary Brown Reginald wanted at his funeral. All expenses will be paid--for hotel, travel, and incidentals--and if she comes then she will hear something to her advantage. So, she decides "what the heck" and arrives to find that the five other people specifically invited to the funeral also have no idea who Reginald Charters was and why he wanted them there.

Each person finds an envelope with newspaper clipping inside and message from Reginald saying how glad he is that they could come. At dinner, the solicitor tells them that after the funeral there will be a reading of the will--in which they all figure. When the will is read, they are told that there is one million pounds to be divided amongst them if they can figure out who Reginald was and why they have been selected. They have 20 hours to solve the mystery.

The group decides to pool their resources. Simon Blake, a director, takes the lead and asks each one to share what their newspaper clipping is about and a little bit about their lives. Mary's is dated 1973 and is about a playwriting course offered by a man called Andrew Marks in Bristol, but she hasn't any more idea who Andrew was than she does about Reginald. Simon goes next. His clipping is from 1977 and gives a list of plays written by different playwrights. He hasn't been able to get much information about any of them though he thinks his father may have produced some, or all, of the plays. And he does have a connection to Bristol. He works as a theatre director in Bath which is close to Bristol. Julie and Sally Bramley (sisters) have cuttings from 1976 about nurses from Bristol--and their mother was a nurse. Mike Sween has a paper that is a mock-up of an ad for a Bed & Breakfast in Bristol and his parents ran a B&B in Bristol for years. And, finally, Matt Prior doesn't have a clipping, but has a taxi receipt from 1976 with a smiley face and what looks like a medical cross on it. He can't think of any connection to Bristol. But it definitely seems like Bristol is central to the story.

Who was Reginald Charters? What do all these clues mean? And will they find out in time to earn the inheritance? Woven between the chapters focused on the modern day puzzle is a story of Marco, an Italian prisoner of war during World War II who was put to work on a farm in Wales. As we read the story of Marco and (eventually) his family, we begin to understand how everything fits together--long before Mary and the others do.

I have to say that I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand it is an interesting story about how our lives affect one another and also about how POWs in the UK were treated. I enjoyed watching how lives changed from the post-war years through the 70s to today. And I was definitely engaged with Marco's story. But I am disappointed that the story isn't quite the mystery which the blurbs on the back of the book led me to expect. Very little suspense and tension (other than Julie being a major pain in the you-know-what) and the stakes aren't really as high as the group are led to believe. There are emotional mysteries to be solved, but that's about it. One other quibble--I really got tired of all the meals and food talk by our main character. Okay--we get it. Mary Brown likes her food. And for the most part (again, except for Julie), the others don't shame her for her enjoyment of food--and lots of it. It was good to see a story where people were so accepting of those who weren't like them or whom society in general might not be so generous to. But after a while it just didn't add anything to the main plot. Especially when Mary is the one making such a major deal about it and the others don't even seem to be paying attention.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Cynthia Piques · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mystery loves company

The premise of this story is that six strangers come together to solve a mystery. The result is a convoluted story that flips back and forth between time periods. There are glaring errors in the writing. The author makes a reference to Jackie Kennedy, wife of President Kennedy. However the time period is 1950 and he was not President until 1961. In another error, she refers to the character as Richard but his name was Reginald. There were just too many errors with time periods and characters to enjoy this book. I t was not enjoyable to read of the obese main characters insatiable gorging on food. All in all not recommended

[Agnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

New author for me but glad I picked this one up through #kindleunlimited and read it. Such a great story. Six people are invited to a funeral, but not one of them has even heard of the deceased. The six people do not know one another. That starts off an interesting read.

And so we read through what happens when these six people show up at the funeral of Reginald Charters.....they attend the funeral and then the reading of the will. But there is one person missing, and Mary Brown decides to find them. An adventure and some mysterious findings. Such a great read and since it is a series...well, I will have to read some more of her books. #fourstars

[Ms Jean C Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

A generous 3 stars from me. An interesting premise but with a predictable outcome. I found the characterisation of Mary confusing, sometimes she struck me as middle aged, at others young and immature. Not wishing to be prejudicial I found the obsession with food and her and Ted's weight irritating and not in the least relevant to the story. The plethora of typos, missing words and errors really let the book down. The writer seems not to have researched factual elements such as when John F Kennedy was in office and how one sets up a power of attorney. I know it was meant to be amusing but parts of the story were preposterous. I can't recommend and won't be reading this writer again.

[Rebecca Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

An interesting premise that had so much potential. Ultimately this fell short. The story was choppy and the details/subplots included were sometimes wholly unnecessary. Like...why the hairdresser and the pink van? They ultimately were dropped with no fanfare or explanation. So why We're they there in the first place? For a bigger car??

Along the way, the reader is hopping timelines, zipping around the country, and constantly being regaled with details about the food being consumed along the way. None of which enhanced the story.

Didn't hate it, but I deducted the additional 1/2 star because I honestly wouldn't recommend this book.

[Louisa Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a complicated book!

This Mysterious Invitation was a conglomeration of all the books in the series. I enjoyed it; although it dragged through the middle. But the ending was quite exciting. The chapters went back and forth between the past and the present, so that kept my interest, besides kept me in tune to where the group was in finding the remaining Gower family. The relationship between Tom and Irene captured my attention, and I was glad that it resolved itself at the end.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good and unique read. I normally have a hard time reading stories that jump around in time, but it was understandable in this story. Several individuals are invited to a funeral of a man they have never heard of. Those of us reading just might have a better clue on the criteria for the invitation, but we aren't even sure. Those invited are the only ones present at the funeral and before it is over they will be handsomely rewarded. Very interesting concept and very intriguing story.

[Naahma Golden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different!

But in a good way. Very important to read the title of each cof g93 pter, or you will get lost. The book is written in flashbacks. Comfortable in her generously proportioned skin, Mary Brown does not fit the stereotypical lady sleuth. Kind of refreshing, actually. The story is a tale of the ripple effects of kindness throughout our generations and proves that, given a choice, always choose love.

[Judith Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and unusual story

While there are some writing issues, the story is enchanting and the main character super likeable.
The first half could have a been the whole book,.discovering the why of a small group of strangers being invited to another stranger's funeral.
But, instead of ending, the second half is an episodic road trip a year later as that group of strangers goes in search of the missing heirs.
The main message is the power of kindness in this world.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mary Brown books seem to be losing their charm as they go along, and the Mysterious Invitation was no exception. While still a cute story, I look to Mary Brown for a good , dose of comedy. This book took on a bit of a more serious, backstory, that was still entertaining but somewhat lacking in the comedy I was hoping for. Hopefully later books will get back to that.

*This book, like the rest, was also swimming in typos.

[Helen Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book.

I would have given this book a rating of 5 if there had not been so many mistakes in the book. Apparently there was no editing if this book before it was published. Anyway, the book was very enjoyable to read. Following the families through their lives was a lot of fun.

[Claire Harris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I am beginning to wonder if she self published because the typos and grammatical errors were just as bad as in the first book I read. There were also a lot of contradictory statements throughout and parts just didn’t make any sense. I don’t think I’ll be reading anything else by this author. A generous 2 stars out of 5.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well told story!

I laughed a bit and cried a bit but all in all this is a wonderful story. It jumps back and forth in time but is easy to follow and you know which characters belong in which time. Six strangers are invited to a funeral of someone they don't know and they have to try to figure out how they are all tied together. Definitely a 5 star book!!

[Michelle Strommen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure of this book at first. Normally I shy away from stories that take place in England. I pushed through and loved it. I love Mary Brown. I wanted to go on the adventure with them and I definitely enjoyed it. It brought a smile to my face to think that there are still good people out there.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. I read the whole version not the individual ones.

I love the concept of the story. My issues were the flashbacks to the past left me wanting more details, and there were several timeline inconsistencies.

Overall, I liked the characters that the author wants us to like, and I didn’t like Julie. Hopefully, she grew up a lot after the story ended.

[Linda Crawford · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was very poorly written and poorly edited. The dialogue was stilted and was not written in a way that people normally speak, which became more and more irritating over time. The storyline was ok, but it was very predictable and generally the book was childish in many respects. Yet again, I cannot understand how this became a best seller. I cannot recommend this book at all

[jane bristow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long

Sorry, but the book was far too long. I was quite happy to finish after the funeral but it rambled on and on with strange people we really didn't need to know about, too much mini drama and very little substance. Others may like the rather sickly sweet storyline, but I won't be looking for any more.

[David Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book which starts out as a mystery, becomes in stages a love story, a comedy, then a fast paced farce. Some of the characters were unnecessary to the plot, but added to the farce. The detailed descriptions of the fat girl and her boyfriends eating habits became tedious. The historical characters were more likeable and interesting than the modern time ones.

[Mike Bradbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely read !

I have to be honest and say I picked this book to read purely on impulse, I'd never come across the lady author before .

I read the book in one day , from page one the plot grabbed my interest , wonderful characters BUT above all the most heart warming story of the kindness of people.

In a few words -A cracking good read ! Highly recommended.

[Diane Leighton-Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Enchanting read, full of warmth.

I tboroughly enjoyed this book, my third Mary Brown adventure. I love Mary, Ted and the gang. Mary certainly is an adorable little-bit-fat girl!
If you've not read Bernice Bloom yet, you're really missing out!
Funny and heartwarming. These stories are hot chocolate on a cold winters evening!

[Michelle Shaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not well-written

The story itself was ok, but the writing wasn’t great. Two unrelated characters had the same name, the dialog was flat, and there were too many superfluous characters that added nothing to the story. It could have been so much better with some depth and fine tuning.

[Patricia Habinck · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great adventure!!

I was sceptical when I decided to read this, but once I started all of the wonderfully diverse characters just cane to life and the adventure that ensued was simply a hoot.

[margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but it was spoilt by some silly editorial mistakes which sort of stopped me in my tracks to see if I had missed something. Reginald's name changed at one point and Llandudno popped up from nowhere! Other than that it was a good mystery story.

[Carol Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intrigued by the title I had to read this book

Imagine being invited to the funeral of someone you never heard. What follows is an intricate story through time of six people whose lives have changed forever. I loved this book.