I received this as an advanced copy from NetGalley

Bridey Kelly has come back to home after being dismissed as a nurse trainee. This is the only place she can go back to after this happens. After she is home a body washes to shore near the estate. Finding out this is a victim that was killed. Gigi who is a nurse who is not like Bridey at all. The two of them discover that they both have many secrets which lead them back to 'Greenway.

I enjoyed this book!! Good story and kept my interest.

I enjoyed this book and found the historical aspects interesting. This is a must read for fans of Agatha Christie and WWII.
3.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this mystery suspense story. This is a new author for me which I look forward to seeing what is next for her. I enjoyed being pulled into the story from the beginning by the characters. They are creative, unique and truly made the story for me. They are connectable and made the story fun and entertaining to read. This is a well written story where the author's use of details gave the story a realistic feel. This is a story about a village where a body comes to shore. This is a butial murder that not only brings the suspense but also secrets. I enjoyed what the twists and turns brought to the story and the growth throughout. This is a great read that I highly recommend.

There have been a slew of mysteries published in last few years that feature Agatha Christie as a character in a real-life mystery. I’m beginning to think the trope is played out.

Here, Lori Rader-Day sets her story of two “nurses” engaged to care for ‘vacs - children evacuated from London during World War II. In this case, the children and their minders are sent to Greenway, the home of Max and Agatha Mallowan (Christie).

We know from the start that one of the “Bridget Kelly’s” is pretending to be a nurse, but hey, why not make the other Bridget Kelly also a faker? And let’s not make either one of them sympathetic. So begins one of the oddest stories I’ve read in a long time. I found the whole thing kind of muddled.

There are a lot of elements to this book that will speak to plenty of people. Firstly, it’s a historical fiction based on fact—Agatha Christie’s manor was indeed made home to evacuated children during World War II. Many of the details in this novel are true, thanks to meticulous research on the part of the author.

For those interested in getting a slice-of-life story about the people who lived through WWII, Death at Greenway also has a lot to offer. This might not be boots-on-the-ground in the way many other stories of the war have been told, but it certainly shows the devastating effects this moment in time had on everyone back home in England.

Amidst the drama of the war, Greenway sees its own form of death in the shape of a man who’s been murdered. This mystery takes a backseat to the other goings-on around the estate, but it’s never far from Bridget’s mind. The answers come late in the book, as they do in any good crime novel, but they seem less important than watching Bridget separate who she is from who she wants to be.

Although the novel takes place at Agatha Christie’s home, the woman hardly features in the book. She’s a constant presence in other ways, as characters wonder why she’s allowed strangers into her home while she’s away, what motivates her to write about murder, and who she really is once you set all the whispers about her to the side.

Lori Rader-Day always gives readers a unique story, something different from anything else they’ve read. I love that freshness, and the characters that help create that uniqueness. I’ve been introduced to dark sky parks, handwriting expertise, and a character who beat the odds of being kidnapped as a baby. And, in Death at Greenway, Lori Rader-Day takes a leap into another whole pond. Well, she actually leaps across the pond to merry old England when it wasn’t so merry during WWII. Historical mystery fiction! Oh, but she doesn’t stop there with delighting me. The setting is Agatha Christies’ Greenway home and South Devon, with London as the starting and ending points. As part of her research, Rader-Day visited Greenway and stayed there. She brings the authenticity of having walked the house and grounds to this story. Is it little wonder I’ve been looking forward to reading Death at Greenway.

After a beginning chapter in which Agatha Christie is at Greenway with her husband and house staff listening to the radio announcement from Prime Minister Chamberlin that England was officially at war with Germany (the listening world encapsulated in that kitchen scene), focus is changed to London, April 1941. London and its inhabitants are suffering greatly from the daily bombings of the German planes, with whole families dying in their homes, despite the air raids and shelters. There is a general consensus that the children of London must be saved, taken away from the city to the country, where they will be safe. Parents are handing over their children to organized evacuation operations, while the parents stay and work in London. Bridget Kelly, who is training to be a nurse, finds herself part of such an operation due to an egregious error she has made in treating a patient. Bridget is given the choice to give up her nurse’s training completely or be a part of an evacuation of ten children to an undisclosed country location. Bridget chooses to lend her services to the evacuation movement.

War is hell and chaotic, and Bridget starts her journey with the evacuated children, their sponsors, and another nurse in a crowded train station, with much shouting and hurrying and immediate caring for the children. As if the chaos of soldiers and children and parents saying goodbye to their children weren’t enough, the second nurse in the party introduces herself as Bridget Kelly, too. It seems everything in our protagonist Bridget’s life is surreal at this point. Mrs. Arbuthnot, who is in charge of the group, insists that they choose two dissimilar names, so protagonist Bridget becomes Bridey, and the new Bridget becomes Gigi. Bridey finds out quickly that Gigi is happy to let Bridey handle the children by herself for long periods of time while Gigi socializes with a group of other young people on the train. With two babies in the mix to care for, it’s quite the challenge. It’s a long train ride to their destination, which they finally learn is Greenway, home of the famous author Agatha Christie, in South Devon.

Greenway is beautiful, but the evacuation team and their wards are restricted to several rooms and told not to enter others. However, they have lots of space outdoors to walk and explore. Agatha Christie is in residence at Greenway when the group arrives, but she doesn’t interact with the evacuee group. She leaves for London not long after. This story does not include or involve the Grand Dame of Mystery, but we do get some peeks at a habit or two of hers. I enjoyed learning more about the evacuation of children from London and the ten children or vacs, as they were called, at Greenway. Rader-Day weaves a fascinating story into the historical facts of this evacuation, and she even talked to one of the vacs still alive, little Doreen. The two nurses, Bridey and Gigi, carry a heavy responsibility, to keep these children healthy and safe, which is more of a challenge than Bridey thought it would be. Although Greenway is far from London, the German planes are still a danger, as they bomb nearby locations, causing the house and earth around the group to tremble in response. Bridey wonders why they were evacuated to somewhere on the coast and to a large white house on a hill.

So, what is this story? An historical fiction book or a mystery? For me, it was historical fiction with lots of mysteries running through it. There is murder, but everyone is so busy with the war that a full investigation is not forthcoming. But, still the murder adds to the mystery of what is happening in the small village of Galmpton, where healthy men are dying disproportionate to statistics. What is important in the story? What direction should the reader be focusing on? Oh, Rader-Day requires our undivided attention, so readers read closely and remember that characters tend to appear in a Lori Rader-Day book for a reason. Keep those little gray cells sharp, as the many threads introduced do have connections.

Some of the threads: Nurses who aren’t really nurses. Travelers from the train from London to Greenway whom Gigi talks to and who end up in South Devon, too. Man found dead in the River Dart, murdered. Other men in the village who seem healthy and too young to die are dying. Somebody is stealing jam and leaving a muddy boot print. Gigi’s wisht man has been seen by little Doreen. Mrs. Poole, the mother of a child kept by her from evacuating arrives at Greenway in distress, and then she is missing. Bridey is friendly with the local doctor, but when he makes a romantic move, she can’t respond. Gigi has hidden money and hidden motives in her role as an evacuation nurse. And much more. Lori Rader-Day keeps it all flowing toward resolution, both on the worldly stage and the smaller one starring Bridey.

The first month or so of this story goes a bit slower than the rest of the time forward, but it doesn’t drag. It is an important time of setting up characters and mysteries and daily life of the evacuation, including what goes on in the village below Greenway. The reader is learning about who is who and who does what and that the Germans aren’t the only destructive force to fear. And then, a year has soon passed at Greenway, and lots of changes are taking place again. To tell beyond the early days at Greenway would deprive readers of discovering all the intrigue and revelations for themselves. There is so much good story still to come, and I was quite happy with the way it all wrapped up in the end, threads coming together and mysteries solved. I think the author was very much in tune with what ending was consistent with a WWII story, and it shows great judgment not to try and rewrite history.

Multiple characters are used to voice the narration of the book, which gives readers the edge of knowing more of what’s going on than any one of the characters. It’s Bridey’s voice we hear the most, which is fitting, as her journey is the one we are following to fruition. I enjoy this use of multiple voices in separate chapters. They’re like the different puzzle pieces used to make the picture whole. And, oh those characters, they are pure Lori Rader-Day magic, one of the things she does best. She brings characters to life with a deftness born of raw talent but perfected by hard work. The character of Bridget/Bridey shows such growth that I am actually proud of her, like she’s someone I really know. That’s how well-developed characters are supposed to affect readers. And, Gigi is a character who shows me not to judge too quickly or assume you know her too soon. So many characters have poignant stories in this book, and readers will follow them all through the sadness and the joy they invoke. Death at Greenway tells the stories of ordinary people inside the extraordinary story of war, and it feels very intimate. That’s the accomplishment of a skillful storyteller.

I thoroughly enjoyed Death at Greenway, and I think readers are in for a treat. Don’t get hung up in what category to pigeon-hole this book. Just enjoy the captivating read that is sure to land this award-winning author even more tangible plaudits.

I thank NetGalley and the William Morrow Publishers for an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

Death at Greenway is a traditional, historical mystery set during WWII. It takes place at a home of Agatha Christie’s, although the renowned author is only briefly seen in these pages. Nonetheless, her home has been opened to children who have left London (without their families) in order to be kept safe during the conflict.

Protagonist Bridget was working as a trainee nurse, a position that she loved, until something went disastrously wrong. Now, early in the novel, she is making believe that she is a fully trained nurse and is in charge of ten evacuees. Along with her, other adults included the not so hard working Gigi, and Mrs. Arbuthnot, a do-gooder, who directs others, including Bridget.

As everyone settles in, of course, a murder takes place. From this point on there is a case to be solved. Bridget is part of the investigation. What is in her past? In Gigi’s? How will the victim’s killer be brought to justice.?

I initially found this book to be a bit slow moving. I think, though, that it will be enjoyed by those who love traditional mysteries. It has received such good reviews overall.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This one is more historical fiction than mystery/suspense but I enjoyed reading it and learning a bit more about Agatha Christie. Most of the story is told from Bridey’s perspective. She’s a nurse-in-training during the early days of WWII in London. A mishap at the hospital occurs and Bridey is sent to Greenway House with ten children (all under 5!) being evacuated from London.

She’s joined by another nurse and the two women try to figure out the best way to care for the children. Agatha Christie owns the house with her husband, and they have agreed to take in the evacuees to do their part in the war effort. I was a bit disappointed that there was only one cameo performance. It probably makes sense though as Agatha was frequently in London during this time.

The house itself is almost a character, a big white structure up on a hill with surrounding woods and very near the English Channel. It turns out the house is safer than London, but there are still bombings and close calls. The other nurse has some secrets of her own and soon there’s a dead body that has turned up.

This could almost be called a coming-of-age story as Bridey really comes into her own and becomes a strong character. There are definitely secrets and mistrust among the villagers, but I never felt a strong sense of tension and danger. There were a few times when I worried for Bridey’s sanity.

The author notes at the end are fascinating and talk about the research that went into this one.

This is such a terrific book--Rader-Day has clearly done some amazing and intensive research, but she is such a talented writer that the story unfolds, seamlessly and beautifully, and it seems entirely real.

I love the respect she shows for the time and the people, the honesty about the war on a personal level and the difficulties of daily life, and all the real-life elements--and then weaves that into this riveting historical mystery centering around two nurses who are put in charge of children evacuated from war-time London to Agatha Christie's summer estate. And when a body is found nearby...

Told with an authentic and clever voice, DEATH AT GREENWAY, with its gorgeous and fascinating setting in an intensely powerful time in history--is a unique take on the traditional mystery, with a special and loving homage to the woman who started it all.

Highly highly recommended.

I devoured this book in one sitting!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a very enjoyable, entertaining read. I highly recommend this book.

I usually love historical fiction but unfortunately, Death at Greenway didn’t grab me. It was long and a bit confusing for me—I honestly fell asleep several times while reading it.

Death at Greenway starts strong, with Bridey Kelly losing her nurse trainee position and taking a post to care for children being evacuated from WWII London to Agatha Christie’s vacation home. The sense of time and place are vivid, and the details about evacuees and the tension surrounding bombings even in the country are compelling. The characters and the local community are well developed and the book is well written. However, the pace is slow, especially in the middle.

Much of the book focuses on Bridey’s struggles with her self-esteem and with concern that others will discover she is not actually a nurse yet. She is in mourning for her family, who died when their home was bombed; she fights the feelings she develops for the children in her care; and she avoids developing relationships with the other people at the estate.

As the book is set at Agatha Christie’s house and described as a suspense novel, I expected the mystery aspect to be the focus of the book--and the author to be present. Although Agatha Christie and her books are mentioned by different characters, the author herself is largely absent from the house.

For others who read this book, I recommend approaching it as historical fiction rather than a mystery/suspense novel.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advance copy of this ebook. My opinion is my own.

I really enjoyed listening to this historical mystery about a lesser known aspect of WWII. The narrator did a fantastic job of transporting the listener to the location. Hearing the accents associated with the characters, both upper class and lower, made the setting come alive. I listened to this at 1X to be sure to catch all the intonations.

And what a location it is! Right on the brink of the ocean, in the vacation estate of Agatha Christie -- a location that appears to be idyllic for the children being sent from the bombing in London in the hopes they will be safer. As it turns out, there is a lot of intrigue going on leading up to the end of the war, and safety is questionable. The backstory involving spies (listeners) is fascinating, but what really shines is the author's characterization. The story is told from several people's perspectives, but at the center is Bridey, a young nurse sent to help care for the children at Greenway. Bridey is complexly drawn, but so are the secondary characters. The overall feel is of a group of people who move from complete strangers into deeply intertwined relationships.

As befits a group holed up at Agatha Christie's home, there are some deaths and the compelling mystery of who could be responsible...all of which Bridey gets caught up in. The plot is particularly interesting in the way in which it adds to our understanding of the characters. Rader-Day also gives us much to think about: the nature of one's sense of self, city vs. country perspectives, class distinctions, marriage in the 40s, the affects of guilt, and so much more. This is the sort of book that reviewers will often claim would be better with fewer plot lines, but I felt that each enhanced the other in Rader-Day's hands.

Death at Greenway is an evocation of time and place, a character study, more than a mystery. The story does have multiple points of view, but it is mainly told by Bridey Kelly, the young woman with a tragic past who only wants to save lives. Greenway House may belong to Agatha Christie, and her presence is indeed felt in her holiday home, but she is very seldom seen in residence. This story has nothing to do with her and everything to do with the house's other inhabitants.

Greenway House is shrouded in mystery. So many of the people Bridey comes in contact with seem to be hiding something. Gigi, with her lacy knickers and long polished fingernails, is like no nurse Bridey has ever seen, and it's maddening how she gets away with doing very little work and sneaking out of the house at night. The more readers come in contact with the characters, the more the suspense and unease build. It's quickly learned that being away from the bombs falling nightly in London does not mean these people are safe. As the days, weeks, and months pass, think location, location, location, and some of the puzzle pieces may start falling into place.

There are some wonderful scenes in Death at Greenway, some of them heartbreaking. Mrs. Arbuthnot telling off a suspicious villager. The Wrens with their signal flags. Cecilia Poole and little Sam. And the acknowledgments and notes at the back are not to be missed. Does Bridey ever find out just what was going on around Greenway House? Yes, but the journey she takes to overcome her past is often more interesting than the mystery. Lori Rader-Day's characters will be inhabiting the dark, furtive corners of my mind for some time to come.

I enjoy historical mysteries and this one is done well. I liked the Christie hook and it made it very intriguing to me! There was a lot of time jumps that made it someone difficult to follow but overall a good book!
Thank you so much to the publishers for my arc in exchange for my honest review.

As a reader who loves historical fiction with some suspense in it, I was eager to read Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day. This was the first book I have read by this author, but apparently it is a departure from her other books, which lean toward contemporary mystery and suspense.

The premise of the novel involves two “nurses” who are sent to care for a group of young children who are evacuated to Agatha Christie’s vacation home named Greenway. The fact that Ms. Christie housed evacuated children at one of her properties was a piece of history I did not know about, so that intrigued me immediately.

The story started out very strong, as I was curious about the past lives of the nurses, which was only hinted at. The plot meandered in the middle of the book to the point that I was questioning where this could possibly be going, but things made a lot more sense as the story neared the end. I did not like how some plot points were built up to and then suddenly in the next chapter they were over. Without giving spoilers, I will say that I felt like I missed out on some scenes I would have liked to experience.

I really liked how the Bridey character was developed throughout the book. I felt that I was in her head and could understand her actions. There were a lot of characters that seemed unnecessary upon finishing the book.

This earns 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the clever twist near the end.

I will recommend this to readers who like suspenseful, historical fiction.

Thank you to the publisher, William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

I thought that this would have been in the vein of a historical mystery but it was more of a historical fiction account based on fact. The story follows two Bridget Kellys--I don't think I fully understood why they were both Bridget Kelly--as they take care of children evacuees in the country mansion of Greenway owed by Agatha Christie Mallowan during WWII. However there were so many unnecessary side characters and side plots that were thrown in, the story was a mess. A lot of the action was mundane--walking around the garden, drinking tea, going down to the shelter. The last 15% of the novel --after the characters had left Greenway--is where the story and characters came alive.

Who is Gigi, really? That's the question that hangs with Bridey, who knows for sure that she isn't the nurse she claimed to be when she hopped on the train taking Bridey, 10 children and the Arbuthnots to safety at a home owned by Agatha Christie. Yes there is a murder but this isn't a murder mystery or a thriller. To be honest, it's a bit slow and somewhat confusing as you. like Bridey try to sort out The Who's who of those who were on the same train (the men, Willa, Gigi). Bridey, whose family was killed in the Blitz, is an interesting character who is at once naive and sharper than others give her credit for being- but remember that she's only 20. There are also chapters narrated by Doreen, one of the young evacuees who, as it turns out, is based on a real person. Christie appears only in the background (the villagers refer to her as the poisoner); various members of her household and the village are more important to the story. No spoilers from me but know that there is an interesting twist that redeemed this for me. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Fans of WWII fiction might enjoy this for a different take on the genre.

Writers take risks every time they put pen to paper – or well, fingers to keyboard. Balancing reader expectations with the desire to grow as an artist can be tricky. Lori Rader-Day has never been an author who was content with the status quo – each of her books is unique in style, execution, and intention. In what is easily her most seismic shift yet, her latest novel, Death at Greenway, is a historical novel that blends elements of crime, suspense, and women’s fiction.

There is no denying that Lori Rader-Day has always been an author who places the highest value on character. This remains true with Death at Greenway. Rather than rush the start of the novel, Rader-Day spends the time necessary to acquaint the reader with Bridget “Bridey” Kelly, a character they are about to spend 400+ pages with. This is most important because Bridey’s life is about to experience a sojourn of life-changing proportions and readers are lucky enough to have a front row seat to watch it unfold.

Hired as one of two nurses tasked with the caretaking of ten young children who have been evacuated for safety reasons in the midst of World War II, Bridey and her colleague Gigi relocate with the children to Greenway – the isolated summer residence of Agatha Christie. In the tradition of a bildungsroman, much of the narrative is devoted to how that experience changes Bridey and the evolution of her friendship with Gigi.

While the discovery of a body swept ashore on the Greenway estate – seemingly a victim of foul play – and the subsequent search for answers places this novel firmly in the crime fiction category, the focus here is more on individual secrets and their interconnectedness with the homefront realities during wartime. Death at Greenway is very much a look at the collateral damage of war; a portrait of people doing the right thing in difficult times, while never shying away from the complexities of what the “right thing” is.

Lori Rader-Day unspools her narrative with a cacophony of voices. There is never a question that Bridey is our focal character, but by allowing readers to glimpse events through multiple points-of-view, Rader-Day adds depth and verisimilitude to the proceedings. It is worth mentioning here – in the effort to assuage expectations – that Agatha Christie herself only briefly appears during the novel. In many ways this deep-dive character study owes more to another of the Golden Age authors – Margery Allingham – then to Christie’s more puzzle-like oeuvre.

The success of historical fiction depends as much on what is not included as it does on what actually appears on the written page. If the reader is burdened with too many facts and details, the experience becomes too much like a textbook; and yet in order for the period to come alive for the reader there must be enough specifics and ambiance for the solid grounding of the narrative. This is an elusive demarcation that varies widely, but in Death at Greenway, Lori Rader-Day walks this tightrope with aplomb.

There is no telling where Lori Rader-Day’s writerly journey will take her next, but readers can rest easy knowing she will approach whatever it is with the same level of commitment and clear talent which she bestowed on this, her first venture into historical territory. Expect to see Death at Greenway on quite a few award shortlists in the coming months.

#DeathAtGreenway:

I was so excited for this as it takes place in Agatha Christie’s home. It is listed as mystery/historical fiction, but I really couldn’t find the mystery? It was an atmospheric read that sadly fell a bit flat for me.

So, let’s talk about the mystery part. Yes, there were a lot of people that were not who they said they were, but it just seemed a lot of suspense about others and their secrets, with no real reason. There are a lot of people who aren’t who they say they are (we are in the middle of war) but it just confused me more than kept my attention.

I did listen to this on audio, and I’m glad I did. Moira Quirk (y’all 90s kids remember Moira from GUTS?! I do! I do!) and that was narration saved me.

The historical aspect was quite wonderful. I feel every time we read about WWIII, it’s about the war and what happened to the families. I had no idea about war nurseries or how children were evacuated from their families to rural areas. I loved that one of the evacuees Doreen Vautour provided all her she memories for this book. I was blown away to realize this was true.

Overall, I feel as though this fell flat because I was waiting for a historical mystery instead of thinking of a historical fiction novel. I think if labeled differently, I would have been able to not have the anticipation of a mystery. Thank you Harperaudio for the copy! Death at Greenway is out 10/12