Author: Julie Kidd
Publication: Atria Books (April 8, 2025)
Description: From Jess Kidd, the bestselling author of Things in Jars who “is so good it isn’t fair” (Erika Swyler, nationally bestselling author), the first in a cozy mystery series about a former nun who searches for answers in a small seaside town after her pen pal mysteriously disappears.
I believe every one of us at Gulls Nest is concealing some kind of secret.
1954: When her former novice’s dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent.
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.
My Thoughts: Nora Breen, formerly Sister Agnes of Christ, comes to the seaside town of Gore-on-Sea in 1954 when a former postulant and her friend stops writing letters. She is certain that something has happened to her friend. She finds a place at Gulls Nest, a boarding house, which was also the last residence of her friend and finds herself immersed in the secrets to the residents.
Nora is a nosy woman who has lost her faith in her god. She is struggling for answers not only for her friend's disappearance but for what she wants for herself for the rest of her life. Frieda's disappearance is only the first mystery to be solved.
Another resident is found dead of what is apparently a suicide leaving behind a grieving and possibly pregnant widow. Nora explores his life and past because she can't believe the setup for the death. Then still another resident disappears leaving suspicions that he killed the other man.
Nora horns her way into the investigation being led by Detective Inspector Rideout and the two soon find that they work well together.
The story is filled with intriguing characters among the residents of Gulls Nest. I enjoyed the way Nora uncovered all of their secrets. I liked the setting and the time period of this mystery. I especially enjoyed Nora.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
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