Tag: Frances Evesham

Murder At The Abbey by Frances Evesham – Blog Tour

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Blog Tour, Contemporary, Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

The Brand NEW installment in the bestselling Exham-on-Sea series.

An unsolved murder echoes down the corridors of Cleeve Abbey for years.

The Exham-on-Sea’s History Society’s annual summer picnic comes to an abrupt end when human bones are discovered in Washford River, beside historic Cleeve Abbey.

Thrilled to find evidence of a possible centuries-old murder mystery, the members of the society organise a ghost-hunting night in the ruins of Cleeve Abbey, despite amateur sleuth Libby Forest’s reservations.

Libby is a woman of many talents, a baker, chocolatier, even a reluctant sleuth, but she’s no fan of the supernatural. and her doubts are justified when a friend is attacked under cover of darkness at the ghost-hunt.

Distressed and angry, Libby sets out with her new husband Max and their two dogs Bear and Shipley to uncover the connection between the murder of a sixteenth-century monk and a present-day attack in picturesque Somerset.

With friends and neighbours as suspects, Libby and Max close in on the culprit only to find that others are still in danger.

There’s no time to lose as the sins of the past threaten lives in the community.

Murder at the Abbey is the eighth in a series of Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries from the small English seaside town full of quirky characters, sea air, and gossip.

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3BJyYn1

Author Bio

Frances Evesham is the author of the hugely successful Exham-on-Sea mysteries set in her home county of Somerset. Boldwood has republished the complete series. Frances has also started a new cosy crime series set in rural Herefordshire, the first of which was published in June 2020.


Social Media Links –  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/frances.evesham.writer/

Twitter https://twitter.com/francesevesham 

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/francesevesham/

Newsletter Sign Up Link https://bit.ly/FrancesEveshamSignUp 

Bookbub profile https://www.bookbub.com/authors/frances-evesham 

Barbara’s Review – 4 of 5 Stars

Somerset is enjoying a particularly lovely June with little rain, plenty of sunshine, lovely temperatures, and gorgeous blue skies, which makes a perfect setting for the History Society’s annual picnic which is being held at the ancient Cleeve Abbey this year. Libby Forest and her new husband Max Ramshore have brought their very energetic dog, Shipley, and are thoroughly enjoying the surroundings and the company. At least they are until retired, unmarried schoolteacher, Jemima Bakewell finds a bone in the nearby Washford River. Soon, the attendees unearth a human skull. Are these ancient bones from the Abbey graveyard or are they more current?

When anthropologist Charlie Foxglove and her assistant Rory get involved with dating the bones, and a want-to-be TV ghost hunter personality stages a sleepover ‘event’ at the Abbey, things really begin to heat up. There is a brutal, near-fatal attack as well as thefts and murder. What ties them all together? Is there a relationship between the ancient bones and the current crimes? Never fear, Libby and Max, are on the case.

As always, there are lots of other things going on in the story – just as there would be in real life. We learn more of the backstories of several characters – old and new – and we get fun time with Bear, Shipley, and Fuzzy.

It was interesting to see how the ancient bones and the new crimes were/weren’t connected. The perpetrator was unexpected and the motives were convoluted and a bit muddled. I enjoyed the read and can recommend it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Murder at the Gorge by Frances Evesham

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Contemporary, MysteryLeave a comment

Murder at the GorgeBarbara’s Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Exham On Sea Mysteries #7
Publication Date: 11/17/20
Period: Contemporary – Exham on Sea, UK
Number of Pages: 256

This is the second book I’ve read by this author and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first. The first book I read, Murder At the Lighthouse, was also the first book in the series and I was delighted to see how much the characters and relationships had grown between the first book and this one. The mystery is well-plotted and there are lots of red herrings dropped along the way – just to keep you guessing. It is a well-told tale set in a village filled with interesting characters. Oh! You might also want to buy some low-calorie snacks because all of the chocolate making and cake baking will surely add several pounds to your figure before you are finished reading.

There have been lots of developments in Libby Forest’s life since the first book and I will definitely go back and read the other books as I get a chance. Some of the notable developments between the first book and this one are:

• Frank, the baker (and Libby’s boss), is dancing a jig because he’s retiring. He’s sold the bakery and the new owner is expanding and moving to a new building.
• Mandy and Libby will be supplying the cakes and chocolates for the new café.
• Libby has finished her cookbook and has even written another one.
• Max and Libby are engaged and their wedding will be within two weeks
• Max and his son Joe are less estranged than they were thanks to Libby
• Max and Libby have a private detective business and have investigated a number of cases.
• Libby’s son, Robert, has married and is expecting Libby’s first grandchild
• Libby’s daughter, Ali, has left England and is living in South America.

Max and Libby are as excited as they can be about their upcoming wedding. It is only two weeks away and the planning is well in hand. But, of course, the best-laid plans …

Libby’s daughter, Ali, calls about coming home for the wedding – causing them to push the date back by a week – AND – secretive Max gets a call from his ex-wife, Stella. Without telling Libby about the call, Max goes to meet Stella to learn why she thinks she needs his help. You know things are only going to get worse when, after Stella leaves, Max discovers a dead body. OOPS!

Stella’s need for help stemmed from some anonymous email threats she had received and when local villagers began to receive threatening emails containing nursery rhymes, Max knew they all had to be related. But how? Stella isn’t from Exham, has never lived in Exham, and has no ties to the village whatsoever. Are Stella’s emails just a coincidence that happens at the same time as those in the village?

When a second body is discovered at the same place as the first, more questions arise. Why would that man be in exactly that same spot? Are the murders related to the email threats? How are the two bodies connected? Are they connected? Can Max and Libby solve the mystery before there are more bodies found? Can they protect themselves from the killer? OH! My! Goodness! You’ll just have to read the book to find out the answers to all of these delicious and tantalizing questions.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I hope you will as well. I’ll admit that I had some questions about why a mature (50ish) woman like Libby would continue with the wedding plans when Max is still secretive – especially after her disaster of a first marriage. I’d have wanted to have a very serious talk about trust and honesty before I went that route – so I’m assuming that since Libby is a smart woman, they would have had that talk – just off-page. I am looking forward to the next book in the series, Murder at the Abbey,which will be releasing soon.

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