Murder at the Homecoming

Flora Steele Mystery #13

by Merryn Allingham

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 Steele and Jack Carrington learn that not everyone is in the party spirit…

It’s the perfect day in Abbeymead for Ambrose Finch to throw a welcome party for his long-lost son, finally returning home after disappearing ten years ago. The sun is shining, the spread is sumptuous, and the residents are eager to catch a glimpse of the young man they’ve heard so much about – and perhaps learn why he left in the first place…

But when Ambrose sends his maid to fetch the cake from the kitchen, he is interrupted mid-toast by her screams. Flora and Jack rush to the kitchen, 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 who was the glass she’d been drinking from intended for?

The poor cook had no enemies – but there are plenty at the party who do, and Ambrose seems to have invited them all to join the festivities. 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 seemingly 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.

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 27, 2026

About the author

I was born into an army family and spent my childhood moving around the UK and abroad. Unsurprisingly it gave me itchy feet and in my twenties I escaped an unloved secretarial career to work as cabin crew and see the world.

I still love to travel and visit new places, especially those with an interesting history, but the arrival of marriage, children and cats meant a more settled life in the south of England, where I've lived ever since. It also gave me the opportunity to go back to 'school' and eventually teach at university.

I've written seven historical novels, all mysteries with a helping of suspense and a dash of romance - sometimes set in exotic locations and often against a background of stirring world events.

My latest novel, A Tale of Two Sisters, is set in Constantinople at the turn of the 20th century when rebellion within the Ottoman Empire is growing ever louder. Against this background the novel traces the fate of two sisters, Alice and Lydia Verinder, and explores themes of family, love and loss.

Reviews

[Tracy Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Albert Finch hasn't lived in Abbeymead for very long but has invited most of the village to a party celebrating his estranged son's return to his side after ten years apart. Flora and Jack Carrington are among those enjoying the evening when the cook is found dead in the kitchen. With Alice distraught after recommending her friend for the job, Flora knows they have to intervene but there seems no reason for the woman to have been targeted. As they look for clues it appears someone doesn't want them to find out anything. With a second fatality and unprovoked attacks on other party guests the couple have their work cut out to discover who amongst them has secrets they don't ever want discovered.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bookouture, but the opinions expressed are my own. Book 13 in this fab series is one of my favourites. I worked out what had happened quite early on but it didn't spoil my enjoyment because the story was great and I love reading about life in Abbeymead in the early 1960s, Flora and Jack's relationship, and the investigations they get involved in. There are big changes for a few of the main protagonists mentioned here and also a hint of a prospective future storyline which I really hope happens very soon. This book and the whole series is easy to recommend.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars.

Flora and Jack have been invited to their neighbour Ambrose Finch's house to meet his long-estranged son Lucas who had been found living and working in Italy. However, the party is disturbed, first by one of the guests almost coming to blows with another, and then by the death of Rita, a local woman who was catering the party, from arsenic poisoning.

Although Flora and Jack are determined to stay out of it, they are separately approached by Rita's friend Alice and Ambrose's assistant's girlfriend to investigate the death, especially when it seems the local police are too caught up in another murder involving a prominent member of the local community.

It seems that Ambrose had taken the homecoming party as an opportunity to mend fences by inviting some of his business enemies, and had encouraged his assistant to do the same, so there is no shortage of potential suspects.

Once again Flora and Jack put their lives on the line to discover the truth.

I enjoyed this, I always like reading about the minutiae of life in bygone decades and the 1950s/1960s is not one that I see often. I also enjoy the cosy mystery. However, I thought the plot was extremely obvious, almost before I even opened the book, which distracted somewhat from my enjoyment. Also, is it just me or does Charlie trash his bicycle in every book?

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Scilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ambrose Finch has finally found his son and has a party for everyone in Abbymead to to meet him. Jack and Flora are the first to arrive, and Robin Armitage, Ambrose's secretary answers the door. He is working with Ambrose to write Ambrose's memoir. Two other men are there; they have had issues with Ambrose and he wants to make up with them. However, they seem angry and and are not happy, and then one of them attacks Robin. Then a waitor comes to the room and says the cook is dead.
Robin's fiancee, April, tells Flora that one of the men came to the party to kill Robin.

This is a very good story with a few surprises. Jack and Flora help out the police as in past books and have some attacks on them. There is a big surprise as the reader nears the end of the book. I have really enjoyed this series. I thank Netgalley and Bookoutour for the ARC so that I could read the book before publication.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Flora and Jack attend a homecoming celebration for a young man reuniting with his father, but things take a dark turn when someone dies! Unsure who the intended victim was, the police are baffled and Flora and Jack find themselves asking questions and becoming targets themselves. There are some nice twists and red herrings in this story. The story caught my interest from the beginning and kept me hooked throughout. It’s always a pleasure to read a book in this series and catch up on Flora’s life.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

[JXR · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun murder mystery with some interesting vibes and some interesting plotting. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.