Death at the Abbey by Jan Durham ~ Book Review.

I am thrilled to be today’s stop on the blog tour for; Death at the Abbey by Jan Durham. I am incredibly excited to be sharing my review of this wonderful new book with you all.

About the Book

Death at the Abbey by Jan Durham

A cliff-top murder. A clever canine. A seaside sleuth.

After the death of her husband, Liz McLuckie has taken early retirement and moved to Whitby, a picturesque fishing town on the North Yorkshire coast. She thinks the renovation of two ramshackle fishing cottages will take her mind off things, but soon discovers Whitby isn’t quite the peaceful retreat she imagined.

When she discovers the body of a local Professor near the medieval Abbey, Liz reluctantly finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation. The post mortem reveals death by drowning. So how did he get onto the clifftop? And why did he have a fish in his pocket?

Liz follows the trail of the murderer, and many red herrings – both literal and metaphorical – in the company of her friends, including an almost-reformed burglar, a disgraced archaeology student and Nelson the bull terrier – the ugliest (and bravest!) dog in Yorkshire.

Book 1 in the Kipper Cottage Mystery Series. Book 2 in the series, Death at Neptune Yard, is now available.

Purchase Links

Amazon UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Abbey-Kipper-Cottage-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09SLYMWLP

Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Death-Abbey-Kipper-Cottage-Mystery-ebook/dp/B09SLYMWLP

Book Review

How much do I love this book??

THIS MUCH……(I say holding my arms out wide, looking like a rather scruffy scarecrow LOL)

I was incredibly excited about this book, so much of it appealed to me from the moment I laid eyes on the cover with the cover image of Whitby Abbey emblazed on the front. Set in my beloved Yorkshire with a woman and her motley crew heading up the investigation, it is the first book in this new series plus – and very importantly – we have a Bull Terrier having a starring role (for those who know me, already know of my deep love of these dogs) so I knew just by those few things alone I jumped at the chance to read this book and I am so pleased that I did and I have a feeling that The Kipper Cottage Mysteries is going to be hugely addictive reading, I can’t wait for book two.

I haven’t read Jan Durham’s books before this (why not, I am constantly asking myself??) I loved her easy to read writing style. Death at the Abbey is an incredibly easy book to read, I am not the fastest reader but even I was flying through this book. The words were flying off the page, it’s incredibly immersive and I was completely addicted to it.

As much as I would love to, I am not one of those readers that can sit in a chair and read for hours on end (life gets in the way) but I was completely hooked with this book I was reading it at every opportunity; while waiting for the kettle to boil, standing in the garden waiting for the dogs to do something at 5am, propping it on the windowsill as I washed the dishes (not advisable) and then in those brief moment when I had two minutes for myself I jumped straight back in.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, it’s fun and engaging, the setting is absolutely stunning (I may be biased hailing from Yorkshire) but you really can’t get any better or more atmospheric setting than that of the stunning Whitby. I love the twisty and compelling mystery, there are a few red herrings and misdirections which will keep you on your toes and makes sure to compel you to keep turning the pages.

This has some wonderful characters, they are a mixed bunch eclectic and intriguing, each bringing their own magic to the story, you wouldn’t believe that this odd botch of people could work so well together but they do. I liked Liz instantly, I loved that she isn’t a youngster but a woman who has lived and lost, a woman who is trying to find peace in her new life only to become embroiled in a murder mystery – and what a fabulous mystery!! I love, love, love Nelson the dog!!

To say that I simply loved this book is a massive understatement, there aren’t enough words in my limited vocabulary to fully express just how much I adore this book. It really is such good fun, it makes me think of Midsummer Murders crossed with Mis Marple, it’s intriguing and light-hearted with added drama.

About the Author

Jan lives just outside Edinburgh with her husband, three kids, a one-eye whippet, and a fat black pug. Born in a colliery village in the North East of England, she cut her literary teeth on the great storytellers of the 60’s and 70’s – Wilbur Smith, Frank Yerby, Mary Renault, and Sergeanne Golon. She began her writing career as an advertising copywriter and has since had novels published by Random House and HarperCollins, and original audio series produced by Audible UK. She also writes for tv.

Jan enjoys psychological thrillers and crime fiction of all kinds, from the coziest of cozies to the blackest of noirs.

Death at the Abbey is her first cozy mystery in the Kipper Cottage series with Inkubator Books. Book 2 in the series, Death at Neptune Yard, is also available now.