Murder at the Manor House

Honey Driver Mystery #9

by Jean G. Goodhind

Originally published as Death of a Diva.

Welcome to Cobden Manor. A beautiful retreat in lush green grounds, with charming rooms, mouth-watering cuisine . . . and a dead body up the chimney. Thank goodness Honey is on the case!

It’s a crisp sunny day when Honey Driver and fiancé Steve decide to check out Cobden Manor in the hope of starting a new hotel there. The charming country house has fallen on hard times but Honey is confident she can transform its fortunes.

Their plans come crashing to a halt when Honey stumbles across the body of a famous ex-television presenter stuffed unceremoniously up the chimney of one of the outhouses.

Arabella Rolfe fell from grace when she ‘stole’ a married man, but Honey and Steve’s investigation reveals that the well-known diva’s life was even more colourful than anyone realized.

There’s no shortage of people who would want her dead.

But then another body is found, and then another . . .

Can Honey and Steve discover the truth before the body count rises?

Genres: Cozy Mystery

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Jean G. Goodhind is a popular writer of women’s fiction, romance and comedy. For many years she owned and ran a haunted guest house on the outskirts of Bath and was one of the founder members of the Bath Hotel and Restaurant Association. Her experiences inspired the international bestselling Honey Driver series. She has won a BBC Radio award for scriptwriting. She also writes women’s fiction as Lizzie Lane and has writes a regular column for the Western Daily Press.

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay cozy mystery. Didn't know for sure who dunnit until the end, which is good. Grammatical errors bug me.

[Violet (Biblioteca di Violet)]

DNF at 21%. So boring. Nothing is happening apart from 'house shopping' and the explanation of its decorations. I honestly couldn't care less. I wanna read a murder mystery, not two big long chapters about a house! I recommend A Haunted Guesthouse Mystery Series as it's much more entertaining.

[Margaret Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I love a great mystery that actually works the crime. The thought process that goes into solving the murders through the clues and the human interest story behind each character is excellent.

[Suzette Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder at the Manor House

Another book I was not disappointed in. The author had me constantly guessing the murderer was and was not. The characters were as usual smart. Can't wait for next book.

[Susan Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining

All the books in this series are entertaining with engaging characters. Bath is well described and really comes to life. On the down side, each book could benefit from thorough copy editing specifically around the narrative timelines.

[Denise Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this series set in Beautiful Bath. A colourful cost crime book.

[Stella Temenu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The readers of this book have told me that it is about, Selling the Green River Hotel and relocating to the country seems a good idea at the time - that is until Honey is given a guided tour of a country mansion suitable for conversion. Old houses for such purposes are usually better without bodies stuffed up the chimney. The fact that she comes this close to a murder is quite off putting. So, should she press ahead, or stick to the job in hand? Doherty is on hand of course as the world of a TV diva and up market estate agents is laid bare. And by the looks of things it seems like great book to read.