Julianna Deering: Death At Thornburn Hall

By Kelly Bridgewater

The Fartherings' Scottish Holiday Takes a Dark Turn

Drew Farthering arrives in idyllic Scotland for the 1935 British Open at Muirfield hoping for a relaxing holiday, but he soon finds a mystery on his hands. Lord Rainsby, his host at Thorburn Hall, fears his business partner may be embezzling and asks Drew to quietly investigate. Before Drew can uncover anything, Rainsby is killed in a suspicious riding accident.

Thorburn Hall is filled with guests, and as Drew continues to dig, he realizes that each might have had a motive to put Rainsby out of the way. Together with Madeline and Nick, he must sort through shady business dealings, international intrigue, and family tensions to find a killer who always seems to be one step ahead.

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My Thoughts:

I love history. I love suspense. Putting them together seems to be a great novel for me. With historical mysteries, many of them leave something to be desired in my opinion. But Julianna Deering and Rachel McMillan are my favorite two authors who write historical mysteries in the early twentieth century. I love how both authors create characters who are loveable and stick with you long after the novel is done. The mystery is just right. The settings are wonderful. As for Deering's final installment in her Drew Farthering series, I really enjoyed Death at Thornburn Hall as well as all the other books.

The plot is what grips me in a historical mystery. I need to be drawn into the story pretty quickly and allowed to sit and hang out for a while. Deering does a fabulous job at inviting me into Drew and Madeline's life before the mystery even occurs. Usually they are just going along, like in Death at Thornburn Hall, on a horse ride, and they stumble across a dead body, which in turns throws Drew into solving the mystery mode. The mystery was written really well. Even though I had a really good suspicion who was the bad guy was, Deering proved me right.

Since the story centers around the 1930's, Deering included some historical elements of Hitler, which we know now, is the precursor to World War II. I enjoyed seeing that hinted at in the plot, especially since I'm a huge World War II fantic.

The romance really centered around NIck and Carrie, who have been flirting around the idea of a relationship since the series started with Rules of Murder. Madeline and Drew play more matchmaker than anything, but it was nice seeing a married couple interact after we watched their dating era.

Overall, Death at Thornburn Hall by Julianna Deering is a nice way to end the series. Hanging out with Drew and Madeline for so long reminds me of some distant cousin who you see once a year at the holidays, but when you play catch up, it is like no time has parted you at all. I love the mystery in this addition, it was more sneaky and kept me glued to the page. I really wish there were more, but for now, this is the last book that I know of. I highly recommend if you like Deering's writing, than pick up Rachel McMillan's Herringford and Watts Mysteries series.

I received a complimentary copy of Death at Thornburn Hall by Julianna Deering from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Julianna Deering: Murder on the Moor

By Kelly Bridgewater

At the urgent request of an old school friend, Drew and Madeline Farthering come to Bloodworth Park Lodge in the midst of the Yorkshire moors, a place as moody and mysterious as a Brontë hero. There have been several worrisome incidents out on the moor--property destroyed, fires started, sheep and cattle scattered--and worst of all, the vicar has been found dead on the steps of the church.

Drew's friend is obviously smitten with his bride of eight months, though it's hard to imagine what she sees in the awkward man. Drew can't help wondering if her affections lie more with the man's money and estate, while her romantic interests focus on their fiery Welsh gamekeeper. As the danger grows ever closer, it's up to Drew to look past his own prejudices, determine what is really going on, and find the killer before it's too late.

From Amazon

My Review:

What is better than spending a couple of hours sitting reading a mystery? What about a novel written by the famous Arthur Conan Doyle or a novel that reads like a Doyle novel? I like nothing better than to spend my time lost in a good mystery.  I love the plot where the writer has me on the edge of my seat as I flip through the pages, begging for the next chapter not worrying about the time. Having repeating characters make me happy too. In Julianna Deering's fifth installment in her Drew Farthering Mysteries, I was excited to return o England and help Drew Farthering solve the latest crime.

The writing is concise and clear. I had no problem following Drew around the Bloodworth Park Lodge. Deering does a great job at inviting me into the massive home and allowing me to see the foggy moors and the elaborate home. I really enjoy how Deering invites me into Drew's train of thoughts and keeps me there for the complete novel. Like her previous installments, Deering writes the story in first point of view character, which can be hard for an author because he or she might want to write in the other character's perspective, but Deering keeps in Drew's perspective.

As for the characters and plot, I was glad to return to Drew and Madeline as they go about solving another mystery. This time around, Drew and Madeline are working on a number of murders while keeping their marriage spark alive. I liked seeing how well they fit together and work together. As for the plot, it reminded me a lot of Doyle's "The Hound of Baskervilles." I even figured out the dog prints arrived in the north wing. While the mystery does move along nicely, there were moments that I thought the plot moved along slowly and wished it would move faster.

While the story is not original, the villain was not someone I was expecting. Deering threw me for a loop. I didn't figure out the bad guy before the ending, which I usually do. I'm glad she got one past me. There really isn't anything too spiritual in the story. It is a good, clean mystery fit for fans of mysteries of any age. I highly recommend this series to fans of Deerings' other books or especially Rachel McMillan's Herrington and Watts Mysteries, which also is one of my favorite series.

True to the classic genre, Julianna Deering's Murder on the Moor pays homage to Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Sherlock Holmes with a hero who is likeable and a mystery with enough action to keep me glued to the page. Deering invites me to London with a story that is begging for the next installment.

I received a complimentary copy of Julianna Deering's Murder on the Moor from Bethany House Publishers, and the opinions stated are all my own. 

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I LOVE Historical Mysteries/ Suspense / Thrillers. Do you know of any more that I should try? Please list suggestions in the comments section so I can find some more. 

Julianna Deering: Dressed for Death

By Kelly Bridgewater

Drew and Madeline Farthering celebrate their six-month anniversary by attending a fancy Regency era costume party. Drew is glad to see Talbot Cummins, an Oxford classmate, and his fiancée, Alice Henley, though many present seem worried about the couple. Everyone's concerns are realized when, at the concluding grand ball, Alice dies of an overdose of cocaine. Tal refuses to believe she took the stuff intentionally, and Drew is determined to find out if her death was an accident or murder.

Drew is shocked and disillusioned when the police arrest Tal's father and reveal that the man has been smuggling drugs into the country for the past twenty years. Reeling from the death of his fiancée and the revelation about his father, Tal begs Drew to find out what's going on. Drew, now questioning his own ability to see people as they really are, does so reluctantly, not ready for the secrets he's about to uncover--or the danger he'll bring down on everyone he holds dear.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed the first three books in the Drew Farthering series by Julianna Deering. Read my complete review of Murder at Mikado. They were full of mystery and took places in the early twentieth century. I admire Drew’s detective skills and how well he solved the crime in no time. As for the newest book in this series, Dressed for Death, did not work as well as the other three for me.

First, most mysteries have a hint of the mystery that leads the book by the end of the first chapter. In Dressed for Death, it doesn’t appear until twenty-seven percent, according to my Kindle. The first part of the book is Drew, Madeline, Nick, and Carrie attending a Regency party and spending time hanging out with the Cummins. It really did not start out like a mystery for me. After the first body drops, it takes a while for the second and third body to drop with no real threat to any of the remaining characters in the story.

I do enjoy how Julianna Deering allows me to really feel like I’m in the setting. I really feel like I’m in the elaborate house, roaming the library and seeing the kitchen with the enormous pantry. The detail that Deering includes allows my imagination to run wild and place me along the characters in the beautiful home.

The main mystery has to do with cocaine but didn’t turn me away from finishing the novel. No one actually uses it on the pages of the book and it isn’t offensive at all like majority of secular novels that use cocaine in the pages of their books.

As for the bad guy, Deering threw a complete twist in because I didn’t even guess who the bad guy was. It totally took me by surprise.

Fans of cozy mysteries will devour Julianna Deering’s latest edition to her Drew Farthering Series and anxiously wait for the next one to appear. If you like Christy Barritt and Lorena McCourtney mysteries, then you will enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Dressed for Death from Bethany House Publishers and the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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