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Marnie Walker #1
Getaway with Murder
Marnie Walker needs a change.
She’s doing well at the interior design firm, her life is back on track after the divorce thanks to a much-needed long break upon her sister’s boat, Sally Ann.
But an idea has been stirring inside her ever since she discovered a derelict farmhouse in a Northamptonshire village, and a year after seeing the ruin, she decides to throw caution to the wind and strike out on her own, starting an interior design company in one of the barns while she works to renovate the rest of the farm and lives aboard Sally Ann.
She happily settles into the small village of Knightly St John, helped by her young friend Anne.
However, there is something strange about her new home. Strange underlying tensions between the vicar and the villagers, are inexplicably still tearing the village into factions.
And it all points back to the murder of Knightly’s vicar in 1645.
As Marnie begins to investigate, she finds herself trying to solve – not one murder – but two.
Two murders that, despite being separated by almost 350 years, are eerily similar.
'...intelligent entertainment for the intelligent reader” – The Citizen
‘A page-turning time-slip novel.’ – Thomas Waugh
Leo McNeir is a linguist and lexicographer. As director of The European Language Initiative he compiled and edited twelve dictionaries in fifteen languages, including English, since the first one was published by Cassell in 1993.
She’s doing well at the interior design firm, her life is back on track after the divorce thanks to a much-needed long break upon her sister’s boat, Sally Ann.
But an idea has been stirring inside her ever since she discovered a derelict farmhouse in a Northamptonshire village, and a year after seeing the ruin, she decides to throw caution to the wind and strike out on her own, starting an interior design company in one of the barns while she works to renovate the rest of the farm and lives aboard Sally Ann.
She happily settles into the small village of Knightly St John, helped by her young friend Anne.
However, there is something strange about her new home. Strange underlying tensions between the vicar and the villagers, are inexplicably still tearing the village into factions.
And it all points back to the murder of Knightly’s vicar in 1645.
As Marnie begins to investigate, she finds herself trying to solve – not one murder – but two.
Two murders that, despite being separated by almost 350 years, are eerily similar.
'...intelligent entertainment for the intelligent reader” – The Citizen
‘A page-turning time-slip novel.’ – Thomas Waugh
Leo McNeir is a linguist and lexicographer. As director of The European Language Initiative he compiled and edited twelve dictionaries in fifteen languages, including English, since the first one was published by Cassell in 1993.
- GenresFiction
711 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 6, 2000
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101 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 11, 2017
A bit long winded and didn't really get moving until after half way through. But, having said that if you are in no hurry to get through a book, you will like this, I did. It's a good old clean nice story with an unusual ending, one I didn't see coming I must admit. If you don't mind long reads, it's well worth a gamble.
September 30, 2022
This one has been on my shelf waiting its turn since I read an article about the author's latest which attracted me. Of course, I started at the beginning of the series.
This is a long book but after a prologue that sets your imagination working overtime and leaves you with rampant theories about the twists to come, the story settles down to life with Marnie and her young friend, Anne. They are both seeking a new beginning in the village of Knightly St John, a quintessentially English village with a history reaching back beyond the Civil War.
The story is linked to that period of history too with short sections about one family from the 17th century to started most chapters. There is also an unsolved murder and a suicide from those earlier days too.
I wondered at one stage if the narrative had dragged a little but I later dismissed that thought when I realised how well all of the characters and the village had been brought to life for the reader so that when the 'action' started they felt involved and knew the players.
I have questions about the main characters but I am sure they will all be answered in subsequent episodes. The next will certainly not be sitting on my shelf for so long as this did.
This is a classic 4.5 for me. It took me a while to decide which way to round it . With something of regret, finally, on balance, I chose to round down.
This is a long book but after a prologue that sets your imagination working overtime and leaves you with rampant theories about the twists to come, the story settles down to life with Marnie and her young friend, Anne. They are both seeking a new beginning in the village of Knightly St John, a quintessentially English village with a history reaching back beyond the Civil War.
The story is linked to that period of history too with short sections about one family from the 17th century to started most chapters. There is also an unsolved murder and a suicide from those earlier days too.
I wondered at one stage if the narrative had dragged a little but I later dismissed that thought when I realised how well all of the characters and the village had been brought to life for the reader so that when the 'action' started they felt involved and knew the players.
I have questions about the main characters but I am sure they will all be answered in subsequent episodes. The next will certainly not be sitting on my shelf for so long as this did.
This is a classic 4.5 for me. It took me a while to decide which way to round it . With something of regret, finally, on balance, I chose to round down.
September 14, 2019
I didn't know how I was going to continue reading this book through. It took awhile for the story to be cohesive and all elements of the storyline past and present to hold my interest. I really enjoyed everything about Marnie's and Anne with an "e" relationship. That village has secrets,but I do think nobody would've known or ever figured out how the first victim was killed. Every villager either wanted change or wanted things to stay the same. It's a wishy washy circumstance of events that throws you in many directions. With characters having guilt trips and atoning for their sins you never know who committed the crimes for the past 300 yrs until present day of the storyline. I think once all was revealed it was clever but so anticlimactic I got angry because this novel is very long. I'm glad to be finished with it,and maybe it's not my cup of tea or coffee as a mystery suspense drama, it may be something of interest to others especially with the British and European accents and customs.
March 21, 2022
Getaway with murder by Leo McNeir
The Marnie Walker MysteriesBook 1.
The first published volume in the Marnie Walker series finds her caught up in a story of bigotry and persecution enduring across hundreds of years. Getaway with Murder tells of two murders separated by an interval of almost exactly 350 years. To some of those involved it seems as if they might have been committed by the same person, with the same hatred. Impossible? Perhaps not.
A very good read with good characters. A great start to a new series. 4*.
The Marnie Walker MysteriesBook 1.
The first published volume in the Marnie Walker series finds her caught up in a story of bigotry and persecution enduring across hundreds of years. Getaway with Murder tells of two murders separated by an interval of almost exactly 350 years. To some of those involved it seems as if they might have been committed by the same person, with the same hatred. Impossible? Perhaps not.
A very good read with good characters. A great start to a new series. 4*.
August 9, 2018
Great reading
This book kept me on the edge of my chair. Very interesting. Need to read more books by this author.
This book kept me on the edge of my chair. Very interesting. Need to read more books by this author.
August 1, 2019
Excellent
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews