The Question of the Wedding Pearls

Gravesyde Priory Mysteries #4

by Patricia Rice

Will death ruin the perfect wedding?

Bestselling author Patricia Rice brings you another haunting country house mystery in Regency England. . .Spinster and secret novelist Clarissa Knightley and her gruff American engineer, Captain Huntley, along with their friend and cousin, the Honorable Jack de Sackville and Lady Elspeth, are to wed at last! In anticipation of the double wedding, friends and family are gathering at moldering Wycliffe Manor—until a dying stranger is discovered on the neglected grounds.

Despite the tragedy, aristocratic wedding guests, and their retinues, foreign and domestic, continue to arrive, not all by invitation. Compounding the bedlam, tales of missing pearls and ghostly encounters precede a second alarming death. Fearing that a killer lurks inside the manor walls, Clare and Hunt are swept up in a whirlwind of secret bigotries, deceit, and increasing peril. Before their family’s joyful plans veer into heartbreak, can they put an end to mayhem and catch a killer?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Romance, Cozy Mystery

291 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 11, 2024

About the author

With several million books in print and New York Times and USA Today's bestseller lists under her belt, former CPA Patricia Rice writes emotionally-charged contemporary and historical romances which have won numerous awards, including the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice and Career Achievement Awards.

Her books have also been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA® finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories.

A firm believer in happily-ever-after for good reason, Patricia Rice is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children. A native of Kentucky and New York, a past resident of North Carolina and Missouri, she currently resides in Southern California, and now does accounting only for herself.

She also writes under the pen name Jamie Quaid

Reviews

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clare, Hunt, Elsa, Jack, Lavender, Henri, Patience and many more are heirs to the Earl of Wycliffe’s estate. The man left his estate and wealth to the women in his family Some of the women are nobility and wealthy. Some of them are not. Everyone has come to Wycliffe Manor for new beginnings. The family relationships are both close and quite distant.

There are rumors of treasure. The clues to the possible treasure are hidden. Some in paintings and some in books. The family and the estate all need any treasure they can get. The manor has been empty and ignored for years. It needs wiring for electricity, plumbing improvements, in fact, the needed repairs are many. And all of them are expensive.

Hunt is an American military officer with an eye patch and a bad hip. Clare is guardian for her nephew and she secretly writes Gothic novels. Henri is an inn keeper, a peddler and he can find bargains for every need. Elsa is an extraordinary chef. Jack is a former officer who raises horses. Patience is a gardener. Everyone who has come to join the family contributes to the well being of all. This family is a creation from the ground up. This created family illustrates that blood can be thicker than water. Because generally, all are welcomed into the fold.

The manor house is bursting with guests. There iwill be a wedding and guests have come from near and far. Most of them brought their personal servants. There appears to be strangers in the house down every corridor and around every corner

Now a young man has been discovered near death. By the time he can be closely examined, he dies. No one knows who he is or why anyone would murder him. He was definitely murdered.

Then the secretary of one of the distant noble relatives is found dead at the foot of some stairs. He was pushed.

This is the 4th book in a series. The story works as a stand alone read, but I suggest that it is much more fun if you are familiar with the earlier books. These are entertaining reads.

The plot is interesting and well done. There are enough suggested villains and possible evil doers to keep the mystery moving right along. Finding a murderer takes precedence over wedding plans and hunting treasure.

In this book, there are a great number of characters. And that brought me to a 4 star rating. I have read and enjoyed all the 3 earlier books in the series. There have been many characters and I could keep track of who was who and what they had been doing. This time, there are periods when the number of characters running around seemed to be too much. It broke my concentration. I would have appreciated a little more definition and separation of the fast moving activities involving so many doing so much all at the same time.

But, no matter what, this is a really well done mystery. Ms Rice has created characters who draw the reader into the activity. Those characters have grown as each story moves forward. People reveal themselves and become complete human beings.

I received this book from the author. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

[Barbara Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Gravesyde Priory Mystery #4
Publication Date: 7/11/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 291

I was surprised to look at the title and see this was only the fourth book in the series. Not because it seems to have dragged on, but because so many interesting, exciting, and romantic things have already happened. Have you read the first three books? If not, you should if you want to really be immersed in the dynamic of the story and the relationships between all the characters. The author does very nicely include a section in the front of the book called The History of Wycliffe Manor which spells out a lot of it.

While the tired, worn-down manor isn’t exactly bursting at the seams (yet), there are already more guests and residents than there are staff to serve them or furniture to give them comfort. With two weddings and a valuable book auction in the immediate future, even more guests are expected. What they really didn’t need was two sets of unexpected and uninvited guests. What are they up to? They are all of French ancestry, are they spying now that Napoleon has broken free and is back in France?

Another thing they didn’t need was to discover a murder victim. Such a young man! What was he doing on a trail almost no one knew about – not even the local villagers? Who is he? There is nothing to identify him. How can they investigate if they don’t even have a place to start? When they do finally identify him, it is a shock, and some will dearly mourn his passing. At least they knew the identity of the second victim – yes, there was another murder. The two victims couldn’t possibly be related – except through the murderer. Oh! No! The murderer has to be someone within the Manor because there is no way a stranger could have gotten to the second victim. Hunt and Jack are practically panicking because their main concern is keeping Clare and Elsa safe – and finding the murderer.

While they search for the murderer, there is also the code to decipher, the treasure to find, weddings to plan, and solving the mystery of the pearls. Yes, folks, the manor is a beehive of activity and filled with the most disparate group of individuals you may ever meet. They are all interesting, fun, intelligent, eccentric, and have their own agenda – but they all also fully intend to work together to make the manor their home. I can hardly wait to see what happens next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Question of the Wedding Pearls
Gravesyde Priory #4

Returning to Gravesyde Priory was like going to meet old friends. The characters are definitely people I would like to join as a guest or part of the family.

What I liked:
* Catching up with the characters and couples from previous books in the series
* The excitement of two weddings being planned for Hunt & Clare and Jack & Elsa ~ Will it be a double wedding?
* That romance that is budding between Henri and Patience and the potential for Patience’s brother to find romance, too ~ In fact, there are a LOT of characters that could be main characters in future books
* Wondering if Meera would be having her baby in this book or a later one
* The historical aspects that impact the characters due to French ancestry and Napoleon being back in power ~ I had to look up the date mentioned at the end of the book and wonder how it will impact some of the characters
* The plot, pacing, setting, group dynamics, dialogue, and so much more
* The Murder mysteries and the process by which the culprit is revealed
* The tension building as the story unfolds
* Hoping that Hunt’s mother will show up soon
* Having met and grown close to so many characters that I want to know even better
* All of it except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about selfish people and what they are willing to do to further themselves
* Having to wait for the next book in the series

Did I like this book? YES!
Would I read more in this series? Definitely!!!

Thank you to the author for the ARC ~ This is my honest review.

5 Stars

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both best and most confusing of the series so far! I truly enjoyed the mystery plot of The Question of the Wedding Pearls. I have found in the past that many books in Patricia Rice's series can be read out of sequence but I do not recommend that for this particular book. You should definitely read all of the other Gravesyde Priory Mystery books before reading this one! There are a number of extended family members, and other characters that make appearances and if you have a hard time keeping track of people, have a pen and paper handy!
Short back story, Gravesyde Priory has been slowly getting back on it's feet after being neglected for years. There is a rumor of jewels hidden somewhere on the property and a number of extended family potentially that can inherit. Some currently live, work, and support the homestead as best they can while others seek only to reap the benefits of the hidden treasure or are trying to pass themselves off as heirs when they are not!
Weddings are finally about to happen, or perhaps not because another, yes another dead body has appeared! But the number of potential suspects has dramatically increased this time!
This is a must read!

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

The gang is still together trying to solve the mystery of the missing gems. A crazy scavenger hunt created by a long dead Earl, so the later generations would have assets. There are tons of characters in this series, and this book adds a bunch more. Frankly, it's hard to keep them straight, except for the core group of characters. I know there's a character list, but I don't like having to jump out of the story to try to refer to it. If I were reading a paperback, no worries, but my Kindle is old and slow. So, on top of that, the manor still needs a lot of work, they're preparing for weddings, expecting some visitors and receiving unannounced ones as well. Then, of course, their are the murders that need solving to keep Clare and Elsa safe as well as the children. The Graveside Priory cemetery is nearly full to bursting with murder victims since this series started.

I like this series and especially the main characters, but some of these books are good and others....

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have a wedding, a house full of relatives, some of them were not even invited, a couple of dead bodies and complete bedlam. Clare and Hunt just want to get married. They were going to have a double wedding with Elsa and Jack, but Hunt's mother sent a letter that she was sailing to England. They should probably wait to marry so she can see her only son married. In the meantime, some people show up that maybe relatives, but how did they know about the wedding. There is also the rumor about the pearls that the countess had left behind. Where are they? It seems that there are quite a few others that are looking for them also. There seems to be a murderer among them, and the family needs to figure it out fast. Will Clare and Hunt ever get married? Will they ever find the jewels? Can't wait to see what happens next.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unknown Motive - Money, Revenge, Passion or Protection?
Whilst preparing for a double wedding, followed by a book sale, the last thing the family occupying Wycliffe Manor need is to find the body of a French stranger dying on their doorstep, followed by uninvited guests turning up and acting suspiciously. This is the fourth book in the series, featuring another mystery to be solved by the inhabitants with plenty of possible suspects.
The number of characters in this series increases with every book but fear not the author has created a character list that the reader can refer to.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Marla Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This latest mystery features two weddings and 2 murders! The plot is twisty- turny. There are of course multiple suspects and an extremely convoluted family tree to untangle.(The disadvantage of reading an ebook is that I could not refer to the handy cast of characters that I didn’t know was at the end of the book. Wish it was at the beginning.)
It was definitely a page turner . Elsa and Jack finally tie the knot but poor Clare and Hunt are still waiting. Hunt's mother is coming .The jewels are still not located and now there are pearls in the mix with a side order of French spies that somehow the French cousins are mixed up with.

If you like Regencies with light mysteries thrown in this series will delight.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far is this the first book of this series with diferents points of view. I am not sure if this was a goed idea. In one way we lean more about the thoughts and feelings of the most of the main characters. On the other sides it makes more difficult to follow what are gooing on.
There is a lot of new characters. Ms Rice dit included the history of Wycliffe Manor in the front of the book and there is a list of characters at the end of the book. The plot is a little thin. All together makes this book less easier to read than the others of this series.
I voluntary read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Question of the Missing Pearls is book 4 in another delightful read in the Gravesyde Priory Mysteries series.
The book is certainly filled with lots of mysteries, murder, romance and clues left by a previous earl to find the family treasures. Lots of wonderful characters with a super story line. I truly enjoyed the personalities and relationships between all the characters who have interesting pasts. Two weddings with unexpected guests and solving the mysteries of two death are highlighted in this book. It was hard to put this book down. Well done yet again Ms Rice. I received this book as an ARC and this is my own honest review.

[Lucia Valenzuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

And the mysteries at Wycliffe Manor continue. No the supposed hidden jewels have not yet been discovered. Two weddings are scheduled but Hunt and Clare must postpone theirs because Hunt’s mother is on her way from America. Lots of new characters complicate everything. I absolutely loved this book and the entire series. Looking forward to the next one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and this is my voluntary, honest review.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tangled webs of deceit

Oh what a cute and interesting story. I couldn’t put the book down and loved all the mayhem and interesting characters.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. Engaging characters, a puzzling mystery and an evolving plot. Loved it.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

RTF

[K Hancock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Convoluted at times but still lots of fun. Can't wait til this series (at some point) reaches its conclusion.