Murder. Manor homes. Malfunctioning chandeliers.Hollywood starlets are supposed to be happily on set in sunny California and not trapped in drafty manor houses during ferocious snowstorms.But after Cora Clarke’s best friend and fellow actress elopes with an English earl, Cora visits England to help her friend brave the aristocratic disapproval of her new husband’s family.Unfortunately the holiday … family.
Unfortunately the holiday turns nightmarish when a chandelier crashes down and kills somebody. When suspicion falls on her friend, Cora vows to figure out the identity of the murderer. After all, blizzards have a habit of preventing the police from arriving, and body counts have a dreadful habit of growing.
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Murder at the Manor House by Bianca Blythe is a wonderful story to read. This is book number one a start to a brand new series that I have fallen in love with. I highly recommend this story to everyone who loves reading about historical fiction and cozy mysteries.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Her friend has run away to marry but his family disapprove it all. She is an actress and he is a English Earl. She will need to travel to England to help. A storm hits and a dead body appears. Will there be more? Can she prove her friend innocent? See who is behind the killing
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Cora Clarke has been an actress since childhood., but today she got fired. She goes to say goodbye to her friend who was packing for England. Her friend had just eloped with an Earl and she was moving to go live with him in England. To cheer Cora up, she asks her to come and stay with her over the holidays. Cora takes her up on the offer. Unfortunately, the holidays do not go as planned and when there is a horrible death, she can not help but investigate.
This is a delightful, historical cozy mystery set in the English countryside during a snow storm during the Great Depression. The characters are well done, with interesting personalities. The dynamics between them was wonderful done and focused on misconceptions, hidden motives, secrets and prejudices between the classes. The narrative was well done and gave great descriptions of the scenery, insights in Cora’s thinking and her qmotivations. The storyline flows smoothly and quickly and is filled with wrong turns, secrets, surprises, romance, danger and suspense. The book was engaging and I read it in one sitting. With so many clues, I really wanted to find out who did it. If you like historical cozy mysteries with good writing, the give this one a try.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Murder at the Manor House is the first book in The Sleuthing Starlet Mysteries series. I loved that and found that the story had great characters and the storyline is well written. Being set in the 1930s was interesting and there is never any shortage of suspects in the crimes. This story will keep you engaged as you try to figure out the true criminal along with Cora.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
An engaging read that you may find hard to put down. The story line is great and will keep you guessing til the end. If you love mysteries, don’t let this one slip by.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book was a great start to an amazing new series starting a female detective and her investigation of the dead Duke. This story was well written and the characters are awesome.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
For me this was a fun quick read. A Duke is murdered and an actress becomes one of her roles and plays girl detective. It will be fun to see what comes next.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The first book in the Sleuthing Starlet Mystery series. A friend of actress Cora Clarke’s, who has married an English earl, then gets blamed for the murder that happens. There is suspense, drama, danger, twists, and turns, and a budding romance. I enjoyed reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is an excellent first in series. Cora and Veronica are fabulous characters! This book is a quick read with lots of action. The girls do an excellent job of solving the murder while keeping the reader guessing.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
While she loved being in the spotlight, Cora knew it was not the end of her life.
Visiting her dear friend recently married to an Earl comes very close to end of her life, threatens the life and family of her friend, and proves lethal to at least some of those gathered.
An unique combo of insight, women’s intuition, and a little star power.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Cora decides to accompany her friend, Veronica to England. Her friend has recently married a Lord and although the infamous Hollywood starlets are less than welcomed, they are snowed in. Unfortunately, a falling chandelier signals the beginning of a mystery that points a finger at Cora’s best friend. Murder At The Manor House is an excellent period mystery that I enjoyed.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Cora Clarke’s best friend, Veronica, elopes with an English earl. She invites Cora along to England to deal with her new husband’s family and the anticipated disapproval. Since Cora has just lost her contract with a movie studio, the timing works out well for her. The people they meet are very interesting, despite not being very welcoming to the Americans.
But things go seriously wrong when a terrified scream brings everyone rushing to the Duke’s locked bedroom door. After a few more screams, all was silent. Edmund went through another room to get access to the Duke’s room and, with a look of horror on his face, unlocked the door. A crystal chandelier had crashed onto the Duke while he was in his bed, killing him. When everyone figures Veronica is the murderer, Cora decides to take on the role she played as an actress to become the detective who will find the real murderer. She has her hands full with this task! No one had liked the Duke. There were many clues turning up, but things are not always what they seem. Everyone there seems to have something to hide! Will Cora find the murderer? Will she exonerate Veronica’s name?
This is a convoluted murder mystery. The wide variety of characters will grab the reader’s attention and keep the mind guessing as to what clues to examine or toss away. The story line is good and fast-paced. Grab your copy and enjoy the mystery!
This is Ms Blythe’s first foray into writing detective novels, set in the aftermath of the Flapper Era and just before WWII, when the first rumblings of discontent were being heard about war in Europe. Cora accompanies her friend and fellow actress across the ocean to Great Britain, where they are to spend Christmas with Veronica’s in-laws, the Duke and Duchess. Life on the estate is very different to what Cora expected and it seems that the two American girls antagonise and upset everyone they come in contact with, barring the Duchess’ friend from Italy. When murder is committed, the family try to brush it under the carpet, despite the fact that it is the Duke that is dead. Ms Blythe brought out an interesting look at the upper British class of the time, as well as the differences being experienced by the two American girls. There were twists in the plot and everyone was a suspect. However, it is Cora’s experience as an actress in detective films that forces her to view the situation with suspicion and to start gathering clues. It was a fairly lighthearted read with interesting characters and I trust that this author will develop this style further. I received a copy of this book as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.
Cora Clarke’s best friend and fellow actress Veronica elopes with an English earl & Cora travels to England to give Veronica moral support when she braves the aristocratic disapproval of her new husband’s family. Unfortunately the holiday turns nightmarish when a crystal chandelier crashes down and someone is killed. Suspicion falls on Veronica so Cora vows to figure out the identity of the murderer.
I really enjoyed this book which was set in rural England in the 1930s, it captured the essence of the times with haughty aristocrats & beautiful actresses, throw in a snowstorm, broken telephone wires & you’re set for a good old fashioned whodunnit. There were plenty of red herrings & everyone seems to have something to hide until the killer is finally exposed. This isn’t the authors usual genre but I’d recommend reading it & I’m looking forward to more sleuthing by Cora
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read