Death at a Country Mansion

Dame Serena Levante was a world-renowned opera singer. She’s also the mother of Daisy Thorne’s best friend, Floria, so when news comes that Serena is dead, Daisy rushes to Serena’s mansion outside of the English village of Edgemead. The police quickly see that it was murder, and they believe that robbery was involved since an expensive painting is also missing from the mansion. Daisy owns the local hair salon, and it is a hub of gossip. As a result, she begins to hear things that might help the police in their quest to find out what happened. Can she get the gruff inspector to listen to her?

I wasn’t planning to read this book until I started hearing great things about it, and I’m glad I picked it up. The mystery starts out right away, and we have plenty of twists and turns. The climax wraps everything up neatly for us. Serena was the kind of woman who left behind many suspects, something I always enjoy. We don’t get to know all the suspects super well, but because we like Daisy and Floria, we care about the outcome. We meet some other regulars, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with all of the cast. There are a few things that could have been smoothed out better, including a timeline issue, but they are minor overall. The book is shorter than many today, but there wasn’t a wasted scene. Overall, this is an enjoyable debut, and I’m looking forward to visiting Daisy again soon.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Daisy Thorne owns the hair salon, Oh La La in Edgemead England. She is also studying forensic psychology in her spare time. Both come in handy when her best friend, Floria’s mother is found dead at the foot of the staircase of her country mansion. Dame Serena Levanté is a famous opera singer/diva with three ex-husbands and one husband who has just left her for another woman. Last seen, Serena was drowning her sorrows with enough alcohol that her tumbling to her death is easily believable but it is definitely murder. When they notice a famous Modigliani painting is missing the case gets even more intriguing and Daisy vows to cut through the clues and curl the killer right into a jail cell.

Daisy is a people person with the perfect profession. Everyone knows to find the latest news and gossip you head to the beauty salon. Her studies in forensic psychology are teaching her how to read people even better. She is curious, smart, and loyal to her friends. All these things make Daisy Thorne a fantastic protagonist. They also make her the complete opposite of our victim, Dame Serena.

Ms. Innes has filled the story with dynamic and diverse supporting characters as well. From the elderly couple that takes care of the residents and grounds of the country mansion to Serena’s husbands, the staff at Oh La La, the hunky Detective Inspector Paul McGuinness, and more readers are treated to well-crafted characters left with plenty of room to grow.

This mystery was very complicated with surprises and twists. It starts out quickly with the dead body and the pace remains brisk throughout. It was a lot of fun to follow along with Daisy as she worked her way through all the clues. I had given a complete pass on the actual killer until late in the book so I clearly missed something along the way.

Death at a Country Mansion was an enjoyable escape across the pond. I can’t wait to visit Edgemead again soon. Death at the Salon is set to be released on March 30, 2021.

This was a very enjoyable read. It is full of suspense, adventure, and a little hint of romance. I would love to read more by this author.

Great book, engaging characters, surprising twists and turns, captivating!

Dame Serena Levante is an aging opera star, overcome with drinking, and her latest husband, Collin Harrison, is determined to leave her. Shortly after he leaves the house, Dame Serena is murdered. When her daughter Floria tells Daisy Thorne, her best friend, the news, Daisy rushes to Floria to comfort her. Also rushing to her side is her father, Sir Ranulf. But things are not what they seem. Dame Serena did not fall, she was murdered. And before the will is read, Floria discovers secrets that Serena has kept hidden all her life.

Floria knows her mother wasn’t the best, pawning her off on nannies and au pairs — but who hated her enough to kill her? And why keep secrets from her daughter? Now, Daisy, who is studying to become a forensic psychologist when she’s not working at her salon — at first becomes irritating to Detective Inspector Paul McGuinness, until he realizes he needs her help in figuring out which person had the most to gain. But when another tragedy occurs just after the memorial service, the stakes are raised and the killer needs to be pinned down — and fast…

This is the first book in a new series, and while I am tardy in reading it (recovering from an operation gone wrong) I have to say that I am glad I was finally able to get to it. (My TBR file is large and constantly growing!).

Daisy is an admirable character: she’s full of inquiry, more than curiosity, I think; she’s intelligent, attractive, and knows what she’s doing. Floria is very sweet, giving and generous; the DI is just as what you would expect – gruff and blunt, but fair and willing to listen. This is a perfect combination for a new series that I hope will go far.

The mystery itself is done extremely well; with writing that is both very good and very descriptive, giving us an insight into the characters and their lives without going overboard; and the death of Dame Serena at the beginning lures us into the story, as we learn more about her throughout. Saying that, we now have a plethora of suspects who many might have had a motive for her killing, but leaving room for us to decipher the clues on our own.

When we finally do come to the end and it gets to the point that the killer is revealed, we are both surprised and saddened by the reasons for the death. I do like the fact that I had to search for the clues, and discovered the murderer much as the same time as Daisy. It left me with a feeling of satisfaction and a want to read the next in the series to see where it takes her. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next. Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but it in no way influenced my review.

Death at a Country Mansion is filled with interesting and quirky characters, and an opera diva to die for. Daisy is a bit hard to take at times, she is somewhat insensitive but she is also determined and loyal. The first chapter was very well written and hooked the reader right away. The setting was nice, but I could have done with a bit more info about the background characters and the hair salon.

The victim was not at all likable, which is good in many ways and we never find out how good of an opera singer she was. Although the reader doesn’t care all that much about the victim, they are vested in seeing justice done and the right person arrested for the crime. I would love to have had the murder take place at the hair salon in this first book, but that aside I felt the description of the victim’s house and murder were well done.

There are plenty of suspects, but not one that stands out more than the others. The victim’s daughter, Floria, who is also Daisy’s best friend, is likable, and readers will sympathize with her. Other suspects are not sympathetic, and you find yourself hoping they all did it just to get rid of them permanently. I felt a few of the opera singers’ competitors’ involvement would have made for some interesting scenes but those were not present. Having some of the suspects show up at Daisy’s hair salon would have been intriguing, but unfortunately, the author didn’t bring that into play. Maybe next time.

In the end, the killer is caught, and even though the killer’s identity or the motive may not be a big surprise to readers, it makes for an emotional scene that is worth the read. There isn’t a lot of action in Death at a Country Mansion, not enough of the hair salon, opera, or the people who work there; this story is a good start to a new series that readers will enjoy.

Dame Serena was a famous opera singer but these days she spends much of her time in a bottle. Her current husband has vacated their home, off to set up a new habitation with a air stewardess on a tropical island. Things are not going well for the Diva and they turn deadly when she takes a header down the staircase. At first blush it looks like she was drunk and fell. It isn’t long before the police change their opinion and declare it to have been murder. Was her death connected to the disappearance of a very valuable work by Modigliani or was there something else going on that caused somebody to want her out of the way permanently?
Daisy has become best friends with Serena’s daughter Floria and together they set out to uncover bits of information that will help the police find the killer. She owns a beauty salon in the High Street that is gossip central. In her spare time she is studying forensic psychology and that comes in handy as they put the pieces together. They make a wonderful pair of investigators.
From the well crafted mystery with enough twists, turns and red herrings to keep the reader engaged to the lovely country setting, I’m looking forward to reading more of the sleuthing from the team of Daisy and Floria. Make sure to put Death at the Salon (pub date March 30, 2021) on your TBR list. It’s already on mine.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

enjoyable read. Lots of interesting and quirky characters. Twists and turns in this murder mystery. Unpredictable and entertaining story. a must read.
Thank you Netgalley and Kensington for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a promising start to a new cozy series. I love British cozies and was pleasantly surprised by this book. The story is fast paced and the characters interesting. A little art, a little murder, and an English manor, what’s not to love?! I will definitely be looking forward to watching this series develop. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I’m voluntarily providing an honest review.

Flawless quirky read…
This author can turn her hand to anything it seems, thrilling suspenseful well researched military/special ops stories with a touch of heat & heart, contemporary romances & murder mysteries like this novel. As a Brit myself I could identify with the small country town where everyone knows everyone’s business. Loved the main characters & the fact that I really didn’t know who the murderer was until the last minute reveal.