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Whitstable Pearl Mystery #9
Murder at Mount Ephraim
Murder at Mount Ephraim is the ninth book in Julie Wassmer's popular crime series - now a major Acorn TV drama, Whitstable Pearl, starring Kerry Godliman as private detective and restaurateur, Pearl Nolan'While Oxford had Morse, Whitstable, famous for its oysters, has Pearl' Daily M ailPearl Nolan receives a wedding invitation from an old school friend. Journalist Amy has chosen somewhere very special for the wedding ceremony - the historic Kent manor house of Mount Ephraim - and the invite includes a pre-nuptial stay for Pearl and other guests at this venue. Nestled in an 800-acre estate, and surrounded by beautiful gardens and a lake, Pearl sees this break as a chance to leave crime behind, along with her own detective agency and her restaurant, The Whitstable Pearl.Accepting the invitation, Pearl looks forward to meeting the happy couple's friends and family, as well as Amy's fiancé, Guy, a handsome and successful adventurer who appears to be Mr Perfect. She also has time to reflect on her own engagement to Canterbury CID detective, DCI Mike McGuire...But before any wedding bells sound, murder strikes - and Pearl and McGuire are thrust together again - as partners in crime.Praise for Julie Wassmer's Whitstable Pearl Mysteries...'One of the best episodes in Wassmer's longrunning Whitstable saga' Daily Mail'As light as a Mary Berry Victoria sponge, this Middle-England romp is packed with vivid characters' Myles McWeeney, Irish Independent'All of the thrills without any of the gore' The Sun'This is a quality title...a very entertaining read' The Puzzle Doctor'A wonderful way to explore Whitstable . . . if you love cosy mysteries, then get acquainted with Pearl (and her mum and her cats!) and enjoy a trip to Whitstable through the eyes of this very convincing author' Trip Fiction'Proves she's mistress of her craft' John McGhie, author of White Highlands'Good, solid whodunits, without gruesome details or gratuitous violence, Murder on Sea may be just your cup of tea' Bec StaffordPraise for the TV series...'Scandi noir meets the English seaside in Whitstable Pearl, a murder mystery series based on Julie Wassmer's novels...' Drama Quarterly'...explores all the murder and debauchery in the seemingly perfect English seaside town of Whitstable...' Washington Post'...you never know what might turn up, either on the menu or alongside an oyster boat.' Wall Street Journal
254 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 25, 2022
47 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Julie Wassmer
21 books129 followersJulie Wassmer is a television drama writer who contributed for almost twenty years to the popular BBC series EastEnders.
She published her autobiography More Than Just Coincidence in 2010, in which she describes finding her long-lost daughter after an astonishing twist of fate. It was voted Mumsnet book of the year.
The Whitstable Pearl Mystery is the first in her series of crime novels, involving multi-tasking private detective-come-restauranteur, Pearl Nolan.
Julie lives in Whitstable and is well known for her environmental campaigning.
She published her autobiography More Than Just Coincidence in 2010, in which she describes finding her long-lost daughter after an astonishing twist of fate. It was voted Mumsnet book of the year.
The Whitstable Pearl Mystery is the first in her series of crime novels, involving multi-tasking private detective-come-restauranteur, Pearl Nolan.
Julie lives in Whitstable and is well known for her environmental campaigning.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 16, 2024
I enjoyed this as another in the series set in Kent. However I did feel that like many books written during lockdown it was rather static at times with too much introspection about relationships rather than action. My theory is that the lack of outside stimulus made writers and many other people to retreat too much into themselves.
May 22, 2024
Except for the fact that among all the main characters in this murder mystery I got quite confused, I liked the story rather a lot, especially the ending. I'm sorry I missed Pearl's penultimate book but I can always make up for it. Also, the narrator does a great job of trying to differentiate all the "voices" of the various characters.
Se non fosse che tra tutti i protagonisti di questo giallo ho fatto parecchia confusione, la storia mi é piaciuta parecchio, specialmente il finale. Mi dispiace aver saltato il penultimo libro di Pearl ma posso sempre rimediare. Inoltre la narratrice fa un ottimo lavoro nel cercare di differenziare tutte le "voci" dei vari personaggi.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
Se non fosse che tra tutti i protagonisti di questo giallo ho fatto parecchia confusione, la storia mi é piaciuta parecchio, specialmente il finale. Mi dispiace aver saltato il penultimo libro di Pearl ma posso sempre rimediare. Inoltre la narratrice fa un ottimo lavoro nel cercare di differenziare tutte le "voci" dei vari personaggi.
I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.
August 25, 2025
Got to sit in the shade for an hour and whizz through this and it was a good little bank holiday read.
September 13, 2025
Enjoyable yarn with interesting characters and good twists and turns. Really love the main character in the books and on TV
October 4, 2022
Murder Mystery set near Faversham, Kent
The murder mystery is set at Mount Ephraim, a beautiful house and tended gardens set in about 800 acres, nestled in the beautiful English countryside between Canterbury and Faversham. In the the novel, there are details of the rooms and gardens, the Miz Maze, the Japanese gardens, the lake and the gentle ambience of the estate which make a good backdrop for an upcoming wedding.
Once again Pearl Nolan is at the heart of the story. This is no. 9 in the series but there is enough information woven into the story that provides sufficient background and thus Murder at Mount Ephraim can be read as a stand alone.
Pearl’s old friend Amy is returning from Thailand to marry Guy, an adventurer and whose family ties make Mount Ephraim the obvious choice for their wedding. It is a small group of people and even the day before, Pearl’s sleuthing nose is on high alert. She has a good sense of the group dynamics and is adept at overhearing snatches of conversations, which indicate all is not well among some attendees. There are secrets, of course, and backstories and she can bounce her ideas off fiancé, DCI Mike McGuire – he can guide and inform from the sidelines but this is not his patch. So Pearl has to find out what she can under her own auspices and piece together the mystery as it evolves..
There is a murder, the clue is in the title, but why has one person been tragically singled out as the target?
It’s delightful to be transported to a real location and clearly the author is very familiar with the layout. There is a handy map as the novel opens and I suspect that – even though there is a fictional murder – the publicity around the setting will draw extra visitors to follow in Pearl’s footsteps. I will certainly visit when I am down that way!
I do very much like to learn new things through fiction. In this novel I learnt that Whitstable’s famous oyster had been replaced by its large shelled, grey competitor, the Pacific rock oyster which is more marketable as it can be farmed all year round – thus a whole industry has gone through intensive farming, replacing fishing and the true, original Whitstable oyster is hard to find.
As The Sun says, this is a mystery with “..all of the thrills without any of the gore..”
Tina for the TripFiction Team
The murder mystery is set at Mount Ephraim, a beautiful house and tended gardens set in about 800 acres, nestled in the beautiful English countryside between Canterbury and Faversham. In the the novel, there are details of the rooms and gardens, the Miz Maze, the Japanese gardens, the lake and the gentle ambience of the estate which make a good backdrop for an upcoming wedding.
Once again Pearl Nolan is at the heart of the story. This is no. 9 in the series but there is enough information woven into the story that provides sufficient background and thus Murder at Mount Ephraim can be read as a stand alone.
Pearl’s old friend Amy is returning from Thailand to marry Guy, an adventurer and whose family ties make Mount Ephraim the obvious choice for their wedding. It is a small group of people and even the day before, Pearl’s sleuthing nose is on high alert. She has a good sense of the group dynamics and is adept at overhearing snatches of conversations, which indicate all is not well among some attendees. There are secrets, of course, and backstories and she can bounce her ideas off fiancé, DCI Mike McGuire – he can guide and inform from the sidelines but this is not his patch. So Pearl has to find out what she can under her own auspices and piece together the mystery as it evolves..
There is a murder, the clue is in the title, but why has one person been tragically singled out as the target?
It’s delightful to be transported to a real location and clearly the author is very familiar with the layout. There is a handy map as the novel opens and I suspect that – even though there is a fictional murder – the publicity around the setting will draw extra visitors to follow in Pearl’s footsteps. I will certainly visit when I am down that way!
I do very much like to learn new things through fiction. In this novel I learnt that Whitstable’s famous oyster had been replaced by its large shelled, grey competitor, the Pacific rock oyster which is more marketable as it can be farmed all year round – thus a whole industry has gone through intensive farming, replacing fishing and the true, original Whitstable oyster is hard to find.
As The Sun says, this is a mystery with “..all of the thrills without any of the gore..”
Tina for the TripFiction Team
September 8, 2022
It was with great delight that I received the ninth book in the series set Whitstable, featuring restaurant owner Pearl Nolan.
We catch up with Pearl, as she is off to attend the wedding of her old friend Amy Young, who as a journalist has not been in Whitstable for many years. The wedding is being held at the historic Kent Manor house of Mount Ephraim, which is set in an estate of 800 acres and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The guests have all been invited to stay for the weekend.
Prior to the arrival of the other guests Pearl has time to catch up with Amy and hear all about her fiancé, the handsome and wealthy Guy Priddey.
The guests are a select gathering, Amy’s stepmother, Babs and her live-in companion Simon Mullen, who is in essence her Carer. Amy’s agent Ingrid Davis. The bridegroom, sister, Sarah and husband Toby. Also, actress Tess Gulliver and her partner playwright James Jarrett. The most surprising guest to Pearl is Ian Soutar, Amy’s former boyfriend.
The whole setting is idyllic, and Pearl sees it as a chance for her to reflect on her own engagement to Canterbury CID detective, DCI Mike McGuire. Pearl had initially hoped for a career in the police force, but the arrival of her son Charlie put paid to that idea, and so she opened her own restaurant, which has been successful and provided an oncome for her and her son. But Charlie is now at university and Pearl seeking a new challenge has set up Nolan’s Detective Agency. Unfortunately, the local police are not keen on private investigators, and she and Mike McGuire have crossed swords a few times, but their relationship has now developed into a strong and loving relationship, to the dismay of Pearl’s mother Dolly, the originally hippy, who is not keen on police in general, but maybe she is slowly coming to accept the inevitable-maybe?
As Pearls roams around the grounds deep in thought, she inadvertently overhears conversations that suggest that there are tensions between some of the guests. So, will someone resort to murder?
I love this series and again I was mystified to the end. Highly recommended.
-------
Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
We catch up with Pearl, as she is off to attend the wedding of her old friend Amy Young, who as a journalist has not been in Whitstable for many years. The wedding is being held at the historic Kent Manor house of Mount Ephraim, which is set in an estate of 800 acres and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The guests have all been invited to stay for the weekend.
Prior to the arrival of the other guests Pearl has time to catch up with Amy and hear all about her fiancé, the handsome and wealthy Guy Priddey.
The guests are a select gathering, Amy’s stepmother, Babs and her live-in companion Simon Mullen, who is in essence her Carer. Amy’s agent Ingrid Davis. The bridegroom, sister, Sarah and husband Toby. Also, actress Tess Gulliver and her partner playwright James Jarrett. The most surprising guest to Pearl is Ian Soutar, Amy’s former boyfriend.
The whole setting is idyllic, and Pearl sees it as a chance for her to reflect on her own engagement to Canterbury CID detective, DCI Mike McGuire. Pearl had initially hoped for a career in the police force, but the arrival of her son Charlie put paid to that idea, and so she opened her own restaurant, which has been successful and provided an oncome for her and her son. But Charlie is now at university and Pearl seeking a new challenge has set up Nolan’s Detective Agency. Unfortunately, the local police are not keen on private investigators, and she and Mike McGuire have crossed swords a few times, but their relationship has now developed into a strong and loving relationship, to the dismay of Pearl’s mother Dolly, the originally hippy, who is not keen on police in general, but maybe she is slowly coming to accept the inevitable-maybe?
As Pearls roams around the grounds deep in thought, she inadvertently overhears conversations that suggest that there are tensions between some of the guests. So, will someone resort to murder?
I love this series and again I was mystified to the end. Highly recommended.
-------
Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
November 13, 2023
I have read all of Julie Wassmer's Whitstable Pearl series with mixed feelings. I, therefore, approached Murder at Mount Ephraim cautiously, hoping that some of the things that have irked me throughout the series would have gone. But no. I am still irrationally irritated that Pearl refers to, and addresses, Mike as McGuire. I am more rationally irritated that she interferes in a police investigation and demands that Mike gets hold of information about it for her. She can see nothing wrong in this. By the end of the book I was really hoping she'd be arrested! And she is still incredibly careless of her own safety.
For most of the book Pearl rushes around like a headless chicken, getting nowhere. Then she has a flash of insight and the last ten per cent of the book is measured. In fact it feels as though someone else has written it, or that it comes from another book. I really did think that the change was that dramatic.
So why am I still reading the series? Well, because the characters (even when they annoy me beyond belief) are well created. Actually it's pretty much only Pearl I have problems with!
For most of the book Pearl rushes around like a headless chicken, getting nowhere. Then she has a flash of insight and the last ten per cent of the book is measured. In fact it feels as though someone else has written it, or that it comes from another book. I really did think that the change was that dramatic.
So why am I still reading the series? Well, because the characters (even when they annoy me beyond belief) are well created. Actually it's pretty much only Pearl I have problems with!
October 23, 2024
This is a Whitstable Pearl mystery, set in Kent. It wasn't what I initially expected; I expected a historical mystery, but this was a modern cosy mystery. The protagonist is Pearl, who has been invited to her friend Amy's wedding. Mount Ephiram is a country house, which is also the wedding venue. I always enjoy cosy mysteries in this type of location.
I liked Pearl as a protagonist, and she was a character who came to life easily for me, from the way the author described her. After the murder took place, it occurred to me that it shouldn't be a surprise to see that character murdered. Some of the characters got on my nerves, but I found it interesting to see how the different characters reacted to the murder, with some of them acting as though nothing had happened. When the truth behind the murder was revealed, it came as a surprise to me.
Although I expected a historical mystery, I enjoyed this and would probably read another book from the series.
I liked Pearl as a protagonist, and she was a character who came to life easily for me, from the way the author described her. After the murder took place, it occurred to me that it shouldn't be a surprise to see that character murdered. Some of the characters got on my nerves, but I found it interesting to see how the different characters reacted to the murder, with some of them acting as though nothing had happened. When the truth behind the murder was revealed, it came as a surprise to me.
Although I expected a historical mystery, I enjoyed this and would probably read another book from the series.
November 22, 2022
The latest in the Whitstable Pearl Mystery series.
I gave this five stars because it was set in Mount Ephraim House & Gardens where my husband and I were handfasted almost 25 years ago.
The description of the grounds is superb and brought back my homesickness once more.
It’s a good tale with the usual twists and turns in the telling that we have come to expect . All woven around the love story of Pearl and DCI Mike McGuire.
Only a brief appearance of the fabulous Dolly and Pearl’s son Charlie… but that was totally ok.
It made me wonder if this is possibly the last of the series giving no spoilers.
If you enjoy these mysteries then do read this the 9th in the series. You won’t be disappointed.
I gave this five stars because it was set in Mount Ephraim House & Gardens where my husband and I were handfasted almost 25 years ago.
The description of the grounds is superb and brought back my homesickness once more.
It’s a good tale with the usual twists and turns in the telling that we have come to expect . All woven around the love story of Pearl and DCI Mike McGuire.
Only a brief appearance of the fabulous Dolly and Pearl’s son Charlie… but that was totally ok.
It made me wonder if this is possibly the last of the series giving no spoilers.
If you enjoy these mysteries then do read this the 9th in the series. You won’t be disappointed.
October 31, 2023
This may end up on my DNF shelf, unless the pace picks up considerably in the later chapters.
The story starts with Pearl Nolan going to Mount Ephraim (a stately home) for a wedding.
I'm on Chapter 7, and so far I've read an exhaustive description of the stately home at Mount Ephraim and its gardens, and a recap of Pearl Nolan's entire life story. Nothing has actually happened, other than Pearl glimpsing a figure in a bright yellow jacket, who (for no reason at all) she thinks might be suspicious. It's glacial.
The story starts with Pearl Nolan going to Mount Ephraim (a stately home) for a wedding.
I'm on Chapter 7, and so far I've read an exhaustive description of the stately home at Mount Ephraim and its gardens, and a recap of Pearl Nolan's entire life story. Nothing has actually happened, other than Pearl glimpsing a figure in a bright yellow jacket, who (for no reason at all) she thinks might be suspicious. It's glacial.
May 31, 2024
Number nine in the Whitstable Pearl Murder Mysteries and as good as they come. A closed-circle murder mystery that Christie would have been pleased to write. The historic venue of the seventeenth-century Kent country house of Mount Ephraim, location for Pearl's friend Amy to marry her fiancé Guy. Before any wedding bells sound, murder strikes - and Pearl and DCI Mike McGuire (now engaged to be married) are thrust together again as partners in crime.
With a handful of possible suspects this is a beautifully crafted, very clever plot. See if you can identify the murderer!
With a handful of possible suspects this is a beautifully crafted, very clever plot. See if you can identify the murderer!
September 15, 2022
One of my favourite authors and this story is good, I told myself I would look out for clues so I could workout who did it……no, I didn’t work it out and failed again. The setting is fabulous, I can’t wait to go and have a look round. Another brilliant story by Julie and can’t wait to see it on tv.
December 23, 2022
The book felt rather adrift with no Whitstable, no beach and no recipes. I’d like the stories to go back to their roots and be low key mysteries set in the town. Less of the romantic angst.
On the plus side, it was interesting to read about Mount Ephraim as I’ve always meant to go to one of their amazing fireworks displays.
* Thanks to BorrowBox *
On the plus side, it was interesting to read about Mount Ephraim as I’ve always meant to go to one of their amazing fireworks displays.
* Thanks to BorrowBox *
October 19, 2022
9th Whitstable Pearl mystery set at Mount Ephraim. Bit like an Agatha Christie novel, a murder when any of the wedding guests could have been responsible. Easy read and lovely to read about places you know.
January 5, 2023
I did some wedding jobs from my tea truck at Ephraim which made the reading of this for me, more personal! I could see it all! Another good mystery from the quarantine of a Christmas lurgy. Some of the characters bit annoying and it’s not quite Christie but I can see it transferring to the telly
February 13, 2024
Once again Julie Wassmer has brought Pearl Nolan and friends to life. Beautiful descriptions of scenery, surroundings, and characters.
I enjoyed this book, listened to as an audiobook and read by the lovely Jennifer Kirby.
Highly recommended
I enjoyed this book, listened to as an audiobook and read by the lovely Jennifer Kirby.
Highly recommended
August 28, 2022
Looked forward to this book, and was not disappointed! Beautifully crafted story in a wonderfully described location! Can’t wait to visit all the places in the book.
September 18, 2022
McGuire was AWOL in this one. Felt like a Miss Marple story. Setting was perfect
December 31, 2023
An easy relaxing read. I hadn't read any others in the series but could easily pick up the characters and ongoing story.
April 19, 2024
Well another one of my comfort read series and am enjoying the televised version too and I will plan on visiting Mount Ephraim Gardens as a result.
May 9, 2024
It’s a classic who did it mystery. There were too many charecters in play, the plot was built up well, the charecters did not have so much building.
May 24, 2024
The weakest in the series so far but I think it’s a consequence of the pandemic and not being able to visit sites.
June 15, 2024
Charming
March 7, 2025
The best one yet.
Had me gripped from the first page and the twist at the end was a real surprise. A gripping read
Had me gripped from the first page and the twist at the end was a real surprise. A gripping read
April 20, 2025
Another good Whitstable pearl mystery.
Pearl is engaged to Mike McGuire, and goes to Mount Ephraim for a destination wedding of a close. friend.
They have to work together to solve the murder
Pearl is engaged to Mike McGuire, and goes to Mount Ephraim for a destination wedding of a close. friend.
They have to work together to solve the murder
March 10, 2025
This wasn't my favourite installment of the Whitstable Pearl Mysteries as it just seemed too easy of a puzzle. I guessed the killer before there was even a body!
I also didn't like how both Pearl and McGuire started questioning their relationship for no apparent reason.
I also didn't like how both Pearl and McGuire started questioning their relationship for no apparent reason.
August 25, 2022
It was with great delight that I received the ninth book in the series set Whitstable, featuring restaurant owner Pearl Nolan.
We catch up with Pearl, as she is off to attend the wedding of her old friend Amy Young, who as a journalist has not been in Whitstable for many years. The wedding is being held at the historic Kent Manor house of Mount Ephraim, which is set in an estate of 800 acres and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The guests have all been invited to stay for the weekend.
Prior to the arrival of the other guests Pearl has time to catch up with Amy and hear all about her fiancé, the handsome and wealthy Guy Priddey.
The guests are a select gathering, Amy’s stepmother, Babs and her live-in companion Simon Mullen, who is in essence her Carer. Amy’s agent Ingrid Davis. The bridegroom, sister, Sarah and husband Toby. Also, actress Tess Gulliver and her partner playwright James Jarrett. The most surprising guest to Pearl is Ian Soutar, Amy’s former boyfriend.
The whole setting is idyllic, and Pearl sees it as a chance for her to reflect on her own engagement to Canterbury CID detective, DCI Mike McGuire. Pearl had initially hoped for a career in the police force, but the arrival of her son Charlie put paid to that idea, and so she opened her own restaurant, which has been successful and provided an oncome for her and her son. But Charlie is now at university and Pearl seeking a new challenge has set up Nolan’s Detective Agency. Unfortunately, the local police are not keen on private investigators, and she and Mike McGuire have crossed swords a few times, but their relationship has now developed into a strong and loving relationship, to the dismay of Pearl’s mother Dolly, the originally hippy, who is not keen on police in general, but maybe she is slowly coming to accept the inevitable-maybe?
As Pearls roams around the grounds deep in thought, she inadvertently overhears conversations that suggest that there are tensions between some of the guests. So, will someone resort to murder?
I love this series and again I was mystified to the end. Highly recommended.
-------
Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
We catch up with Pearl, as she is off to attend the wedding of her old friend Amy Young, who as a journalist has not been in Whitstable for many years. The wedding is being held at the historic Kent Manor house of Mount Ephraim, which is set in an estate of 800 acres and surrounded by beautiful gardens. The guests have all been invited to stay for the weekend.
Prior to the arrival of the other guests Pearl has time to catch up with Amy and hear all about her fiancé, the handsome and wealthy Guy Priddey.
The guests are a select gathering, Amy’s stepmother, Babs and her live-in companion Simon Mullen, who is in essence her Carer. Amy’s agent Ingrid Davis. The bridegroom, sister, Sarah and husband Toby. Also, actress Tess Gulliver and her partner playwright James Jarrett. The most surprising guest to Pearl is Ian Soutar, Amy’s former boyfriend.
The whole setting is idyllic, and Pearl sees it as a chance for her to reflect on her own engagement to Canterbury CID detective, DCI Mike McGuire. Pearl had initially hoped for a career in the police force, but the arrival of her son Charlie put paid to that idea, and so she opened her own restaurant, which has been successful and provided an oncome for her and her son. But Charlie is now at university and Pearl seeking a new challenge has set up Nolan’s Detective Agency. Unfortunately, the local police are not keen on private investigators, and she and Mike McGuire have crossed swords a few times, but their relationship has now developed into a strong and loving relationship, to the dismay of Pearl’s mother Dolly, the originally hippy, who is not keen on police in general, but maybe she is slowly coming to accept the inevitable-maybe?
As Pearls roams around the grounds deep in thought, she inadvertently overhears conversations that suggest that there are tensions between some of the guests. So, will someone resort to murder?
I love this series and again I was mystified to the end. Highly recommended.
-------
Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett
August 4, 2022
This is a departure for this series which is normally very firmly based in the seaside town of Whitstable. This time, Pearl has been invited to the wedding of an old friend who she hasn’t seen for years. The wedding is due to take place in an exclusive country hotel when a body is discovered. This is Julie Wassmer’s version of a locked house mystery and while the setting is brilliantly described, I did miss the seaside setting of the previous books.
The mystery is an interesting one with lots of people having possible motives for getting rid of the murder victim. The characters are a varied lot but they lack some of the sparkle and originality that this series normally provides and I definitely felt echoes of Agatha Christie in some places. Pearl herself, who is one of my favourite amateur detectives in fiction, is more subdued and introspective in this novel and the lighter moments are few and far between.
This was still an enjoyable read but in my opinion, not in the same league as the earlier books by this author.
Thank you to Net Galley and Nosy Crow for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The mystery is an interesting one with lots of people having possible motives for getting rid of the murder victim. The characters are a varied lot but they lack some of the sparkle and originality that this series normally provides and I definitely felt echoes of Agatha Christie in some places. Pearl herself, who is one of my favourite amateur detectives in fiction, is more subdued and introspective in this novel and the lighter moments are few and far between.
This was still an enjoyable read but in my opinion, not in the same league as the earlier books by this author.
Thank you to Net Galley and Nosy Crow for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 5, 2022
I'd read all eight of the previous books in the series before this one, partly due to being local myself and so them being both cosy and familiar, and also given it helps me to picture it all and set the scene.
However, given Murder at Mount Ephraim is (while still local), the second book, after Murder on the Pilgrims Way, to be set slightly further afield and have more of a 'locked room' mystery style about it than a local feel, it was intrigued to read this one and find out whether I'd still enjoy it as much.
I needn't have worried - I really enjoyed it. The closed nature of the setting and the small number of characters led to more interesting links between the characters and an interesting mystery when the titular murder happened, and like the others in the series, I thought it was a nice gentle, enjoable read.
My only criticism of the series is that sometimes the great reveal at the end feels a bit more 'oh, OK, right' than a big 'ahhh yeah!', I don't feel like the clues are always there if you'd spotted them, which I do like in a decective series.
However, it's a small criticism and I've now enjoyed all 9 books!
However, given Murder at Mount Ephraim is (while still local), the second book, after Murder on the Pilgrims Way, to be set slightly further afield and have more of a 'locked room' mystery style about it than a local feel, it was intrigued to read this one and find out whether I'd still enjoy it as much.
I needn't have worried - I really enjoyed it. The closed nature of the setting and the small number of characters led to more interesting links between the characters and an interesting mystery when the titular murder happened, and like the others in the series, I thought it was a nice gentle, enjoable read.
My only criticism of the series is that sometimes the great reveal at the end feels a bit more 'oh, OK, right' than a big 'ahhh yeah!', I don't feel like the clues are always there if you'd spotted them, which I do like in a decective series.
However, it's a small criticism and I've now enjoyed all 9 books!
August 26, 2022
Pearl Nolan is invited to an old school friend’s wedding in a beautiful setting at Mount Ephraim a Manor House in Kent.
The friend Amy is getting married to Guy a successful and wealthy man
The select circle of people invited to the wedding all hold their own secrets .
A murder occurs and Pearl is on a mission to find both the murderer and uncover the untold secrets.
The writing is excellent and makes an easy read , the characters are likeable and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Nosy Crow.
The friend Amy is getting married to Guy a successful and wealthy man
The select circle of people invited to the wedding all hold their own secrets .
A murder occurs and Pearl is on a mission to find both the murderer and uncover the untold secrets.
The writing is excellent and makes an easy read , the characters are likeable and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Nosy Crow.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews