Delightfully entertaining.” – Readers’ FavoriteRecently widowed Agnes Lockwood is spending a few days on Tyneside in Northeast England, catching up with her past. When expensive jewelry is stolen at the hotel, Chief Inspector Alan Johnson gets on the case.After Alan recognizes Agnes as a friend from schooldays, they rekindle their friendship and Agnes bombards him with questions about the case. … bombards him with questions about the case. But after dinner one evening, they find a body lying on the roadside.
Fearing for her safety, Alan warns Agnes to stay away from the case. But being an inquisitive woman, Agnes cannot resist getting involved… too involved.
Praise:
★★★★★ – “A fun and intricate mystery with a ton of twists and turns.”
★★★★★ – “Has the feel of a classic mystery, with a modern flare. A fun British whodunit.”
★★★★★ – “Lovable and entertaining.
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4.5 rating
For all the death, life threats, and theift that this book is packed with, I still found it to be very light and inquisitive. As weird as this sounds, I felt like it was a very a lovely read. Over all, it was kind of a slow burn for me. I usually struggle with slow burns, but with Murder on Tyneside I didn’t. I found the pace to be cozy and comfortable, it’s a book that causes you to lose yourself in thought without feeling rushed. It lingers and smoulders in a way, and for me it was more of a test in joining the characters to figure out the culprit, rather than getting too emotionally attached. Regularly, I’d rather the emotional attachment in a book to stay connected, but with Eileen’s style of writting I actually enjoyed the overthinking that this book brought about.
Agnes, the main character is a widdow who is returning to Tynside for a visit per-say. She’s from this place originally but hasn’t been back to see it for years. Many changes have been made since her upbringing. The city as a whole has updated, mainly for the sake of tourism. It’s a beachside place that brings in all sorts of outsiders. Agnes had seen the changes on the news, but this is the first she’s seen them in person. She’s excited and nervous to see home, yet at the same time she’s lonely. She hasn’t travled much since her husband passed, and he’s always in the back of her mind.
The thing about Agnes, is that she’s a bit of a mystery junky, so when a very expensive peice of jewelry goes missing from a room at the hotel she’s staying at she manages to wedge herself right into the middle of the investigation. Almost imiditely she recognizes one of the leading authorities on the case. His name is Alan, and they wen’t to school together as kids. Although their years of aging and life sircumsatnce has lead them each down different paths, they still hit it off. What I love about the premis of Agnes and Alan is that there is a very clear attraction from the begining, yet this isn’t a romance. They do dates and spend a lot of time together as the case turns from one of theift to multiple murders, yet it doesn’t turn to romance. The entire book revolves around the mystery only, which is refreshing.
Now, when I say that the case turns to murder, I don’t say it lightly. Agnes is a nosy and observitive lady, so her input is needed and valuable. Within the first couple days of her stay two people turn up dead, and they’re just as connected to the hotel she’s staying at as the jewelry theift… but can they possibly be connected? Thanks to Agnes’ observations in people watching, and her tedious overthinking ways, the clues, although hard to crack, are uncovered in places that no one else seems to be able to find.
I really enjoyed this book and will most certanly be reading book #2 in the Agnes Lockwood series!
If you’re a fan of British crime thrillers, cozy mysteries, Agatha Christie-esque puzzles, or charming women who are inadvertently thrown in the middle of a murder, Murder on Tyneside is a book you will enjoy. Author Eileen Thornton delivers quite a caper with a wonderful side slice of charisma and old-fashioned wit with the launch of her Tyneside mystery series. The book was published in late 2016 amidst a sea of her other fun-sounding stories, but this had the most appeal when I decided to sample a Thornton novel. At the time, I hadn’t realized it was a series nor did I know what Tyneside was, but its premise drew me in. Now I’ve been happily clued into both!
Recent widow in her mid-50s, Agnes Lockwood, travels back home to try to figure out what’s next in her life. From the very first chapter, you can tell she misses her husband, but she’s also practical enough to want to enjoy the rest of her life despite the recent loss. I fancy her as a cross between Nancy Drew and Miss Marple… not quite young enough to be a funny, flirtatious girl about town, but not old enough to seem like a nosy aging neighbor. She’s witty and smart, but cautious and curious all the same. Someone I’d love to have a few drinks with and study the people sitting in the room around us. And that’s basically how she solves the crimes. What starts off as a series of jewelry heists in the hotel where she’s temporarily residing turns into a couple of murders. A mysterious man has been following her, and sometimes he seems innocent, yet at others we clearly know he’s got ulterior motives. When Agnes meets a former high school friend AKA potential new love interest, she finds herself privy to all the information on the case given he’s the lead detective doing the investigating. It’s always good to have that kind of access to the clues, right?
Thornton has an easy, breezy writing style that makes you feel invested yet not over-stimulated. It’s not quite a cozy or a thriller, but a fine balance of good old-fashioned detection and intuition combined with a few fun chase scenes, double crossing curious dialog and a tad of necessary romance. At times, it felt like I was sitting there with Agnes re-telling me the story days after it happened. It was driving me a bit nuts trying to guess how the thief was breaking into the hotel rooms given all the facts we learned about access cards, keys and background checks. Thornton cleverly leads us on a path to miss the obvious. I’m usually good at guessing the how, but this time I was stumped. I was certain who the criminal was, and I am glad I at least got that part right!
I’m curious where the author plans to go with the series, as I know there is at least one other book already published, but what about the future! Some clues were left behind in this series debut, and I’m sure there’s a secret about Agnes’ husband’s death at some point, not to mention what’s really going on with her sons’ sudden move to Australia. She tells us why she chose not to go with them, but not much more… a good way to invest readers in the characters without knowing too much about their lives. Throw in a few areas of conflict with the other members of the police, a peculiar hotel setting, and a lovely woman who needs a new purpose in life, you’ve got all the makings of a strong following.
I’m glad I bought this book when it was on-sale last month, and I believe it will be again sometime later this year. Mark it on Amazon or other book sites so you can catch the sale and enjoy a new series. Now I need to figure out what book might be next for me from this author… another Tyneside or should I chance a completely different stand-alone book from Thornton’s body of works.
“Murder on Tyneside” fits the definition of a cosy (UK) mystery: sex, violence and profanity are definitely out in favour of the reader vicariously detecting the crime. In this story, the recently widowed Mrs. Agnes Lockwood returns to her hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, after decades away. Intent on a trip down memory lane visiting various city locations and possibly meeting old friends, she becomes involved with a series of robberies and murders that begin with stolen jewellery at her hotel. After plot twists and turns among the suspects, the culprit is revealed due to Agnes’s interventions.
Agnes is a classic amateur sleuth. She uses her old acquaintance Alan Johnson, the Detective Chief Inspector who is investigating the crimes, to help him solve them. A mature love interest develops between them but as expected only simmers on very low in this first of a series. Without Alan, the nosy and smart Agnes would have been left to check out Grey’s Monument and the football at St. James’ Park. He’s her ‘in’ to the cops and I expect to see more of him in future books.
Since I grew up in Newcastle, I was attracted to the book to see what the author used as locations. I’m as nostalgic as Mrs. Lockwood. Newcastle has changed so much in fifty-plus years of de-industrialization that it is now a mecca for nightclubs in Europe: from shipbuilding and coal mining the city’s now Party Central. The author brings the changes to the fore as Agnes follows and is followed over the bridges and around the busy quayside.
The plot was rather dubious at times and DCI Johnson a shade too dumb but Agnes, as the heroine, shows through as the smart amateur and that’s what the story is all about. I imagine this story plays well with the cosy mystery readers and fans of this book will want to know how her relationship DCI Johnson develops—and more of how Agnes noses around his cases. The sequel has been written. Good luck to Agnes.
Murder on Tyneside by Eileen Thornton
I really enjoyed this book. It was much more than a murder mystery. There were robberies, a kidnapping, mysterious guests and a gentle romance thrown in for good measure.
The main character in the book, Agnes Lockwood, is recently widowed and visiting her home town to reminisce. I really warmed to her. For me she was a cross between Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher – only a better version of the two. she doesn´t come across as a meddling busy-body. She is a strong, bright, older woman who evaluates the facts of each crime that she finds herself involved in with clarity and logic.
The book is well written and easy to read, with just the right amount of characters so that it didn´t become confusing to keep track of who is who.
I look forward to reading the second book in this series: Death on Tyneside: Agnes Lockwood Mysteries Book 2
A fun relaxing read I recommend to fans of Miss Marple and mystery style novels.
Agnes is a charming if slightly annoying character. After the death of her husband, she has returned to her childhood city for a visit. Ever watchful she is intrigued by the theft of jewelry from one of the guests at her hotel. Recognising the investigating police detective from her school days she hopes to learn more. She wasn’t expecting on their first date to witness a possible murder!
A well-written, entertaining story and a warning to people who consider women over a certain age to be invisible!
Excellent narrative!
A fun-read, murder mystery
The author has created a marvelous mystery story with so many possible murder suspects that readers will be continually changing their minds as to who the perpetrator or perpetrators are. I changed my assumption so many times I lost count long before we discover the guilty party or parties. Yes, we have murders, but it is a fun murder mystery as opposed to a gory one, with a hint of impending romance in book 2 in the series. I will definitely read that one.