There’s just something fun about the Drew Farthering Mystery series by Julianna Deering. The amateur detective, his wife, and best friend manage to work through murder investigations in the 1930s, eventually stumbling on the truth.

In Deering’s newest offering, “Murder on the Moor,” Drew and his wife travel to the Yorkshire moors at the request of one of Drew’s classmates. As they investigate the murder of the town vicar and another murder if found, Drew must get past his own pride and hurts from the past in order to conduct a fair investigation. But realizing it and put it into action are two different sides of a coin—one not easily flipped.

The cast of characters (and therefore suspects) is diverse and kept me guessing until the end of the story. Though slow in parts, the book definitely has its suspenseful moments as well. Fans of television shows like Poirot will enjoy this series. And fans of Deering won’t be disappointed with another fun romp through England.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

My review of this title have been posted on the Fresh Fiction website and can be read in it's entirety at:
http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=61941
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bethany House for the opportunity to view this ARC.

Some books are more than they seem at first glance. “Murder on the Moor” seemed like nice murder mystery from a familiar author using a familiar set of characters. For this reader, this book was so much more.

First, let me say that this current volume was the best of the series so far. The setting was more clearly defined, the characters are more developed, and the story was inviting throughout. I understand that the author is an experienced writer, but as I read this book I felt as I were watching her grow as she developed the characters. In my first review of a book from this author, I wrote, “This was the most boring book I could not put down.” The current book was neither boring; nor could I put it down.

Second, the author did a great job of using characters from previous stories in the series. Other than an incidental mention, Inspector Birdsong was missing from this adventure. I do hope he returns, especially now that a member of his family is named after his crime fighting nemesis. But Drew, Madeline, and Nick, continue to make a great team of amature detectives attempting to solve a series of murders on the English Moor and to save themselves at the same time.

Finally, it cannot go without being said that the real value of this book is not in the mystery, but in its presentation of “LOVE” in many forms - both healthy, unhealthy, and misunderstood. Though there were a number of quotable expressions throughout the book, the one that caught my attention and made me think twice about its meaning was Drew’s words spoken near the end of the book: “I expect that’s the way of real love,” he said gently. “It’s rarely, if ever, deserves.” Though it was not spoken about a lovable character, my prayer is that we all can experience that kind of love - being loved more than we really deserve.

I want to thank the author for another great book; and, as I said at the end of my first review, I hope that there will be more.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.

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Review has been submitted to CBD, but is not yet live.
Review will be submitted to Amazon on January 31, 2017, after the book has been published.

Drew and Madeline are enjoying a quiet night at home when they're interrupted by a telephone call from an old Etonian friend of Drew's, "Beaky" Bloodworth. There are mysterious happenings going on at his house and his new wife is not understanding. Drew is anxious to help, especially when he realizes he knows Beaky's new wife (and is somewhat suspicious of her motives for marrying Beaky.
When they get to Beaky's family home, it's to discover that Sabrina is missing (though quickly recovered) and that no one can help Drew figure out why the vicar has been murdered.
An interesting story and a nice addition to the series.

Four stars
This book comes out January 31

A civilized romp with Sherlock Holmes overtones. Drew and Madeline return, but this time they head to the moors where one of Drew's former classmates has inherited an estate and a mystery involving the murder of a well-loved vicar. Deering does a great job of keeping the story firmly in the time period and letting readers glimpse what life was like in England between the two wars. The mysteries will keep the reader flipping pages late into the night.

Hello, everyone! Today I thought I'd share with you my first book recommendation for the year. If you're following along on my progress towards reading 100 books this year, you'll notice that this one is not on the list. While it will be published this year, I actually received free galley from the publisher in December, so I read it then. Maybe I should have waited until after January 1, but in the case of Drew Farthering and his wife, Madeline, I just couldn't wait!

I've reviewed other books in this series before, and I always remark how much they remind me of old-time detective stories like Mr. and Mrs. North. Murder on the Moor might be the best Drew Farthering Mystery I've read yet. The characters and flow of the story felt much more natural and real than the others in the series. Madeline didn't seem to have as much of a role in this book as some of the others, but I really enjoyed how Drew and Nick worked together. Nick is a great character and I'm glad Ms. Moore decided to use him more in this book. The plot of this story was well thought-out and well-developed. I saw an aspect of the story that I knew was significant, but I couldn't figure out exactly what it was. Even when Drew suddenly figured it out, I couldn't. I think I prefer not knowing until the last possible moment, rather than being able to figure it out on my own.

In this fifth installment of the Drew Farthering series, Drew and Madeline have been summoned by an old friend to Yorkshire to help solve a murder. The vicar was found dead on the steps of the church early one morning by the milkman, and the police have no clues. In addition, Drew's friend, Beaky, and his wife, Sabrina, have been experiencing some strange occurrences at their country estate. Things are mysteriously disappearing, they hear strange noises and someone is following Sabrina around on the moor. Drew has his suspicions all along about who's behind the mysterious events, but Madeline disagrees with him. One of them is right, and one just might be deadly wrong. Drew must find the answer in time, or more people than the vicar will be dead.

This is a book I definitely recommend to people who love reading mysteries. This series reminds me a little of Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot. While some of the other books in the series probably couldn't stand alone, I think this one could. But I think you would really enjoy it more if you went back and read the others too!

If you read this book, or any of the others I've reviewed, I'd love to hear about it! Leave me a comment below!




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Drew and Madeline Farthering head out to the Yorkshire Moors at the request of Drew’s school chum, Beaky. Mysterious things have been taking place including the death of the local vicar. As it happens, the local police is a relative of Chief Inspector Birdsong. This policeman, however, is much more receptive to Drew’s help than was Chief Birdsong.
This was a very solid mystery with phantom hounds, vanishing people, mysterious hide-aways, as well as the eeriness of the moors, complete with Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights’ references. While this book was not as lighthearted as a few others in this series in tone, there were some very funny/witty scenes between Nick and Drew. My favorite, however, took place when Drew went out to visit someone. After he knocks, he hears, “Who is it, please? I do have a shotgun, in case you’d like to know.” To which he replies, “I very much like to know that sort of thing when I come visiting. I find it so much more congenial when all parties are forthcoming about how heavily they are armed. Now I, for one, haven’t anything but my wits about me, and I’m told those are too dull to cause any damage” (location 1757). The ending of the book was classic but I won’t give that away here.
Throughout the book, Drew is tempted to make judgements about people based on his own experiences. He asks God to help him remember that God alone knows what is in another’s heart. Often it is our own heart that needs adjusting more than the person we are “evaluating,” a truth Drew comes to realize. What a good reminder as we start a new year.
Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.