Cragside by MJ Porter - audiobook
Lady Merryweather has had a shocking year.
Apprehended for the murder of her husband the year before, and only recently released, she hopes a trip away from London will allow her to grieve. The isolated, but much loved, Cragside Estate in North Northumberland, home of her friends, Lord and Lady Bradbury, holds special memories for her.
But, no sooner has she arrived than the body of one of the guests is found on the estate, and suspicion immediately turns on her. Perhaps, there are no friendships to be found here, after all.
Released, due to a lack of evidence, Lady Ella returns to Cragside only to discover a second murder has taken place in her absence, and one she can’t possibly have committed.
Quickly realising that these new murders must be related to that of her beloved husband, Lady Merryweather sets out to solve the crime, once and for all. But there are many who don’t want her to succeed, and as the number of murder victims increases, the possibility that she might well be the next victim, can’t be ignored.
Journey to the 1930s Cragside Estate, to a period house-party where no one is truly safe, and the estate is just as deadly as the people.
About the author
I'm an author of historical fiction (Early English, Vikings and the British Isles as a whole before the Norman Conquest, as well as three 20th-century mysteries) and fantasy (Viking age/dragon-themed) and. I was born in the old Mercian kingdom at some point since 1066. Raised in the shadow of a strange little building, told from a very young age that it housed the bones of long-dead Kings of Mercia and that our garden was littered with old pieces of pottery from a long-ago battle, it's little wonder that my curiosity in Early England ran riot. I can only blame my parents!
I like to write. You've been warned!
Authors Website: www.mjporterauthor.com
Review
‘Cragside’ falls into my very niche favourite genre of interwar crime fiction, especially when it involves a house party, a fiery female investigator and a huge cast of suspects! This book has all this in buckets and more! The audiobook was something that I was able to listen to as I was working and the narrator Gill Mills has a pleasing voice to listen to. However, this is a book which you need to concentrate on as there is a vast character list and clues were dropped casually throughout. I should have made a list of the characters to cross reference as it took a while for them to settle in my head.
Lady Merryweather has indeed had a bad year. Her husband was murdered and she was thrown in prison for it. She has just recently been released and cleared of his murder so decided to travel to Cragside in the northeast of England for some rest bite at her friends estate. However, when she arrives there is another murder and she falls under suspicion again. Determined to clear this suspicion she decides to investigate the crime this time herself!
This does have all the classic marks of a golden classic crime mystery and it was a book I ended up loving so far! I admit I have 30 mins still left to listen to but unfortunately I have come down with a migraine…. But I am going to play a little game here. I will write down in an envelope who I think the murder is and when I finish the book tomorrow I will get my hubby to open and see if I was right!! I will update at some point tomorrow morning.
So did I get it right?
Alas no I didn't!!
