The Framed Women of Ardemore House is a mystery surrounding Jo Jones and the inheritance she receives from a long lost relative following the death of her mother.

Soon after she arrives to accept her inheritance consisting of: a rundown estate, a once immaculate garden and a shabby cottage strange things start to happen. First a missing painting, followed by a murder! Jo must put trust into her new acquaintances: her solicitor, the detective assigned to her case and the local inhabitants of their small town - to get to the bottom of not only the murder, but the family secrets that have been buried by her ancestors.

The Framed Women of Ardemore House started off a bit slow as you come to learn about Jo's past and how she ended up across the ocean without any ties to her past life. She is an extremely quirky character. The author took a lot of care into describing Jo's neurodivergence and uses it to heighten certain points in the book. Once the crimes start to take place, the book picks up and the reader is put on the case.

I enjoyed the story and the twists. The author does a great job in tying up all the loose ends. There's also a bit of an open ending should the author decide to write any future adventures for Jo Jones.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read a digital ARC of The Framed Women of Ardemore House. Opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to HTP books for the ARC!

This was a fun and unique take on your classic cozy mystery!

I always am drawn to books where someone inherits a property, large sum of money, etc. etc. So the synopsis of a neurodivergent main character who inherits her uncles (possibly haunted) estate only to then find a dead body, sounds right up my alley!

It started out great and I was so excited to see what would happen and who was to blame for the murder! As the story went on, I felt it began to drag a little bit and it took a lot for me to stay invested past the halfway point.

I thought the ending was well done though and liked the way it all came together!

There are so many wonderful reviews for this one so take mine with a grain of salt as I recently came out of a period of reading 3 or 4 similar cozy mysteries back to back!

This book is out now!

I wanted to like this book. I really did, but I thought it was slow. I didn't connect with the characters and I really didn't care much about the mystery. I did like Jo and her personality neuro-divergent tics, but it wasn't enough to carry the whole book for me.

The Framed Women of Ardemore house is a mystery and family story, with some historical fiction thrown in and blended well. This is Brandy Schillace's fiction debut and I enjoyed it a lot. I will definitely watch for more from this author. Ardemore House is an abandoned estate in the village of Abington in England. Jo Jones, is an American, who upon the death of her mother, finds out that she has inherited the family estate. She has nothing to keep her in the US, so sells her mother's house and heads across to claim her new home. When she arrives, she finds out it is in extreme disrepair, including a huge hole in the roof. It doesn't take long for her to become involved in a mystery with a missing family portrait and the murder of the caretaker, who is found in the small cottage where she plans to live.

I enjoyed this story with it's quirky characters and the rather convoluted mystery. Jo is neuro-divergent, something that always pulls me in to a story. She is on the autism spectrum, and has issues with social situations, or when things come at her too fast and she can't process them. She is a book editor and loves the classics, she can also speed read which comes in handy later in the story. The book is a bit slow to start, but it didn't take me long to become invested in Jo and her story. Once we begin to meet the suspects, the quirkiness and negative qualities of them adds interest to the mystery. I had no idea where the story was going to go, so I read and listened eagerly as it unfolded. I liked the main detective, divorced, forty-five year old DCI MacAdams. He was a bit put out when his superior calls in a retired detective to help out. He is smart, and knowing the people and the area are a help. He and his partner, DI Green were a great pair and although had a lot of suspects but now much evidence, never gave up. There is an emphasis on research and historical documents as Jo tried to learn more about her family and Ms. Schillace does a great job keeping that part of the story interesting. Overall, an engaging story with an interesting mystery, well developed characters and great ending that tied up all the loose ends.

I loved the plot synopsis when I read it. I hoped, and was proven correct, that, while this is a mystery, it isn't graphic or scary. The murder is just the point on which the plot pivots but isn't described in much detail.
The plot and all its tangled weavings was engaging. I enjoyed the dual POV narration of Jo Jones and DCI MacAdams. This gave the reader access to both the Ardemore family narrative as well as the police procedural.
I didn't see any of the ending coming; this was jaw-dropping even when you think it's over.
There were some loose ends left at the end so perhaps there might be a sequel. Either that or a lot got cut from a much longer draft.
Overall, I loved the characters and recommend this book to lovers of suspenseful mysteries and/or police procedurals.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to an advanced copy!

Jo Jones inherits an estate, Ardemore House, in England. While she’s never seen it, Jo’s happy to leave the US behind after losing her job and divorcing. She’s eager for a new start. However, the estate is run-down, and Sid, the “caretaker” isn’t keen on moving on, but she doesn't trust him. Soon after he leaves, Jo discovers a painting is missing and they have a very public argument in the local pub.

Sid is murdered at the cottage on her estate, and while Jo is part of the suspect pool, there’s more than a few with better motives for killing Sid. Besides the murder, there’s a mystery surrounding the identity of the girl in the painting, one of Jo’s distant relatives.

The story is told from the POV of Jo and also DCI James MacAdams, the detective investigating Sid’s murder. I really warmed to Jo and was rooting for her to thrive in her new circumstances! Being neurodivergent and hyperlexic she didn’t always pick up on social cues, but she excelled in picking up things that not everyone else noticed.

I really enjoyed The Framed Women of Ardemore House! It was an engrossing mystery/police procedural with interesting, multi-layered characters I’d like to get to know better! I liked the interactions between MacAdams and Jo. There were hints of a possible romance, maybe? I’d be on board for that. While the murder was solved, there were some loose strings that lead me to think there will be another story coming. If so, count me in!

Happy Pub Day to @b_schillace and The Framed Women of Ardenmore House ( @netherleigh )!

This was my first foray into this author’s writing and boy was it such a good journey! I loved the mystery, the autistic rep, the haunted house vibes as well as the true characters throughout the book! AND THAT COVER 😍😍😍

4.0⭐️

Special thanks to NetGalley @hanoversquarepress and @htpbooks for the review copy in exchange for my honest review❤️

Based on the title, I was hoping for quite a bit more focus on the women who lived at Ardemore House and the home itself. The book mainly follows the murder of a local groundskeeper and ends in a pretty tangled explanation. There seems like some possibility of a second book based on how it ends, so perhaps more to come.

I enjoyed every moment of this mystery! Many elements I love came together: an unusual main character, a house in disrepair, family secrets, and unlikely friends who somehow trust and help each other to solve a crime. Jo is autistic and has clearly done a lot of work to be as self-aware and accepting of herself as she is—I loved that, and I hope to see more of Jo in the future. The ending suggests a sequel (please!).

A fun, light read and an enjoyable modern spin on the country house murder mystery.

American on the continent isn’t my favorite version of this type of mystery, but in this case that didn’t detract from what turned out to be a well-paced and well-plotted story with solid humor and a likable cast of characters.

I liked Jo more than I expected to and appreciated the humor the suspect pool brought to the novel. It’s good to have a mystery occasionally that is both fairly low stakes and devoid of tragedy but still suspenseful and well-solved. This one fits the bill, and feels like it might even have some appeal outside the usual mystery audience.

I wish there had been more atmosphere and sense of place, especially with regard to the house itself, but the book moves well and made for an enjoyable read.

I've been in the mood for more mysteries and thrillers lately and this one really piqued my interest, so I was eager to grab it. Though the story itself started out pretty slow, it was hard not to get invested in Jo and her story. I found the mystery itself fun and interesting and really enjoyed how all the characters played off of each other in some ways. Each character had a good identity, which is hard to do - though Jo was by far my favorite character, her personality and character really shone through. The mystery itself was fun and I felt that the ending did a good job of wrapping everything up without any lingering questions. This was exactly the read I wanted.

I was provided and ARC of this book via Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, all opinions are my own.

The story is told in 3rd person POV and switches between two different yet overlapping investigations. Jo is investigating her heritage and the history of the estate she has inherited, while Detective Inspector MacAdams is investigating the murder of the estate's groundskeeper. I found this a bit hard to follow at times because the story jumps from Jo's story to MacAdams' within the same chapter. I was surprised by this choice of storytelling because MacAdams isn't mentioned in the synopsis at all, it only mentions Jo and she is only present for maybe half of the book. Because I had an ARC the transition between the two POVs feels a bit abrupt because the formatting wasn't in the final state but there were distinct chapter markers. I think I would have preferred if their parts of the story were split into separate chapters, but hopefully the final version has breaks to indicate the changes.

As for the plotline, I liked the mystery aspect. MacAdams initially comes off as an incompetent detective who just wants to settle on the easy answer. It takes a while for the murder investigation to get going, but once it does MacAdams redeems himself and starts to piece together the convoluted case. Jo on the other hand is overwhelmed by her inheritance and murder on her estate. She has moved her entire life to the UK only to have it upended upon her arrival. Fortunately she makes fast friends with the innkeeper and launches her own investigation into a painting that has gone missing from her estate that proves to be crucial to both her and MacAdams cases.

This book had a great cast of characters and a twisty plot to keep you wondering what was going on. The pacing was a bit on the slower side, which fit the plot well. This was a bit more procedural than action packed allowing the reader to keep track of all of the players and potential red herrings. . Overall this was a fun read and I enjoyed the characters and uncovering the true nature of whodunnit and why.

Great potential for a cozy, old historic house. new owner story that didn't work for me.

I really enjoyed our main character, Jo. She was thoroughly entertaining to follow and see how she handles the case and the detectives. I could've used more time with her.

It took me way too long to get into this story. It took too long to get to the crime, the pacing of the storytelling just didn't capture me. The case itself was a bit boring to see how it evolved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advance, e-copy of this book.

Jo Jones has always had a little trouble fitting in. As a neurodivergent, hyperlexic book editor and divorced New Yorker transplanted into the English countryside, Jo doesn’t know what stands out more: her Americanisms or her autism.
This just did not click for me so I had to step away from it. Maybe it's cozy mystery that doesn't vibe the way I want it to. The duel perspective didn't really work for me and ultimately I just had to give up.

A shabby old estate on the edge of a Yorkshire village, a dead body, a mysterious painting, and the newly arrived American woman to take over her inheritance are the pieces to an intriguing mystery. Brandy Schillace was a new to me author and I was eager to give The Framed Women of Ardemore House– oh yes that is a double meaning, there- a try.

The story was modern, but the main setting, a tumbling down estate on the edge of a Yorkshire village, often had me feeling I was in an old Victorian gothic at times. I loved this tone to the story with its gentle rises of suspense rather than full on thriller action. I suppose it is more cozy mystery.

Jo, is the intrepid American lady, who startles the locals when she shows up and announces a family portrait disappeared and the shifty caretaker who happens to be a local with some friends, took. She knows her neurodivergency makes her stand out almost as much as her Americanisms and accent. Vocal ability gets locked up when she feels the pressure to get words out, other people’s social cues, and her own struggle to portray emotion have already been a lifelong challenge. And, it is incredible to her, when she learns that she’s on a suspect list when the rascal she accused of stealing is found dead in the estate cottage she planned to occupy. Her recent divorce, her mother’s death, and this odd family inheritance all take some getting used to.

At first, I was under the impression that Jo would solve the murder since she’s one of the accused, but instead, Jo mostly ignores that (yes, that was a bit funny) and focuses on her family history she never knew and the mysterious painting everyone says never existed though she saw it clearly that first day.

The murder mystery side is actually tackled by DCI MacAdams who shares the narration of the story. His side of the story felt like modern police procedural. I confess that I cottoned to the truth about a certain someone’s involvement early on so the surprise twist about them didn’t surprise on the who, but I couldn’t have said how they were entangled with the victim. There were lots of curious characters for MacAdams and his partner who the retired Scotland Yard guy foist on them to track down and investigate.

I liked both Jo and MacAdams’ side of the story equally and had no desire to put the book down once it got going. Jo was quirky and I loved not so much her as much as her determination to be taken seriously and to have her independence after her ex and her mom tried to make her feel inferior. MacAdams was not recovered from his own divorce and just putting in time and not moving on. Jo’s case and Jo herself gives him the kickstart he needs.

The book wrapped up strong leaving me well-satisfied, but I was glad there were hints that more could come with Jo and MacAdams in a further book. Those who enjoy British cozies or light police procedurals with a dash of gothic suspense would be the target group for The Framed Women of Ardemore House.

Well, well, well, another mystery within a mystery that completely captivated me. This book had amazing neurodivergent representation; not just copy-and-paste traits found online, but actual deeply considered representation. The author instantly transported me to England in this cozy, but not so cozy mystery, and had me fall in love with the FMC only to find out that it was dual POV. Although MacAdams did grow on me, I found myself more drawn to Jo's mystery about the unknown woman in the painting. Overall, both mysteries were exciting and kept my attention; credited mostly to the fact that I LOVED every character in this damn book. Truly everyone was so unique and had their own distinctive personality. The only reason it isn't five stars is because I guessed the murderer early on, but this book was absolutely a delight!

Thank you to Hanover Square Press, Brandy, and Netgalley for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hannover Square Press for the ARC!

A lot to love about this book. Jo Jones was a sweet delight and I loved the friendships she developed with MacAdams and some of the locals. I'm always a sucker for a story with an old, mysterious house playing a significant role.

I did think the suspects got to be a bit much/over the top and the end got a little too explain-y. Some characters I thought were going to be important or I wanted more of fell to the wayside.

It somewhat remind me of a Louise Penny book (which I adore), and I got the feeling the end was teeing up for a sequel, which I would be interested to read!

Jo Jones lost her job, her mother, and her marriage all within the space of one year, so she moves to an estate in North Yorkshire. She's not sure if people don't like her because she's autistic or from New York. When the moody town groundskeeper is found shot to death in the estate, she's the prime suspect. A family portrait vanishes, revealing a connection to the dead body and to Jo's family history. Jo works with a Welsh antiques dealer, the local detective, and the Irish innkeeper's wife, to clear her name and find the missing painting. Along the way she discovers secrets about the town and herself, and must solve the mystery before the killer strikes again.

When we meet Jo, she's an outsider due to growing up in the United States, and she is terribly blunt to everyone. About a third of the way she explains it as autism, and she certainly has poor eye contact, a lack of social skills, and going down the rabbit hole into special interests, which had served her well as an editor. We follow her investigative efforts to discover the identity of the woman in the portrait and learn about her family history as the local team searches for Sid's killer. It's a murder mystery in the present as well as a mystery regarding the Ardemore family, and why the massive house was abandoned.

It was an enthralling mystery, keeping me up late to finish the book and find out what happened in both mysteries.

3.5 stars rounded down. I love a good bad-ass lady detective novel, and I did like the main character, Jo. I enjoyed watching her dig into the mystery around the mysterious painting she finds (and then that disappears), and I liked that in a lot of ways, she added a good amount of comic relief without being slapsticky and without this being a cozy mystery (not that there's anything wrong with cozy mysteries, but this wasn't one of them). I did have a hard time tracking all of the different side characters and all the side quests the detectives went on. And honestly, the mystery itself didn't really keep my attention, so it took me a while to get through this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for providing me with an eARC of The Framed Women of Ardemore House in exchange for my honest review.

A very nice mystery set in a small town in the north of England. American Jo Jones has just inherited a tumbledown manor. The day after she takes possession of the house and a small cottage on the property, the caretaker who she just fired is found dead.

The book is told in alternating 3rd person POVs between Jo and one of the policemen in charge of investigating the case, MacAdams. Jo is on the spectrum, and to be totally honest, she isn't interested in figuring out the murder. She's more interested in investigating the family mysteries she's discovering in the house. MacAdams is dealing with the murder but also with the interference of an ex-Scotland Yard investigator his boss called in to "assist" with the case. (MacAdams is more threatened than assisted.) Small-town life is portrayed as both the blessing and the curse that it can be: MacAdams knows the victim and most of the suspects, while Jo's newcomer status means she's on the outs with the local gossip.

This is a satisfying mystery, with two sympathetic main characters in Jo and MacAdams. It also both embraces and sends up an American's view of the British police system. (You'll recognize a few moments from your favorite BBC police serials, just as Jo does.) If you're into mysteries without super high stakes but that aren't exactly cozy, this is a great choice.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.