Murder in the Manor: A Lacey Doyle Cozy Mystery—Book 1

Written by Fiona Grace

Narrated by Mary Sarah

MURDER IN THE MANOR (A LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY—BOOK 1) is the debut novel in a charming new cozy mystery series by Fiona Grace.

Lacey Doyle, 39 years old and freshly divorced, needs a drastic change. She needs to quit her job, leave her horrendous boss and New York City, and walk away from the fast life. Making good on her childhood promise to herself, she decides to walk away from it all and to relive a beloved childhood vacation in the quaint English seaside town of Wilfordshire.

Wilfordshire is exactly as Lacey remembers it, with its ageless architecture, cobblestone streets, and with nature at its doorstep. Lacey doesn’t want to go back home—and spontaneously, she decides to stay, and to give her childhood dream a try: she will open her own antique shop.

,Lacey finally feels that her life is taking a step in the right direction—until her new star customer turns up dead.

As the newcomer in town, all eyes are on Lacey, and it’s up to her to clear her own name.

With a business to run, a next-door neighbor turned nemesis, a flirty baker across the street, and a crime to solve – is this new life all that Lacey thought it would be?

Book #2 in the series—DEATH AND A DOG—is also available for preorder!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lukeman Literary Management
• Release date: Nov 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781094301686

Reviews for Murder in the Manor

[margaret hagstrom · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The story itself had promise and was written well. I enjoyed the story but only made it through chapter 8 before I had to stop listening to the cloyingly sweet, breathy narrator who ended every sentence with a voice inflection as if asking a question. I have listened to over 200 audio books but never experienced a narrator like this- her inflection was so odd, it interfered with the story.

[ellyd2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the story but found the narrator’s breathy delivery annoying and better suited to a bodice ripper than a mystery.

[Janie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Both the main and secondary characters were all interesting…. That is the nice ones…. With some fairly nasty ones to flesh out the story. Good ending leading up to the next story of course. And Mary Sarah did an excellent job of the narration. I’ve listened to her a number of times and sometime she can be a little breathy but in this one she was good for the most part. Well, it was a mystery and a “whodunnit, but it did not include any graphic violence nor sexual content which is always refreshing. The setting and the premise of the story are both good and should make for interesting reading going forward. Would definitely recommend.

[mama rebelle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the storyline, and the characters. The author created a beautiful little seaside town. My only complaint was her use of English and American phrases and words incorrectly grated with me. The name Wilfredshire sounds like a county not a town. The British police say murder not homicide, and so on. I have never heard anyone say “across the pond” since the 1970s .

Unfortunately the narrator was completely unsuited to this style, her breathy voice made it difficult to listen to. I nearly gave up.

[Shaila Ayer · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was an ok story but the editing is terrible. The American should also have an American accent.

[Leigh Yafa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Anbenjoyable story. I would have given a higher rating, but there were some odd audio editing errors. I also didn't care for the narrator's performance.

[cheryl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story. I have read it before but continued because I forgot how it ended