Murder at the Abbey (The Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries Book 8)
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- Create Date：2021-11-14 10:19:07
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Frances Evesham
- ISBN：B08YJ9KD18
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Reviews
Philip R Feltham
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Latest in this seriesThis latest addition to HS series had me from the first chapter。 The characters are very real， and varied The story flowed， and I loved th history in this book。 Looking forward to more！！
Alyson Read
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Most of the regulars from the previous seven stories are here and will be familiar to followers of this series。 There’s Libby Forest and Max Ramshore， a former financial advisor， now married for six months and who comprise the Ramshore and Forest Private Investigation agency。 Libby is also a baker and chocolate maker。 Libby’s best friend Angela is now running the café， Crusts and Crumbs， attached to a new bakery in extended premises bought by her boyfriend Owen， and Libby and her assistant Mandy Most of the regulars from the previous seven stories are here and will be familiar to followers of this series。 There’s Libby Forest and Max Ramshore， a former financial advisor， now married for six months and who comprise the Ramshore and Forest Private Investigation agency。 Libby is also a baker and chocolate maker。 Libby’s best friend Angela is now running the café， Crusts and Crumbs， attached to a new bakery in extended premises bought by her boyfriend Owen， and Libby and her assistant Mandy are performing culinary miracles in the kitchen at the back。 Mandy is now living in Hope Cottage， the home Libby bought when she first moved from London to the seaside town of Exham-on-Sea in Somerset and Mandy’s boyfriend is musician Steve， Angela’s nephew。 Libby and Angela are regulars at the Exham History Society， lucky to have amongst their number Quentin Dobson from the Watchet museum， Dr Archie Phillips， librarian at Wells Cathedral and retired school teacher Jemima Bakewell。 Max and Libby have already been through some pretty hairy adventures together， especially when called upon by DCI Morrison who pays them a small retainer to help with local cases from time to time。 The History Society’s picnic to local twelfth century Cleeve Abbey turns out to be an exciting one when bones are found in the river。 Thanks to the help of Charlie and Rory from Bristol University， it turns out that they belong to a sixteenth century monk， and tests show he was likely murdered。 At the next meeting， they are joined by local farmer Tom Reeves with his hatred of ex-con and fraudster Chesterton Wendlebury who is now trying to build a housing estate on his family’s ancestral land， Tom’s timid wife Winifred and her sister， the tv paranormal scientist， Rosalind Barnstaple who has gained permission to hold a ghost hunt at the abbey and invites some of the members to come along。 But when one of the group is attacked at the night-time vigil， it certainly wasn’t by a ghost！ DCI Morrison asks Libby and Max for help and once again， the pair find themselves doing more than tracing kidnapped pets。 Is there a connection between a murder and an attempted murder centuries apart？ Did the victims know more than was good for them？ And is anyone else in danger？Once again， this is a very engaging cosy mystery with lots of twists and red herrings， perfect for any reader。 The story features a whole cast of well-drawn and distinctive characters， some a little eccentric and all very likeable， especially Bear and Shipley with his special precious talent， set in a seaside town where gossip abounds but there is still enough crime to keep Libby and Max in business！ I thoroughly enjoyed it！ 5* 。。。more
Amanda
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It was only fairly recently that I discovered how good Frances’ books are。 I haven’t quite caught up with everything that she has written but I am gradually getting there。 ‘Murder At The Abbey’ is the eight book in the ‘Exham-on-Sea’ mystery series。 It’s another cracker of a read， which I thoroughly enjoyed reading but more about that in a bit。I was drawn into this story from the very first word of the synopsis。 Within a short space of time， I knew that I was going to become addicted to reading It was only fairly recently that I discovered how good Frances’ books are。 I haven’t quite caught up with everything that she has written but I am gradually getting there。 ‘Murder At The Abbey’ is the eight book in the ‘Exham-on-Sea’ mystery series。 It’s another cracker of a read， which I thoroughly enjoyed reading but more about that in a bit。I was drawn into this story from the very first word of the synopsis。 Within a short space of time， I knew that I was going to become addicted to reading ‘Murder At The Abbey’ and that it would be pointless to plan on doing anything else for the rest of the afternoon。 I was spot on too。 I picked the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters to fill in a spare half hour but I became so wrapped up in the story that I lost all track of time and also lost track of just how quickly I was getting through the story。 The first time I looked up to check on my reading progress， I was staggered to realise that I had read over a third of the book in one go。 It didn’t take me long to get through the rest of the story。 I found ‘Murder At The Abbey’ to be a gripping read， which certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat。‘Murder At The Abbey’ is well written。 The author has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with。 For me， the story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly steady pace throughout。 I love the way in which Frances describes her characters and it’s clear to see that she cares about the characters she uses。 I wouldn’t say that this is a particularly scary or gruesome story but there was a fair bit of tense drama within the story and there were also lots of twists and turns to the tale。 I loved the way in which Frances makes the reader feel part of the story and at the heart of all of the action。In short， I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Murder At The Abbey’ and I would recommend it to other readers。 I will certainly be reading more from this author in the future。 The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*。 。。。more
Annarella
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Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries is one of my favorite series when I want to travel to Somerset， visit lovely places and read about mouthwatering food。I had a lot of fun in reading this compelling and entertaining cosy mystery as it's full of twists， red herrings and possible suspects。It's always a pleasure to catch with Libby， Max and the people of Exham。 They're well written and likeable characters。I always fell in love with the descriptions of Somerset， one of my favorite place in the world， and Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries is one of my favorite series when I want to travel to Somerset， visit lovely places and read about mouthwatering food。I had a lot of fun in reading this compelling and entertaining cosy mystery as it's full of twists， red herrings and possible suspects。It's always a pleasure to catch with Libby， Max and the people of Exham。 They're well written and likeable characters。I always fell in love with the descriptions of Somerset， one of my favorite place in the world， and I learned something new about it's history。The mystery kept me guessing and the solution came as a surprise。Even if it's the 8th in a series it can be read as a standalone because there are references to back cases but they aren't relevant to the solution of the mystery。A good story that I strongly recommend。Many thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Laura
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In “Murder at the Abbey” by Frances Evesham， we re-join the inhabitants of a not-so-sleepy seaside town for the eighth book in the Exham-On-Sea Murder Mysteries; set in the author’s home county of Somerset。 Max and Libby， the two halves of Ramshore and Forest， Private Investigators， are settling into married life together。 Libby also works at the Crusts and Crumbs Café， as Innovation and Development Consultant， and master of all things chocolate and cake。 Both are members of the local History So In “Murder at the Abbey” by Frances Evesham， we re-join the inhabitants of a not-so-sleepy seaside town for the eighth book in the Exham-On-Sea Murder Mysteries; set in the author’s home county of Somerset。 Max and Libby， the two halves of Ramshore and Forest， Private Investigators， are settling into married life together。 Libby also works at the Crusts and Crumbs Café， as Innovation and Development Consultant， and master of all things chocolate and cake。 Both are members of the local History Society （Libby an enthusiastic member， Max less so…）， and the book begins with the group making the most of a glorious English summer’s day on an outing to nearby Cleeve Abbey。 Things take an exciting turn when fellow society member Jemima discovers ancient-looking bones in the river running past the abbey – could these be the remains of one of the abbey’s former monks？ Following the suggestion that the abbey might be haunted， the whole society is keen to investigate further…But what first seems a bit of fun – an overnight vigil at the abbey to try and spot a ghost – has dramatic consequences when one of the group is attacked and left for dead， and the case of the （possibly） murdered monk， although hundreds of years ago， becomes unexpectedly entwined with the present day。 What follows is a great twisty mystery （with plenty of cake！）， taking in attacks， murders and even Henry VIII， which I really enjoyed！ The author does a great job creating a cast of interesting characters （some more likeable than others！）， and I really warmed to the lead characters of Max and Libby。 One of the great things about this mystery was the unlikeliness of the first victim; there are plenty of characters who deserved a knock on the head （！）， but it’s hard to think of a motive for harming Libby’s friend and colleague， the well-liked Mandy。 There were plenty of twists and turns to keep me turning the pages， and I really enjoyed the parallel story of the discovery of the monk’s remains。 I’d recommend this book to all fans of cosy crime novels， as this one really keeps you guessing！ 。。。more
Grace J Reviewerlady
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Another gripping instalment of this top notch series！When the members of the Exham-on-Sea History Society set out for their annual picnic in the grounds of Cleve Abbey， the last thing they expected was to discover human bones – but that’s exactly what happens。 With the suspicion that the bones are historic， an overnight visit to the abbey is organised to find out if it is， indeed， haunted – although not all those present are entirely at ease with the thought of ghosts。 Sometime sleuth Libby Fore Another gripping instalment of this top notch series！When the members of the Exham-on-Sea History Society set out for their annual picnic in the grounds of Cleve Abbey， the last thing they expected was to discover human bones – but that’s exactly what happens。 With the suspicion that the bones are historic， an overnight visit to the abbey is organised to find out if it is， indeed， haunted – although not all those present are entirely at ease with the thought of ghosts。 Sometime sleuth Libby Forest is one such person， and when one of the party is attacked she is both angry and upset and， along with her husband and their two dogs， sets out to get to the bottom of things。 What is the connection with the bones – and who can they trust？Frances Evesham’s books are wonderfully detailed; there is an awful lot going on but it is all carefully plotted and the multiple threads are cleverly entwined。 With a fine cast of characters， it was really difficult to try to sort out what was happening and， more so， to see who could possibly be responsible but， as with all good mysteries， it’s just a matter of following the clues！ This is a smartly composed story， easily combining past and present into a flawless， twisted mystery。 Beautifully written into an easy read， I loved everything about it from beginning to end; my mouth even watered every time cakes were mentioned！ I have no hesitation in recommending this to all lovers of a really good mystery， and happily give all five stars。 。。。more
Holly
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This is the 8th book in Frances Evesham’s Exham-On-Sea series of cozy mysteries and in my humble opinion， I think it is the best so far。 I won’t bore you with a synopsis of the plot， which you can read on Amazon and elsewhere。 Needless to say， it involves murder and an abbey – in this case， Cleeve Abbey which actually exists （at least most of it – Henry VIII destroyed the church but many buildings remain）。 Libby and Max and their dogs Bear and Shipley are once again doing some sleuthing to figur This is the 8th book in Frances Evesham’s Exham-On-Sea series of cozy mysteries and in my humble opinion， I think it is the best so far。 I won’t bore you with a synopsis of the plot， which you can read on Amazon and elsewhere。 Needless to say， it involves murder and an abbey – in this case， Cleeve Abbey which actually exists （at least most of it – Henry VIII destroyed the church but many buildings remain）。 Libby and Max and their dogs Bear and Shipley are once again doing some sleuthing to figure out what happened to the unfortunate soul whose old bones that are found at the abbey， they do some ghost hunting at the abbey， and they try to figure out why a dear friend is attacked for apparently no reason。 There’s more mayhem along the way， and several “outsiders” （not villagers） who play a prominent role in the story。 There are twists and turns， a couple of red herrings， and a satisfactory and logical conclusion。 The story is complete （no cliffhangers although there are continuing threads of the main characters throughout the series） but if you can， read at least the first couple of books in the series to get some backstory on Libby， Max and Mandy， the 3 main characters from the start。 This far into the series， you won’t find a lot of backstory – Ms。 Evesham focuses on the current story – but you’ll be able to enjoy the story even if it’s the first book you read in the series。 What I like about the Exham-On-Sea series is that over time， the author has allowed the characters to grow and change， as they would in real life。 I admit I don’t always like the changes – we humans aren’t exactly known for embracing change – but it keeps the characters real。 Exham-On-Sea comes alive in all of the books， and I wish it were a real place that I could visit。 However， I’ve visited a few similar villages in my several trips to England and I can picture so easily what Exham must look like。 Do yourself a favor – before you start reading this book， look up （Google it as I did） Cleeve Abbey。 Their Web site has wonderful pictures of what remains of the monastery buildings and it will really help you visualize the story， especially the ghost hunting night at the Abbey。 It truly is a well preserved and beautiful site。 Ms。 Evesham has incorporated so many details of the Abbey in her writing of this story， and it brings the story a depth that wouldn’t be there with a fictional setting。As always， Ms。 Evesham writes with a flair but also with efficiency。 The action moves along， the interactions and dialogue among the characters are realistic （no eye rolls here）， and there is humor where appropriate。 Murder At The Abbey has several plots going on at the same time， making it one of the more complex stories in the series。 It’s a fast read because you don’t want to put it down – you want to find out what’s going on！ I did guess correctly one plot， but not all， so it was fun for me to be stumped yet also gratified that I wasn’t completely stumped。Frances Evesham has another series that is only 2 books in， the Ham Hill Murder Mysteries series， and I recommend those as well。 Both these series are quintessentially British and eminently satisfying to read。Full disclosure: The author gifted me a copy of Murder At The Abbey， and I leave this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Janet
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The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society's annual summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in Washford River， beside historic Cleeve Abbey。 Thrilled to find evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery， the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in the ruins of Cleeve Abbey， despite amateur sleuth Libby Forest's reservations。 Libby is a woman of many talents， a baker， chocolatier， even a reluctant sleuth， but she's no fan of the supernatural so her dou The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society's annual summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in Washford River， beside historic Cleeve Abbey。 Thrilled to find evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery， the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in the ruins of Cleeve Abbey， despite amateur sleuth Libby Forest's reservations。 Libby is a woman of many talents， a baker， chocolatier， even a reluctant sleuth， but she's no fan of the supernatural so her doubts are justified when a friend is attacked under cover of darkness at the ghost-hunt。 Distressed and angry， Libby sets out with her new husband Max and their two dogs Bear and Shipley to uncover the connection between the murder of a sixteenth century monk and a present-day attack in picturesque Somerset。This is the eighth book in the series & I’m totally hooked。 I loved that Libby is a mature woman & I love how her relationship with Max has grown & changed throughout the series & they are now married。 Of course I also love Bear & Shipley。 Another well written cosy mystery which I read in a sitting， there are twists & turns plus red herrings & I was kept guessing as to who was guilty but I enjoying guessing whodunit only to be proven wrong！ I look forward to more in the seriesMy honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read 。。。more
Rachel N
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*3。5 Stars！！When newlyweds Libby and Max attend the annual picnic for the History society they expect to have a nice relaxing time with friends and some talk about history of course， but what they don’t expect was to find human bones in the river。 It’s quickly deduced that they most likely came from one of the graves in the nearby abbey。 The now excited History society decide to have an overnight stay at the abbey to see if they can spot any ghosts from the 16th century。 However during the ghost *3。5 Stars！！When newlyweds Libby and Max attend the annual picnic for the History society they expect to have a nice relaxing time with friends and some talk about history of course， but what they don’t expect was to find human bones in the river。 It’s quickly deduced that they most likely came from one of the graves in the nearby abbey。 The now excited History society decide to have an overnight stay at the abbey to see if they can spot any ghosts from the 16th century。 However during the ghost hunt one of their own is attacked and left for dead， soon another murder follows leaving Libby and Max to investigate to see if these events are related to the unknown monk they found。 This book is the 8th book in ‘the Exham-on-sea Murder mysteries’ series but the first one that I’ve read， it does contain some spoilers from the previous books as expected and shows how some of the relationships between some of the other characters was formed but doesn’t go into to much detail so you can still go back and read earlier books in the series without knowing everything that going to happen。 I really enjoyed this book and looking forward to reading the others in this series， really want to see how Libby and Max came to be together as they seem to be a really sweet couple。 What I found that I didn’t like was the reason behind the attacks and killings it felt very juvenile and it was a very longtime to hold a grudge。 Also it seemed to me that Charlie wasn’t punished for her actions which led to the first attack。 *I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for my honest review。* 。。。more
Barbara Rogers
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Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 starsSeries: Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries #8Publication Date: 11/11/21Period: Contemporary Exham On Sea， Somerset， UKNumber of Pages: 262Somerset is enjoying a particularly lovely June with little rain， plenty of sunshine， lovely temperatures， and gorgeous blue skies， which makes a perfect setting for the History Society’s annual picnic which is being held at the ancient Cleeve Abbey this year。 Libby Forest and her new husband Max Ramshore have brought their very energe Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 starsSeries: Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries #8Publication Date: 11/11/21Period: Contemporary Exham On Sea， Somerset， UKNumber of Pages: 262Somerset is enjoying a particularly lovely June with little rain， plenty of sunshine， lovely temperatures， and gorgeous blue skies， which makes a perfect setting for the History Society’s annual picnic which is being held at the ancient Cleeve Abbey this year。 Libby Forest and her new husband Max Ramshore have brought their very energetic dog， Shipley， and are thoroughly enjoying the surroundings and the company。 At least they are until retired， unmarried schoolteacher， Jemima Bakewell finds a bone in the nearby Washford River。 Soon， the attendees unearth a human skull。 Are these ancient bones from the Abbey graveyard or are they more current？When anthropologist Charlie Foxglove and her assistant Rory get involved with dating the bones， and a want-to-be TV ghost hunter personality stages a sleepover ‘event’ at the Abbey， things really begin to heat up。 There is a brutal， near-fatal attack as well as thefts and murder。 What ties them all together？ Is there a relationship between the ancient bones and the current crimes？ Never fear， Libby and Max are on the case。As always， there are lots of other things going on in the story – just as there would be in real life。 We learn more of the backstories of several characters – old and new – and we get fun time with Bear， Shipley， and Fuzzy。 It was interesting to see how the ancient bones and the new crimes were/weren’t connected。 The perpetrator was unexpected and the motives were convoluted and a bit muddled。 I enjoyed the read and can recommend it。I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Scilla
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Libby and Max are now married。 Mandy is still living at Hope Cottage。 Mandy and Steve tell Libby and Max that they will be going to London to live together。 The Historical Society picnic is held at the Abbey， and during the picnic， Jemima finds bones with Archie and Quentin at the river。 The police are called in as well as a professor/anthropologist from Bristol。 The bones are soon determined to be from the time of Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries and the monk was probably murde Libby and Max are now married。 Mandy is still living at Hope Cottage。 Mandy and Steve tell Libby and Max that they will be going to London to live together。 The Historical Society picnic is held at the Abbey， and during the picnic， Jemima finds bones with Archie and Quentin at the river。 The police are called in as well as a professor/anthropologist from Bristol。 The bones are soon determined to be from the time of Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries and the monk was probably murdered。 Later， a group gets permission from the Abbey to have folks spend the night and do a "ghost watch"。 During the watch， Mandy goes out to the gatehouse， and is attacked and knocked out。 She is in a coma and hospitalized for several days， and Libby and Max are helping the police find out who attacked her and whether or not her attack was related to the attack on the monk。 It was a relatively small group at the ghost watch， and no one had a reason to dislike Mandy enough to try to kill her。 A local family is still upset about the purchase of land which had belonged to the abbey by the Wendelbury family， but that had nothing to do with Mandy。 Libby and Max still have their magic touch， and they finally figure out all。 This is a fun read in the Somerset countryside。 。。。more
travelsalongmybookshelf
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Murder At The Abbey - Frances Evesham The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society's summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in the river， beside Cleeve Abbey。 Thrilled to find evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery， the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in the ruins of the Abbey， despite amateur sleuth Libby Forest's reservations。Libby's doubts are justified when a friend is attacked under cover of darkness at the ghost-hunt。 She sets out with Murder At The Abbey - Frances Evesham The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society's summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in the river， beside Cleeve Abbey。 Thrilled to find evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery， the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in the ruins of the Abbey， despite amateur sleuth Libby Forest's reservations。Libby's doubts are justified when a friend is attacked under cover of darkness at the ghost-hunt。 She sets out with her husband Max and their two dogs Bear and Shipley to uncover the connection between the murder of a sixteenth century monk and the present day attack。With friends and neighbours as suspects， Libby and Max close in on the culprit only to find that others are still in danger。 Libby， Max and the dogs are on the case again！ I must say being a Somerset local myself where these books are set， means it makes for a lovely read with all the little local snippets woven in to the story。 And although this is part of a series， it works well as a stand alone read。 There are some real quirky characters in this and there’s a real community feel to it， living in Somerset can feel like a bit of a bubble for sure but I love the fact that in these books it’s vying for the title of murder capital with Midsomer！I have to say I was quite surprised when it is one of the locals that is attacked at the ghost hunt， especially as the suspects seem to consist of locals。 It’s all a bit close to home and Libby and Max have their work cut out for them。 I enjoyed spotting the clues and hunting for a killer with Max and Libby。 I did work it out， with all the puzzle pieces eventually falling in to place but I had fun doing so！This is a gorgeously cosy mystery full of medieval murder， ghost hunts， cake， dogs plus tensions and gossip。 Super for the autumn nights drawing in。 I’m going to hunt down some others in this series， some involve Wells Cathedral which is a stone’s throw from me， so it has just got to be done！✩✩✩✰[AD-PR Product]With loads of thanks to Rachels Random Resources and Boldwood Books for my copy of this e- book and spot on the tour 。。。more
Robin Price
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I remember many years ago the excitement and delight of reading each new Agatha Christie mystery。 Now I have the same excitement and delight every time Frances Evesham has a new book published。 A worthy successor to the Queen of Crime's crown。 Long may she reign。Living in Somerset is a bonus as each new mystery happens in a location not far from my own doorstep。 Frances brings all the beauty of Somerset's countryside and rich history to life to compliment clever plots。 I remember many years ago the excitement and delight of reading each new Agatha Christie mystery。 Now I have the same excitement and delight every time Frances Evesham has a new book published。 A worthy successor to the Queen of Crime's crown。 Long may she reign。Living in Somerset is a bonus as each new mystery happens in a location not far from my own doorstep。 Frances brings all the beauty of Somerset's countryside and rich history to life to compliment clever plots。 。。。more
Michelle Kidwell
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Murder at the Abbeyby Frances EveshamPub Date 11 Nov 2021 | Boldwood Books General Fiction （Adult） | Mystery & ThrillersI am reviewing a copy of Murder at the Abbey through Boldwood Books and NetGalley:The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society's annual summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in Washford River， beside historic Cleeve Abbey。 Excited about finding evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery， the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in Murder at the Abbeyby Frances EveshamPub Date 11 Nov 2021 | Boldwood Books General Fiction （Adult） | Mystery & ThrillersI am reviewing a copy of Murder at the Abbey through Boldwood Books and NetGalley:The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society's annual summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in Washford River， beside historic Cleeve Abbey。 Excited about finding evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery， the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in the ruins of Cleeve Abbey， despite amateur sleuth Libby Forest's reservations。Libby is a woman of many talents， a baker， chocolatier， even a reluctant sleuth， but she's no fan of the supernatural。and her doubts are justified when a friend is attacked under cover of darkness at the ghost-hunt。Libby who is distressed and angry sets out with her new husband Max and their two dogs Bear and Shipley to uncover the connection between the murder of a sixteenth century monk and a present-day attack in picturesque Somerset。Both friends and neighbors are suspects， Libby and Max close in on the culprit only to find that others are still in danger。 There's no time to lose as the sins of the past threaten lives in the community。I give Murder at the Abbey five out of five stars！Happy Reading！ 。。。more
Brenda
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Set in idyllic Somerset， this book is centered around the real Cleeve Abbey in England （which I now want to visit）。 Married couple Libby （baker and chocolatier） and Max （internet sleuth） with their two dogs investigate crimes of the past。。。and present。 Bones are discovered。。。could they be those of a monk or someone else？ Ghastly and ghostly findings abound。My favourite aspect of this book is the atmosphere。。。I enjoy reading books set in the UK， especially involving old manors， cathedrals， abbeys Set in idyllic Somerset， this book is centered around the real Cleeve Abbey in England （which I now want to visit）。 Married couple Libby （baker and chocolatier） and Max （internet sleuth） with their two dogs investigate crimes of the past。。。and present。 Bones are discovered。。。could they be those of a monk or someone else？ Ghastly and ghostly findings abound。My favourite aspect of this book is the atmosphere。。。I enjoy reading books set in the UK， especially involving old manors， cathedrals， abbeys and so on。 The cover is gorgeous！ Descriptions of baking and chocolates are sublime。 Who doesn't love food in books？ And the archaeological slant is interesting。This book is perfect for those who wish a bit of cozy escapism。 It is not very suspenseful but a nice easy read。 Dog people like me adore dog descriptions in books but you needn't be one to appreciate this。My sincere thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this charming book。 I look forward to the next in the series。 。。。more
Katie
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This book never reached the point where I couldn't put it down。 I just wanted to finish so I could move onto another book。 The dialogue seemed stilted to me， more on the formal side and not like I would ever talk to my husband or to a friend。 I think also that had I read the other books， I would have had a better grasp on characters as well。 As it was， I felt like I had just come to the party a little late and didn't know all that I was supposed to know。 This book just fell flat for me and I cou This book never reached the point where I couldn't put it down。 I just wanted to finish so I could move onto another book。 The dialogue seemed stilted to me， more on the formal side and not like I would ever talk to my husband or to a friend。 I think also that had I read the other books， I would have had a better grasp on characters as well。 As it was， I felt like I had just come to the party a little late and didn't know all that I was supposed to know。 This book just fell flat for me and I couldn't bring myself to get excited about it。Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more
T。A。 Seitz
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Nice English murder mystery with an archeological bend。 Libby and Max are on a Historical Society picnic at the remains of an abbey when a friend discovers some bones。 The mystery of the old monks murder leads to a paranormal investigation where another friend is attacked。 It's up to Libby and Max to investigate the attack， the old murder， and subsequently the murder of the local fraud。 Because it's the 8th book in the series， it took time to catch up with the multiple characters and their backg Nice English murder mystery with an archeological bend。 Libby and Max are on a Historical Society picnic at the remains of an abbey when a friend discovers some bones。 The mystery of the old monks murder leads to a paranormal investigation where another friend is attacked。 It's up to Libby and Max to investigate the attack， the old murder， and subsequently the murder of the local fraud。 Because it's the 8th book in the series， it took time to catch up with the multiple characters and their backgrounds， but overall an enjoyable read。 ARC via Net Galley 。。。more
Annette
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This is book eight in this series which I haven’t read any of the previous ones。 I would recommend reading the previous ones in order。 There seems to be a lot of characters in this book which made it hard to keep everyone straight。 I do think reading the previous books in the series would help with that。 It was kind of an easy mystery which I did enjoy。Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy
Christine
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Finding old bones near a cemetery sets Libby and Max on a quest to determine if they are bones from one of the monks from long ago。 When quirky ghosthunter Rosalind Barnstable proposes the historical society members stake out the abbey to look for ghosts， Libby wants to say no， but her curiosity gets the better of her。 When someone attacks Libby's good friend Mandy and leaves her seriously injured， Libby knows no ghost committed the crime。 Old bones， historic feuds and simmering university polit Finding old bones near a cemetery sets Libby and Max on a quest to determine if they are bones from one of the monks from long ago。 When quirky ghosthunter Rosalind Barnstable proposes the historical society members stake out the abbey to look for ghosts， Libby wants to say no， but her curiosity gets the better of her。 When someone attacks Libby's good friend Mandy and leaves her seriously injured， Libby knows no ghost committed the crime。 Old bones， historic feuds and simmering university politics makes this a fascinating mystery。 。。。more
Ashleigh Stevens
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When human bones are discovered in the river， Libby and the rest of the historical society are excited to learn they most likely belonged to a 16th century monk from the nearby abbey。 They organize on overnight ghost hunt， which results in the attack of a friend。 Now， Libby and Max must try to identify the culprit before someone else is injured。Although this is the eighth book in the series， it is the first one I have read。 The story contains a lot of background information， most of which felt a When human bones are discovered in the river， Libby and the rest of the historical society are excited to learn they most likely belonged to a 16th century monk from the nearby abbey。 They organize on overnight ghost hunt， which results in the attack of a friend。 Now， Libby and Max must try to identify the culprit before someone else is injured。Although this is the eighth book in the series， it is the first one I have read。 The story contains a lot of background information， most of which felt as if it were from earlier stories， that continues through most of the book。 Much of it felt irrelevant to the story， both while I was reading it and even by the end of the book。 Some of the information is repeated multiple times during the first few times and was information I would have rather seen than be told upfront。 Some of it was also introduced at awkward times， distracting from the flow of the story。 Even many chapters into the book， it was still telling me about previous mysteries that did not feel like they related to the current story。 For the information that was relevant to the story， it never felt as if it were introduced in the right place。Similarly， the dialogue felt unnatural， as if the character was giving information for the reader's benefit， not as if they were speaking to someone they knew， especially Max and Libby， who are married。 I was about 2/3 of the way through the book before the book finally hooked me。 I never reached the "I can't put this down" stage。 As for the mystery itself， I wasn't really thrilled with the motive because， if I understood it correctly， it was over 500 years old。 It felt like a very long time to hold such a grudge。However， I did enjoy the characters and may try to go back to the first books in the series to see how they all met。 Overall， I would rate this three quills and place it on my bottom shelf。 。。。more
Jan
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Libby Forest （baker， chocolatier） and her second husband Max Ramshore （professional internet sleuth） are up to their necks in the latest weirdness。 The publisher's blurb gives a great intro so no need to repeat， and spoilers are just wrongGood sleuthing and interesting （and some really strange） characters backed up by some lovely dogs。 I enjoyed this mystery very much and it was perfect for an afternoon of escapism！It's part of a series that I like very much， but I do think any of them （especial Libby Forest （baker， chocolatier） and her second husband Max Ramshore （professional internet sleuth） are up to their necks in the latest weirdness。 The publisher's blurb gives a great intro so no need to repeat， and spoilers are just wrongGood sleuthing and interesting （and some really strange） characters backed up by some lovely dogs。 I enjoyed this mystery very much and it was perfect for an afternoon of escapism！It's part of a series that I like very much， but I do think any of them （especially this one） could stand alone。I requested and received a free ebook from Boldwood Books via NetGalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more
Karren Hodgkins
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