maggiemay's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
channey's review
4.0
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.
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.
hlandes1's review
3.0
This was an okay read. It went slowly for me. I loved the English setting, the upstairs/downstairs dynamics, the development of some characters. It just didn't flow as well as I think it could - lots of characters to keep track of and some went underdeveloped.
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