Colleen Chi-Girl at Goodreads
5 SOLID 🌟 for Murder at Gull's Nest (Nora Breen Investigates, #1): *** SEQUEL COMING!!! ***
2025, audio, crime-mysteries, england, feminism, historical-fiction, kindle, netgalley, read, thrillers, women-centered

Jess Kidd’s success is not only due to her art of perfecting a compelling story, but it's in her written word, which is powerful, poetic, heartfelt, no-nonsense, interesting, humorous, and it flows so well that you forget you’re reading and not living the story.

This goes down as one of my favorites in 2025. The narrator was a perfect choice for the sassy, smart, FMC. Bravo Siobhan McSweeney.

Set in 1954, in a seaside town in England featuring a middle age, recently former-nun, Norma Breen, as the main character. Norma is a hoot of a character and we learn so much about her and all the other characters, that you fall in love with them, or you are at the least highly interested in the characters, which is another Jess Kidd trademark.

Norma decides to leave the convent because her pen-pal and good friend, Frieda, who she knows from the convent, suddenly goes missing. Norma goes straight to Frieda’s boarding house to do some sleuthing, but without letting any of the guests, employees, or the owner know of her real purpose of why she’s there. It's one of those books that you don't want to put down and is full of humor, as well as seriousness, in this wonderful thriller.

Note: I began reading this as a Kindle Arc and bought the Audible audiobook as well, so I could savor it. Thank you to Jess Kidd, NetGalley, and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. Sheer joy.

Publisher Blurb:
"I believe every one of us at Gulls Nest is concealing some kind of secret.
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."

Set in 1954, MURDER AT GULLS NEST is a cozy mystery led by the amusing amateur sleuth Nora Breen. Nora, a nun who left the order, comes to the coastal Gull's Nest Boarding House to investigate why her close friend has stopped writing to her. Nora, with her quiet and observant nature, is a character you can't help but root for in her investigation, especially when a body or two show up. The story is a solid mystery, where every character has a possible motive for murder, and that includes some surprising twists along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review. I also want to extend my gratitude to Jess Kidd for this captivating read; I'm definitely looking forward to exploring your other books!

This is a great mystery. It has everything: great characters, interesting plot and setting, lively dialogue. The heroine Nora has left the convent after 30 years and is searching for her friend, a former novice who has stopped communicating with her. Nora goes to the last place Frieda lived -- Gulls Nest. There she meets the great cast of characters created by this wonderful author. I hope this is the first in a series featuring Nora Breen. Thanks for NetGalley for this great book.

I read this book on a trip to England, so I loved the setting and descriptions very much. It's a cozy mystery - no doubt. Kidd offers outstanding character development and some of it is very predictable - which is what makes it a cozy murder. The right book for those times when you just need a good, easy read delivered by an accomplished writer.

Very much recommend Murder at Gull's Nest for anyone who enjoys an atmospheric cozy-ish mystery with a complex, unconventional protagonist unraveling it all.

Nora Breen is at times pensive and thoughtful like you'd imagine a former nun, but with flashes of impetuousness almost like a teenager experiencing the world for the first time. She's middle-aged, but she's also rediscovering society and herself. From the blurb and the first few chapters, I worried she would be bland-- very much not so! I really enjoyed her character growth, and her scenes with Gulls Nest's myriad odd inhabitants and their neighbors really shine.

It's a slow mystery, the first half really spent on building the characters and the setting. But once I hit the halfway mark, it suddenly became very hard to stop reading. As the pace picked up, I was thankful for the time Kidd spent building the structure of the novel.

The conclusion isn't the neatest, but neither is life. It's fitting that we don't quite figure everything out. Nora certainly hasn't got everything figured out on a personal level, and I'm hoping Kidd decides to keep following her adventures.

Readers will so enjoy meeting Nora Breen, the former nun, who serves as the amateur investigator in this 1950s set novel. Formerly Sister Agnes, she has left the convent after many years to take up residence at Gulls Nest. Nora has chosen this location because someone close to her, who had been living there, is missing. Did Frieda meet with foul play? Nora fears so as Frieda had promised to write weekly and her letters have stopped.

At Gulls Nest Nora meets quite an assortment of characters. There is the woman who owns the boarding house and her daughter, Dinah, who does not speak. The reader never knows where she will be found. There are also the housekeeper (an awful cook) and Rose, who both work there, and then, of course, the boarders. These include a couple Teddy and Stella, a puppeteer and performer called Professor Poppy, the mysterious Karel, and others. On the side of the law is Rideout who engages in much verbal play with Nora.

The story becomes more intricate when someone is found murdered. This is not Frieda but, no spoiler, so I won't say who. What else will happen? Will order be restored?

Nora is outspoken and sometimes brash (she throws a shoe at an unresponsive officer in the police station). She is also determined, bright and a keen observer with whom I loved spending time.

This is a terrific mystery and one that it is easy to recommend. I eagerly await Nora and Rideout's next appearance.

Kirkus Reviews notes: "A delightful series kickoff in a cozy community primed for more murder."

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Murder at Gulls Nest is a delightful murder mystery! Nora Breen is a former nun searching for answers to her former novice's sudden disappearance. She finds plenty more mystery as well as murder at Gulls Nest hotel. The characters are well-written and the plot is engaging. I can't wait for the next installment with Nora Breen! Thank you to Jess Kidd, NetGalley, and Atria Books for the gifted eARC.

MURDER AT GULLS NEST is a perfect cozy mystery set in a seaside town filled with uniquely entertaining and duplicitous characters. Kidd gifts her readers with the opening act to what I can only imagine will be a wonderful amateur sleuth detective series.

What makes a story like this work is the characters. They have to be diverse, interesting, and often with uniquely quirky personalities. And this book has that. Not only is our sleuth a former nun, but there is a full cast of town residents adding to the intrigue and antics. Dinah is a standout for me. I can only hope to meet her again, because this young girl is fascinating. And then you have the relationship with Rideout. I mean, what is a cozy mystery without the detective being dragged into a case by our amateur investigator?

Taking into consideration that this is the first in the series, I can say that MURDER AT GULLS NEST does not disappoint. The writing is crafted in a way that allows for a nice pace, all the while richly infusing the story with details that help unravel the murder cases. Kidd did a truly superb job of laying the groundwork for the future, entertaining the reader with a well-plotted mystery, and developing characters with depth and engaging dispositions. I cannot wait for the next one to be announced.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #MurderAtGullsNest. I enjoyed this cozy mystery set in the 1950’s. A former nun turns amateur sleuth is fun and enjoyable. I would definitely read another book in this series.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was truly delightful. It was a cozy little mystery. Even though I read it when it was sunny out, I could imagine myself sitting on my couch I the winter snuggled up with a cup of my favorite tea. Do yourself a favor and read it! ;)


Holly Collins

I thought this was going to be more interesting. I thought it was slow, lots of how did I get here, introspection. I do like that it’s progressive in the relationships. #MurderatGullsNest. #NetGalley

Nora Breen has quite the past, and her future is looking like it's headed toward a full on mystery when the correspondence she has been having with a friend stops suddenly. Nora, formerly Sister Agnes is now on the search for her friend, which lands her at Gulls Nest, a hotel in a seaside town, filled with an eclectic group of residents. This cozy, but also murder filled mystery gives Clue vibes and I'm here for it. Looking forward to book #2 in the Nora Breen Investigates Series!

This was slow to start for me, but I did get into it after a few chapters. Following former nun Nora, the story searches for answers about what happened to her friend, along with several deaths along the way that must be solved. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, all with their quirks, and it was nicely wrapped up by the end. I liked it, but I didn’t fall in love with the story or characters—I mostly just wanted the answers! The historical setting definitely helped here, making it a bit more interesting to read.

Thank you for the ARC!

Murder At Gulls Nest was a delightful find but was not what I expected. From the cute cover, I surmised it might be a cozy. Then when I began reading, after only a few pages I felt as if I had wandered into a Sarah Waters novel. Although the timeframe is the 1950's instead of Victorian England, there are a lot of shared elements. There is a boarding house packed with quirky and strange characters. There is an evocative setting by the sea. And there is a missing woman. But as I got deeper into the novel, I realized this wasn't a brooding novel in the vein of Waters' books. Murder At Gulls Nest has a sense of humor, and a good one.

Nora Breen, who was a nun and nurse, has left her order to search for a young novice who she befriended at the convent. She and Frieda had been corresponding regularly, when suddenly the letters stopped. Frieda had been rooming at Gulls Nest, and so Nora goes there and checks into the room left vacated by Frieda's absence. Soon after Nora's arrival there is another murder, and she is drawn into trying to find out who killed the young man in the boarding house.

Eventually Nora goes to the police and reports Frieda missing. The officers don't take her very seriously, initially. Inspector Rideout reluctantly accepts Nora's meddling/help in trying to solve the murders. Their relationship and repartee have very amusing moments, and I really enjoyed the interaction between the two of them. It looks like this may be the beginning of a series, and I will be eagerly waiting to read the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jess Kidd, and Atria Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful cozy mystery that somehow had me giggling on one page and the next page felt very serious. I enjoyed the characters and overall story line. A promising first book in a series.

The tone of this book was completely out of left field, and something you'll need to read to really understand..

The writing managed to be serious and absurd, sad and funny all at once. This book was very, very thick with feeling, but, at the same time, I can’t accurately describe what it felt like to read. It was a super unexpected and unique experience...

Plot-wise, it’s a combination of things I like and things I don’t like, so it’s fitting that my rating landed right in the middle. I love boarding house settings. Something about a bunch of people, who would typically run in different circles, trying to work out life under one roof fascinates me. I like drifters, and grifters, and people running from the past. I also really enjoy religion in books. Not books that promote one religion, but rather stories where people are struggling to find purpose or something to believe in.

Murder at Gull’s Nest has all of the above, plus a series of mysterious murders to solve. The crime aspect is what lost me at times. I don’t typically like following an investigator. When the main chunk of the book is a person wandering around asking questions - where were you, who did you see, what did they say - that gets boring to me, fast. I’d much rather see action unfold in real time, than a person putting pieces together after the fact.

Even so, I think this premise has tons of potential, I liked Nora, and I will look out for the next book in the series.

As a long time cozy mystery fan, it is always exciting to see a new series begin. Jess Kidd's first book in the series takes place in a seaside village in England. Nora Breen leaves the convent to discover what happened to her friend who suddenly stopped her correspondence. The Gulls Nest is a residential hotel that is full of quirky characters. Did one of these people harm her friend? Follow along to find out!

Thank you to Atria Books #partner for the gorgeous finished copy to review.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery, the first in a new series set in 1954 in a small seaside town. Nora Breen was such a great character, and she really made this book for me. I listened to the audio while following along with the book, and it was so fun to do it that way. The audio is great, and overall I loved this mystery and I loved Jess Kidd’s writing. While I am waiting for the next book in this series, I will be going back and reading more of her backlist, as I am now a big fan.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery read set with a historical setting and fast-paced mystery. Set in the 1950s with an amateur sleuth who is a former nun/nurse and a number of interesting characters.

Sister Agnes leaves her vocation as a nun to move to Gore-on-Sea, a seaside town in Kent. She's arrives seeking answers about her friend, and also former nun, Frieda, who left the Church some time earlier. Frieda had been corresponding regularly with Agnes (now back to her original name: Nora Breen); then, Frieda's letters abruptly stopped, and Nora knows something must have happened, as Frieda seemed to be settling in well in the town.

Nora moves into the same hotel Frieda was living in, the Gull's Next, and gets to know the inhabitants, amongst whom there are a variety of tensions. Keeping her former identity a secret, as well as her friendship with Frieda, Nora begins to ask questions, which only become more pointed and urgent when one of the hotel guests is found dead of poisoning one morning.

Nora forces Inspector Rideout to look beyond what seems on initial consideration to be a suicide, but she's not taken seriously. Then another of the guests dies, and Nora not only has Rideout's ear, but she also begins to unearth much more about the relationships at Gull's Nest, and a darker picture begins to emerge.

I was already quite familiar with Jess Kidd's works, and have enjoyed all her books so far. She's always melded mystery with humour and a certain darkness in her characters, so this book worked really well for me.

Nora is a quiet, observant person, and this serves her well in her investigation. The hotel guests are all hiding secrets about themselves, and Nora slowly finds these out in this entertaining story.

Jess Kidd's writing is great, and I loved the depth she brought to Nora, and even to the other characters. Kidd builds friendships as Nora sleuths, and also explores the trauma experienced by soldiers after war in some of her characters.

The writing is emotional and smart, and I was ready to read my next Nora Breen Investigates story immediately after finishing this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.