Enjoyable cosy crime set in the 1950s. Second in the series.

The story developed well, though it struggled at times to hold my interest

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

This is the second novel in the Fiona Steele Series.

If you liked the first one then you will like this one.

The characters are likable and and fun to Read about.

The Mystery aspect of the novel had me gripped and I flew through the pages to the end to see what happened.

It was a quick murder mystery that I highly recommend.

Back in the summer, I loved the first Flora Steele Mystery, The Bookshop Murder and so it was a real treat to visit the small Sussex village of Abbeymead again for Murder on the Pier. It's not necessary to have read the first book as each novel is a standalone mystery but with a number of returning characters, I'd say that it's definitely more rewarding to follow the series as it progresses - particularly to follow the relationship between Flora and Jack Carrington.
There's a tantalising will-they-won't-they aspect to their friendship; both have been hurt in the past and are determined to stay just friends - but the chemistry between them is undeniable and I'm sure I won't be the only reader totally invested in their relationship. Matters of the heart may have a darker role to play in proceedings too, after a fun day at the coast turns to tragedy when twelve-year-old Charlie Teague spots the body of a young woman under Brighton pier. Flora immediately realises the victim comes from Abbeymead too but while the police are quick to assume that aspiring model, Polly Dakers tragically slipped on ice or took her own life, Flora is convinced that Polly's tangled personal life means that somebody else was involved and that she was actually murdered.
Flora is a delightful character; her enthusiasm for sleuthing is so infectious even though it's clear that she doesn't always consider the full implications of her discoveries until it's too late. Before long she has a list of suspects and has persuaded Jack to help her again. I'm convinced that Merryn Allingham wants us all to fall for Jack and his ever-changing grey eyes! He's a writer who has been rather reclusive until meeting Flora but is now a kind, attentive friend who worries desperately for her safety but always agrees to help her despite his sense of foreboding. It's 1955 and Flora wants to be a strong, independent woman at a time when married women who had played such an active role in the war effort were expected to go back into the kitchen so her reluctance to appear weak and to need a man's protection isn't unreasonable.
However, it becomes increasingly evident that somebody wants to stop their investigation and although this may be a cosy mystery, it actually becomes quite tense as the pair try to figure out which person on their list of suspects is the guilty one. I must admit to figuring out who the murderer was before they did but that didn't bother me; the clues are all there and I enjoyed waiting to see if my suspicions were proved correct and how Flora and Jack would find out whodunnit.
The warm-hearted humour and excellent characterisation throughout the novel are particular highlights ensuring that I have become completely invested in the lives of the Abbeymead villagers. Readers will inevitably keep their fingers crossed for Flora and Jack to admit their feelings for one another but they'll also hope Kate finds happiness again, that Ted will be okay and that Charlie Teague will continue to be so irrepressibly enthusiastic about life.
I loved The Bookshop Mystery but I think I enjoyed Murder on the Pier even more - it's just so perfectly, comfortingly nostalgic but with a wry sense of humour which prevents it from feeling dated and with an intriguing mystery to solve, I was engrossed from start to finish and look forward to the next Flora Steele book with eager anticipation. Highly recommended!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Murder On The Pier' by Merryn Allingham.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Merryn Allingham, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 10th November 2021.

This is the second book I have read by this author. It is also the second book in the 'Flora Steele Mystery' series. I have previously read 'The Bookshop Murder' which is the first book in the series and which I highly recommend, although this can be read as a standalone.


I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis!.' I am a huge fan of all three of those authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Merryn and if this is half as good as 'The Bookshop Murder' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 33 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Gloucester and Brighton, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited and holidayed in Gloucester on many occasions including this year so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Flora Steele ad Jack Carrington. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

This book was very well written and I do believe some research went into it as everything linked correctly in with the era it was set in which was 1955. It is a real bug bear for me when I read a historical novel and the author hasn't done their research and gets basic information mixed up so well done Merryn!! It was very well written and I found the synopsis and the cover fitted the storyline perfectly, The descriptions were great and it really felt as if I was in the story.

Well I must say this is yet another explosive book in an absolutely addictive series!!! The storyline was very interesting and quite fast paced. I absolutely loved the fact that the main characters (Flora) owns a Bookshop and Jack is an author. There is just something about a book where there is a lot of emphasis on books for me and this book was packed with them!! I really enjoyed that it was set in the past and the storyline really suited that. It really is a nice cozy mystery that will keep you guessing throughout. At no point did I suspect who was doing what or why so another huge well done there Merryn!!! I have read many a mystery and find that I am working out the killer/perp quicker every time and there's nothing worse than working out who did what when your need even half way through a book. I loved that this book is based in Gloucester and Brighton as the atmospheres suit the book perfectly. Not only is this quite a suspense and action filled mystery but there was just the right amount of quirkiness, laughter and attitude to give it a nice mix!!! A fun, addictive, unputdownable cozy crime mystery.

Although this is the second book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.


I am really invested in the characters and really enjoyed meeting Flora and Jack again both with their fantastic and quirky personality!!! In fact all of the characters had their own individual personalities which worked really well with each other. I am definitely looking forward to meeting Flora and Jack again and some more of the villagers. The community was really close knit which is realistic in small communities and I enjoyed getting to know them.

Congratulations Merryn on yet an absolutely fantastic book in an absolutely epic series!! I am really looking forward to see what Flora and Jack get up to next!!! Here's to your next success 🥂

Overall an addictive perfect mix of mystery, crime, suspense and quirkiness which kept me turning the pages late at night!! An explosive start to a new series!!!

Genres covered in this novel include Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Murder Mystery and Crime Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Helena Dixon, Agatha Christie, Dee MacDonald, Fliss Chester and anyone looking for a historic cosy mystery!!


270 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Enjoyed this book and wish I had read the first one in the Flora Steele series. Great storyline, great characters. Well worth a read.

Flora Steele owns a bookshop called "All’s Well" that she inherited from her Aunt Violet. All's Well is located in Abbeymead, a picturesque, quiet English village in Sussex. On a trip to Brighton with Jack Carrington, a crime writer, they are walking along the pier after seeing a show when youngster Charlie Teague demands their attention. A body is floating in the sea below them.

Set in the 1950s, this intriguing mystery had me guessing until the end. Flora and Jack make a great team and I'm keen to see where Merryn Allingham will go with their relationship. The secondary characters were good in their respective roles many of whom had things they were hiding. I really enjoyed spending time with Flora and Jack and I hope to be with them soon in book three. If you love a historical cozy mystery, I recommend giving this series a shot.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bookouture via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

Murder at the Pier is the second in the Flora Steele series of cosy mysteries by Merryn Allingham set in 1950s England, the first of which I’d read and reviewed a few months ago. Twenty-five-year-old Flora Steele lives in the small village of Abbeymead in Sussex, where she runs a bookshop, the All’s Well which she inherited from her aunt who’d brought her up. In the first book, The Bookshop Murder, the body of a young man was found in her bookshop by reclusive mystery writer, Jack Carrington who lives in the village, and had ventured out of his house on that occasion to pick up his order. The police dismissed it as a natural death but Flora was unconvinced and teamed up with a reluctant Jack to solve the case.

In Murder in the Pier, we pick up a little while after the events of the first book when Jack and Flora decide to take Charlie (the young boy from the village who does Jack’s errands and helps in his garden) out for a treat for it was he who had helped save Flora in the previous mystery. They have a reasonably fun day out in Brighton, though they must settle for a Harlequin show instead of the pantomime they had originally planned. When they are out walking on the pier, poor young Charlie makes a grisly discovery—the body of a young woman floating in the waters below. And this isn’t an unknown woman, but Polly Dakers from their own village who used to work in the manor-house-turned-hotel, The Priory, and had left to make her career as a model. The police in the form of detective Inspector Alan Ridley decides this was an accident, may be suicide (the medical evidence does not indicate otherwise), and is happy to leave things at that but once again, Flora doesn’t agree. Polly was a young woman with dreams and plans, thus unlikely to have jumped, and on the last occasion Flora saw her at the village, she had been afraid of someone she saw.

Jack is as usual reluctant to become involved but Flora manages to drag him in all the same. Soon it emerges that there were many who may have wanted Polly dead—Frank Foster a menacing club owner from London who seemed to scare her though he claimed to be in love with her; Raymond Parsons who was her cousin Sylvia’s boyfriend but had been seeing rowing with her; her current beau/’sponsor’ Harry, or even Harry’s estranged wife, Evelyn who may have reached her limits bearing his indiscretions. Flora and Jack talk to Polly’s family and trail the suspects trying to figure out what actually did happen, and as always, there are attempts on their lives which suggest that they are on the right track.

Meanwhile we also follow developments in the village where The Priory had shut down after the events of the first book because of which some of Flora’s friends lost their jobs; the lives of other characters including Kate Mitchell who runs the Nook, a small café in the village and also Flora and Jack’s relationship which is under a bit of threat when his former love Helen appears unexpectedly in the village.

This was an enjoyable entry in the series which I ended up liking a little bit more than the first book. While the mystery in this book is complete in itself, because of the fact that we were introduced to and given the background of some of the characters including the victim Polly Dakers in the first book, I felt perhaps reading in order would make a little more sense.

The mystery in this book I liked better than the one in the first book, and while I did manage to guess whodunit someway in (confirmed by something that happens as well), I still enjoyed following the investigation to see how it tuns out. Even though the mystery was a fairly straightforward one, there were secrets aplenty which we learn as we go along and which made it interesting to read.

In this one the police once again wash their hands off the investigation attributing Polly’s death to an accident (or suicide), but don’t look into it much further. In the first book, this same attitude seemed hard to digest but here I somehow managed to look past it—perhaps because I had gotten used to it (as a device to enable Flora to investigate) but also may be since here, there weren’t additional suspicious circumstances which were there in the first (at least on the face of things).

Besides the mystery, I also enjoyed following the stories of the characters in the village, Flora’s friendship with Kate, and Alice who was cook at The Priory, and of course, Flora and Jack’s relationship. The characters seem almost like old friends now so it was fun seeing how things were going with them.

I am certainly looking forward to picking up the next one in the series, all the more so because Jack and Flora plan to travel to Cornwall where Jack’s next mystery book is to be set!

3.75 stars rounded off to 4.

It still feels like this could be a great series. as Flora and Jack. make for an interesting leading couple.

This time there was just too much I found implausible and the behaviour, and at times, a little reckless, putting people in harms way unnecessarily. I worked out who the murderer was early on, the motivation behind the killing took a little longer.

I'm looking forward to seeing if the series gets back on track in the next book, with this unlikely duo.

My thanks to #Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for my honest opinion in exchange for my Advance Reader Copy

Flora simply walks down a pier - it's never that simple for Flora. Of course she finds a body - young Polly, whom everyone in the village loved. Or at least not one person.
Flora convinces Jack to help her again to solve this newest mysterious death - convinced it wasn't a simple accident.
Lots of entertaining village characters, Jack his usual "Do I have to" self. Great additon to the series.

Flora Steele and Jack Carrington make a fine pair when it comes to solving murders. In fact, they proved quite successful once before. Jack is a crime writer with the intent of getting back to his next novel. Flora has a bookshop to run. However, not only has another murder occurred, Flora knew the victim. She just has to get involved. Quite naturally, Flora has every intention of getting Jack’s help once again.  

As before, there is no shortage of suspects. Meanwhile, just as it seems that Flora and Jack are actually drawing closer together, someone from Jack’s past comes into the picture and upsets the fine balance he and Flora have found. Will they be able to push past hurt feelings and focus on the murder at hand?

If Flora had already experienced danger once before, the stakes are even higher this time. Flora will leave no stone unturned even if it means upsetting more than a few people as she doggedly pursues the truth. 

Murder on the Pier is the perfect sophomore book in this terrific cozy mystery series. I love Flora and Jack together as they make a fine pair of sleuths. I look forward to see their romance blooming. This book could do well as a standalone but if you are like me and like backstories then you might enjoy the first book in this series, The Bookshop Murder, as I did. I am eager for the next book in the series. 

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Sussex, 1956, in the village of Abbeymead, Flora Steele, bookshop owner and amateur detective is on the case. Flora goes for a walk on the pier and when she looks at the rushing waters beneath the pier, she is stunned to see a women’s body floating in the water. But when she recognizes the victim is someone she knows, Polly Dakers. Flora convinces crime writer Jack Carrington that Polly Dakers was murdered. There are so many clues that point to foul play instead of “just an accident” on the pier. During their investigation they discover secrets about the people that seem to be the closest to Polly, and they soon become potential suspects. As Jack and Flora dig deeper in to the events leading up to Polly’s death, they are closer than ever to finding the killer. This cozy mystery was a fantastic and captivating read. I loved how the secrets were slowly revealed and it kept my attention to the the very end. This whodunit will have you flipping the pages at a rapid pace to the very end. The surprise at the end was perfect.

Thank you Merryn Allingham for such a wonderful story. I enjoyed this wonderful continuation of the Flora Steele Mystery Series. This is an absolute must read for every cozy mystery fan. I highly recommend this fantastic book.

I think this series improves with each story and this one is good, compelling and highly entertaining.
It was good to meet again Flora and Jack, we get to know them better and I like the slow burning romance and their banters.
Flora lacks a bit of common sense and sometimes she seems to target someone as a suspects with no specific reason but Jack is good at keeping her in check.
They're a good couple of amateur sleuths according to the tradition of British mystery. They're able to talk to people and the solution is based on the clues they discover.
The mystery is good, full of red herrings, and I enjoyed it even if I guessed the culprit early in the book.
I found the historical background vivid and I like to read about life after WWII and how it could be in a small village.
I can't wait to read the next instalment, highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Murder on the Pier by Merryn Allingham is a Flora Steele mystery and a good one it is! Flora nudges a reluctant Jack Carrington into investigating a death that the police have declared an accident (or suicide). Flora just can't believe the pretty young woman she had just seen had thrown herself off the pier. Jack become more reluctant when there are a series of "accidents" that happen to Flora, and then apiece of slate come sailing through his window and hits him on the side of the face. If her hadn't moved jus then... To complicate things more, his ex-fiancée shows up, upsetting Flora more than it upsets him. He realizes it is well and truly over. She has a good clue, but no matter what she does she can't make it fit, until she can. Thankfully he never hesitates to call the police, as she does. He called several times and it all works about well in the end.

I love these two characters: Jack and Flora. They are meant to be a couple but in typical English fashion, they are moving very slowly, which is OK with me. It is 1956 in Abbeymead, Sussex. There are no streetlights. The town really can't afford them and everyone is used to things the way they are. Both Jack's and Flora's cottage are a little outside of town, isolated, as are many of the cottages. There are housing developments starting to spring up, but not quickly, not here. Flora has her bookshop, All's Well, which she inherited from her aunt. That is how she met Jack. He bought books from her. He used to be a hermit, but no longer. These are genuine, lovely characters that enjoy each other's company and indulge Flora's curiosity. Allingham has imbued each of them with distinct personality traits, which make them, work as an investigating duo. They are both really conservative in many ways and well-suited for village life. The plot was a decent one, although it was obvious about half way through who the murderer was. It was fun to ride it out, though. All-in-all, a delightful book!

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Murder on the Pier by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #bookoutre #merrynallingham #murderonthepier

Sussex, 1955: When Flora Steele owner of the All’s Well bookshop spends a day in Brighton as a treat for her helper Charlie & goes for a walk along the pier she isn’t expecting to spot a young woman’s body in the stormy waters below. And she’s shocked to discover the victim is someone she knows. Convinced the death was not an accident, Flora persuades attractive local crime writer Jack Carrington to help her find out what really happened to poor Polly Dakers. Jack is reluctant to get involved in another murder case at first but even he can’t deny that Polly’s fall seems fishy. An argument at a party, a missed hairdresser’s appointment and a red woollen bobble found on the wooden boards where Polly last stood provide a trail of clues. A number of potential suspects begin to emerge.
This is the second outing for Flora & Jack & it could easily be read on its own, this book starts a couple of months after the first book & the beginning ties up a loose end from the first. I love the dynamics of the relationship between Flora & Jack, she’s bubbly & outgoing & he's been a recluse for years but is gradually emerging into village life. A well written cosy mystery with a number of suspects, there were red herrings & twists & turns. For once I did pick up on some clues & actually worked out who the villain was. The characters are well portrayed & have depth, I like how we are getting to know the other characters in the village. A couple of incidents were unexplained & I found it hard to believe that the police hadn't been called to the Brighton break in. I thoroughly enjoyed the book & look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Flora Steele was accompanying Jack Carrington and young Charlie to the pier where the horror show, theatre and other activities had enticed the boy. But when Charlie’s shocked voice called to Flora and Jack, they didn’t expect to see the body of Polly Dakers floating in the ocean below the pier. Polly was a friend of them all and was soon to move back to Abbeymead where Flora had her bookshop – All’s Well – and Polly’s uncle and cousin lived. When the police decided Polly had either committed suicide or slipped on the ice at the end of the pier and fallen in, Flora was adamant it was murder.

With a reluctant Jack at her side, Flora’s investigations saw few suspects. But when Flora herself was attacked, Jack’s reluctance moved to belief in Flora – but his concern for her safety as she embarked on reckless pursuits, had him trying to keep her safe. But the danger worsened for Flora and Jack as they edged closer to the truth…

Murder on the Pier is the 2nd in the Flora Steele Mystery series by Merryn Allingham and it was fun and entertaining. I love a mystery with a bookshop involved, and as Jack is a crime writer as well, there’s plenty of intrigue in the plot. I’ll be looking for #3 when it comes out in the near future. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in this series, the Bookshop Murder, was only a so-so read for me, but I decided to give Murder on the Pier a try. That was a mistake. The plotting is excruciatingly slow, the dialogue is stilted, and the main characters are monotonous. This is where Merryn Allingham and I will part ways.

The second Flora Steele Mystery Book is just as lovely as the first! Read straight through and thoroughly enjoyed it. There are so many suspects with motivations for Flora and Jack to ferret out with a really good mystery along the way!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Thank you to Bookouture and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I love the dynamics of Flora and Jack. All of the characters are interesting and the author does a great job of pulling you into the story with twists and turns with the murder plot. The village seems quaint and you feel like you have traveled back in time. I love books with amateur sleuths, and this one will not disappoint you!

‘A cozy crime novel’ as the description says at the end is absolutely the right categorization for this book though – it is a gentle & charming story with likeable characters in Flora & Jack.

In the first book, there is a dead man right in Flora Steele’s “All’s Well” bookshop in Abbeymead. This time it is a young lady – Polly Dakers found dead in the waters off the pier. There is nothing to suggest foul play and most, including law enforcement, assume it is case of an accidental fall or even suicide, but most likely the former. Flora is not convinced though, and decides to dig deeper with Jack (a novelist). There are a number of characters who Flora meets, and finds that Polly was in the midst of a complex circumstance. There is Raymond – who loves hers, there is Harry – who she is currently dating and is cheating on his wife Evelyn, a night club owner Frank Foster, each of them and others seemed to have things to hide.

I did have some inkling of who the (unexpected) murderer would be, but the book does well to keep the suspense till the end. The plot is not very sophisticated but it is a very relaxing read (also good for teens).

Second in the series and as good as the first, Book store owner Flora Steele investigates another murder in her supposedly serene village but this time she finds herself on the wrong end of some nasty attacks. Will she uncover the murderer before they claim her as another victim