Book Tour: Murder at the Homecoming (2026) by Merryn Allingham (Flora Steele Mystery #13)

It’s my stop today on Murder at the Homecoming by Merryn Allingham Books on Tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy of Bookouture for the invite, and for NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book. My blog has somehow been slipped out of the poster - a technical glitch, I'm sure - but I'm doing the stop as I have promised, anyway. So, here it is... 📚 About the Book

Amidst the smell of sherry trifle and the sound of lively music, the guests raise their glasses. But as a loud scream interrupts the toast, amateur detectives Flora and Jack Carrington learn that not everyone is in the party spirit… Sussex, 1960: Flora and Jack are delighted to be invited to the welcome party for Ambrose Finch’s long-lost son, finally back home after disappearing ten years ago. They’re eager to meet the young man they’ve heard so much about – and perhaps learn why he left in the first place… But when Ambrose’s maid goes to fetch the cake from the kitchen, her screams interrupt his big toast. Flora and Jack are horrified to find the cook hired for the occasion lying unmoving on the flagstone floor. The sickly-sweet smell of cyanide is their only clue, but the poor cook had no enemies. There are plenty at the party who do, though: Ambrose’s new secretary, Robin – at war with his former employer, a fellow guest – and his business rival, Chester, whose appearance at the party is suspicious in itself. Ambrose seems to have drafted the guest list to cause maximum conflict. But why? the poison intended for someone else? Flora and Jack can’t resist investigating, in an afterparty they never saw coming… And when another of Ambrose’s employees is found dead, they must work out why all roads lead back to the Finch family. But can they uncover whose past sins have come home to roost, before it’s too late? An utterly charming and completely page-turning cozy mystery novel filled with brilliant twists. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and J.R. Ellis.

📚 My Thoughts Here we are, returning to the beloved village of Abbeymead in the 1960s of Sussex, and to Flora and Jack Carrington, now in their fifth year of marriage bliss. As usual, the story picked up where we left in the previous book. The School House, which Jack had been keen on buying, but Flora was still reluctant to move on, becomes the current crime scene. One of the last events of the last book had been Ambrose Finch's delightful moment when a detective he hired had been successfully located the prodigal son, Lucas Finch, who left his father's house ten years ago. It was his homecoming celebration which becomes the opening of this book. Lucas Finch had been staying in Rome, Italy, when the detective (his name is Gotobed - what a name!) found him. Almost every one in Abbeymead are invited to the homecoming party, including Flora and Jack. However, the merry occasion soon become a grim one, when the hired cook (Alice Jenner's friend) suddenly collapsed - dead, after accidentally drinking a poisoned amaretto, served for the guests. Who was it intended to be? And what was the motive? Suspects are aplenty in this case, since Ambrose Finch had actually invited several - let's say people who'd had grudges to either himself and Robin Armitage, his secretary. There was a sort of reconciliation dinner preceding the party, which was intended to enable all the previous 'enemies' to bury their hatchets. Has one of them been attending the party while planning to commit a murder? While Inspector Ridley is busy investigating another murder of a more influential personage, the poisoning of a hired cook is threatening to be sidetracked. But the cook was Alice Jenner's best friend, and her murder needs to be solved. That's why, despite her usual disapproval against Flora and Jack's sleuthing activities, Alice asked Jack to investigate. The same request comes from Robin Armitage's fiancée, who believes that the poison had been intended for him. This time I suspected something fishy right from the start, and guessed the murderer so easily around the middle of the story. I was surprised that Flora and Jack haven't thought about it long before. The signs are flying everywhere waiting to be noticed, but both are ignoring them all the time, and focusing their mind on (too) many conjectures, instead. With Jack's profession as crime writer, and Flora's fondness of detective stories, I would have thought they'd be sharper in their deduction. This had, after all, been their thirteenth sleuthing adventure! What I loved about this series, is Charlie Teague's continuing character development. He's still helping Flora delivering books around, riding Betty (Flora's old beloved bicycle), when he's not very busy in The Priory's kitchen as cook helper. He's been even attending a patisserie course in London, after which he would be in the path of being a pastry chef. Well done, Charlie! But in this case, in particular, I loved how Charlie was made a hero after averting a dangerous scheme against his beloved Mr. and Mrs. C. To be honest, I have been expecting Charlie to be the Albert in Agatha Chirstie's Tommy and Tuppence. He's funny and intelligent, and is more down-to-earth than Albert. Well, it's my personal wish anyway. On the contrary, I was more and more annoyed with Alice Jenner. What kind of a friend was it who asked you a favor to do something, and then scolded you of doing it? If I were Flora, I would not befriend someone who wouldn't even try to support what I love to do. But I guess that's easier said than done, especially when one lives in a small village like Abbeymead. All in all, the mystery isn't as exciting as I had hoped, but the side story and character development compensate it. The ending is full of hope for a more exciting future, and we get a hint of where the next murder would be happening! ;) Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 📚 About the Author

Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s. Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband and one last cat, Bluebell. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking. 📚 Social Media & Buying Link Mailing List: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/merryn-allingham Website: https://www.merrynallingham.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/merrynwrites Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8364492.Merryn_Allingham Here's the link to get a copy of this book: Amazon: https://geni.us/B0FP2K5DL6social

And be sure to check out other stops on the tour to see what others thought. Happy reading!

Book Tour: Murder at Cleve College by Merryn Allingham (Flora Steele Mystery #9)

It’s my stop today on Murder at Cleve College by Merryn Allingham Books on Tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy of Bookouture for the invite, and for NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book.

📚 About the book

Bookshop owner Flora Steele and writer Jack Carrington fell in love solving mysteries. Now they’re taking their first steps as husband and wife… straight into their most perplexing case yet.

Sussex, 1958: A radiant Flora is being twirled across the dancefloor by her dashing new husband, Jack. It’s the perfect wedding in Abbeymead, until a mysterious stranger is found dead just outside the village.

But when Flora finds an envelope tucked into the man’s silver cigarette case, the address is key to discovering the poor chap’s name – Russell Farr. He isn’t known to any of the villagers, so at first all signs point to a tragic accident. That is, until they discover Farr previously worked at the esteemed Cleve College, where Jack is now a writer-in-residence.

The college has made Jack feel uneasy ever since he learned his predecessor drowned in its lake, and now it appears a second suspicious death is connected to it. But who would want two mild-mannered academics dead?

Could it be Jocelyn, the ambitious young teacher with her sights set on the top? Joe, the sly porter living beyond his means? Or perhaps Maurice, the college dean who seems far more interested in power than educating students?

Just when it looks like no amount of studying will crack this case, a chance encounter brings Flora closer to the truth. But when Jack goes missing, it seems someone is determined to teach them both a lesson.

Can Flora and Jack outwit the killer before they graduate to becoming the next victims? Or will their first case as husband and wife be their last?

An absolutely page-turning cosy mystery, packed with unforgettable characters and sensational twists! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis.

📚 My thoughts

💙 Flora Steele and Jack Carrington are involved in another murder case, only days before their wedding! Murder at Cleve College begins where we left off the end of previous book: The Library Murders. The preparation of their wedding is on the way, and everyone is on their edges. During the wedding rehearsal at the church, Jack saw a man - a stranger - hesitantly loitering about, but he thought nothing of it. There are more important stuffs on hand than a confused stranger. Few days later Jack and Flora found a corpse of the same man in the ditch, just days before the wedding!

💙 Jack begins his new career at Cleve College not without a little apprehension. Not about his students, but things that had been happening there. First of all, Joe the porter seems to always spying on him. Then, the fellow whom Jack is replacing turned out to be drown in the lake near the college last year. Everything Flora and Jack find out ever since they found the corpse, seems to be related to either Cleve College or an orphanage, now closed, whose headmaster had fallen from its balcony and died years ago. Are they - the accidents - mere accidents? Are Flora and Jack's suspicion baseless?

💙 I loved everything about this book! To me Murder at Cleve College is the best from the series so far. I was hooked even from the first paragraph! The prologue is my favorite, it instantly brought you straight to the moment before a murder took place. After that it's switched to Flora and Jack, to Abbeymead, to everyday life. But only a fleeting moment later, another murder case faced the newlywed couple. I love this structure. Many cozy mysteries these days get to be too cozy, they seem to focus more on the sleuth's personal life than to the murder investigation.

💙 After the first murder, slowly but steadily, Flora and Jack found new facts - bits and pieces - that brought them closer to the truth, the secret dark past. It's an entertaining story packed with action, surprise, and twist, but with a charming touch of the 1950 vibes of English small village of Abbeymead. A delightful read from start to finish.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2


📚 Author Bio

Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.

Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.

Website: https://merrynallingham.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/merrynwrites

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Merryn Allingham here:  https://www.bookouture.com/merryn-allingham


📚 Buying links

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CW1J7W8Jsocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you'll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo


Be sure to check out other stops on the tour to see what others thought. Happy reading!

Book Tour: The Library Murders by Merryn Allingham (Flora Steele Mystery #8)

It’s my stop today on The Library Murders by Merryn Allingham Books on Tour. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy of Bookouture for the invite, and for NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book.

📚 About the Book:

Bookshop owner and amateur detective Flora Steele and her fiancé, crime writer Jack Carrington, discover words can kill as they solve their most puzzling case yet…

It’s a sunny morning in Abbeymead as Flora cycles through the village and knocks on the door of the local library, planning to deliver a gift to librarian Maud Frobisher to mark her retirement. But Flora is shocked when she finds Maud slumped in the corner, and even more startled when she recognises the man holding the murder weapon – an enormous hardback book.

Flora’s known Lowell Gracey since her college days, but what is he doing working for Maud and now the main suspect in her murder? Suspicion mounts when Flora and Jack discover that Lowell is heavily in debt, and that a priceless rare first edition has recently gone missing, but Lowell is adamant that he’s innocent, and Flora believes him.

The pair are once more drawn into an investigation, but who would kill a beloved librarian?Perhaps Rose Lawson, a mysterious newcomer to Abbeymead known to be in dire financial straits? Or pompous bestselling author Felix Wingrave, who rumours say would do anything to get his hands on a valuable book for his collection?

Then the village is rocked by the discovery of a second body. Flora and Jack realise a vital clue lies in the pages of a novel – but the plot is thickening and the killer is closing in…

Flora and Jack are determined to solve this fiendish case by the book – but will this be the end of their story?

A completely page-turning and addictive cozy crime mystery. Fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis will adore this unputdownable series!

📚 My thoughts:

It's good to see that the 8th book in this bookish-themed series brings us back to the charming Abbeymead village, meeting our beloved amateur-sleuth couple: Flora Steele and Jack Carrington. And this is probably the most bookish crime fiction I've ever read. Everything surrounding the mystery is about books. The victim is a librarian. The weapon is a hardcopy of Lord of the Rings (imagine how thick and heavy it is), smashed to the victim's head. The killer's motive isn't far away from literary world. And even the key clue to solve the mystery is in, or part of, a book!

The murders (yes, there's a second murder - also quite bookish) happens during a crime-writer conference which is held in Abbeymead. Jack is co-hosting, while Flora caters a bookshop stall for the participants. So, of course, beside the recurring characters (which are Flora and Jack's friends or neighbors), all the suspects are mainly literary people. And this bookish aspect makes this book very satisfying for book lovers.

Needless to say, I loved almost everything about this book. Flora and Jack's dynamic relationship after they're engaged added a sweet touch to the story, and the plot itself is cleverly woven. One thing which is a bit off to me is the denouement. While the second murder is wrapped up neatly, the first one isn't very clear. I wished to know more about it. But other than that, it is a perfect getaway book if you love books (who doesn't? 😉), picturesque village in the 1950s, loveable characters, splashed with a touch of romance and sprinkled with witty dialogs. 

📚 About the Author:

Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.

Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.

📚 Social Media links:

Website: https://merrynallingham.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/merrynwrites

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Merryn Allingham here:  https://www.bookouture.com/merryn-allingham

📚 Purchase Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0CLRWF1ZXsocial

Be sure to check out other stops on the tour to see what others thought. Happy reading!