Join Flora Steele – bookshop owner, bicycle-rider, and amateur detective – as she faces her most puzzling case yet!
Sussex, 1957: When Flora Steele and handsome crime writer Jack Carrington attend the grand re-opening of the Priory Hotel in the beautiful little village of Abbeymead, their day out is cut short when the flame-haired female singer in the band suddenly drops dead before their eyes.
Flora is stunned by the unexpected turn of events and immediately deduces foul play. Beverly Russo was a spirited young woman with a big voice and Flora is determined to get to the bottom of her untimely demise – especially as the detective sergeant leading the investigation is so hopeless. The first clue in the extraordinary case is Beverly’s missing ruby ring…
As Flora makes her enquiries, she discovers that Beverly wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea and there’s more than one person in Abbeymead who had reason to dislike her. But who had the biggest motive: Beverly’s former beau Tommy May, jealous love rival Sally Jenner, or the local doctor who seems to be up to no good…
Then one of the suspects is found dead in the woods near the Priory Hotel. The murder weapon – a musical instrument. As the investigation reaches a high note, Flora knows she must find the culprit and make them face the music before anyone else is hurt. But will Flora’s tenacity put a dangerous spotlight on both her and Jack?
It's my pleasure to be taking part in the Murder at the Priory Hotel Books On Tour, many thanks to Merryn Allingham, Sarah Hardy and Bookouture for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel, received through Netgalley.
Murder at the Priory Hotel is the fourth book in the Flora Steele Mystery series and despite my preference tending towards darker crime fiction, I keep coming back for more of these delightful novels. Each one is a standalone mystery so there is no need to have read the previous books, however, it's worth mentioning that the development of the characters and their various relationships is ongoing, which will obviously be most appreciated by those who have read the series from the beginning.
A few months have passed since Flora and Jack Carrington's eventful stay in Cornwall in Murder at Primrose Cottage and the pair are back in the Sussex village of Abbeymead, looking forward to the reopening of the Priory Hotel. The building will be familiar to returning readers, having featured in the first two books in the series, The Bookshop Murder and Murder on the Pier. Having once been a well-loved, welcoming house when owned by Edward Templeton, the building has seen a change in fortunes in more recent times. However, change is in the air; it's now 1957, the hotel is under new ownership and many of the villagers are about to experience their first taste of rock 'n' roll as up-and-coming band, Tutti Frutti take to the stage to perform. It's already been made clear that all is not well within the band but nevertheless, the death of their lead singer, Beverly Russo in front of a horrified audience is shocking, particularly for Sally whose dreams of running a successful business look to be shattered.
There are several suspects and the cause of death is quickly discovered but the police don't seem to be making much progress which is why Sally asks Flora and Jack to investigate too. In the past, Flora has been the more keen of the pair but she initially seems reluctant. She realises what the the reasons behind her hesitation are, and they all make sense within the ongoing story arc. However, Flora is a natural-born investigator and I wasn't surprised that she inevitably becomes involved. She is such a likeable character; kind, community-driven and resolute but with a real sense of humour too – I love her teasing of Jack, particularly when she refers to him by his real name, Jolyon. Their friendship is the real heart of the series and I was intrigued to see what developments would occur here. It's become obvious that there are definite sparks between them but both have been hurt and have a tendency to try to protect themselves. The pacing of this storyline has been excellent throughout and continues here; I'm not going to go into any detail suffice to say that Merryn Allingham knows exactly how to keep readers coming back for more...!
Affairs of the heart figure prominently in Murder at the Priory Hotel; from the complicated love-life of the victim, to the highs and lows of the relationships of Flora's friends. There is potential for heartbreak as well as happiness and I love that readers are encouraged to become invested in the lives of the secondary characters too.
The period setting is evoked beautifully, once again and the way in which Merryn Allingham has reflected the changing times over the course of the series has been superb. In the first book, it was evident the country was still experiencing postwar life but now the immense social changes, especially the emergence of youth culture are well underway. Flora even considers wearing a pair of jeans!
If I'm honest, I was less interested in the unveiling of the murderer than I was in the lives of the recurrent characters. I think that's because Merryn Allingham has done such a wonderful job in bringing them to life and as Beverly is killed so early on in proceedings, I naturally didn't feel such a connection to her. Likewise, the second murder is committed towards the end of the book and while it helps speed up the investigation, it didn't really have an emotional impact on me. That said, it is certainly a puzzling mystery; I didn't guess the identity of the killer and was completely satisfied by the resolution.
Murder at the Priory Hotel is another captivating treat in this reliably engaging series. I really am a fan of these books and as always, can't wait to read more. I thoroughly recommend it.
Murder at the Priory Hotel is published by Bookouture and can be purchased here.
Don't miss the rest of the tour, details are below.
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Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband and one last cat, Bluebell. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
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