Murder at Mullings
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- Create Date：2023-01-20 11:22:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Dorothy Cannell
- ISBN：1666626007
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Summary
In its 300-year history， there has never once been a scandal at Mullings， ancestral home of the decent but dull Stodmarsh family。 Until， that is， Edward Stodmarsh makes an ill-advised second marriage to the scheming Regina Stapleton， who insists on bringing her family's 'ornamental hermit' to live on the estate。 Suddenly everyone wants to visit Mullings to glimpse this mysterious figure。 Strange but harmless， thinks Florence Norris， the family's longstanding housekeeper。 But events take a sinister turn with the arrival of sudden， violent death - and suddenly the hermit doesn't seem so harmless after all。
Reviews
Anne
，
A good first book in a seriesThis story introduces an interesting cast of characters， including a very bright housekeeper。 The murders are interesting and there are lots of twists and turns along the way。 I did not suspect the murderer bc there are a number of people to dislike and suspect。
Rachel Ronning
，
The book was wordy。 I didn't mind that it was slow or switched viewpoints and wound everything together in the end; but it was wordy。 Sometimes 2 examples would be enough to get the point across instead of 5。 I only read the following 2 because I already had them from the library and it was snowing。 If you like reading Bronte or Austen， you'll probably enjoy this although， Austen is much funnier。 The book was wordy。 I didn't mind that it was slow or switched viewpoints and wound everything together in the end; but it was wordy。 Sometimes 2 examples would be enough to get the point across instead of 5。 I only read the following 2 because I already had them from the library and it was snowing。 If you like reading Bronte or Austen， you'll probably enjoy this although， Austen is much funnier。 。。。more
Maria
，
Because it is the first book in the series， there is a lot of backstory for the different characters that took up most of the book。 The murder， that is， the murder that is recognized as murder， takes place nearly at the end， so there is little time to go into how the inspector solves it。 Although exciting and worrisome， it needed a bit more time。
Jennifer
，
This book was LOOOONG。 It had Cannell's getting to know the characters very well but just a little too well。 It starts with Florrie at age 14 and goes until she's in her thirties。 the mystery was just a little too strung out。Don't get me wrong I enjoy Cannell's characters and the way they are the major part of the Ellie Haskell mysteries and "God Save the Queen" mystery but this book was a bit over the top， so much so that I don't think I'm interested in reading the second book in the series。 This book was LOOOONG。 It had Cannell's getting to know the characters very well but just a little too well。 It starts with Florrie at age 14 and goes until she's in her thirties。 the mystery was just a little too strung out。Don't get me wrong I enjoy Cannell's characters and the way they are the major part of the Ellie Haskell mysteries and "God Save the Queen" mystery but this book was a bit over the top， so much so that I don't think I'm interested in reading the second book in the series。 。。。more
Barbara
，
The initial part of the book was more an historical novel rather than a murder mystery。 I liked this part a great deal。 The later part not so much。 There were too many coincidences and lovers refusing to just talk to each other for the sake of the plot （a pet peeve of mine）。 However， my biggest complaint is the whole murder investigation was carried out and wrapped up in about 2 chapters and largely off screen。 It was almost as if it got in the way of the story she actually wanted to tell。
Joy
，
2。5 stars。 Unsatisfying。 I found the writing to be very “dense” which made it hard to enjoy。 The mystery itself was laden with so many details and nuances that it also wasn’t too fun to read。 I won’t plan to read further in this series。
Judith
，
Dull; took too long to get to the mystery DNF
anonymousreader
，
to-read
Katie Bee
，
Florence Norris has slowly risen over the years and become the housekeeper for a titled （although incredibly staid， much to the disappointment of their neighbors） family。 When a murder happens， who is responsible？This is ostensibly a murder mystery， and it eveeeeeeeeeeentually gets there， after slowly swimming through treacle for most of the book。 Cannell starts with Florence's arrival as a junior maid， and gives us slow atmospheric scenes from Florence's life over the years。 I kept thinking， "o Florence Norris has slowly risen over the years and become the housekeeper for a titled （although incredibly staid， much to the disappointment of their neighbors） family。 When a murder happens， who is responsible？This is ostensibly a murder mystery， and it eveeeeeeeeeeentually gets there， after slowly swimming through treacle for most of the book。 Cannell starts with Florence's arrival as a junior maid， and gives us slow atmospheric scenes from Florence's life over the years。 I kept thinking， "okay， NOW we're going to hit the actual story，" and instead it would be another time skip。 If you like period atmosphere and slow ruminative meanders， this might be the book for you。 I unfortunately got impatient about halfway through the book， longing for plot or character development or a murder or SOMETHING substantial。 I'm not addicted to thriller pacing - I like a well-executed slow-burn plot just fine - but I guess I'm not cut out for "all period no substance"。 And at least for me the eventual murder mystery was underwhelming as well。Not the series for me。 。。。more
Miki
，
A pretty good mystery even if it was one of the slowest I've ever read， as it slowly unraveled over a period of years， and depended on a heck of a lot of coincidence。 A pretty good mystery even if it was one of the slowest I've ever read， as it slowly unraveled over a period of years， and depended on a heck of a lot of coincidence。 。。。more
Nancy
，
Lots of back history， the "real" murder doesn't happen until the last third of the book。 This author packs a lot on information into fewer pages than most current books。 I will be looking into following this series which may be short-lived as I can only find two books so far。 Lots of back history， the "real" murder doesn't happen until the last third of the book。 This author packs a lot on information into fewer pages than most current books。 I will be looking into following this series which may be short-lived as I can only find two books so far。 。。。more
Cheryl
，
I have enjoyed Dorothy Cannell's books for quite some time。 Unfortunately， this book moved very slowly。 During the first 100-150 pages， I nearly put it aside several times because I just couldn't get into the story。 I usually enjoy books like this - historical， with a lot of background details - but this one seemed to drag without advancing either plot or characters。 The last 50 pages really picked up， but if I had not been so tenacious， I would not have got that far。 I have enjoyed Dorothy Cannell's books for quite some time。 Unfortunately， this book moved very slowly。 During the first 100-150 pages， I nearly put it aside several times because I just couldn't get into the story。 I usually enjoy books like this - historical， with a lot of background details - but this one seemed to drag without advancing either plot or characters。 The last 50 pages really picked up， but if I had not been so tenacious， I would not have got that far。 。。。more
Razee
，
What a wonderful book！ I love the timeline it was set on， the way it was written， how succinct the first few pages on florie's life were。 I read this at one go and can't wait to read others in the series。 The one fault I would find is that like in many other novels， Florie can hardly be acknowledged as the hero。 She's certainly doing her part but is a little flat on personality and mostly everyone was coming together to solve the mystery and not her alone。Apart from that， this is one book that I What a wonderful book！ I love the timeline it was set on， the way it was written， how succinct the first few pages on florie's life were。 I read this at one go and can't wait to read others in the series。 The one fault I would find is that like in many other novels， Florie can hardly be acknowledged as the hero。 She's certainly doing her part but is a little flat on personality and mostly everyone was coming together to solve the mystery and not her alone。Apart from that， this is one book that I will be buying because I loved it so much and will be picking up again when it rains and I need a cosy book to read！ 。。。more
LearningMum
，
Slightly verbose， yet highly enjoyable。
Gloria Mccracken
，
Florence Norris is much nicer to be around than Ellie， the protagonist of Dorothy Cannell's older and very popular previous series。 The old self-esteem， body-image thing got pretty tedious。 Instead we have an able person with loads of common sense， which makes her a stand-out from a lot of the other characters。 But then， you can't have everything if you want a story， can you？ Florence Norris is much nicer to be around than Ellie， the protagonist of Dorothy Cannell's older and very popular previous series。 The old self-esteem， body-image thing got pretty tedious。 Instead we have an able person with loads of common sense， which makes her a stand-out from a lot of the other characters。 But then， you can't have everything if you want a story， can you？ 。。。more
Cathy Poturny
，
Bungled murder plotNice story line。 Mrs Norris is a wonderfully robust character and plays well to the combination of personalities and circumstances。 What began as a frightfully boring tale of matronly loss developed into a twisted tale of intrigue。 Read it thoroughly and closely as the author adeptly spins the dialogue in such a charmingly complex manner。
Teressimo
，
Interesting characters， badly written， too much unnecessary detail and lose ends that don’t tie in with the rest of the story。 Save your time
Wendy Menninger
，
CharmingA wonderfully written story， with such character development。 You really came to love the characters even before the mystery began to unfold。
Bee
，
This is my first Dorothy Cannell book， but won’t be my last。 It’s such an unusual mystery - it unfolded in a slow， detailed manner。 The character development was a strong focus in the beginning of the book - so much so that I began to wonder if a murder would ever happen。 This didn’t detract from the story， though， thanks to Ms。 Cannell’s excellent writing。 Another intriguing aspect is that when murder does occur， the protagonist Florence Norris has valid suspicions with a certain person in mind This is my first Dorothy Cannell book， but won’t be my last。 It’s such an unusual mystery - it unfolded in a slow， detailed manner。 The character development was a strong focus in the beginning of the book - so much so that I began to wonder if a murder would ever happen。 This didn’t detract from the story， though， thanks to Ms。 Cannell’s excellent writing。 Another intriguing aspect is that when murder does occur， the protagonist Florence Norris has valid suspicions with a certain person in mind， but the reader is not privy to this information until the final reveal， much later。 A unique， intriguing format for a mystery。 Along with rich character development， it gives a glimpse of life in 1930s England with the “upstairs， downstairs” relationships and perspectives。 。。。more
Philip Barry
，
I read The Thin Woman， liked it， and downloaded The Widow's Club and this from my library。 Couldn't finish The Widow's club， it was late at night but I didn't want to go to bed， so I started this。 And got hooked。Good characters， whom I found believable。 Story depended a little too much on coincidences， but I kept reading。 I read The Thin Woman， liked it， and downloaded The Widow's Club and this from my library。 Couldn't finish The Widow's club， it was late at night but I didn't want to go to bed， so I started this。 And got hooked。Good characters， whom I found believable。 Story depended a little too much on coincidences， but I kept reading。 。。。more
Jean
，
A dense read and by the end of the book， I didn't care about the characters， much less the book。 A dense read and by the end of the book， I didn't care about the characters， much less the book。 。。。more
Lester
，
Ahhhh。。a murder mystery 'old style'。 One where you know absolutely everything about the characters family and lives。 Like knowing two to four generations of a family in small communities and then linking that family to another。。and another etc。A bit of a 'pay attention' read。。not just breeze on through for passing the time。 Ahhhh。。a murder mystery 'old style'。 One where you know absolutely everything about the characters family and lives。 Like knowing two to four generations of a family in small communities and then linking that family to another。。and another etc。A bit of a 'pay attention' read。。not just breeze on through for passing the time。 。。。more
Paula Romero
，
It did not start out very good。。。。or maybe my heart was stuck with the last book I read。。。。but I decided to continue reading it anyway。。。 the story line was comforting。 The book did not get to who the murderer was until the last two chapters of the book。。。I do think it's a good book to read if you like to read about murder and who did it and why。。。 It did not start out very good。。。。or maybe my heart was stuck with the last book I read。。。。but I decided to continue reading it anyway。。。 the story line was comforting。 The book did not get to who the murderer was until the last two chapters of the book。。。I do think it's a good book to read if you like to read about murder and who did it and why。。。 。。。more
Terri
，
Good read， but not a fast read。 Just like the life we'd like to believe exists in small villages in England， this moves at a very slow place， and over years。 But it holds your attention， for the most part。 Be patient when reading。 It does have an ending。 Good read， but not a fast read。 Just like the life we'd like to believe exists in small villages in England， this moves at a very slow place， and over years。 But it holds your attention， for the most part。 Be patient when reading。 It does have an ending。 。。。more
Sheila
，
Florence Norris was a young girl when she was sent to work at Mullings Hall owned by the Stodmarsh family。 She left after she got married but when her husband was killed in WWI， and her brother married and moved into the farmhouse， Florence was asked to return to Mullings but as Head Housekeeper。 There， she becomes a favorite of young Ned， an orphan being cared for by his grandparents。 Edward Stodmarsh and his wife， Lady Stodmarsh love their grandson but are not used to anyone in the home so you Florence Norris was a young girl when she was sent to work at Mullings Hall owned by the Stodmarsh family。 She left after she got married but when her husband was killed in WWI， and her brother married and moved into the farmhouse， Florence was asked to return to Mullings but as Head Housekeeper。 There， she becomes a favorite of young Ned， an orphan being cared for by his grandparents。 Edward Stodmarsh and his wife， Lady Stodmarsh love their grandson but are not used to anyone in the home so young。 Lady Stodmarsh also has severe arthritis which limits her physical capabilities。 The Stodmarsh's other son is married but that relationship does not seem happy and they have no children。 They do little with their life。 When Ned's nanny is fired， it seems the Stodmarsh's have made an enemy。 When Lady Stodmarsh dies in her sleep， her death is ruled due to a larger dose of pain medication than usual。 Florie （Florence） wonders if someone in the household might have had a role in her death。 Florie had been seeing a local publican who had moved to town but she is afraid that someone she cares deeply for， might be accused of Lady Stodmarsh's death。 She breaks off her friendship because of her concerns。 And so the story continues， Edward Stodmarsh remarries and even before the wedding， he has second thoughts。 When he dies， his second wife， Regina shows a completely different version of herself。 I thought the beginning of the book was quite dull but realize it was the way the author had chosen to introduce the background information。 However， I think she could have done a better job to draw the reader in， instead of using this format。 The first in the series with the main character， I believe。 。。。more
Carly
，
Set in a 1930s English country house， Murder at Mullings spends a lot of time introducing us to both the Stodmarsh family along with their staff， including head housekeeper Florence Norris。 When the Stodmarsh matriarch dies， no one gives it much thought， as she was elderly and chronically ill。 Florence suspects something more sinister， however， and as years go on and strange events continue to occur she begins to piece together the truth about what has really been going on at Mullings。Okay， so t Set in a 1930s English country house， Murder at Mullings spends a lot of time introducing us to both the Stodmarsh family along with their staff， including head housekeeper Florence Norris。 When the Stodmarsh matriarch dies， no one gives it much thought， as she was elderly and chronically ill。 Florence suspects something more sinister， however， and as years go on and strange events continue to occur she begins to piece together the truth about what has really been going on at Mullings。Okay， so this one was fun！ I had no idea what to expect， as I think this was my first cozy mystery since I read Nancy Drew as a kid。 I chose this book to fulfill a prompt for the #ReadHarder challenge and I'm glad I did。 I spent a lot of time looking at various cozy series， but I couldn't get past some of the themes。 This one gave me major Downton Abbey vibes though， and I was pleasantly surprised at how funny it was （in a very English way - there is an ornamental hermit， which is as absurd as it sounds！）。 I don't know that I'll bump cozy mysteries into my top genres， but I can definitely see myself sprinkling one in here and there。 。。。more
Christin
，
Too slow for me。 Really character-based so the mystery takes 2/3 to get to。 I just don’t have time for boring books right now。 Whodunnit was easy to guess。
Cascade
，
Wonderful bookThoroughly enjoyed reading this book I enjoy reading all of Dorothy Cannells book。 I recommend this book for others to read。
Paulette
，
A young girl goes into service in a quiet， stable， old fashioned country home。 She interests and concerns， her promise to care for the young orphaned grandson of the family， develop into a great story。 Crossing into other lives but always maintaining the honesty and love for her "family"。 A young girl goes into service in a quiet， stable， old fashioned country home。 She interests and concerns， her promise to care for the young orphaned grandson of the family， develop into a great story。 Crossing into other lives but always maintaining the honesty and love for her "family"。 。。。more
Tiffany E-P
，
Want to like this series because I enjoyed her Ellie Haskell series。 But very plodding
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Murder at Mullings
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Murder at Mullings&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Murder at Mullings&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0