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Dorothy Martin #10
A Dark and Stormy Night
Dorothy and her husband are invited by friends to Branston Abbey for a country house weekend.
Thirteen other guests she hardly knows.
A rambling Tudor mansion, full of secrets.
What could possibly go wrong?
A lovely dinner is just getting into its stride when a huge storm rolls in.
The lights go out. And with no electricity or phone service, and cut off by flood waters, Dorothy feels like she’s stuck in an Agatha Christie mystery.
A guest is found unconscious, another disappears, and there’s a horrifying discovery in one of the bedrooms.
They are being picked off one by one. Can amateur sleuth Dorothy discover the culprit before anyone else dies?
Thirteen other guests she hardly knows.
A rambling Tudor mansion, full of secrets.
What could possibly go wrong?
A lovely dinner is just getting into its stride when a huge storm rolls in.
The lights go out. And with no electricity or phone service, and cut off by flood waters, Dorothy feels like she’s stuck in an Agatha Christie mystery.
A guest is found unconscious, another disappears, and there’s a horrifying discovery in one of the bedrooms.
They are being picked off one by one. Can amateur sleuth Dorothy discover the culprit before anyone else dies?
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
559 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Jeanne M. Dams
46 books217 followersJeanne M. Dams lives in South Bend, Indiana. The Body in the Transept, which introduced Dorothy Martin, won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Dams is also the author of Green Grow the Victims and other Hilda Johansson mysteries published by Walker & Company.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 128 reviews
June 19, 2016
Author Jeanne M. Dams has written a valentine to those Golden Age house mysteries in which a motley crew is trapped in a stately home, cut off from civilization due to inclement weather, with a murderer.
American ex-pat Dorothy Martin and her English husband Alan Nesbit, retired Chief Constable of the Belleshire Constabulary, accept an invitation to Branston Abbey, a centuries’ old manor house in Kent now owned by a very wealthy American couple. A cast of disparate characters have gathered for a lavish Guy Fawkes’ Night, but they become trapped by a storm so terrible that the connecting bridge, as well as electricity and telephone lines, are swept away. Then the good-natured fun begins, with homages to the Golden Age detective greats in general and, in particular, to Aaron Elkins’ Gideon Oliver and to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and V.C. Clinton-Baddeley’s My Foe Outstretch'd Beneath The Tree. There’s even a tip of the hat to P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves. Plus, needless to say, the very title honors Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
Longtime fans will love this clever novel, but newbies will find that they will enjoy A Dark and Stormy Night without having read any of its predecessors. But beware: Readers will find Dams’ Dorothy Martin series as irresistible as the plump Mrs. Martin finds scones and clotted cream served with some hot tea.
American ex-pat Dorothy Martin and her English husband Alan Nesbit, retired Chief Constable of the Belleshire Constabulary, accept an invitation to Branston Abbey, a centuries’ old manor house in Kent now owned by a very wealthy American couple. A cast of disparate characters have gathered for a lavish Guy Fawkes’ Night, but they become trapped by a storm so terrible that the connecting bridge, as well as electricity and telephone lines, are swept away. Then the good-natured fun begins, with homages to the Golden Age detective greats in general and, in particular, to Aaron Elkins’ Gideon Oliver and to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and V.C. Clinton-Baddeley’s My Foe Outstretch'd Beneath The Tree. There’s even a tip of the hat to P.G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves. Plus, needless to say, the very title honors Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton.
Longtime fans will love this clever novel, but newbies will find that they will enjoy A Dark and Stormy Night without having read any of its predecessors. But beware: Readers will find Dams’ Dorothy Martin series as irresistible as the plump Mrs. Martin finds scones and clotted cream served with some hot tea.
July 14, 2016
This was my first Dorothy Martin mystery and it won't be the last! I loved this traditional English manor mystery, not overly clichéd, actually kept my interest very well. The mansion description made me want to explore right along with house party guests. Dorothy is a darling, albeit a cossetted one by her ever-loving husband, their relationship is almost too perfect! The cast of characters were portrayed so well, right down to the "servants" Mr John Bates and his wife, Rose. I plan on going back with the first Dorothy book Body in the Transept to get a better background on her, but this was an excellent stand-alone!
June 9, 2019
This honestly should be more like a 3 star if we were going by more objective standards (it was fine), but for my personal tastes, this is more like a 1.5. These are tropes I love that were practically ruined by how frustrating I found the authorial voice and how incessantly the American-ness of the Americans in this story is referenced. Why is this English country estate teeming with Americans who speak in English idioms and constantly talk about the fact that they are Americans? That's a great question. One that drove me mad.
Again, I think I'm being harsh here, and this is perfectly competent. I'm basically just annoyed that I didn't enjoy a book that had my beloved isolated closed circle trope in it.
Again, I think I'm being harsh here, and this is perfectly competent. I'm basically just annoyed that I didn't enjoy a book that had my beloved isolated closed circle trope in it.
June 19, 2017
Dorothy Martin and her husband Alan Nesbitt are invited to a country house weekend at atmospheric Branston Abbey. They're looking forward to a relaxing break but the weekend coincides with a violent storm and the Abbey is damaged as well as being cut off from the surrounding countryside by floods and by a power cut which lasts for days. When Dorothy discovers a skeleton in the grounds revealed by the uprooting of a large oak tree it seems they have stepped into an Agatha Christie type mystery.
This is quite a dark cosy mystery with danger threatening from all sides and further murders and accidents reducing the suspects. I failed completely to work out who was responsible though the clues were there. I thought the plot was very well done and the claustrophobic atmosphere was well created. The author really did convey how much we rely on modern conveniences such as electricity, phones and the internet.
My only complaint about the book was something which many American authors get wrong with crime novels set in the UK Barristers are not solicitors and a barrister would not carry out property conveyancing work. That said, the confusion was a minor part of the book and it didn't spoil m enjoyment of the story. This book is number ten in the Dorothy Martin series though the books can be read in any order.
This is quite a dark cosy mystery with danger threatening from all sides and further murders and accidents reducing the suspects. I failed completely to work out who was responsible though the clues were there. I thought the plot was very well done and the claustrophobic atmosphere was well created. The author really did convey how much we rely on modern conveniences such as electricity, phones and the internet.
My only complaint about the book was something which many American authors get wrong with crime novels set in the UK Barristers are not solicitors and a barrister would not carry out property conveyancing work. That said, the confusion was a minor part of the book and it didn't spoil m enjoyment of the story. This book is number ten in the Dorothy Martin series though the books can be read in any order.
January 9, 2013
I started off my 2013 reading with a fun, little cozy mystery by Jeanne M. Dams. Jeanne is from Indiana, just like me. And, like me, she has read British mysteries all her life and has an affinity for all things British. As she says in her bio on her web page:
I knew it was unlikely I could ever afford to live in a lovely little seventeenth-century cottage somewhere in Kent or Sussex—but if I created a character who did just that, I could live her life vicariously, and instead of costing me a fortune, that life would actually make me some money. Such a deal! Thus was born Dorothy Martin, who is essentially my alter-ago, though she’s named after my favorite cousin. She appeared first in a short story I wrote many, many years ago. It has never been published, but Dorothy waited patiently in the wings, and when the idea for her first book came into my head, there she was, ready to take center stage.
A Dark and Stormy Night is the tenth book in the Dorothy Martin series. Dorothy, an American living in England, and her husband, retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, are invited to the typical country house weekend at an isolated spot in rural Kent. There will be a mixture of guests and a Guy Fawkes celebration with fireworks. It sounds like a lovely weekend get-away. But Dorothy's long acquaintance with every Agatha Christie novel ever written should have prepared her....
A violent storm cuts off their only road to outside world--as well as destroying power and telephone lines. As the house party tries to clear trees that have come down and blocked their exit, Dorothy discovers a skeleton lodged in the roots of one of the trees. Another old body will be found, one of their number will be murdered, and two others will disappear before Dorothy and Alan can discover what ancient secrets are affecting the guests of Branston Abbey.
This is a fun and light read. No heavy lifting in the mystery department and lots of references to Agatha Christie can be found. The clues are all there and a sharp-eyed reader should be able to get to the bottom of the mystery about the same time that Dorothy and Alan do. I really enjoy the character of Dorothy. She may be part of the older generation, but she's definitely an independent woman and doesn't let Alan wrap her in cotton wool. Perhaps she gets into more adventures than your average senior citizen might--but it's all in good fun and her body count is still less than Jessica Fletcher's. Three stars for a nice cozy mystery.
I'd left this series alone for quite a while and I'm glad that the 2013 Book Bingo Challenge has encouraged me read this series again. I plan on reading the next two books as well to fulfill the "Read 3 Books That Are Part of a Series" square.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
I knew it was unlikely I could ever afford to live in a lovely little seventeenth-century cottage somewhere in Kent or Sussex—but if I created a character who did just that, I could live her life vicariously, and instead of costing me a fortune, that life would actually make me some money. Such a deal! Thus was born Dorothy Martin, who is essentially my alter-ago, though she’s named after my favorite cousin. She appeared first in a short story I wrote many, many years ago. It has never been published, but Dorothy waited patiently in the wings, and when the idea for her first book came into my head, there she was, ready to take center stage.
A Dark and Stormy Night is the tenth book in the Dorothy Martin series. Dorothy, an American living in England, and her husband, retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, are invited to the typical country house weekend at an isolated spot in rural Kent. There will be a mixture of guests and a Guy Fawkes celebration with fireworks. It sounds like a lovely weekend get-away. But Dorothy's long acquaintance with every Agatha Christie novel ever written should have prepared her....
A violent storm cuts off their only road to outside world--as well as destroying power and telephone lines. As the house party tries to clear trees that have come down and blocked their exit, Dorothy discovers a skeleton lodged in the roots of one of the trees. Another old body will be found, one of their number will be murdered, and two others will disappear before Dorothy and Alan can discover what ancient secrets are affecting the guests of Branston Abbey.
This is a fun and light read. No heavy lifting in the mystery department and lots of references to Agatha Christie can be found. The clues are all there and a sharp-eyed reader should be able to get to the bottom of the mystery about the same time that Dorothy and Alan do. I really enjoy the character of Dorothy. She may be part of the older generation, but she's definitely an independent woman and doesn't let Alan wrap her in cotton wool. Perhaps she gets into more adventures than your average senior citizen might--but it's all in good fun and her body count is still less than Jessica Fletcher's. Three stars for a nice cozy mystery.
I'd left this series alone for quite a while and I'm glad that the 2013 Book Bingo Challenge has encouraged me read this series again. I plan on reading the next two books as well to fulfill the "Read 3 Books That Are Part of a Series" square.
This was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
February 24, 2014
Setting her tale in old abbey which is isolated by a storm, Jeanne Dams weaves a satisfying mystery. Dorothy Martin and her husband retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt play well off each other as they lead the reader to the culprits.
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February 4, 2024"When Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, are invited to a country house weekend at a lovingly restored old mansion, they expect nothing more explosive than the Guy Fawkes fireworks.
"Having read every Agatha Christie ever written, Dorothy should have known better, but even she could not have anticipated the terror that is unleashed by an epic storm and the discovery of a body among the roots of a fallen tree.
"Rendered isolated and incommunicado by the storm, Dorothy and Alan need to work out what in the world has been happening at ancient Branston Abbey, but they soon find that their investigation uncovers some nasty surprises."~~front flap
It was all very exciting! No electricity (goodbye central heating!), no telephone or cell phone service, huge damage to parts of the Abbey ...and then there was that pesky skeleton. The skeleton that stirred a murderer on to fresh exploits, and put the ownership of Branton Abbey in a liminal state. Would Jim and Joyce Moynihan really have to relinquish the lovely 15th century abbey that they had lovingly (and very expensively!) restored?
As usual, Dorothy sails forthwith into the fray, and also as usual manages to orchestrate a satisfactory end. (That's not a spoiler. If this cozy mystery didn't have a HEA, it wouldn't have been set in the lovely estate in the English countryside and would have been a true crime or a police procedural.)
"Having read every Agatha Christie ever written, Dorothy should have known better, but even she could not have anticipated the terror that is unleashed by an epic storm and the discovery of a body among the roots of a fallen tree.
"Rendered isolated and incommunicado by the storm, Dorothy and Alan need to work out what in the world has been happening at ancient Branston Abbey, but they soon find that their investigation uncovers some nasty surprises."~~front flap
It was all very exciting! No electricity (goodbye central heating!), no telephone or cell phone service, huge damage to parts of the Abbey ...and then there was that pesky skeleton. The skeleton that stirred a murderer on to fresh exploits, and put the ownership of Branton Abbey in a liminal state. Would Jim and Joyce Moynihan really have to relinquish the lovely 15th century abbey that they had lovingly (and very expensively!) restored?
As usual, Dorothy sails forthwith into the fray, and also as usual manages to orchestrate a satisfactory end. (That's not a spoiler. If this cozy mystery didn't have a HEA, it wouldn't have been set in the lovely estate in the English countryside and would have been a true crime or a police procedural.)
November 8, 2021
An intriguing story with many possible endings but I really didn't work out who was going to prove to be the culprit.
Dorothy and Alan are invited to join some friends at a weekend country house party. As well as the hosts, their butler and his wife there are eleven guests, including the hostesses sister and brother-in-law who had turned up uninvited. They turn out to be an obnoxious pair who argue with everyone and drink too much. The worst storm to hit that part of the country occurs that night cutting off the house, which is virtually on an island, from everywhere. While looking at the damage to the old mansion/abbey and the grounds Dorothy and Alan spot a skeleton in the roots of an upturned tree. The next few days bring about more bodies, not to mention missing guests and with no electricity, heating, telephone and a diminishing supply of food the guests are left with the only way of attracting help being to light a bonfire and send up fireworks in an S O S pattern. Did I mention it was the weekend of the 5th November. Convenient don't you agree?
Dorothy and Alan are invited to join some friends at a weekend country house party. As well as the hosts, their butler and his wife there are eleven guests, including the hostesses sister and brother-in-law who had turned up uninvited. They turn out to be an obnoxious pair who argue with everyone and drink too much. The worst storm to hit that part of the country occurs that night cutting off the house, which is virtually on an island, from everywhere. While looking at the damage to the old mansion/abbey and the grounds Dorothy and Alan spot a skeleton in the roots of an upturned tree. The next few days bring about more bodies, not to mention missing guests and with no electricity, heating, telephone and a diminishing supply of food the guests are left with the only way of attracting help being to light a bonfire and send up fireworks in an S O S pattern. Did I mention it was the weekend of the 5th November. Convenient don't you agree?
February 13, 2024
The book kept me guessing, but it was a bit draggy in the middle.
March 27, 2021
Page Turner
Page turner
Have read all the Dorothy Martin Mysteries and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. Love that you have know idea who the murderer is and motivate until the last chapter. So many twists and turns.
Page turner
Have read all the Dorothy Martin Mysteries and have thoroughly enjoyed them all. Love that you have know idea who the murderer is and motivate until the last chapter. So many twists and turns.
July 17, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars A Mystery lovers book., April 20, 2014
This review is from: A Dark and Stormy Night (A Dorothy Martin Mystery) (Kindle Edition)
"A Dark and Stormy Night" by Jeanne Dams.
Dorothy Martin and her husband Alan Nesbitt (ret. Chief Constable) are invited to the friends country estate Branston Abbey.
An array of friends, relatives, an au pair that know the mansion inside out and back again, an American photographer, A woman solicitor, the original owner of the estate as well as the local Vicar. The scene is set for a lovely week-end in an old British Mansion when a horrific storm threatens the very foundation of the Branston Abbey.
This is not just another mystery ...it's the very reason so many of us mystery lovers take joy in reading. This author, Jeanne Dams, knew exactly the setting and the circumstances that would have us at the edge of our seats. Interesting, exciting and intense with relationships woven in the midst. Excellently written and highly recommended.
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November 23, 2013With a nod to Agatha Christie, Jeanne Dams gives readers A Dark and Stormy Night, the tenth in her Dorothy Martin series. Dorothy and her husband are invited to a historic English Abbey to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, however a bad storm blows through stranding the guests at the party. Trapped on the premises, Dorothy and her husband are soon investigating old skeletons, missing persons, and dead bodies. Who among the party guests is the culprit? That’s up to Dorothy Martin to find out. A Dark and Stormy Night is a character-driven contained mystery. Jeanne Dams writes in a conversational way that creates characters that are likeable and chatty. - JM
Click here to place a hold on A Dark and Stormy Night.
Click here to place a hold on A Dark and Stormy Night.
January 31, 2016
I loved Jeanne M. Dams' Dorothy Martin series, set in England, and was delighted to find this one that I missed reading at the time it was published. Dorothy is an older woman, an American, who moved to England and is now married to Alan Nesbitt, a retired British police Chief officer. The books are cozy mysteries and delightful to read.
Dorothy and Alan are invited to a restored historic ancient abbey in the country for a week-end to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. So the scene is set for a classic English manor house mystery with some eccentric characters. As Dorothy herself says, the week-end and abbey is straight out of an Agatha Christie. Dorothy and Alan only know one set of guests- their friends Tom and Lynn. A storm of epic proportions destroys a bridge that is the only access to the property and the week-end turns into a case of survival, especially when two dead bodies from the past turn up, someone is murdered, and others go missing.
Dorothy and Alan are invited to a restored historic ancient abbey in the country for a week-end to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. So the scene is set for a classic English manor house mystery with some eccentric characters. As Dorothy herself says, the week-end and abbey is straight out of an Agatha Christie. Dorothy and Alan only know one set of guests- their friends Tom and Lynn. A storm of epic proportions destroys a bridge that is the only access to the property and the week-end turns into a case of survival, especially when two dead bodies from the past turn up, someone is murdered, and others go missing.
August 25, 2012
I'll admit that this series may only appeal to hardcore cozy mystery fans, but there is something very addictive about the warm hearted, slightly blundering American woman of a certain age who has chosen to live in her beloved England as somewhat of a fish out of water. Over the course of the series, she conveniently marries a retired police inspector, which gives her access to even more murders and procedural plots. They complement each other very well.
This is one of the best of the series, as Dams has all the well worn, but still fun, elements of the classic British house mystery - a castle, a devastating storm that isolates the house and its guests, a cast of eccentric characters, skeletons, fresh bodies, and so on! Fun!
This is one of the best of the series, as Dams has all the well worn, but still fun, elements of the classic British house mystery - a castle, a devastating storm that isolates the house and its guests, a cast of eccentric characters, skeletons, fresh bodies, and so on! Fun!
March 29, 2011
It has been quite a while since I read the last volume of this series. The way I recall it, this series had a certain charm to it. However, this latest volume rubbed me thoroughly the wrong way. The dialogue seemed very stilted & the characters were over exaggerated. Also, it appeared that the author was conducting an exercise of comparing & contrasting British & American characters & culture. British-isms were liberally sprinkled throughout in a heavy handed fashion.
November 16, 2012
Expat Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, are invited to a country house for the Guy Fawkes weekend. Dorothy and the other guests are stranded by a slightly unbelievable storm, setting them up for a classic British country house mystery. A body is found among the roots of a fallen oak tree, a guest is murdered and another disappears. Isolated and unable to communicate with the outside world Dorothy and Alan must investigate.
November 26, 2012
It was a pretty good book.
August 21, 2023
Cliche central.
Let me say upfront I like the Dorothy Martin mysteries but this one was something of a hard slog. For newcomers, dotty Dorothy is American, a middle-aged plump widow now remarried to a retired English chief constable. They have an active sex life although details are never given and the word is not used. Perish the thought! Mrs Martin (she retained her dead husband's name). A lover of the Golden age of Detection but also of modern stuff she lives in a fictional cathedral city, in the cathedral close. She loves cats and wacky hats. She has the habit of finding murdered bodies. In this story every cliche is touched on, visit to country house (converted from Abbey), unusual storm breaks, house is surrounded by river which sweeps away bridge and isolates house. Electricity and communications collapse. Tree falls, skeleton is found in exposed roots and we are away. Cue a mummified corpse in a priest-hole, missing heir, horrible man drowned, wife missing......and so forth. I didn't object to any of that, a homage to Christie and company, with every cliche in the book including the killer. But, the previous famous writers knew about brevity. This story goes on and on and on. And we are supposed to believe the storm chaos is so severe rescue services cannot contact the house. Did someone mention boats? Apparently not. This even though the local vicar is in the house. Seems the churchgoers did not notice his absence at Sunday service. A likely story. There is a lack of the usual humour and Mrs Martin seems under par. The story was readable but if I had read this one first I would not have read any more. I longed to wake up from this dark and stormy night. Even so I will try the next Mrs Martin story.
Let me say upfront I like the Dorothy Martin mysteries but this one was something of a hard slog. For newcomers, dotty Dorothy is American, a middle-aged plump widow now remarried to a retired English chief constable. They have an active sex life although details are never given and the word is not used. Perish the thought! Mrs Martin (she retained her dead husband's name). A lover of the Golden age of Detection but also of modern stuff she lives in a fictional cathedral city, in the cathedral close. She loves cats and wacky hats. She has the habit of finding murdered bodies. In this story every cliche is touched on, visit to country house (converted from Abbey), unusual storm breaks, house is surrounded by river which sweeps away bridge and isolates house. Electricity and communications collapse. Tree falls, skeleton is found in exposed roots and we are away. Cue a mummified corpse in a priest-hole, missing heir, horrible man drowned, wife missing......and so forth. I didn't object to any of that, a homage to Christie and company, with every cliche in the book including the killer. But, the previous famous writers knew about brevity. This story goes on and on and on. And we are supposed to believe the storm chaos is so severe rescue services cannot contact the house. Did someone mention boats? Apparently not. This even though the local vicar is in the house. Seems the churchgoers did not notice his absence at Sunday service. A likely story. There is a lack of the usual humour and Mrs Martin seems under par. The story was readable but if I had read this one first I would not have read any more. I longed to wake up from this dark and stormy night. Even so I will try the next Mrs Martin story.
July 3, 2023
Dorothy Martin and her husband, retired chief constable Alan Nesbitt, are invited to a weekend party at a stately home, now owned by an ex-pat American couple who have spent years restoring the place. Unfortunately, the boorish in-laws of the owners are also present, but Dorothy and Alan hope to spend their time with more salubrious company instead. A huge storm overnight strands everybody at the house, with no electricity and no way to leave the estate, and when a skeleton is found underneath an uprooted oak tree, and then a house-guest drowns while another one is badly injured, Dorothy and Alan must do their best to solve the cases on their own, before any other deaths occur…. I am mildly enjoying this cozy series, and it’s always fun to see how a writer takes on one of the classics of the cozy genre, that of the crime in an isolated house, with a limited number of suspects - and victims. There were some minor glitches in this book that should have been picked up by a copy editor or proofreader (spelling Alan “Allen,” for example, or referring to the presence of one character who has already left the scene), but it’s easy to overlook those errors and just enjoy the cozy setting; mildly recommended.
May 8, 2022
Murder for Sure
A riveting mystery! Alan and Dorothy are invited to a weekend in the country for an English style house party. The “house” is an ancient Abby purchased and restored by a super wealthy American couple. In this dark and stormy night there are great hurricane force winds that does great damage and leaves them stranded without power, and of course, a skeleton. Intrigue! The cast of characters are just that…characters. Oh, by the way, there is a dead body, also, to make it more interesting. And something else I won’t tell you about. I finished this book about three hours ago and I am still laughing. Get ready for it…Alan wins this one!
P.S. There is one seriously objectionable “ f” word and some other totally unnecessary words used that I don’t appreciate. I am not the language police but think the book would be much better without these transgressions included.
A riveting mystery! Alan and Dorothy are invited to a weekend in the country for an English style house party. The “house” is an ancient Abby purchased and restored by a super wealthy American couple. In this dark and stormy night there are great hurricane force winds that does great damage and leaves them stranded without power, and of course, a skeleton. Intrigue! The cast of characters are just that…characters. Oh, by the way, there is a dead body, also, to make it more interesting. And something else I won’t tell you about. I finished this book about three hours ago and I am still laughing. Get ready for it…Alan wins this one!
P.S. There is one seriously objectionable “ f” word and some other totally unnecessary words used that I don’t appreciate. I am not the language police but think the book would be much better without these transgressions included.
December 18, 2021
The most classic of whodunit novels, that is, my favorite kind, something on the style of Agatha Christie’s “And then there were none”, “Murder on the orient Express” or “Mice trap”: isolated mansion in an English countryside after a bad storm that cut off all connections with the rest of the world, a group of people assembled, a murder and a murderer among them. And plenty of quotations of other authors and detective novels of the past too, which I will take as advice for future readings. It’s the first book I read of this series with Dorothy Martin’s amateur sleuth and her retired policeman husband Alan, but I think I’ll try others one day.
December 2, 2023
This is the 10th book, but the first I have read from the Dorothy Martin series. I throughly enjoyed the locked room mystery. Dorothy Martin and her husband Retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt have been invited to a country house weekend. They are staying at a restored old mansion. But things start to go downhill quickly, a fierce storm, leaves Dorothy, Alan and the other guests isolated and trapped by falling trees, a body is soon discovered that have been there for decades. Another death soon follows. Looking forward to reading more books in the series.
January 27, 2025
Friends who saw this on my Currently Reading probably were quite puzzled. "Huh, that's not her usual thing." And they were correct. I ended up with this because it was coming up on the end of 2024 and I was woefully short of my Goodreads goal. I told a friend I was looking for short books and she told me she had just the thing. This is what she gave me. The book’s heroine, Dororthy Martin, is one of those Miss Marple-like women who has the knack to show up places just in time for there to be trouble afoot. It never starts that way, of course. Dorothy, an American living in Britain, is invited to spend a weekend at a country house. Guy Fawkes Day is on a Saturday this year and this will be her first time experiencing the fireworks that are part of the day’s celebration. Unfortunately, Britain has a history of record-breaking bad storms that occur in November. This is going to be one of those years. The winds come up. The lights go out. And the party is stuck in the countryside surrounded by flood waters. Lots of opportunities for the careless to come to grief. Someone does indeed die, but the atmosphere in the house has degenerated so badly with everybody stuck there together – not all of whom like each other– Dorothy can not be sure: did the unfortunate one jump or were they pushed? My friend loved this and stayed up late one night to complete it in one sitting. But it is in reading this book that I discovered that this is the kind of story that I prefer to watch on television. I don’t know how they would have done the flood, but I so wanted to see the house. English country house mysteries: my tour of Britain.
December 8, 2021
American ex-pat Dorothy Martin is the second wife of retired Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt. Friends of friends invite the latter as well as Dorothy & Alan to a restored country house for the Guy Fawkes holiday fireworks, along with several other guests, but a devastating windstorm strands them all and turns up a skeleton in the roots of a fallen tree. Lots of literary references, especially to classic mysteries.
May 29, 2023
The first one of this series that I've read. A country house weekend goes bad when a bad storm uproots the lawn and damages the house. Upon surveying the damage the house guests discover a skeleton in the hole created where an oak tree was uprooted.
I really didn't quite get the explanation that finally emerges for all the subsequent goings on, but the ensuing story was interesting to follow. I might read more of the Dorothy Martin series.
I really didn't quite get the explanation that finally emerges for all the subsequent goings on, but the ensuing story was interesting to follow. I might read more of the Dorothy Martin series.
February 27, 2021
Ridiculous!
This supposedly sleigh is afraid of everything and a hypochondriac. I do not think a retired cop, her husband, would put up with this wimp.
What was this author thinking! The book started out with a good premise but the author wrote the female sleuth as ridiculously obnoxious.
This supposedly sleigh is afraid of everything and a hypochondriac. I do not think a retired cop, her husband, would put up with this wimp.
What was this author thinking! The book started out with a good premise but the author wrote the female sleuth as ridiculously obnoxious.
April 18, 2021
A Thrilling Tale.
I liked Dorothy and Alan visiting a friend of a friend, and getting embroiled in yet another mystery. The descriptions of the locality and the listed Branston Abbey were beautifully crafted There was a lot of action and red herrings abounded. The characters were skilfully created and interacted beautifully with each other.
I liked Dorothy and Alan visiting a friend of a friend, and getting embroiled in yet another mystery. The descriptions of the locality and the listed Branston Abbey were beautifully crafted There was a lot of action and red herrings abounded. The characters were skilfully created and interacted beautifully with each other.
September 24, 2021
Really enjoyed this book as I have the previous ones in the series. Excellent characterisations and plot left me guessing right to the end. I love this series as although they feature the same main characters the action moves around so not all based in the same bed and breakfast or shops which can get a bit samey. Can’t wait to start the next one.
July 3, 2022
Another great book
Great plot, fun figuring the ending. Noticed several errors in this one. End of chapter
20, Alan is spelled Allen and it says Mike instead of Ed. In chapter 26 Dorothy references a voice attuned to quiet 6th graders. All previous references were to her 4th grade class.
Great plot, fun figuring the ending. Noticed several errors in this one. End of chapter
20, Alan is spelled Allen and it says Mike instead of Ed. In chapter 26 Dorothy references a voice attuned to quiet 6th graders. All previous references were to her 4th grade class.
October 27, 2022
Another Excellent Story
Another excellent win the Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne. Well written and crafted within a large country house with a host of intriguing characters. Marooned from civilisation due to a storm Dorothy gets out to so!be another complex whodoneit. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Another excellent win the Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne. Well written and crafted within a large country house with a host of intriguing characters. Marooned from civilisation due to a storm Dorothy gets out to so!be another complex whodoneit. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
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