“Death in D Minor” is the second book in the Gethsemane Brown mystery series. Gethsemane is a concert violinist who, for reasons detailed in the first book in this series, is now residing in Ireland and teaching music at an all-boys school. When she finds out that she is about to be evicted from her cottage, she sets about trying to summon the ghost who so ably assisted her in the first book. Problem is, she doesn't quite know what she is doing and the results of her plot are not quite what she was expecting.

In addition to trying to protect the roof over her head, Gethsemane's brother-in-law, Jackson, shows up with little notice. He is a curator of a museum back home and is in town for an auction of antique schoolgirl needlework textile. Things go haywire and Gethsemane is propelled into working with the police on an art-fraud scheme. When a murder occurs, she is at the scene and becomes a suspect.

The paranormal touch in this book is fairly light and helps move the plot along. The mystery is solvable and I did so shortly before it was revealed in the book. As I am a needlework artist myself and have a small collection of textiles, I loved reading about their history in this book.

I've read both books and while I think it best to read them in order, I found this book could be read fairly easily as a stand-alone novel. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to more adventures with Gethsemane as she settles into the Irish landscape.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

Gethsemane Brown is still living in her quirky cottage, although her favorite ghost has left. The misses him terribly. Her landlord arrives on her doorstep with a visitor, an American invetor, who wants to buy her cottage. The next day her brother-in-law arrives because he has business in Ireland. So, not a very peaceful time for our lovely musician, and it gets worse. Her brother-in-law gets accused of forgery, and Gethsemane is forced to go undercover to try and find out what happened with a priceless piece of embroidery - and what to think of the hideous paintings that seem to hang in shops and houses in the villages suddenly?
Though very entertaining and with a nice mix of characters, I had some problems getting into the story. There are just too many people and a bit too many coincidences to my taste. At the end, I could hardly follow who did what and why.
However, it was a nice read and the introduction of a new 'house-ghost' is a good find. Were the story a little less complicated and the number of characters too, I would have rated this book 4 stars instead of 3.

Transplanted African-American musician Gethsemane Brown is back for episode two. The action again takes place in a small Irish village where Brown is teaching. She is a quirky protagonist, my favorite kind, and she has a lot of problems to nose into in this outing.

The old cottage where she lives is about to be sold to an obnoxious American real estate tycoon. The only way Brown can save it (through a truly preposterous plot element) is to summon the ghost of the previous owner. He helped her solve a mystery in the last book, but he has disappeared and Brown is unable to find him. She even resorts to an old book of spells but somehow manages to conjure up a different troubled spirit.

At the same time, her brother in law is in town to acquire some priceless needlework for his art museum. Several murders take place, and an old art forgery case lurks in the background.

Although I like the heroine, there are too many huge plot holes, too many characters, too many inconsistencies and too many leaps of faith required to rate this effort very highly.

I received an ARC via Net Galley in return for my honest review.

Death In D Minor is the second book in the Gethsemane Brown Mystery series.

I’m a somewhat recent fan to classical music and was immediately drawn to this series and am really enjoying it.

Gethsemane Brown is a concert violinist and is teaching classical music and orchestra at boy’s school. She is presently living at Carraigfaire Cottage, the home of the deceased Eamon McCarthy a noted composer of classical music and whose ghostly spirit was an integral part of Murder In G Major. But Eamon’s nephew is more interested in selling the cottage to Hank Wayne, a hotel developer.

Brown is awakened one morning by someone knocking on the door. Upon answering she is greeted by Wayne who barges in and proceeds to survey the cottage and informs Brown that the cottage will soon be his and she will need to find a new residence. To make matters worse she soon learns that her brother-in-law will soon be arriving to attend an auction where he hopes to purchase a wonderful example of an 18th-century sampler by a young American slave. When the sampler comes up for auction, it is discovered that it has been stolen. Jackson is arrested for theft as he was the last person who had seen it. It is then learned that the police have been watching some of the people as they are investigating a ring of thieves and art forgers. They convince Brown to work undercover in the hopes of learning more about the thieves

The part I enjoyed the most was when Brown becomes frustrated by not being able to contact Eamon and seeks out Father Tim for some “spell” books to see if she can contact Eamon that way. She can’t, but what she does get is the salty Captain Lochlan, Captain of The Hesperus. His character is almost as entertaining as Eamon’s was in the first book and he will prove to be a life-saver.

The book is an exciting story with many twists and turns to it and an enjoyable cast of believable and interesting characters.

I will definitely be watching for the next book is exciting series.

I am such a fan, Alexia writes such great cozy mysteries and you both don't want it to end but want to get to the next one!

I didn't like this as much as I liked the first one - mostly because there were a few details in the Irish setting that didn't ring true for me. But it's still a well-plotted, well-executed cozy crime story with a great lead character and a well rounded secondary cast which includes ghosts in a way that I can cope with and that's not bad going at all!

Death in D Minor
Alexia Gordon

Overall Rating: 5/5
Plot: pending
Characters: 5/5
Writing: 5/5

Death in D Minor is the second in Alexia Gordon's Gethsemane Brown mysteries and now that I've read a third of the second book, I know that I have to go back and read the first one, Murder in G Major. It's only 99 cents on Kindle so I can't rightly say no, either.

Gethsemane is an American professional musician living in Ireland. From the hints and references in the second book, her first adventure included occult studies, exploration, a heaping helping of sass (from both her and her ghostly companion) and I can't wait to read it. While I'm sure Death in D Minor stands on it's own for those who aren't obsessive about reading timeline books in order ((unlike me)), I'm itching to read about those adventures first hand. I'm already sucked into the story of this book, which centers on Gethsemane's attempts to foil an American hotel hot shot, who intends to buy the music-historically important cottage which she current rents. Add to that background sass-fest (complete with Trump nose-thumbing) Gethsemane's brother-in-law, a museum curator specializing in antique textiles and a potential art forgery/theft ring. I really want to know what happens there, but I feel a visceral, driving need to read the first book first.

So... it's an incomplete review, but still a rave! I didn't finish but only because I am driven to read the series in order. This series is definitely going on my recommended purchases list for our library collection.

I love this series! The snark is hilarious! I'm still laughing over Gethsemane not getting a chance to "moo". I've gotten attached to the characters and can't wait for the next book.

Death in D Minor was the first Gethsemane Brown mystery I have read. It was also the first book I have read by Alexia Gordon. I am totally hooked! Ms. Gordon has created a sharp, smart heroine in Gethsemane. I love that Gethsemane is unapologetically smart and dedicated to her career. I love that she quotes negro league player stats to calm herself down. I love that she never, ever apologizes for being herself.
Death in D Minor is, of course, more than Gethsemane Brown. It is a fast-paced mystery that includes art and textile forgery, and murder. And there is also the looming threat of a disreputable developer buying the cottage she lives in. Throw in a couple of personable spirits and a really strong cast of supporting characters, and you have a really fun read.
While the book reads well on its own, I do wish that I had read the first book in the series, Murder in G Major, first.

Like the first book in the series, I felt this was choppy and had a hard time keeping interested. I was hoping that this one would be better but unfortunately, I was not interested enough to finish it. Stopped half way through.

I liked Death in D Minor, but not as much as her first book. Eamon, the ghost who haunts the house, is back but isn't present as much as he was in Death in G Major. The writing is good, and the characters are interesting. The plot was well written but a little far fetched for a small Irish village.

Gethsemane Brown is a talented violinist, pianist and composer who lives in a small Irish village. She lives in Carraigfaire Cottage formerly owned by Eamon McCarthy, a now deceased renowned composer. The cottage is owned by his nephew Billy, and he wants to sell it to a developer named Hank. Hank is terrified of ghosts, and Eamon's ghost is gone. Gethsemane has to find a way to get him back, and quickly, to avoid being thrown out.

In the meantime, her brother in-law Jackson arrives for an art auction in a nearby town. A wealthy widow is selling much of her collection and he has come to buy for the museum for which he works. During the auction, he is accused of theft and art forgery. Gethsemane has to clear both Jackson and herself, and keep her cottage safe.

I enjoyed this book, and recommend it, especially if you've read the first book.

Thanks to Henery Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

She's back ... Gethsemane Brown ... virtuoso violinist and part-time amateur sleuth at your service!

When we meet again ... Geth has been given a deadline to remove herself from the premises of Carraigfaire Cottage by the Twelfth Night. Apparently, Eamon's nephew Billy has decided that money is more important than preserving his aunt and uncle's Cultural Arts Legacy!

At her wit's end and quickly running out of options, Geth decides to take the supernatural route of getting rid of Billionaire Hotel Developer, Hank Wayne -- also a scared-y cat of ghosts. She enlists the help of Father Keating and with great reluctance he lends her an occult book commonly used to cast demons back to hell, not summon ghosts!

Before she can get started on her conjuring spell, her brother-in-law, Jackson Applethwaite arrives on her doorstep, less than 24 hours after discovering he's coming to town on business. Jackson is a Museum Curator in town to bid on (and acquire) the Hester Creech miniature sampler on behalf of his Museum and he's been given the opportunity of an exclusive early preview.

Meanwhile, Geth finds time to cast the spell -- which kinda, sorta works -- just not the way she envisioned. No Eamon to be found, instead Geth has unwittingly summoned the 18th Century ghost of Daniel Lochlan, Captain of The Hesperus. Good thing, because Captain Lochlan proves to be an extremely knowledgeable life-saver.

Now you already know this wouldn't be a mystery if the sampler wasn't stolen and Geth's brother-in-law falsely accused. The accusation pits Geth against multiple law enforcement agencies that are intent on finding a plausible scapegoat. Refusing to risk the freedom of Jackson and herself, Geth investigates on her own and discovers the suspects list is quite long and deadly.

This series overall is a mix of It Happened One Night (Gable/Colbert) meets The Thin Man Series (Powell/Loy) with shades of Carole Lombard -- take your pick of her movies -- sprinkled with The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. It has that screwball comedy feel with a deadly dose of murder for good measure.

Though there's not a hint of romance to be found, I still thoroughly enjoyed narrowing down the list of suspects. I hope Geth, Inspector Riley, and Eamon return soon. I'm intrigued by these indelible characters and I hope to meet them again and again and again.

Find out how it all starts with my review of Murder in G Major (Book One): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A small charming Irish village is a great setting, but it's hard to make it a setting for repeated mysteries- just how many people can really be murdered in a small town?

In this book, Gethsemane ends up in the world of art forgery. Some characters come in from out of town to make this somewhat plausible. However, this book felt more disjointed to me than the first in the series did, and I'm not sure how well the plot hung together.

The other issue- at the end of the previous book, Murder in G Major, the idea of Gethsemane and Eamon's house being taken over by a developer was set up. This plot sort of fell by the wayside with everything else that was going on, and was part of the reason that the book felt fragmented. The issue was resolved at the last minute and didn't feel earned.

I wrote in my review of Murder in G Major that a strength in that book was the relationships the author built between characters. Unfortunately, Eamon is MIA for most of this book and Frankie, her fellow teacher, ends up sidelined in one of the plots. Too mad, because I'd been interested to see where his and Gethsemane's relationship would go.

I think that in general this book felt more rushed than its predecessor, which I suppose is a common problem with second books. If an author gets some things really right, like relationships and dialogue, I think that chucking out some of those relationships that have been built isn't the way to go to keep the series moving. Hopefully we get back to what I liked in the next book.

Gethsemane Brown is back in 'Death in D Minor' and is even more delightful. Faced with impending eviction from her cherished cottage rental, she attempts to contact the spirit of Eamon McCarthy to aid her in her attempts to prohibit Eamon's heir from selling to hotel tycoon Hank Wayne. The flavor of Ireland is delicious, the conversation and characters sparkling, and the mystery multi-layered and expertly done. All is wrapped up in a great life lesson about family, love and loyalty. The ending promises more to come, and I can't wait!

With her school closed for the holidays, Gethsemane thinks she might be able to relax a bit, but that notion is put to rest by a chain of events starting just a few days after Christmas. Between greedy realtors, a visit from her brother-in-law and an investigation into a possible art theft/forgery ring, Gethsemane's school break is anything but restful and relaxing!

After a rather slow start to this second-in-a-series book, the story picked up, making it hard for me to put the book down. The characters seemed appropriate for the setting, and while I wasn't able to identify the guilty parties until the reveal near the end of the book, they were certainly on my list of suspects. I missed the music references that played such a big part in the first book, but I hope the author will return to Gethsemane's roots in the next installment of this series.

It can be said that Alexia Gordon is not going to be hit with the sophomore curse. In her second installment of the Gethsemane Brown mysteries is as good if not better than the first. Gethsemane is settled in and enjoying the holidays. Of course, she would continue to enjoy them if she hadn’t been visited by the man who wants to kick her out of her home. However, Eamon’s ghost isn’t around any longer to help her out. This time she is on her own. She borrows a grimoire and attempts to contact Eamon but all she seems to conjure is her brother-in-law who shows up on her doorstep looking to visit while he attends an art auction in a nearby town. As she continues her attempts to contact Eamon’s ghost, Gethsemane finds herself embroiled in art fraud and murder. Gordon’s novel is filled with quips from her smart protagonist and the return of a few village characters. Readers who enjoy their mysteries complex, well plotted and a lot of fun should definitely pick this up. Plus, the endings of her novels have an unexpected twist. This is a terrific summer read.

I have been waiting impatiently for this book since I read Murder in G Major. I can honestly say it was worth the wait. The mystery ended up being more amazing than I thought it would be. My only minor issue is that there is one scene that felt a little too descriptive for a cozy. It isn't overly gory or disturbing, but there was just enough detail to send my imagination into overdrive.

First Sentence: Gethsemane Brown leaned closer to the windshield.

Conductor and violinist Gethsemane Brown has come to Ireland for a dream job. Her luggage lost, her money gone, the job given to someone else, she has few options but to accept the challenging job of turning a group of school boys into an award-winning orchestra. The good news is that the job comes with a charming Irish cottage to housesit and the ghost of the former owner who presents her second challenge; provide him innocent of killing his wife and committing suicide.

Before automatically giving this a pass due to being a cozy and/or a paranormal, one might want to stop and reconsider. In fact, if one is old enough, think a bit on “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” but also a bit of “Midsomer Murders.”

There are many things with which one can identify in this opening. And that’s just the start.

It’s hard to imagine a better setting or name for a protagonist. And what a wonderful protagonist is she. Learning the history of her family goes a long way in explaining who she is and her behavior.

The dialogue is wonderful—“Well, which is it?” Eamon frowned down at her. “Ghost? Trick of the light? Or maybe a psychotic break? Or drunk on my bourbon?” enhanced by excellent analogies—“The theater’s Victorian beauty reminded her of Miss Havisham, past her prime but still proud.”—and descriptions—“She closed her eyes and inhaled the almond-vanilla smell of old books, one of her favorite scents.” There is also a lovely little change up to a classic riff on “The Godfather”—“Remind me why you come to me whenever you need help with something dangerous.” “Frankie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” “Casablanca explains every situation.”
The only slight criticism was that the ending seemed a bit weak. It tried a bit hard to lead one to the next book, but that’s being picky.
“Murder in G Major” was an unexpected read, much more of a traditional mystery than a cozy: delightful characters, excellent sense of place, compelling author’s voice, and well-done pacing and flow to thoroughly enjoyable story.

MURDER IN G MAJOR (Para Mys- Gethsemane Brown- Ireland-Contemp) – VG+
Gordon, Alexia – 1st in series
Henery Press – September 2016

In the latest adventures with Gethsemane, murder is once again thrust upon her and with determination and a goal, she does what needs to be done to expose a killer who doesn’t not want to be identified. The author does a great job in keeping this multi-plot tale intriguing where everyone is suspect and one by one as each clue is presented, the field of suspects narrow and it is watching G figured it out along with myself. The mystery was nicely done and I like that the narrative put me in the middle of all the action capturing the essence that is Ireland. The character of Eamon adds a touch that makes this engagingly appealing series more endearing.

Author Alexia Gordon proves that her wonderful debut novel was no fluke.

Internationally recognized concert violinist-turned-music teacher Gethsemane Brown returns in this lively, humorous sequel. So does Hank Wayne, an unscrupulous American hotelier who has long wanted to buy Brown’s cottage in the out-of-the-way Irish village of Dunmullach. Wayne’s goal is to tear down the former home of the late internationally renowned composer Eamon McCarthy to make way for a pink atrocity of a hotel, destroying history and blighting the village at the same time. Brown is determined to stop him. If only she could call on the spirit of the late Eamon McCarthy! But he crossed over in Murder in G Major. How can Brown stop Wayne? And can she somehow conjure the sarcastic, profane McCarthy back up so as to help her?

Meantime, Brown and her museum curator brother-in-law become ensnared in an investigation into an art forgery ring. This secondary plot didn’t detract a bit from the first, instead adding some additional suspense. I couldn’t put Death in D Minor down — clichéd though that sounds. I read FAR too late into the night! The sequel’s as magical as the debut.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Henery Press in exchange for an honest review.