Release: November 11, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Source: Amazon
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N
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The Brand NEW instalment in the bestselling Exham-on-Sea series. An unsolved murder echoes down the corridors of Cleeve Abbey for years.
The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society’s annual summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in Washford River, beside historic Cleeve Abbey.
Thrilled to find evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery, the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in the ruins of Cleeve Abbey, despite amateur sleuth Libby Forest’s reservations.
Libby is a woman of many talents, a baker, chocolatier, even a reluctant sleuth, but she’s no fan of the supernatural.and her doubts are justified when a friend is attacked under cover of darkness at the ghost-hunt.
Distressed and angry, Libby sets out with her new husband Max and their two dogs Bear and Shipley to uncover the connection between the murder of a sixteenth century monk and a present-day attack in picturesque Somerset.
With friends and neighbours as suspects, Libby and Max close in on the culprit only to find that others are still in danger.
There’s no time to lose as the sins of the past threaten lives in the community.
Murder at the Abbey is the eighth in a series of Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries from the small English seaside town full of quirky characters, sea air, and gossip.
If you love Agatha Christie-style mysteries, cosy crime, clever dogs and cake, then you’ll love these intriguing whodunnits.’
About the Author:
Follow Frances at www.francesevesham.com to join her VIP list and pick up a free short story, The Fish and Chip Shop Murder.
One day, as Frances walked on a beach in peaceful Somerset, she came upon a unique nine-legged Victorian lighthouse. Her first cosy crime story, Murder at the Lighthouse, was born.
Now, she writes mystery stories: the Exham on Sea and Ham Hill Murder Mysteries, all set in Somerset.
She collects poison recipes and cooks with a glass of wine in one hand and a bunch of chillies in the other, her head full of ingenious ways to dispatch her victims – in fiction, of course.
Frances has been a speech therapist and a road sweeper, and worked in the criminal courts seeing crime from all points of view: victim, prosecution and defence.
She also has a special interest in writing for children who struggle with reading. Dragon Ring is an easy-read book, produced especially for dyslexic children.
Murder at the Abbey Review:
Oh my! Murder, mystery, and monks! “Murder at the Abbey” was so much better than what I had hoped.
Although I have not read the previous books in the “Exham on Sea Mysteries” series, I felt that I had known these characters. As soon as the author introduced Libby and Max, I felt like they were my family members. The author surprised me with the way she narrated the story. Initially, when I started reading this book, I thought it would be a lukewarm cozy mystery. While it starts off that way, the book’s second half is more twisted than I anticipated. Also, the author throws in quite a few red herrings, where at times, even our lead team feel like they are going in circles and back to square one.
The author set the mood nicely right from the beginning. The story is gripping right from the first chapter as the group finds bones, which they think are of an animal. But the case soon turns into murder, which involves forensics, and Libby and Max find out that they could also be possible targets. I also liked how they interacted with Constable Gemma Humberstone on the case. Some memorable scenes are when they research the Cleeve Abbey monks or when Mandy hears a noise at the gatehouse. Some moments even shocked me because of the surprising deaths that I did not expect.
Moreover, even with the limited number of suspects, the culprit turned out to be someone I did not expect, making this enjoyable. On a side note, I also liked the side story of Winifred Reeves and her husband anxiously. Tom and even Chesterton.
Overall, “Murder at the Abbey” is a gripping mystery book to pick up and made me pick up the first book of the series.
