Another great read! I love this series of novels with their emphasis on police work and the clues to keep the reader guessing!! easy enjoyable read- I’ll be reading more by this author!

Sukey's ex husband Paul is accused of the murder of his wife and she tries to help by looking for clues. Sukey is automatically taken off the case as SOCO because of her personal involvement with the family. I found this book very easy to read and did not know who the murderer was until the last chapter.
A great read with many twists and a surprising conclusion. Highly recommend.

I received a free copy of DEATH AT DEARLEY MANOR (Book 2 of the Sukey Reynolds Mysteries) by Betty Rowlands in exchange for an honest review. It’s just another normal day when Sukey Reynolds is called to the estate belonging to her ex-husband’s wealthy new(er) wife to collect evidence of multiple crimes that happened there overnight. Sukey finds more than just an arson and a burglary; Paul’s new(er) wife has been brutally slain. Soon, Paul, publicly known for his marital discontent, is under investigation for the murder. Sukey’s removed from the case based on her connection to the prime suspect; still, information derived from other cases, serendipitous meetings, and unfortunate circumstances allow Sukey to solve the murder. Meanwhile, Sukey’s boyfriend isn’t very understanding about her desire to prove that her ex-husband is no murderer.

I liked this book better than the first. Sukey’s still bumbling around a bit and lucking into clues by happenstance, but she’s also actively investigating and trying to solve the case. It seems like Sukey’s character is firming up into an intentional investigator.

Sometimes, good things just drop in your lap. Well, make that drop in your e-mailbox; not long ago came an invitation to read advance copies of two of author Betty Rowland's books featuring Susan "Sukey" Reynolds, a civilian scene-of-crime officer with the County Police Force. Although I've heard of Rowlands, I've not read any of her books (which include a dozen or so "Melissa Craig" mysteries). This one is the second in the "Sukey" series, and the third, "Death at Beacon Cottage," was offered as well.

Don't accept the offer, I said to myself. You've got enough on your NetGalley must-read and review list, I said. They're described as cozy mysteries, I said, reminding myself that cozies rarely fail to make me want to smack the foolish heroines upside the head. But in the end, I caved; after all, they're short. Better still, they sounded intriguing. And didn't I have a couple of weeks' respite in between deadlines for the rest of my to-read stack?

Well, I'm here to tell you that my words don't taste very good, but I'll happily eat them. In fact, now that I've finished this one, I'm eager to get started on the next. So much did I enjoy this one that despite my enthusiasm about starting a new book by a favorite big-name author (think: David Baldacci), I may even break my usually hard-and-fast rule of reading only one book at a time and flip back and forth between it and the other by Rowlands (having two Kindles make that easier).

One thing that swayed my opinion of this book is that it really doesn't come across as a true cozy. No foolish heroine is Sukey, for instance; yes, once in a while she pokes her nose where someone has told her she shouldn't go, but it's because there's no other good option to get something done that really needs done. Better still, despite events that threaten the tentative relationship she has with a police colleague, Jim Castle, there's none of the hand-wringing will he, won't he, should I, shouldn't I claptrap that's the hallmark of most of the cozies I've read.

Sukey's ex-husband, Paul, now is married to the very wealthy business owner Myrna - who's turned out to be a shrew by all accounts of just every family member and employee at the company or the Dearley Manor estate in which she and Paul live. Sukey and Paul's son, Fergus, makes his home with Sukey, but he sees his father regularly. Now that Myrna is openly showing her nasty side, Fergus is concerned that his beleaguered dad might do something drastic. Sure enough, one day Myrna turns up brutally murdered - and it is Sukey, assigned to take photos at Myrna's showplace home after a reported break-in - who discovers the body. As with most spouse murders - and particularly since Paul's animosity toward his wife is well known - Paul becomes suspect No. 1. Fergus doesn't want to believe his dad is responsible, but he's willing to accept the possibility. Sukey, however, knows him well, and she cannot fathom that he's capable of such a dastardly deed.

Little by little, other pieces of the murder puzzle emerge, reinforcing the possibility that someone else is the culprit. Because of the personal relationships, both Sukey and Jim are removed from the case, but that doesn't stop Sukey, at least, from doing some outside digging that unearths clues that the police - who by the way do a commendable job with the investigation on their own - might otherwise have missed.

Everything comes together at the end - along with a few surprises and the promise of a new direction for Sukey in the next book. I'm sure she's looking forward to the possibilities - and by golly, so am I.

5 stars

Susan “Sukey” Reynolds is a police photographer and she is sent to photograph a break-in at palatial Dearley Manor. The scene looks suspicious. While there, she has occasion to go upstairs. There she discovers the lady of the house dead of knife wounds.

The very wealthy woman is Myrna, wife of Sukey's ex-husband Paul. She was a tyrant – manipulative and controlling. Needless to say she was not well liked. Paul is the chief suspect.

Sukey has been pulled from the case for obvious reasons, but her and Paul’s teenage son Fergus “Gus” begs Sukey to get involved for they both believe that Paul couldn't have murdered his wife.

The investigation gets very intricate with Sukey standing on the sidelines and picking up tips and hints here and there. Then another woman is murdered. The tension in the story ratchets up and the police are somewhat stymied.

The identity of the killer was a complete surprise – at least to me it was.

This book is written in Ms. Rowlands' usual hard hitting style. (For a cozy that is.) It is exciting and moves apace. The reader is hardly aware of the pages flying by. I liked Sukey and Gus and the other main characters in the book as well. Although I have read Ms. Rowlands' other works, this is my first Sukey novel. I truly enjoyed it and look very much forward to reading the next book in this series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this delightful book for me to read, enjoy and review.

This is the second book in Betty Rowlands' Sukey Reynolds series and the unfamiliarity of the first is a distant memory. After twelve Melissa Craig mysteries, which I loved, I was unsure how long it would take to get as involved in her other set of books, I needn't have worried!

Sukey's ex-husband, Paul, was mentioned a few times in the first book but this time he's front and centre. When she finds his second wife dead while working as a scene of crime officer on a break-in at his stately home, Sukey is removed from the case, assigned other work instead, and supposed to keep away from her original assignment. This is a Betty Rowlands' book however, and so that doesn't have a chance of happening.

I enjoyed this story more than the first, mainly because I 'knew' the main protagonists. Sukey isn't Melissa in a different setting but a very likeable, driven, character who I look forward to getting to know even better in the forthcoming series. Also present once again were her son, Fergus, and lover Jim, both of whom compliment her well.

I  was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good cosy crime or enjoyed Ms Rowlands' previous work, you won't be disappointed.

Second in a fantastic new series.Drew me right in could not put down from the title to the characters chilling involving mystery writing at its best.#netgalley #bookouture .