Death at Thorburn Hall – the Sixth Drew Farthering Mystery

Drew Farthering and his beautiful bride head out to Scotland with his right-hand man, Nick Dennison, and Nick's beloved, Carrie Holland to enjoy the 1935 British Open (which, for those who don't know, is a golf tournament that's been around, like, forever...). The last thing any of them want or expect is to become involved in yet another murder mystery - particularly after the not-so-long-ago loss of Carrie's family to such horrific circumstances. Plus, Drew is looking forward to getting to know his relatives a bit more, and Nick is hoping to finally have the chance (and the courage) to pop the question! But, of course, this is a mystery series after all, so it is only a matter of time before a dead body turns up ... then another one ... and then yet one more ...

Death at Thorburn Hall is Julianna Deering's sixth installment in the Drew Farthering mystery series, and I hope it is not the last! I have thoroughly enjoyed these mysteries, with their Christian views, engaging characters, and challenging mysteries. I have had loved reading as Drew's romance with Madeline eventually blossomed into true love and marriage, and how Drew and Nick's friendship has evolved and grown stronger, to the point where Nick has become to Drew what Watson was to Holmes.  I will admit, the character of Carrie Holland is probably the weakest point for the series, but in this book, as she faces another murderous household (and so soon after the death of her own family under similar circumstances!), I could almost feel some sympathy for the poor girl.  And poor Nick, he is torn between his loyalty to Drew and desire to solve the crimes and his wanting to protect the woman he loves.

The mystery is one filled with plenty of twists and turns. The Farthering's host, Lord Rainsby, asks Drew upon his arrival to keep an eye on his business partner, who Rainsby believes is acting suspicious.  No sooner does he share his suspicions with Drew than the next day, he winds up dead from an apparent riding accident. Only, it wasn't an accident. Drew discovers that the saddle was tampered with, and when the police are reluctant to believe it was anything more than an accident, Drew feels compelled to uncover the truth. The suspects are numerous - his business partner, who seems to be way too supporting of Hitler's antics in Germany; one of his houseguests,, who is not who he appears to be and is helping himself to valuables from around the house; the mysterious young woman who has been seen having clandestine meetings with Rainsby's business partner as well as the ne'er-do-well boyfriend of Rainsby's daughter; or quite possibly Lady Rainsby herself, who gets arrested when it is revealed that Rainsby was about to change his well, leaving his wife absolutely nothing!  Rainsby's young daughter, Joan, is so distraught, she begs Drew to find out the truth - but the more Drew, Nick, and Madeline look into things, the more complicated it becomes!

Deering weaves a very wicked tale of deceit and treachery and, quite frankly, pure evil, with a mix of Nazis and undercover agents to keep the reader guessing up until the very end. Normally, I am able to figure out the culprit pretty early on in these stories, but even I have to admit that this one had me stumped. When the killer's identity was revealed, well, it definitely came as a shock - not at all the person I was suspecting. The climax to this mystery provides some very surprising twists, including a major one involving Drew's own mother, for whom he has been searching ever since he discovered the truth about her.  (I just hope that the resolution of that story thread does not signal the end of this series, as I have not seen any further books in this series solicited on Amazon or anywhere else, for that matter!)

This is definitely a series I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery.

RATING:  10 highly valuable silver place settings out of 10 for murder, mayhem, and madness, with a lot of misdirection and mirth to keep the story from being overly dark!

Murder on the Moor – the Fifth Drew Farthering Mystery

Drew Farthering Mysteries
Murder on the Moor
Publisher - Bethany House
Publication Date (January 2017)
ISBN 10 - 076421828X
ISBN 13 - 978-0764218286
319 pages of story

It's always fun to return to merry ol' England with Drew Fartherington and his American bride, Madeline. With Julianna Deering's books, it's always a guaranteed good mystery with some really intriguing characters, a bit of danger, and a nice little twist at the end. And in this one, Deering (or, DeAnna Julie Dodson as she is known in real life - never have figured out why these authors bother with pen names, if their bio in the back is going to reveal their true name anyway) adds in some wonderful Gothic elements and Sherlockian lore that adds to the mystique of the story.

Murder on the Moor takes Mr. and Mrs. Fartherington to the Yorkshire moors to help an old school friend of Drew's. It seems 'Beaky' Bloodworth is having difficulty with the large estate that he inherited. His new bride, Sabrina, claims to be hearing strange sounds coming from the closed-off wing . . . and she can't explain the feeling she gets that someone is following her when she is out on the moor. Readers will definitely get the Sherlock Holmes feel, with the foggy moor, the strange animal footprints, the one-too-many suspects. Of course, the more important reason Drew has been called to the small town of Bunting's Nest is to solve the murder of the town vicar. Everyone loved him, he only did good for the community; yet, someone took a large stone and bashed in his head on the front steps of his church. And, as with any good mystery, one murder is not enough. Not long after the Fartheringtons arrive, there is a second murder, this one much closer to home for Beaky and his wife.

It's off to the races as Drew and Madeline try to figure out who did it, why he or she did it, and exactly how that person is getting away with it. Is Sabrina trying to hide something from her past? Or is the Bloodworths' neighbor seeking a way out of a loveless marriage? Or is it the poacher out on the moor, who seems to avoid any conviction for the poaching he does? And what about the Bloodworth's former chauffeur, who, after serving in the military, has been locked away in a psychiatric hospital for years? Then, of course, there's the devilishly handsome gameskeeper, who seems to attract the attention of the ladies. Everywhere Drew and Madeline turn, there is another suspect.

A Gothic mansion with ghostly sounds. An isolated English countryside with swirling mists and a wild dog on the loose.  A timid landowner with a beautiful wife far out of his league. A roguish gameskeeper.  The blind daughter of the local poacher.  The bitter feud with the neighbor.  So many great elements to this mystery, that even though there is a bit of a slow start, once it gets going, it's difficult to put down. Without a doubt, this is the best Drew Fartherington mystery to date. And after finishing this book, one thing I realized I love about this series is that the title character actually has a happy, stable relationship! It seems most detective series, the main character either is divorced, or can't maintain a steady relationship for one reason or another - there is always drama. But for the Fartheringtons, their marriage is not only strong, but they actually work well together in solving the crimes!

Can't wait to see what Deering (Dodson) has in store for the next book!

RATING:  10 clouds of lavender wool out of 10 for honoring the mysteries of times past, and keeping it clean, fresh, and engaging.

Dressed for Death – the Fourth Drew Farthering Mystery

Sometimes life throws us some unexpected surprises.  I read the first three Drew Farthering mysteries a few years back, and they were very enjoyable Christian-based murder mysteries set in England.  After finishing the third book, it appeared that the series was merely a trilogy, as the third book ended with the protagonists, Drew Farthering and Madeline Parker, getting married and settling down at Farthering’s estate.  I gave it no more thought until a few months back, while browsing on Amazon, I stumbled across not one, not two, but THREE more titles in the series that I apparently missed.  The fourth and fifth books were already published, and the sixth book was soon to be out.  Without hesitation, I ordered books four and five.

Dressed for Death, the fourth book, is set six months after Drew and Madeline’s marriage.  The two of them, along with Drew’s house manager Nick and Madeline’s best friend from the States, Carrie Holland, and her younger brother William, head off to the great Winteroak House to enjoy the weeklong festivities in a Regency-era setting.  Drew and Nick are old friends with the hosts son, Talbot Cummins, and they are excited to learn he is engaged to be married.  His fiancé, Alice, however, seems a bit off, but everyone puts it down as pre-wedding jitters.

Until she turns up dead of  an apparent cocaine overdose.

Author Julianna Deering (which, it turns out, is merely a pseudonym for DeAnna Julie Dodson – have yet to figure out why these authors choose to continue using pen names, when their real identity is revealed in the short bio at the back of the book…) is without a doubt a master storyteller when it comes to telling a good mystery. There is more than one murder, and while the clues are anything but obvious, I honestly believed I had figured out one of the people involved – in fact, I was so sure, I was patting myself on the back for figuring it out so early in the story, and asking myself why Deering made it so obvious, when the prior books had not been quite so easy to figure out.  Then, in Chapter 18, when the killer is revealed, my jaw dropped.  I couldn’t have been farther from the truth!  I had not seen this one coming at all – Deering surprised the heck out of me, but once revealed, it all sort of fell into place and made sense.  Not many mysteries these days give me this much of a surprise, so I give Deering (a/k/a Dobson) my highest esteem for misleading the reader with subtle clues that take you in one direction, only to pull the rug out at the end.  Red herrings at their finest, indeed!

The characters are relatable and likable, and it was so easy to find myself sharing the emotions of the characters when Alice is killed – and later, when a second body turns up – and later still, when a third body is discovered.  The pain and heartache of losing someone you love, and the guilt of feeling like there was something you could have, should have, done that would have prevented it from happening.  The sense of loss and despondency, the feeling and frustration of feeling useless and totally incapable of doing anything…Deering more than pulls on the readers’ heartstrings with this story, but it’s well worth the read.  She gets her readers completely invested in all of the characters, so much so, that when a death occurs, it hurts you - - and when the killer is revealed, it fully shocks you.

And, this being a Christian based mystery, it is clean reading (no cursing, no graphic violence or sex). In addition, while it doesn’t beat you over the head with Christian beliefs or the evil of sin, it does provide some comforting truths that definitely struck a chord with me.

When trying to cope with a recent death, Drew is beside himself with guilt, so Madeline, one page 234, reminds him that “Our times are in God’s hands, and if it’s my time or yours or anyone else’s, there’s nothing you can do to change that.  All you can do is keep on doing whatever it is He’s given you to do for the time you’re given to do it.”

Later, near the end, when Drew, Madeline, and their friends are preparing to leave, Drew is given some very sage advice on page 303: “Don’t let anyone despise the gifts you’ve been given, and don’t you do so, either.  They may not fit anyone else’s idea of a calling, but the world has all sorts of needs, and God has provided for each of them to be filled if we all do our part.  It would be a shame if your part were left undone.”

Well said, Deering.  Well said.

RATING:  10 cat collars with bells on them out of 10 for showing that Christianity and murder/mystery fiction are not necessarily mutually exclusive things.