An unusual mystery. I enjoyed the relationship between the main character and her lifelong friend, Floria. There are certainly a number of story lines, and that kept me interested. Sadly, certain aspects such as the revelation of three siblings, just didn't sit well and I found the resolution and story ending unsatisfactory and just a little strange. In fairness, I am sure that many other readers will not experience such dissidence.


My thanks to Kensington Books, the author and #NetGalley for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very enjoyable read. It is full of suspense, adventure, and a little hint of romance. I would love to read more by this author.

Death at a Country Mansion is a cozy mystery with a charming backdrop and formulaic plot. Daisy Thorne is our civilian investigator and general woman about town. As the proprietress of a popular hair salon, she talks to everyone, and everyone has secrets to tell her and connections to share in return. Raised by her grandfather, a detective, and currently enrolled in a forensic psychology course, she's ready to step in and help out when her best friend's mother is murdered. Luckily, there is a tropey brooding, handsome police detective in need of her way with people and knowledge of locals to get to the bottom of the crime. Our victim was a famous opera singer and generally unlikeable person. The suspects and motives pile up while the rumor mill churns at the hair salon. Unpleasant truths will be uncovered and long-buried secrets will surface.

Despite the lack of novelty, I would have enjoyed the plot except for one unnecessary irritant. One suspect, an immigrant, is remarked by the townspeople to appear like a Romani person, but they use racial slurs in their description. This person is a petty criminal described as having "shifty eyes." First of all, it's profiling. This person's ancestry is unknown but assumed. Secondly, the obvious use of racial stereotypes by the characters, and the author by extension, is unconscionable.

This is a story with lots of interesting characters, a spirited heroine and a hint of some romance. The story starts at Daisy Thorn’s Ooh La La hair salon in the village of Surrey England. Nobody can accuse the famous opera singer Dame Serena Lavante’ of lacking a flair for the dramatic. It’s curtains down on the dysfunctional diva when she is found dead at the bottom of a staircase in her elegant home. Not typical of a hair dresser to sole a murder but it’s do-or-dye to get the roots of the case. An enjoyable story with lots of juicy gossip from the hair salon clients and compelling murder clues lead to solving this mystery.

Ms. Innes has written a well-crafted cozy mystery that swept me up into Edgemead,England and didn't let go until the end.

Daisy Thorne owns the local hair salon, Ooh La La, and is studying forensic psychology in her off hours. I liked Daisy from the beginning with her devotion to her friends and staff. The secondary characters provided insight into both Daisy and Floria as the story progressed. A quickly paced plot, murder, theft and several suspects with a twist at the end that I only saw a glimmer of as I was reading made this a great cozy mystery. I'm really looking forward to more stories in this series.

Death at a Country Mansion by Louise R. Innes is a fun new series with interesting characters throughout, an intriguing plot and a bit of romance. Daisy and her crew at Ooh La La Salon make this a fun read.

I enjoyed reading Death at a County Mansion. This story is set in England and the main character runs a hair salon. I really enjoy books set in England- it's a great escape! I found this to be a fast read with plenty to keep me turning pages! I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

Hard to put this cozy mystery down. Daisy runs the local hair salon, but is also studying psychology. When her best friend’s mother is murdered she steps in to help. Hunky Paul, the detective, is also charmed. A lot of characters to go through, with 3 unknown sisters, lots of ex husbands and of course the country mansion. A fun read that kept my interest throughout. Would highly recommend this book and author. Looking forwards to the next in the series.

I definitely did not see the ending of this book coming. I definitely had the wrong suspect, which to me means that the mystery was well written. There were several red herrings, but Ms. Innes made it interesting and fun to try and sort things out to get to the truth. Daisy is very good at reading people and will probably be even better once she finishes her forensic psychology courses. It will be interesting to see if any type of relationship develops between her and Paul in subsequent books. Daisy is also a very good friend. I do not usually read mysteries, but I am certainly glad that I read this one and I plan to read the next one in the series also.

First time reading this author. I enjoyed the mystery. and the setting. The MC and the detective hit it off very quickly and start working together. Some nice little twits in the book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Madison is back, and she may be beaten, but she's not down. A terrible lawsuit has shuttered her business and she finds herself with too much time and a lack of focus. So a picnic with Tex and the dogs at the lake was a pleasant diversion from boredom. Unfortunately, putting the garbage in the trash-can exposed a body. And suddenly Madison is involved in another murder case.

It's been awhile between books, and Madison hasn't slowed down a bit. She has endless energy and determination. This translates to: Madison sure gets around! It was fun to read about all her connections and how they in turn all connected to the murders. Good pacing, great characters, and red herrings combine to make a terrific story.

I love Madison and her Doris Day "fetish" and the mid-century modern lifestyle. From details of her clothes and their previous owners to items in her shop, it's a pleasant education of a distinctive era. I love all the Madison books, and this one is a fun, fantastic addition to the series! What next??

Death at a Country Mansion (A Daisy Thorne Mystery #1) by Louise R. Innes was an entertaining mystery that had you turning page after page as quick as you could while Daisy and Detective Inspector Paul McGuinness work to solve the murder.

Daisy is a great character and the scenes at her hair salon was written so well you felt as if you were watching a movie. You could hear the sounds and see the people. The whole book was like that with it’s English vibe. The plot was fast moving, full of surprises, and filled with interesting and quirky characters. The author knew how to grab your attention and keep it. I really loved this book, and am looking forward to book two in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Louise R. Innes for the opportunity to read and review this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book.

Opera diva Serena Levante has blown through three husbands and is on the verge of losing the fourth. After an argument with Collin, Serena drinks herself into oblivion only to have someone enter her house in the middle of the night and end of her life. Daisy Thorne answers the hysterical call from her friend Floria Levante, Serena's daughter. and vows to discover who killed her friend's mother. But life takes a complicated turn when Floria soon realizes Serena had a secret life before she had Floria. Floria discovers she has three illegitimate sisters. But who could have killed Serena - one of the sisters or one of the husbands or someone else. Daisy joins forces with Detective Inspector Paul McGuiness to solve the crime. This is the first in the Daisy Thorne series with much potential.

Death at a Country Mansion was provided as an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
It was quite enjoyable. The story is about Dame Serena Levante who lives in Edgemead England. So, if you enjoy reading novels set in England, then this is the story for you. But, wait it gets better.

The main character has lived a very colorful life. She is an opera singer going on husband 4 when she is discovered dead. At first they think it's an accident, but soon it's obvious her death was no accident. Her daughter asks for help in figuring out who killed her mother and the adventure begins.

But, this is no simple murder with twists and turns it will keep you entertained until the very end.

Highly recommend Death at a Country Mansion. Can't wait until the next book.

This was a cozy murder mystery with very little jeopardy. Totally untrue to real life but still a very light read that moved at a great pace. It was fun to read with quite a few red herrings to keep you guessing. It was a great start to a series. I kept expecting the ex fiancé Tim to suddenly appear but maybe that’s for a future book? I will definitely read the next in the series as the teaser at the end of the book sounded great.
The only thing that jars with me as a British reader is the American words in an English murder mystery. Maybe I am being a bit pedantic but surely if something is set in a rural English village it should use English terminology?
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of this book.

🌟 Book review 🌟⁠
⁠
🎼 Dame Serena Levanté is a world-wide famous Opera singer. When she is found dead, her daughter Floria asks her best friend Daisy, owner of Ooh-La-La Hair Salon, to help the police investigate the murder. Did Dame Serena fall over the bannister because she was drunk? And what happened to her priceless Modigliani? ⁠
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♥️ I liked:⁠
🌳 The setting. The classic country house in a small village in Surrey is the perfect frame for this well-thought mystery. The setting is so lovely, that it makes you want to leave immediately for a trip to the English countryside. ⁠
👯‍♀️ The friendship between Daisy and Floria. They may come from very different backgrounds, but their friendship is as true as it could be. It's heart-warming to see how the two of them worry and try to protect each other.⁠
💌 The romance. Of course, there has to be some love, it's a cosy mystery after all! Reading the book, you know that something is going to happen between Daisy and DI Paul McGuinness. There has to be a reason why he is so happy to share information on the case with her.⁠
📓 What Daisy is studying. Daisy is good with people, she understands them and can read them so well. To make the most of her capability, she is studying forensic psychology, and it's always nice to see a character following her dreams.⁠
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🤔 I wasn't so sure about:⁠
The couple that works at the mansion for Dame Serena is supposed to be Italian, but the name of the woman is spelt wrong, and the name of the husband is more Spanish than Italian.⁠
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⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 A book to read curled on your sofa, sipping hot chocolate during a rainy day. If you enjoy British manor houses, a touch of romance, and a good mystery, you should read this.⁠

I received an ARC of this book, which takes place in Brompton Court, in Edgemead, England, the home of Dame Serena Levante. She has had an outstanding career as an opera singer, has had 3 husbands and is now on husband #4, Collin. She also has one daughter, Floria, with whom she has spent little time, using nannies and then shipping her off to boarding school. Serena is discovered dead at the bottom of the staircase, an assumed drunken accident, as she has been drinking to excess lately. But when the accident turns into a murder, Floria asks her best friend and owner of Ooh La La hair salon, Daisy, to help figure out what happened. The problem was, there were too many suspects, as Serena had pretty much only ever cared about herself and her singing career! The the lawyer brings up the fact they Serena also had 3 illegitimate daughters scattered aroun the world and thing really get complicated. Can this amateur detective possibly solve this crime? An exciting and fascinating story. I think Louise Innes is an author to watch out for!

Typical warm and cozy...cozy! Daisy operates a hair salon and is the best friend of Floria whose mother Serena is a ridiculously wealthy celebrity singer. When a murder is committed, Daisy, who studies forensic psychology, teams up with sternly handsome Inspector Paul. Of course the list of suspects is lengthy, especially when another mystery occurs. Expect some twists.

Cozies are great to turn to as easy comfort reads, including this one which nice, light and breezy.

The detective permitting help from a civilian just isn't plausible. The romantic interests were expected and fluffy, a hallmark of cozies, but I wish for the unexpected, too.

This book was enjoyable and fun, just not particularly unique. Still recommended and I do wish to read more in this series.

Kensington Books and NetGalley, thank you for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate it.

Death at a Country Mansion is a lighthearted, breezy mystery that introduces protagonist Daisy Thorne. This book emphasized characterization over a complicated plot with the joy of the mystery trumping the gritty reality of murder. If you are looking for a fun and easy mystery series with a thoughtful and well-realized protagonist, Death at a Country Mansion is for you.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC that I am voluntarily reviewing. Daisy Thorne, owner of Ooh LaLa hair salon, is in the right position to hear all the local gossip. Add to that her studies in criminal psychology and you have the perfect person to help the police investigate murder in a small town. This is a fun cosy with quirky characters. I wonder what Daisy will get up to next.