Cover Image: Murder at Elm House (A Miss Underhay Mystery Book 6)

Murder at Elm House (A Miss Underhay Mystery Book 6)

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Member Reviews

Another great romp of a book following our heroine Miss Kitty Underhay and her dashing beau ex-Captain Matthew Bryant as they sleuth again. In book 6 we are in 1934 and Kitty and Matthew are visiting an elderly friend of Kitty’s grandmother who is in a nursing home nearby. She tells them of her suspicions that underhand goings on are taking place and the investigation is afoot again, as Kitty and Matthew look into mysterious deaths and mysterious night time comings and going’s at the nursing home.

Of course there are evil villains working at the home who we love to hate and oaps to help with the investigation there. Add in the maid of Kitty and her younger sister who works at the home and the game is on.

The series is great fun and an easy entertaining read with good plot lines, loveable/hateable characters and a good dose of 1930’s charm. It could be read as a standalone, however to enjoy the books fully I would recommend reading them in order to see the characters develop in themselves and in their relationships with each other.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This series gets better
The main characters, Kitty, Matt and Alice are involved in another mystery where smugglers take over a nursing home.
Great fun and great characters
Have not read all of the series so does stand alone but the development of the relationships within the story is really worth reading more.

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4,5* rounded to 5
I love this series and think that it improves any time I read a new story.
This one is highly entertaining and gripping, full of twists and turns and I had a lot of fun.
My only note is that Kitty is very reckless and sometimes it seems she's got a death with but she's also able to fight and doesn't need any hero to save her.
There's plenty of action in this story, it's slow burning but when it get going it's fast paced and I wasn't able to stop reading.
Kitty is becoming a very interesting character: independent and clever, brave and strong willed. I like how her relationship with Matt is evolving.
The author did an excellent job, plot and character development are excellent and I like the solution.
I cannot wait to read the next installment as I want to know what will be next.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

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Spring of 1934 & accidental amateur sleuth Kitty Underhay is being escorted by ex-army captain Matthew Bryant on an errand of mercy, as she takes a basket of grapes to her nemesis Mrs Craven, who is recuperating from a recent operation. But their arrival at Elm House Nursing Home coincides with the mysterious death of Lady Wellings, Mrs Craven’ suspects that Lady Wellings was poisoned, Kitty decides to look into the case herself. And when another invalid, the gentle Mrs Pearson, collapses fatally in the breakfast room, it seems her suspicions are well-founded. then the nurse Eloise Hibbert hints at sinister goings on, Kitty arranges to meet her away from the home to uncover how deep the treachery lies. However, before she can make the rendezvous, Eloise meets an unfortunate end falling from the top of the building. Meanwhile, Matt has been following an entirely different trail of evidence, and what he finds out chills him to the bone.
This is the sixth book in the series & is easily read on its own but there is the on going hunt for the murderer of Kitty's mother & also the developing romance between Matthew & Kitty. Another well written engrossing read, there are twists and turns as well as surprises surrounding Elm House & its staff. The characters have depth & I feel like I’m sitting down with old friends. This book sees Kitty learning to drive & then having the freedom not to rely on Mr Potter’s taxi. Alice once again features & now has herself a beauA very enjoyed read which I thoroughly enjoyed & I look forward to more
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

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South Devon is my favourite area in the world so a historical detective novel set in that area immediately drew my attention.

I love the time period, the ‘30s, and Kitty is a fun protagonist. Her grandmother’s friend is in a care home called Elm House and she has the feeling there’s something fishy going on. She asks Kitty and Kitty’s boyfriend Matt to look into it.
There is also the case of Ezekiel Hammet and his sister Esther who are wanted for several crimes including the murder of Kitty’s murder, and who are still threatening her.

One of the things I really enjoyed in this novel was the genuine affection between Kitty and Matt. Often in cozy mysteries there is this element of will they/won’t they and it felt wonderful to read about a steady couple.

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Kitty is roped into a murder investigation again, but this one isn't so straight-forward. Her grandmother's friend, who is staying at a hospital called Elm House, is convinced that people are being knocked off and something sinister is afoot.

Kitty and her beau Matthew, a private investigator, promise they will do what they can to find out if anything illegal is going on. They soon find out about strange visitors the home has at night, who are always gone by morning. What are they up to and does it have anything to do with people seeming to die before their time? You'll need to read the book to find out, because I don't reveal spoilers!

There's also some progress into the subplot of who killed Kitty's mother, and the danger is amped up toward the climax of the book. Could it even be that Elm House has some connection to Kitty's murdered mother? Again, read the book.

Murder at Elm House is a light cozy mystery that can be enjoyed in one or two sittings. Recommend to fans of the genre.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book for honest review. Thank you to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley.

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I love this series! Kitty and Matt are fun characters. Seeing their relationship grow while solving the mystery of Kitty's mother and finding murderers in an array of current cases is interesting and makes for a great story. The crossover between the past and present cases is well done. I look forward to the next book. Thank you to # NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of # MurderatElmHouse.

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I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Murder at Elm House is the 6th title to feature Miss Kitty Underhay and Captain Matt Bryant. The main mystery in the book is self-contained, but there is an over-arching mystery related to Kitty's mother and her disappearance towards the end of WWI that makes it worth reading this charming series from the beginning. After the events that occurred while spending Christmas with her aunt and uncle, this book finds Kitty and Matt back at the Dolphin hotel. Kitty's grandmother is worried about Kitty's safety with Ezekiel Hammet's whereabouts unknown and the threat that were made against her. Matt is also concerned, but the two agree to meet with Kitty's grandmother's friend Mrs. Craven who is concerned about events at the nursing home she is staying at to recover from minor surgery.

When the two arrive, they learn that there are several recent deaths that the doctor's explanation for just don't add up in addition to mysterious going-ons at night. They agree to look in to it and soon find themselves involved in more than they expected. Additionally, Kitty is learning to drive in the car Matt gave her which I really enjoyed as represents continued growth. As always, the mystery is nicely done, but I really enjoy the characters of Matt and Kitty. Their relationship continues to develop at a pace that I find works quite nicely within the time period the book is set. There were a few unexpected twists and turns that I really enjoyed. I continue to look forward to future entries in this series as a fun and delightful way to spend an afternoon.

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If there is one thing you can rely on it is the fact that Kitty Underhay, the main protagonist in these stories is that she isn’t far from a dead body or two! Her Grandmother implores her to stay out of trouble and stick to running The Dolphin Hotel in Dartmouth, but Kitty now with ability to drive can go further afield now.

In this the sixth instalment, Kitty finds herself visiting Mrs Craven, one of her grandmothers friends and someone who always has their nose into everyone’s business. Kitty finds her quite a challenge and her acid tongue can be quite cutting. Recuperating from an operation at Elm House, Mrs Craven is convinced that something untoward is going on.

There are a lot of comings and goings at strange times of the night and whilst residents should be recuperating there seems to be a high amount of deaths. Kitty cannot help but investigate especially when it seems her attempt to find out what happened to her mother interests many people and puts her forefront of some rather unsavoury characters.

All of these threads that Kitty is investigating along with private investigator, Matt Bryant, who Kitty is now officially stepping out with seems all rather random and unrelated, but as the story goes one the body count gets higher and it seems that perhaps what Kitty was looking for was closer than she first thought.

Still featuring Alice, Kitty’s faithful employee at the hotel and one of my favourite characters for her forthrightness when it comes to Kitty’s behaviour coupled with her unwavering loyalty as well, they make an interesting duo when they investigate together. Dolly, Alice’s sister is working at Elm House and seems she might have innocently seen some of the answers to many of the questions that Kitty and Matt have. I do hope we get to see more of Alice and Dolly in future novels.

As the story reaches it conclusion, of course there are many questions answered, but still Kitty is seeking the truth about her mother and it looks like we might need to wait a bit longer for that one. And as for the fordable Mrs Craven, perhaps the events at Elm House might mellow her? I of course like everyone else will have to wait and see.

This is a delightful series of cosy mysteries set in Dartmouth, Devon in the mid Nineteen Thirties, full of humour, warmth and a bit of romance amongst the body count and the scrapes that Kitty and Matt find themselves in. I recommend you start at the beginning and catch me up!

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I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. I do love this series, so when I spot a new book is out, I request it super quickly! I love Kitty and Matt, and their blossoming relationship (albeit moving slowly) and Alice starts to have a new beau here too. A good book as always, though seeing Kitty rush into a few scrapes at the end, without waiting, was a bit frustrating. If it had been more accidental, it would have been OK. But still - overall very good.

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Enjoyed the latest adventures of Kitty and Matt, who in this book undertake an investigation into some mysterious deaths at a local nursing home, after her grandmother’s friend Mrs Craven airs her suspicions that the deaths were not by natural causes.

There is also the ongoing mystery/hunt over the suspected killer of Kitty’s mother. Ezekiel Hammet is still on the run and break-ins, warning letters and attempts on Kitty’s life prove that whilst he’s still free, Kitty is in danger.

This is the 6th book and has a well paced plot and storyline that keeps you turning the pages.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for letting me have an ARC of this story in exchange for my review.

4*

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I love all the Miss Underhay books, and this latest in the series did not disappoint. Kitty and Matt go to visit a friend of her grandmothers, who is recovering from an injury in a residence facility. But Mrs. Craven is convinced something sinister is happening in the home, and she is genuinely scared, begging Matt and Kitty to investigate. On the surface, everything looks perfectly normal. But there are a few sudden deaths of a few elderly patients that has Kitty and Matt worried. Things get out of hand quickly, and once again Kitty's life is in danger.
Love the characters and how Kitty and Matt's relationship is growing. Looking forward to Book 7!
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "Murder at Elm House" in exchange for my honest review.

This was book #6 in the Miss Underhay series and the series which is brilliant, just gets even better and better with each book. This series needs more than 5 stars. The story begins with a copy of the Torbay Herald dated March 4th, 1934. It details Ezekiel Hammet a dangerous criminal still being at large after being suspected of killing his brother Denzil in Exeter. As well as the suspicious disappearance of Mrs. Elowed Underhay in June 1916, whose remains were only recently recovered in November 1933.

Our favourite characters are once again in the book. Miss Kitty Underhay from the Dolphin Hotel in Dartmouth. In the last story Kitty spent Christmas with her aunt and uncle at Enderley Hall where she received a threatening note signed "EH". Captain Matthew Bryant, a private investigator who previously worked for various government departments is officially Kitty's beau. Kitty's grandmother Mrs. Treadwell's best friend Millicent Craven is a huge character in this story because it is her needing to recuperate from a minor operation that sends her to Elm House.

Mrs. Craven sends for Matt because she feels that something is just not right at Elm House. She hears strange noises at night. People appear and then disappear. Then there are the deaths. Perfectly healthy people end up dead with no investigation into what happened to them.

Kitty's maid Alice Miller is in this story as is her younger sister Dolly who is working at Elm House as a maid. Robert Potter who is sweet on Alice returns in this story to teach Kitty how to drive her Christmas present from Matt.

As in previous books there is a lot of strange things happening. What do a break-in at Matt's house, the theft of Kitty's handbag and an attempted raid at the hotel have to do with each other. The box that Father Lamb gave Kitty after the death of Jack Dawkin is pivotal in this story as well. Kitty receives another threatening note signed "EH" at the hotel. Could the reward money that Kitty has promised for information on Ezekiel Hammett have anything to do with the strange happenings surrounding Kitty and her friends.

When a resident collapses at Elm House while Doctor Marsh is away things start to unravel. Doctor Carter is called in and he finds the death suspicious. How are the deaths at Elm House, a possible suicide and drugs linked? There are officers from Scotland Yard with Inspector Greville. Which case are they connected with?

As in previous books Kitty places herself in harms way not once, not twice, but several times earning her several lectures from her grandmother. Kitty is a thoroughly modern character for the time period she is in. This is one of the best series out there, it does need to be read in order, so that you understand the relationships that the author has created. I can't wait to see what adventures Kitty and Matt get into next time.

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Thanks to Bookouture and Net Galley for this ARC. I really like this series but this book just didn't seem to be up to the same standard. Still a goods read though and hopefully the next book will be back on track.

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3.75 stars

This is a reliably entertaining historical cozy mystery series set in England in the 30s. The main characters are young hotelier Kitty Underhay and her love interest Matt. Both are nicely fleshed out characters who have a bit of depth. Matt is a WWI veteran with some physical and emotional scars, and also a widower who lost his wife and child to influenza. Kitty was raised by her grandmother after her mother disappeared and her charming but unreliable father de-camped. Kitty's mother's death has occupied some plot time in all the books and a bit continues into this one. There is a lot of background and although you could read it as a standalone, it is interesting to have the information from previous books.

Kitty's grandmother's irascible best friend Mrs. Cravens is temporarily recovering from foot surgery at a posh nursing rehab center. She believes something is very wrong there -- there have been several unexplained deaths, there are mysterious comings and goings late at night, and some grasping relatives have become mysteriously enriched by the unexpected deaths. She asks Matt and Kitty to investigate.

As in all cozies, the main character (Kitty) is nosy to a pretty unbelievable degree. Kitty is highly intelligent and is talented at figuring out crimes, but in this one she puts herself at risk several times in unnecessarily. The threads of this story intertwine with the search for the culprit in Kitty's mother's death.

Good characters, a well paced narrative, and an interesting setting make this an enjoyable series. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Suspicious Events...
The sixth in the Miss Underhay Mystery series finds our entirely accidental amateur sleuth on a mission of mercy. When a death occurs at a nursing home she is attending suspicious events come to light. Enjoyable,, light hearted cosy mystery with a likeable protagonist in Kitty and a colourful cast of supporting characters. Sheer escapism.

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Kitty Underhay and her fiancé Matthew Bryant are asked by Mrs Craven, an old friend of her grandmother’s, to look into recent deaths that occurred at the nursing home where she is recuperating from an operation. Soon, the deaths multiply, and Kitty is is caught up in a very dangerous pursuit.

This is the 6th Miss Underhay Mystery and I have to admit, not having read the previous ones, I started off missing some information. There is a thread from the previous book (I think, it could be any of the previous books) about Kitty looking for her mother’s killer which leads to her receiving threats, but once the current mystery gets underway that thread just adds to the general air of peril and it isn’t necessary to know the details. The cast of characters is great, they have complementary skills that help solve the mystery, from the new “lady motorist”, to the code-breaking housemaid, with special mention for the unusual use of canned sardines as a weapon by Kitty’s friend Alice.

This perfectly follows the template of a cosy mystery, with a few chases and guns to liven things up. The balance between Kitty’s day job helping run the hotel, her romance with Matthew, and her investigation was just right. The various threads of the mystery come together in unexpected ways, and I for one suspected each of the suspects presented in turn, when I usually dismiss a few out of hand. Overall, I was well entertained and I would love to spend more time with these characters, either in new adventures or by going back to read the previous ones.

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Following a minor operation Kitty Underhay's main critic Mrs Craven is convalescing at the Elm House nursing home while her maid takes some well deserved holiday. Not an easy woman to deal with at the best of times she is however Kitty's grandmother's best friend and so she finds herself visiting and taking her beau Captain Matt Bryant along for moral support. 

Shaken by the sudden demise of another resident, Mrs Craven is convinced the death was in no way accidental. Insisting Kitty and Matt investigate immediately she also tells them one of her newly made friends has reported nightly comings and goings which seem to add to the suspicious happenings. Kitty is eager to look into what is going on at Elm House, anything to take her mind off the fact that her late mother's suspected killer is still at large with the police seemingly having no idea where to find him.

With the nursing home case far more complicated than it first appeared and the danger to both Kitty and Matt seemingly very close at hand everyone is on edge but none of them realise just how desperate things are about to become.

The sixth book in the Kitty Underhay series continues the desperate search for her mother’s murderer as well as the slowly evolving relationship between her and Matt Bryant. This time the nursing home and Kitty's first driving lesson add to the storyline providing another atmospheric and well written read. The small cast of protagonists are very familiar now and as always are a pleasure to visit with.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this historical cosy crime by one of the best authors of this genre around.

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This is already the 6th adventure of Miss Kitty Underhay and it's again a fast-paced, cosy and entertaining page-turner. The perfect book to curl up with any time of the year!
I recommend this book and the whole series to any fan of cosy mystery.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Mrs. Craven, Kitty’s grandmother best friend, is at Elm House Nursing Home recuperating from surgery, and asks Kitty and Matthew Bryant to investigate some strange goings-on. Is it boredom or is there really weird things going on? When one patient dies unexpectedly during breakfast it seem Mrs. Craven is right. And what is happening with the hunt for Ezekiel Hammett?
Another fun instalment in the Miss Underhay Mysteries, and fun cozy to curl up with.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an early read in exchange for my opinion.

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