“First in a new series…this lively cozy has glamour, intrigue, and romance.” —BooklistFans of Agatha Christie won’t want to miss this delightful new mystery set in the charming village of Edgemead in Surrey, England, where you’ll find the latest styles, the juiciest gossip—and the most tantalizing murder clues… opera star Dame Serena Levanté of lacking a flare for the dramatic. Unfortunately, it’s curtains down on the dysfunctional diva when she’s found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her elegant home. Solving an opera singer’s murder may not be the typical hairdresser’s aria of expertise. But Dame Serena was the mother of Daisy’s best friend Floria, so Daisy must do-or-dye her best to get to the roots of the case.
When a priceless Modigliani painting in the house is reported missing, the mystery gets even more tangled. Even though the gruff but handsome Detective Inspector Paul McGuinness tells the stylist to stay out of his hair, Daisy is determined to make sure the killer faces a stern makeover—behind bars.
“A promising debut with scads of interesting characters, a spirited heroine, and a hint of romance.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Enjoyable…will appeal to readers of Elizabeth J. Duncan’s ‘Penny Brannigan’ mysteries.”
—Library Journal
“Death at a Country Mansion has more twists than a French braid.”
—Sherry Harris
“If you enjoy British manor houses, a touch of budding romance, and a good mystery (like I do), I highly recommend Death at a Country Mansion.”
—Vikki Walton
“A little romance, a little art history, and a gorgeous mansion . . . a page-turner that is fun and intriguing.”
—ACF Bookens
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What a great story to begin a series!
Daisy and Paul work extremely well together in solving the murders. I enjoyed the development of their mutual respect and recognizing the other’s strengths during the investigation. I am anxious for the next book in the series to become available to read.
This is an extremely entertaining and enjoyable, clean read with a hint of a possible romance in future stories.
I received an advance reader copy of this book from the author. This gift did not affect my review of the book. This review is my voluntary and honest opinion.
I enjoy reading a contemporary novel based in England because I enjoy the dialogue, different lingo, and characters. Death at a Country Mansion fits the bill and has a great mystery to solve to boot.
Daisy Thorne owns a hair salon, Oh La La in a small village called Edgemead, that she worked hard to make a success, no thanks to her absent parents. Her best friend Floria is from a similar background in that her mother never has paid her much attention. Floria’s mother is a famous opera star who is a self centered person that is not liked by many and when she is found dead in her mansion of a home, it appears to be a robbery gone wrong since a valuable painting is missing. But it is changed to murder when the body is examined. There was not a break-in so she must have known her killer, someone who had a key or she let in. She was highly intoxicated, so the latter is probably not the case. There is a plethora of people who fall in the suspect pool, including three ex-husbands and one on the way out the door among others.
Floria is quite the organizer and works hard to make the memorial a special event but things are really thrown into a spin when it is discovered that she has three illegitimate sisters. What a surprise that is!
Daisy is studying forensic psychology, hoping to help as a profiler with a police department. She makes friends with the handsome Detective Inspector Paul McGuinness and gives him information that she gleams through gossip at her hair salon and inside knowledge about the family. There are many surprises in the story that kept me interested to the end. I enjoyed the variety of well developed characters and setting. I need to go back and read the prequel novella and I look forward to the next story. I recommend this for all mystery lovers.
I received a complimentary ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine only.
RECOMMENDED.
Death At A Country Mansion is the first book in the A Daisy Thorne Mystery series by Louise R. Innes.
Daisy Thorne lives in the rural village of Edgemeade, Surrey, England. Daisy owns the Ooh La La salon. The perfect place to get the ideal hairstyle and catch up on the latest village gossip. One day Daisy receives a call from her close friend, Fiona, asking her to come to her house as Fiona’s mother has been found dead at the foot of the mansion’s staircase. Fiona’s mother is Dame Serena Lavantae, a renowned opera singer. Fiona has never been close to her mother as her mother seemed to be always on tour, and she was cared for by the family’s housekeeper and numerous nannies. Her death is first considered an accident, what with Serena being intoxicated. When a priceless painting is missing, Detective Inspector Paul MacGuinness begins to suspect that her death might have been a robbery that had gone wrong.
Daisy will share with MacGuinness that she is studying forensic psychology, and he feels that she might be valuable to his investigation. Daisy is willing to help so that Fiona can get closure for this tragic event.
The book is well-written and plotted and has exciting and believable characters. I particularly liked how well Daisy and Paul worked together. Neither seems to have romance on their minds but wants to work with each other to find the murderer. There may be romance blooming in the future.
The charming village of Edgemead in Surrey, England is home to hairdresser & forensic psychology student Daisy Thorne. No one would ever accuse famous opera star Dame Serena Levanté of lacking a flare for the dramatic. Unfortunately, it’s curtains down on the dysfunctional diva when she’s found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her elegant home. Solving an opera singer’s murder may not be the typical hairdresser’s aria of expertise. But Dame Serena was the mother of Daisy’s best friend Floria, so Daisy must do-or-dye her best to get to the roots of the case. When a priceless Modigliani painting in the house is reported missing, the mystery gets even more tangled. Even though the gruff but handsome Detective Inspector Paul McGuinness tells the stylist to stay out of his hair, Daisy is determined to help.
The first book in a new series & I was drawn in from the start & engrossed until the end. Strong characters & a well paced story with plenty of twists, turns & surprises. I loved Daisy who had a knack of getting people to confide in her, I also loved how her relationship with Paul changed & look forward to them locking horns again I did guess who the murderer was but not the reason why the murder was committed. A new author to me & I look forward to more books in the series, Daisy is a delight
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
4.5 stars
I thought this was a wonderful start to a new series. Set in a small English village, our protagonist, Daisy Thorne, owns a hair salon and is studying forensic psychology in her free time. When her best friend’s mother, a famous opera singer, is murdered, Daisy teams up with the detective on the case to find the culprit.
A fun mystery, with some surprising twists along the way. I loved the English countryside setting and the atmosphere at the hair salon. Daisy is a smart, outgoing, and genuine protagonist. I enjoyed getting to know her and can’t wait to see what’s in store for her.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.