by Jess Kidd
Release Date: March 11, 2025
2025 Atria Books
Ebook ARC; 325 Pages
ISBN: 978-1668034033
ASIN: B0CW8F28XD
Audiobook: B0DC16HGZH
Genre: Fiction / Cozy Mystery / Historical
Source: Review copy from publisher
3.5 / 5 Stars
Summary
1954: When her former novice’s dependable
letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a
line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel
in Gore-on-Sea in Kent. A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed
constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her
identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests—but when a series
of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it’s time to ask
if a dark past can ever really be left behind.
My Thoughts
Murder at Gulls Nest is the first book in a new cozy mystery series featuring a nun looking for a fresh start after leaving her convent. Hiding her identity after arriving at a seaside town, Nora is really there to search for someone dear to her who has gone missing, but she doesn't want anyone to know she has a connection to the missing woman. I thought the author did a great job describing the time period and the atmosphere of the book really came through on the pages. And while I thought the mystery itself was fairly predictable, I did enjoy the character development and thought each one was distinct and interesting.
This is the second book in recent months whereby the main character was a nun who left her convent for personal reasons, and I found the concept of Nora's re-integration into mainstream society quite interesting. There were so many things she didn't know how to do or had not seen in such a long time that it was fascinating to see how she responded to the changes and adapted. But while her convent was a cloistered one, she was a nurse and had a bit of an advantage as she was able to consult with other convents and learn about events through those consultations. The other characters, while not quite as developed, had their own secrets and I found them to be diverse and quirky so I rather enjoyed them as a whole.
While the author did a great job describing the time period, I did feel like the mystery was a bit lacking and fairly predictable. There were great moments that were quite interesting, but there were actually times when I thought some of it was more filler material. It's not that it wasn't interesting, it just seemed to slow down and bog up the overall story. The author seemed to focus more on character development over story development, which is fine, but it does tend to slow down story lines when this happens, especially in a medium like a cozy mystery.
Verdict
Murder at Gulls Nest focuses quite a bit on character development so the overall mystery was a bit slower and relied on reveals rather than action. It was done quite well however, but it did slow down the overall reading experience, at least for me. There were quite a few secrets uncovered that really had nothing to do with this mystery however, so I am looking forward to seeing how they will be incorporated in future books.
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