I loved this cozy seaside mystery! Nora is a very likeable detective, and the other characters were layered and intriguing. The mystery was complex enough to keep my attention, and I really enjoyed it! I will eagerly await another Nora Breen mystery!

This first in series was a treat! Welcome to the world of mystery readers, Nora Breen! She is a former nun whom we meet when she seeks to discover what happened to her friend and also former nun, Frieda. Frieda promised to keep in touch and she did faithfully, until she just didn't. This was such uncharacteristic behavior that Nora was compelled to take the drastic step of leaving the order to find out what happened to Frieda...granted, she admits that it was probably the catalyst for a decision that was long in the making. Nora is intelligent and belovedly feisty. There was humor and insight galore here and I am looking forward to our next encounter with this interesting protagonist. This is one of those you don't want to put down, with plenty of interesting twists and revelations. I want more!

In Murder at Gulls Nest, Jess Kidd introduces readers to Nora Breen, a former nun who leaves her convent in 1954 to investigate the sudden disappearance of her pen pal and former novice, Frieda. Nora's search leads her to Gulls Nest, a quaint yet slightly shabby boarding house in the seaside town of Gore-on-Sea, Kent. Disguising her true identity, she immerses herself among the eclectic residents, each harboring their own secrets. As Nora delves deeper, a series of bizarre murders disrupts the community, intertwining with her quest to find Frieda and challenging her to confront her own past.

Kidd masterfully captures the post-war atmosphere of 1950s England, highlighting a society still bearing the scars of conflict. The setting of Gore-on-Sea, with its off-season desolation, mirrors the internal struggles of its inhabitants, adding depth to the narrative. The ensemble of characters at Gulls Nest is richly developed, each contributing to the story's intricate web of mystery and suspense.

Murder at Gulls Nest is a delightful blend of cozy mystery and character-driven storytelling. Jess Kidd's nuanced portrayal of a woman stepping beyond the confines of her former life to uncover hidden truths makes for a captivating read. This novel is a promising start to the Nora Breen Investigates series, leaving readers eager for more of Nora's adventures in sleuthing.

Loved this book. Great characters! Can’t wait to hear about more of Nora’s adventures! I left a detailed review on StoryGraph and have linked it below.

Top notch writing, a compelling protagonist, and a great cast of characters. It somehow manages to stay within the genre confines of a cozy mystery, and exceed it at the same time.

For fans of: Agatha Christie, Deanna Raybourn
Series: #1
Rating: 🌕🌕🌕🌕
Genre: Historical Mystery
Violence: 🪓🪓🪓 (mostly off’page)
Spice: 🚫
TW: death of a pet, PTSD, discussion of suicide

Premise: 1954, Southern England. When letters stop arriving, Nora obtains release from her religious vows to find former novice. She starts her search at Gulls Nest, the shabby boardinghouse where Frieda lived with a motley assortment of characters.

Thoughts: For those familiar with Jess Kidd (author of Things in Jars & Mr Floods Last Resort), this 1st in a cozy mystery series is a bit of a departure from her previous speculative fiction, though an otherworldly feel persists. But Murder at Gull’s Nest retains her distinctive fingerprint. The evocative, often whimsical, prose brings people & places to life. Even characters who appear only briefly are painted with memorable qualities, whether it be a herd of rabbits or a penchant for romance novels. Nora Breen, the novel’s main character, dances off the page. Kidd plays against type in crafting Nora , at times leaning into & at others away from the nun stereotype. The mystery at the novel’s heart is also pleasing, what started as a missing person’s case growing more & more complex as the pages add up. The fate of the tenants lends an “And Then There Were None” air to it, which I always enjoy, keeping me guessing until nearly the end. The relationship between Nora & the police inspector—who is at turns vexed & impressed by Nora’s investigatory skills—adds a delightful sub-plot to the novel. Overall, a great read & I’m looking forward to the sequel.

cute cozy mystery with a fun vibe and a very dramatic (but predictable) killer. definitely well-done and interesting. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I do love a cozy mystery and this one is no exception. It has a strong sense of place and a large cast of characters who I found were very distinguished from each other, making it easy to keep everyone straight. Each character felt real and dynamic. Nora Breen is my first main character that was a former nun and I enjoyed the speculation on what challenges someone becoming a member of the public after so many decades would encounter. This is my first Jess Kidd book and several times throughout the book I was struck by how much this story benefits from a great writer. I think in other hands it would not have been as good of a book but each aspect- setting, characters, plot- was a step above most books and I found it really very enjoyable. I look forward to reading more in this series and more from this author.
This book will be released on April 8, 2025.
5/5 Stars

This is a wonderful Agatha Christie take on a the classic mystery. There are gothic elements with the big mysterious hotel and also pure thriller aspects as the reader desperately seeks answers.

I really enjoyed this mystery. A nun leaves the convent to find her friends who left months before. She lives in a boarding home called Gulls Nest with some quirky characters. Each character has a secret and one of them is a murderer.

A story set in the 1950’s that follows the life of Nora Breen, a nun who has left those days behind her when she left the world of a nun. She’s trying to contact her friend who seems to have disappeared, but she can’t seem to find where she has disappeared to, so she takes a chance that it might be where her friend stayed once upon a time, at Gulls Nest. It’s there that she begins to pay close attention to those staying at Gulls Nest.

This story weaves in and out, much like the sea itself, but ends in a way that is as wonderful as you’d expect from Jess Kidd.


Pub Date: 08 Apr 2025

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books

First, great cover. What looks to be the start of a series with former nun, Nora Breen, going to a hotel to find a friend who has seemingly vanished. An interesting premise. I like the authors style of handwriting.

Wow, this was my first book by this author and I would for sure read one. What a ride! I enjoy the suspense and the pacing throughout.

Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd. Publication Date: 08 Apr 2025. Atria Books. Mystery & Thrillers. 5 Stars.

Slow-burn story of a nun who leaves her cloistered world for reasons of her own—and to locate a missing friend—told in the surefooted prose of Jess Kidd..

It’s this thread of friendship that sustains the story through the rocky road of disbelief precipitated by the chilling murders of the innocent amidst long walks by the sea, strong tea and an apathetic, eccentric girl-child. The remaining characters still play upon the mind with the tingling upbeat fade of the last scene that is presaging a unique collaboration that may include romantic suspense, and who knows—maybe even a TV series.

Thanks much to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing this ebook for review.

I was pleasantly surprised when I first heard Jess Kidd was publishing a cozy mystery (one of my absolute favorite genres) I fell head over heels for Kidd’s previous book The Night Ship and eagerly added Murder At Gulls Nest to my TBR.

Former Nun, Nora Breen travels to a small seaside town searching for information on a friend who has vanished. She stays where her friend once stayed at Gulls Nest a peculiar hotel with even more peculiar residents. Hiding her identity she hopes to get to the bottom of the mysterious disappearance of her friend.

This is set up to be a series following the former Nun (Nora) set in the mid 1950s with a dreamy backdrop of the European coast. This tipped the scale and felt more literary cozy mystery (is that a thing?) if so sign me up! I felt like it didn’t follow the formulaic typical cozy and had a little more depth. It does bring an array of colorful characters, and a great amateur sleuth who I’m looking forward to seeing what she gets herself mixed up in next.

Thank you Atria Books

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Nora Breen entered a cloistered life as a nursing sister following a tragic incident as a teen. For decades she has enjoyed her quiet life of service and solitude. However things change when a young novice she had drawn close to leaves the order to settle into a seaside hotel, The Gull's Nest. When her chatty letters suddenly cease Nora is concerned that something has happened to her. Determined to uncover the truth Nora also asks to be released from her vows and departs for the Gull's Nest. Staying anonymous Nora finds the hotel guests to be a diverse and eccentric lot and her suspicions become stronger when a fellow guest is found poisoned and another disappears. I was intrigued with the premise of this series launch and was not disappointed. Nora is a different but strongly drawn protagonist. I found her inner musing regarding the adjustments needed to transition from Sister Agnes into the secular world to be insightful and heart warming. The character development was one of the narrative's strengths and the setting of a small English seaside town in the 1950s seemed realistic. I have read one of Jess Kidd's earlier books and this was definitely a departure from her earlier work showing great versatility as a wordsmith. The plot was tight and the interactions between the characters was engaging and revealing. moving the story along at a good pace. A very enjoyable read for this reader.

sly-humor, Kent, monastery, 1954, poisons, local-law-enforcement, cozy-mystery, ex-nun, boardinghouse, secrets, historical-fiction, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, missing-persons, murders, amateur-sleuth, middle-aged*****
1954 England. Nora has left the monastery and is searching for a younger woman who recently also left and has ceased their correspondence quite abruptly. She goes to the young woman's last address in Kent where she finds that she has simply vanished. Nora keeps her nurse/nun status quietly as she infiltrates the boarding house and begins to find more anomalies among the inhabitants (the meals are positively dreadful!), a murder or two, and crosses swords with the local police inspector. Fine descriptions of the coast and countryside as well as meaningful character development. I hope this is designed to be first in series because I really enjoyed it!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected eGalley from Atria Books via NetGalley. Avail Apr 08, 2025
#MurderAtGullsNest by jesskiddwriter #NoraBreenInvestigates @atriabooks @simonandschuster #NetGalley @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial @barnesandnoble ***** Review #booksamillion #bookshop_org #bookshop_org_uk #kobo #Waterstones #cozymystery #exnun #kent #murder #poison #historicalfiction

I absolutely love a good cozy mystery and this one was perfect.

Set in the 1950's we find Nora is searching for her friend Frieda, whose regular correspondence has suddenly stopped. When Nora goes to live at the last place she heard from Frieda, Gull's Nest, a hotel near the sea in Kent. She find a curious mix of long term residents. She begins her search but then people start dying and her investigations extend to include murder.

I find that I enjoyed the characters living in the Gull's Nest and all the surprising twists along the way.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC for an honest review.

3.75 stars

A mystery with a different cast of characters. Set in 1954, ex-nun Nora has gone to a small British village to find out what happened to her friend Frieda. She and Frieda were in the religious order together, but Frieda left due to health reasons and Nora left because she was emotionally done with being a nun and is dealing with being back in the world after decades.

Frieda disappeared from a very odd boarding house. The woman who runs it disappears every day with mysterious headaches and she seems to share ownership with a sour-tempered housekeeper. Her very young daughter is a somewhat feral child who doesn't speak but spies on everyone. Other boarders include a young married couple, a bartender/chef, a photographer and an old puppeteer.

Nora is brusque, nosy, fearless and opinionated. It isn't long before the first body appears and Nora immediately gets into it with the local constabulary over whether the death is murder or suicide. In the meantime, she is still snooping around trying to find Frieda. She eventually forges a tenuous working relationship with the Inspector.

An interesting read with great characterizations. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I absolutely loved this book. It appears to be the first in a series so I will definitely be on the look out for future installments of the series. The author did a great job making you care about the characters. I had yet to read a cozy about a former nun but I think I found a trope to be on the look out for!