Joss Stirling's *Red House* is the third book in the beloved Jess Bridges Mystery series, and it’s an absolute delight! This time, our adventurous private investigator, Jess Bridges, dives into a captivating case that involves a spooky old house, a missing will, and a quirky lineup of characters—each with their own secrets.

Stirling shines at blending intrigue with humor, making the story both engaging and entertaining. Jess, with her unconventional methods and wonderfully chaotic lifestyle, brings a refreshing vibe to the often serious realm of detective fiction. Her partnership with the more traditional DI Leo George creates a fantastic dynamic, highlighting their contrasting styles and personalities.

The plot is engaging and flows smoothly, keeping you guessing with its twists and turns. Stirling has a knack for building suspense and creating an eerie atmosphere, especially within the mysterious Red House. While the supernatural elements might not be everyone’s cup of tea, they certainly add an exciting twist that keeps you hooked.

One of the standout features of *Red House* is its richly developed characters. From the seemingly innocent housekeeper to the brooding heir, each character adds depth and complexity to the narrative. Stirling skillfully employs different points of view—from Jess, Leo, and another pivotal character—to shed light on the unfolding events from multiple angles.

Jess Bridges is quirky, relatable, and wonderfully unique, making her a breath of fresh air in the detective genre. With plenty of unexpected twists, the story keeps you on your toes right up to the last page. Stirling balances the eerie atmosphere of the Red House with moments of genuine humor, ensuring that readers are both entertained and intrigued.

While the supernatural elements may not resonate with everyone, they certainly enrich the overall experience.

In short, *Red House* is a charming mystery featuring a one-of-a-kind protagonist and a compelling plot that will captivate readers. Fans of the series will adore this latest installment, while newcomers will find it easily accessible and enjoyable. If you’re in the mood for a mystery brimming with humor and a hint of the supernatural, definitely give *Red House* a read!

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me but I really appreciate the opportunity to try it for myself. I was initially intrigued by the premise, however the writing style didn’t really engage me and I felt a bit meh.

Red House, by Joss Stirling, is a thrilling new whodunnit series that is sure to keep readers enthralled from beginning to end. Fast-paced and filled with unexpected twists, the book follows Detective Bridges and George as they attempt to unravel the haunting mystery at the heart of Red House.

At first glance, Red House appears to be a typical old house, tucked away in the middle of nowhere. But when a series of strange occurrences begin to occur inside, Bridges and George are brought in to investigate. They soon realize that what lies in Red House is much more sinister than it initially appeared and as the investigation intensifies, the detectives begin to doubt their own judgement, as well as their own senses.

This story is full of exciting, fast-paced moments, which readers will love. However, the heart of this story lies in its characters; their unique relationships and complicated motivations are just as engaging as the mystery they’re attempting to solve.

Overall, Red House by Joss Stirling is an exciting and gripping read that’s sure to have readers at the edge of their seats. Whether you’re a fan of crime and detective novels or simply looking for a good mystery, this is a must-read.

This was the third in a series but I don’t think it affected the story that I hadn’t read the others, I think it could also be read as a standalone. I will however go back to the rest of the series as I enjoyed this and thought it was very well written and full of drama

This is the third installment in the Jess Bridges series. I have enjoyed all 3 books and can truthfully say, they could be read as stand alones. You might miss a few of the jokes or have to fill in a few blanks, but you wouldn't be lost either. Jess is a jill of all trades who works at many odd jobs but specializes in finding missing persons. This can sometimes cause problems with the police.
The story line, while maybe not original, is definitely given some original twists. The characters are fun and well defined. The community, from the billionaires' homes to the less than impressive homes of the main characters, is a little quirky and alot mysterious. But that's what a mystery is for, right? A truly enjoyable read that I feel comfortable recommending to everyone in my reading circle.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. The plot was a fun mystery/who-done-it. Perfect for Halloween Month 🎃.

Really enjoyed this one and the Eastern European element was an interesting angle too. I'm enjoying Jess's character and am looking forward to seeing more of her in the rest of the series.

Unfortunately this will be a DNF for me.

When requesting I didn't realise that it was part of a series and unfortunately I do not have book 2 in the series.

Enjoyed this very much. Read in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Making my way through this series and really enjoying this third instalment . Especially the romance side of it.
The cases became more complicated with each new book and the twists and suspenseful scenes are really on spot here.
Looking forward to read more by the author in the future.
Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy

The third in the mystery series featuring Jess Bridges and the enigmatic Inspector George. Enjoyable characters and interesting story plus a little romance between the two protagonists.

I did not realise this was a series when I requested, I have purchased hard copies of the books to read in order, I will review on bookstagram once read

Another book that is the third in a series and I haven't read the first two. I enjoyed the story and the characters were appealing. A very complicated plot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this!

I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis of this book.. Took a minute to get into this book but by chapter 3, I was there. I got to explore through the eyes of our main character and this is always my favorite way to discover these details of the story and, it was done very well in this book. I really enjoyed this book and the plot. This author did amazing. I loved the writing style.

Red House is the 3rd novel by Joss Stirling featuring Jess Bridges, I was pleased to get another instalment featuring Jess and Leo as they've been my 2 favourite characters and I like the dynamic of their relationship.
I enjoyed this book, although having read the previous two, I felt Black River was the most gripping.
I look forward to seeing what happens next in book 4.
My thanks to Netgalley and the author for my copy in return for my honest review.

A dead body is found in the garden next door to the property that Jess Bridges is house-sitting. This brings our impulsive heroine once again into a semi-official role cooperating with detective and possible love interest Leo George. It’s fun to root for Jess as she brings regular-person attitude to her dealings with various stuffed shirts and difficult personalities at work and in her neighborhood. The crimes incorporate a lot more international drama than strictly plausible, but the story is engaging and fun to read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.

Red House was entertaining whodunnit mystery that revolved around body found in central north Oxford, an affluent and quiet area in terms of crime, near the Red House where coincidently Jess has just moved in as house sitter. (She has a way to get involved in all cases Leo is leading, right?)

The story was about business rivalry between Russian Oligarchs, nosey neighbours, socialism and yet conservative thoughts and behaviour, political connections, diamonds, money, and past secrets.

Writing was like previous books engaging, fun, filled with Jess’s humour and sarcasm, and medium paced in comparison to previous books. It was written in third person alternative perspective of Leo and Jess. We don’t see Michael’s perspective as frequent as previous books.

It started with Leo arriving at most affluent and crimeless area of central north Oxford where gardener unearthed body buried for more than a year in the garden of Russian oligarch who wasn’t seen around for around a year. On digging up (not body of course) few things and through hunch, Leo discovered the body indeed was of house owner, Anatoly Chernov who had serious feud with backdoor neighbour and owner of the Red House, Akmal Gulom from Uzbekistan.

Jess was taking a break from missing person investigation due to past events, had taken an administrative job at St. Nicholas filling the gap of mother on maternity leave, had move out of Corry’s house considering their safety and taken the job of house sitter at the Red House for extra cash and accommodation.

That’s right murder next door and living in the house of victim’s rival hardly was going to keep her out of the case. It was interesting to find out who killed Anatoly, why Leo and his team was having hard time contacting victim’s family or Akmal and his family, what caused the rivalry, and what was the motive- a rivalry, political hit, family dispute, or something else.

Characters were interesting and realistic. There were so many characters like previous book. I worried Michael might not get over Jess after reading hint of his more than friendly feeling but now that was cleared with relationship between Michael and Corry.

I so loved seeing development in Jess and Leo’s relationship. I’m not going to describe Jess and Leo any more. If you’re following my previous book reviews of this series you must know Jess was reckless, lively, and sassy with heart of gold while Leo was opposite of Jess -serious and organised.

Now that they got closer because of current investigation we see change in them. Leo apologised for what he did at the end of previous book, got over his reluctance, trusted Jess with his troubled childhood and current situation with his narcissist mother; while Jess who was impulsive and not following stages of relationship actually took things between them slow. Leo got stability in her and we see the side of her, her past that wasn’t revealed in previous books. Both handled each other’s past maturely and I loved how it strengthened their bond.

This book made me smile and laugh so often. I enjoyed Jess’s idea of dealing with Leo’s narcissist mother. I liked reading description of Red House and surrounding area, history of rivalry and family dynamic. All those business and political things went little over my head. I had to google Salisbury hit. The layer of socialism but conservative nature of people was well portrayed.

Case of Anatoly’s murder was much more complex. Due to lack of contact and so much time passed and no solid evidence made it steady paced. Twist and turns came gradually and not everything I could see coming, most of them managed to surprise me. I had idea who was the culprit at around 50% of the book but Like Leo I was slight wrong in guessing and was blinded by likability.

Climax was action packed, adrenaline filled and tense. I liked Jess’ move and loved her even more for making jokes in situation she was in. End was great but I still wasn’t satisfied. Here is why-

Why 4 stars-

It was a bit unbelievable to understand the motive for murder because as per Leo’s guess after finding evidence in Red House I still don’t understand the madness for revenge.

And this I later realised while thinking about the book - characters corelated end of Orient express with the case here so it might be a bit spoiler if you haven't read book/watched movie.

Overall, Red House was fun, intriguing, and complex murder mystery with interesting characters. I highly recommend this book if you’re fan of author, whodunnit mystery, sassy and fun character.

This is the third book in the Jess Bridges Mystery series.

In this book Jess is house sitting in the Red House in Oxford when a one year old body turns up in her neighbouring garden, a house owned by a Russian billionaire. Has he had someone killed, is someone planting evidence on him in revenge or has he been killed? Watch Jess, along with Detective Inspector Leo George, investigate this complex crime.

I love the depth of these books and the quirky nature of Jess, who willingly admits to being totally impulsive. There is a good plot line in this book, with some interesting characters and plenty of twists along the way. They are also supported well by the relationship or not between Jess and Leo.

The book is written from alternative chapters written from both Jess and Leo’s perspective and this also adds another layer to the story. These have quickly become must reads for me and I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I am happy to recommend this book and series to those that love a good crime and detective book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing a copy of this book for me, for an an open and honest review.

Jess is housesitting when a dead body is discovered in a neighbouring garden, reuniting her with DI Leo George. Their new investigation draws them into the world of the rich and organised crime. Revenge and tragedy are elements in this murder mystery, but humorous interactions and romantic developments lighten the plot's noir elements. The atmospheric setting works well. This is another enjoyable instalment of the murder mystery series with two likeable protagonists.

I received a copy of this book from One More Chapter via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was a good read with likeable characters- it's the second book I have read featuring Jess Bridges, and I really enjoy her. This time, Jess just happens to be house-sitting in a giant mansion when a body is found in the neighbor's backyard. Turns out there was a feud between the owner of her house and the neighbors and she gets to work with police officer and love interest Leo to figure out what happened.

I have to admit the mystery itself wasn't super interesting to me- it had a mafia-like theme as it relates to the body that was found and the families involved. This is not a subject in which I have any interest. That being said, I found Jess charming enough that I got on board with the storyline, and there ended up being much more depth to the dynamic between the main players. I am happy to say I am glad I kept reading- there were many twists..

Overall, I like Jess and Leo and I like the series, so I am certain I will be picking up the next book when it comes. I'd recommend it if you like a spunky female protagonist even if the synopsis doesn't grip you. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.