British Manor Murder

By Leslie Meier

“Reading a new Leslie Meier mystery is like catching up with a dear old friend.”
—Kate Carlisle, New York Times bestselling author

 
It’s a nippy spring in Tinker’s Cove, Maine, and Lucy Stone can’t wait to join her friend Sue in England for a “Heads Up!” hat exhibition. But at Moreton Manor, privileged life isn’t always tea and crumpets . . .
 
Although the earl of the house and his sister are surprisingly accommodating to their jetlagged guests, Lucy feels uneasy after a fallen portrait sparks talk of a deadly family omen. The bad vibes come in quickly—snobby Aunt Millicent and her handmaiden Harrison unexpectedly drop by for the exhibition, and meals with the family are consistently tense. But real trouble begins when a body, bludgeoned by the chapel’s gold-plated reliquary, is found in a hidden, sealed off room. Stranger still, the corpse is identified as Harrison’s son, Cyril.
 
While Cyril wasn’t exactly a gentleman, and it’s unclear what business he had on the property, one thing’s for sure—the criminal is privy to Moreton Manor secrets. And Lucy has a hunch that the killer has been in her company all along, just waiting for a chance to make blueblood run red . . .  
“Counts, countesses, and corpses highlight Lucy Stone’s trip across the pond . . . A peek into British country life provides a nice break.”
—Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9780758277121

Leslie Meier

Leslie Meier is the acclaimed author of the Lucy Stone Mysteries and has also written for Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. She lives in Harwich, Massachusetts, where she is currently at work on the next Lucy Stone mystery.

Reviews for British Manor Murder

[lhaines56 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty sure I have read this book before, but it was not on my list. Got verrry tired of all the complaining about "not seeing her grandson in Alaska" by Lucy. Get a life!!!

[aztwinmom · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Being a fan of Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone series, I was excited to receive this book from NetGalley. In British Manor Murder, Lucy is suffering major depression because her grandson Patrick is now in Alaska with his parents. Lucy's friend, Sue, is heading to a Hat Exhibit in England at the manor home of an English earl and invites Lucy to join her. The experience isn't quite what Lucy and Sue were expecting. Two bodies are found at the manor and the mystery begins. Are the deaths related? The mystery was interesting, but this is not one of the best in this series. First, Lucy suffers major depression because her grandson is no longer there everyday? That whole premise felt creepy. The English setting was stereotypes...the nobility that doesn't care about servants, the anorexic, drug-addicted daughter, the son who is a ballet dancer scorned as not being "manly", the snobby dowager countess who is impossibly stuck in a time long past where she had a large staff and privileges simply because of her title. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it is not one of my favorites in the Lucy Stone series.

[dorisannn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun--read it in one session mystery. It's always good to see Lucy, who this time goes with her friend, Sue, to visit one of the "stately homes of England." Lucy misses her grandson, whose parents have moved to Alaska. The trip is a perfect way to ward off her increasing depression. Of course, there is a murder or two and an eccentric family of the aristocracy. Even the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge make an appearance and Prince William makes a joke.Enjoyable as all of Leslie Meier's Lucy Stones domestic mysteries.

[beth3511 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As usual, the mystery wasn't great (the sub-plot with Bill is especially weak), but I loved the setting--an English manor house that has its problems, but isn't completely decrepit. It wouldn't surprise me if Meier was thinking of the house and the family who owns it as descendants of the Crawley family of Downton Abbey. There was actually humor in this book! Lucy wasn't quite as put-about as she usually is, maybe because she was away from her family and boss. Sue Finch was a good companion for Lucy.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lucy's grandson moved to Alaska with her son and his wife. She mopes because she missed seeing the lad. Her friend Sue asks Lucy to accompany her to England for a hat show at Moreton Manor. They expected more grandeur, but find the manor itself serves as a tourist attraction while the family lives in a secondary house. As they wander in the maze, they find a corpse. They discover things are not quite they seem at the manor with cheap reproductions replacing valuable art pieces. Some inconsistency exists between the earlier installment with a British setting and this one. In English Tea Murder Pam, faced with a maze, states the key is to turn to the left since designers know most people will turn right. In this one, Pam can't figure out which way to go and turns right, getting them lost in the maze. It seems either Pam or Lucy would remember this and automatically go left.

[kmt01_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I received this from NetGalley to read and review. This is another Lucy Stone cozy mystery, only instead of being set in Maine, this one is set in England. Lucy’s friend Sue has been invited by the Earl of Wickham, known as “Perry”, to a hat exhibit at his manor in England. Lucy goes along with Sue on her trip across the pond because Sue’s husband does not want to go and because she is feeling “withdrawal” pains because her young grandson Patrick has left for Alaska with his parents, who are off to a new job. First of all, I am not sure Lucy was suffering from the big “D”, depression, as the book claimed everyone thought. Yes, she missed Patrick, who she treasures dearly, but come on, she is an adult and a mother/grandmother, who never shies away from reality, and the Lucy Stone I have met in her books is reasonable, smart and accepting of whatever life throws at her. Lucy being depressed to the extent that the characters in the book try to portray just does not sit well with the Lucy Stone, erstwhile sleuth, who works on and helps solve mysteries throughout the series. I honestly thought the author had more going for her than this. Back to the story. Lucy and Sue find that, once they arrive in England, things are not all Downton Abbey or the merry “olde” England of castles and upper crust nobility, as they had imagined. The earl is struggling to maintain the manor, as upkeep costs for old buildings can get rather steep. Members of his family who appear in the story are a bit disjointed and not the happy campers one would imagine or hope. In addition, his snobbish Aunt Millicent and her difficult-to-put-up-with handmaiden Harrison unexpectedly “drop by” for the exhibit, moving in with the family, making life at the manor consistently tense. Add to this two dead bodies, one dead of an overdose and one found stashed away in a “hidden” room in the manor, and you have a real mess. Lucy and Sue do not want to become involved in the police investigations into the mysterious murders, but Lucy, being Lucy, finds the whole thing hard to avoid.This book is a bit different because the setting is not the usual Tinker’s Cove, Maine of the series, but the author does do a fair job of putting the duo into this very British environs. As other reviewers have wondered, I also question the cover of the book. Why put two corgis on the cover, if the only dogs mentioned, and then only in passing, are not even corgis? Is this an attempt to entice dog lovers to read the book or to lend a “homey” appearance? It may work to entice, but does not make the book any more “homey”. I also wondered about the relationship between the two good friends Lucy and Sue. If they were two good friends (and who but good friends would go together to England on a visit such as this one), why does Sue come across so antagonistic and unfriendly so often in the book? In addition, Lucy definitely comes across as out of sorts and not as the hard-working, intelligent sleuth of the series. Finally, Lucy’s husband definitely comes across as a real flake, though he is only mentioned in passing in a few phone conversations. I found it difficult to imagine Lucy even married to such a flake, if she is really the strong, intelligent woman portrayed in other books. Finally, Lucy does almost nothing to help or work the investigation, except give a couple of short, practically meaningless, interviews with the police. It is almost as if going to another country put a real damper on her brain. She may be leery of meddling in a foreign investigation, but that should not totally keep Lucy Stone out of things. The book is quick read, though it will never be my favorite Lucy Stone mystery. I almost think the author tried too hard to shake things up, to keep things interesting, and lost too much in the process. If you enjoy the Lucy Stone mysteries and if you enjoy the author’s style, this may be a good book for you. Just do not expect too much, as it is entertaining, but definitely not as good as the others in the series.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

British Manor Murder by Leslie Meier is the twenty-third A Lucy Stone Mystery novel (can you believe it). Lucy Stone is feeling depressed since her grandson, Patrick went back to living with his parents. Lucy loved having him around while his parents were out of the country. Sue Finch has received an invitation to visit England and her husband cannot accompany her. Sue invites Lucy to go with her. She believes a change of place will help get Lucy out of her funk. They are going to be staying with Peregrine “Perry” Pryce-West, Earl of Wickham and his sister, Poppy (along with her husband, Gerald). He is hosting an event at Moreton Manor called The Head’s Up! Hat Festival. Sue has some lovely hats that she will be contributing to the exhibition. Lucy brought some mystery novels to read, but no dress clothes (not a good choice). Also staying at the manor are Poppy’s children Flora (anorexic) and Desi (ballet dancer). Unfortunately, Aunt Millicent shows up and brings her lady’s maid, Harrison. Aunt Millicent is a bit of a pill (and very demanding). The manor is very expensive to maintain so the family opens up the main house to tourists. Lucy and Sue are staying in the old servant’s quarters that have been renovated. Lucy is going through the maze on the property and when she reaches the center Lucy discovers a dead body! Then the house starts to smell. At first they thought it was a dead animal, but then the smell got significantly worse. A body is found decomposing in a priest hole (a hidden room). It turns out to be Harrison’s son, Cyril. Lucy just loves a mystery and cannot help poking her nose into this one (the bonus is her depression is lifting). Whoever killed Cyril has to know the house very well to have found the priest hole. Will Lucy be able to find the killer before there is another victim? Join Lucy Stone on her latest adventure in British Manor Murder.I have read every Lucy Stone Mystery book. They are all enjoyable to read and highly entertaining. The book is well-written, has a good pace, and is easy to read. The characters remind me of everyday people. Lucy and her family could be my neighbors or relatives and I like that. The mystery was interesting. It is more complicated than just dead bodies. I liked that there were various elements to it. Leslie Meier has an easy breezy style of writing that makes the novel a pleasure to read. I give British Manor Murder 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). I liked figuring out the different elements and identifying the killer. It was also nice to revisit Lucy, her family, and friends. I enjoyed that we were taken out of Tinker’s Cove to a new destination. Tinker’s Cove really does not need another dead body (the town is bound to get a bad reputation). The only thing I did not like was how whiny Lucy was at the beginning of the book. It did not fit with her personality and it was a bit of a turn off. I am glad, though, that I persevered and finished the book. I would love to see this author start a new series. I like Lucy Stone, but I believe it is about time for her swan song.I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lucy is in the throes of depression caused by her son taking his family, including Lucy’s grandson, to Alaska. Lucy’s best friend Sue, invites her to go to England with her for a hat exhibition. Staying at a huge manor house, Lucy and Sue soon find themselves in the thick of it, with an accidental death and a murder. The characters in this book are like old friends to all of us who have read the series, and any Lucy Stone adventure is delight. However, even though Lucy deserves a vacation now and then, I find the novels that center around her home life and family to be the more enjoyable ones.