One mystery or two? Are the murder of the caretaker and the disappearance of a framed painting of an ancestor related? The Framed Women of Ardemore House is an enjoyable and entertaining mystery by Brandy Schillace. Jo Jones, a recently divorced neurotypical American woman, inherits a decrepit mansion in England from distant family members that she has never seen and knew nothing about. Things take a turn when a framed picture is stolen and the caretaker turns up dead a few days after she arrives.

Lots of interesting characters who are well developed, resulting in complex twists and turns. I really like the way that Jo, who is autistic, is not portrayed in a stereotypical manner. When she gets stressed, she tends to recite words that start with the same letter. She also has some other mannerisms that she uses to calm herself down. But they are written into the story line in a very natural way and just become part of who she is. Detective Chief Inspector MacAdams recognizes that Jo is a little different, but never lets it influence how he deals with her in trying to solve the mysteries. I found the book very absorbing and couldn’t wait to find out who the culprit was and how all the characters fit together. It seems like the ending was left open, so hopefully there will be a sequel featuring Jo and DCI MacAdams.

Thank you to the Brandy Shillace, her publisher, and NetGalley for providing me the eARC in exchange for an honest review. I thought the book was well written and the plot clever. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.

The Framed Women of Ardmore House is the first Brandy Schillace book that I have read. I might as well be honest right up front, I loved this novel and am thrilled that this is the first novel in a new Netherleigh mystery series. The heroine, Jo, is autistic, intuitive, clever, and incredibly interesting. She loves gothic novels and the same kind of literary fiction that I also love. Every book that Jo mentions is a book that I have read. But it is not just the heroine's love of gothic fiction that sells The Framed Women of Ardmore House. The writing is smart and enjoyable. and holds the readers' attention.

The Title of The Framed Women of Ardmore House holds two meanings, which I will leave to the reader to unpack. The characters are enjoyable and innovative and fun. The plotting is complex, with multiple layers. The solutions to the mysteries are filled with red herrings and lots of misdirection. There are so many threads connecting the various aspects of plot and character that readers need to pay attention. No way will I provide spoilers. The Framed Women of Ardmore House is too good to spoil.

A big thank you to Schillace, her publisher, Hanover Square Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for me to read and review. The Framed Women of Ardmore House is fun and clever and smart.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press. I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

Genre: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cozy Mystery
Sub-Genre: Slow burn romance, American in England
Language: Medium (swearing peppered through the text, though one character doesn't allow certain words)
Representation: Neurodiversity, Secondary gay character

I enjoyed Jo Jones—she's on the spectrum and sees things in a different light. The way she identifies with words and how she shuts down with too much stimulation all tracks well with a neurodiverse person. These characteristics made it so she had both advantages and disadvantages in dealing with finding a murdered person in her newly inherited home, being accused of murder, and the ongoing investigation. I also loved how she saw people as characters.

The other characters are also interesting. A cop who feels burdened and possibly burned out. A go-getter, straightlaced former RAF turned cop. A grumpy, particular museum curator. A welcoming pub owner. A Welsh historian with a man bun. And all the former wives of the deceased.

I felt like the clues were a little thin to understand the motive for the culprit—but it all comes together at the end. However, the second mystery of the painting came together for me fairly easily. There are definite red herrings. If I was being super picky, I'd drop 1/2 a star for the slightly complex scheme that could have been clarified a titch.

This book was so enjoyable. I'd definitely read another mystery by this author.

Happy reading!

Definitely heavier on the police/investigative side than I would have thought reading the synopsis, but still an enjoyable read.

I liked Jo and was charmed by her, and loved Tula and her steadfast support. I grew to love MacAdams as well, and his partner Green. If anything, I thought there should be even more of Jo!

It did take me a bit to get into this book, but once I was hooked I really enjoyed it and had to know what was happening. There were two converging mysteries, but so many side-plots and branching details. While some of the reveals fell flat, there were so many other details embedded throughout that it still made it interesting. The author did a great job of tying everything together at the end, and ultimately I was impressed by the intricacy.

🗝️ neurodivergent rep
🗝️ crime/investigation
🗝️ whodunnit
🗝️ cozy mystery
🗝️ family drama
🗝️ literary references

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Hanover Square Press, with NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Solid 4/5 for this story. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Let me start off by saying that the title of this book is a bit misleading in my opinion (I'm having my own Jo Jones moment here!). The primary plot line of the book is solving a murder at it's core, but you do realize it ultimately does deeper than that. The protagonist becomes hyperfixated on discovering the origins of a single framed woman in the Ardemore House. While she does use information gleaned from the other portraits, the focus is always on the single mystery women in the portrait.

Cozy mysteries are not the types of book I normally reach for, but I am really glad I picked up this one. I mostly did so because it featured a neurodivergent protagonist (and even some neurodivergent side characters), but it was a really nice and "cozy" read. The mystery kept me guessing throughout the story and I really loved learning more about all the side characters.

As a neurodivergent person myself, I really identified with Jo and her experiences and I adore how Schillace wrote her experiences. At this point in her life, Jo is tired of masking and wants to just be her authentic self and that really shines here.

3.5 stars! I haven't read a mystery book in a while and this one was rather comforting. I really enjoyed our main character, Jo! Jo is a neurodivergent and is working to be independent and learn that the people worth having in her life will accept her for her. She's a no-nonsense woman and gives the cops a run for their money in this case. The setting was eerie with the decrepit estate and, while I was able to guess the "who" in the "whodunnit" pretty early on, but the "why" was interesting to get to. I think the pacing could have been a little quicker but also enjoyed the accumulation of the evidence and how everything played out as a result. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend if you're looking for a classic mystery book!

THIS BOOK WAS SO FUN!

It starts out by introducing us to our very spunky and on the spectrum girly, Jo Jones. She is an editor and she inherits an English estate, but she soon finds herself in the middle of an investigation....for murder.

I think that this book was so fun for me simply because of the representation that we get. I love Jo and related so much to her character. I would love to see her character come back again!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc copy!

Jo Jones, American, Autistic, and recently divorced, inherits a dilapidated English manor after her mother passes away. It is her distant family’s home, but neither she, nor her mother, had ever been there. It has been in the charge of a local handyman, who desperately wants to remain its inhabitant and caretaker, but Jo would like to move in. A few days later, the handyman is found facedown on the rug with three bullets in his back. Who killed him and why?

This story is truly for lovers of 19th c BritLit - think Jane Eyre, Sherlock Holmes, & Oliver Twist. I loved it!

What I loved:
- The premise of this hit all the right notes for me: American woman moves to the UK to inherit English manor, lots of backstory around original owners of the manor and speculation about them, mystery about the house that needs to be solved, actual murder mystery that needs to be solved, so many Art History and BritLit references!
- The secondary characters around Jo - Gwylim is a delight and Tula is the friend everyone needs.
- The suspense! I love a good mystery, but get a little anxious reading thrillers. This toed the line well and kept me so engaged - I stayed up late to finish it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press, and Brandy Shillace for providing the ARC of this truly engaging novel!

This is a fun mystery about a woman who inherits an estate and winds up embroiled in a murder investigation, a hunt for a missing painting, and a search for clues about her ancestors. It's also a police procedural, which is not something you would figure out from the marketing. My biggest gripe with this book is that the marketing does not reflect the actual book. Solidly 60% of the book is a standard police procedural with stock characters and a complex plot involving blackmail. It's not bad, but from the description, the cover, etc you would assume this is cozy mystery focused on the amateur detective and her personal investigations. Overall it's a fun read, but I spend about a 100 pages resetting my expectations.

It’s been a tough year for Autistic editor Jo Jones. She lost her job, her mother, and her marriage. She inherits a dilapidated English estate and hops the pond to start anew. Jo’s bad luck continues when a missing family portrait disappears and a dead body is found in her new home and townspeople are convinced of her guilt. This was a delightful story with two mysteries to solve, a rich cast of characters, and a village brimming with secrets. It sounds like Schillace is gearing up for a series and I will eagerly pick up the second book when it publishes.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-Enjoy a strong sense of place full of creaky banisters, private libraries, and four poster beds
-Want more than a simple “whodunit” with a neurodiverse protagonist
-Find a title with a double meaning quite clever

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

"The Framed Women of Ardemore House" by Brandy Schillace is a Poirot-esque whodunit novel set at a crumbling English estate. We follow Jo, a neurodivergent American woman, who travels to England after she inherits a decrepit house. Mysterious happenings quickly occur, leaving her seemingly framed for the murder of the estate's grumpy caretaker. Jo works to figure out what is going on, at the same time that Detective Inspector MacAdams is also on the case. I appreciate the neurodivergent representation in this book; Jo sometimes gave me Hercule Poirot vibes, with the ways her mind made connections, and I enjoyed that. It took me a little while to get into this book, but the final part really kept my interest. A higher stakes cozy mystery that will keep you guessing.

This was such a delightful mystery that kept me guessing the entire time. It felt like an almost literary gothic mystery with plenty of nods to Jane Eyre and Sherlock Holmes. I will say that parts of the pacing are a bit wonky, but the story really picks up after the body is found. The setting of the English countryside and a dilapidated estate really drew me in and added a lot to the story.

I really enjoyed all of our characters but I really loved Jo. She is neurodivergent and intelligent and just a joy to read from. She was so easy to root for and watching her work through everything made the mystery fun.

Overall, I found this to be a clever mystery and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press and Netgalley for the e-arc of this book!

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me an arc of this story. First it’s like 2 mysteries going in at once and we are finding out are they connected are they not connected. I really did enjoy this book and how the story all wrapped up.. there was a lot of what the hell moments that made me want to throw the book and I say this cause now of it made sense but then the wrap you get the aha moment. If this becomes a series would I continue, maybe just to see where the MC story leads other then that some of the things in the story just died off and I’m like ok what happened there. But overall good start to a series

This was an interesting read, but it took me a while to get through. I had a hard time connecting with some of the characters, and some of the book just felt flat.

However, there were some aspects that were well done, and parts of the mystery were fascinating. Each person reads a different book, and I am sure that this will resonate a lot better with various readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review,

Jo Jones has always had a little trouble fitting in. As a neurodivergent, hyperlexic book editor and divorced New Yorker transplanted into the English countryside, Jo doesn’t know what stands out more: her Americanisms or her autism.
After losing her job, her mother, and her marriage all in one year, she couldn’t be happier to take possession of a possibly haunted (and clearly unwanted) family estate in North Yorkshire. But when the body of the moody town groundskeeper turns up on her rug with three bullets in his back, Jo finds herself in potential danger—and she’s also a potential suspect. At the same time, a peculiar family portrait vanishes from a secret room in the manor, bearing a strange connection to both the dead body and Jo’s mysterious family history.
With the aid of a Welsh antiques dealer, the morose local detective, and the Irish innkeeper’s wife, Jo embarks on a mission to clear herself of blame and find the missing painting, unearthing a slew of secrets about the town—and herself—along the way. And she’ll have to do it all before the killer strikes again…

This book was interesting from the beginning and the descriptions of the countryside and the house painted a good picture of what exactly our main heroine, Jo was stepping into. Jo herself was a unique character who served the setting and the plot well. This is a great mystery story with some great twists I didn't see coming.

I really liked some parts of this. Jo and Gwillym were the best, but too much of the detectives and messy red herrings all over the place.

"An abandoned English manor. A peculiar missing portrait. A cozy, deviously clever murder mystery, perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz.

Jo Jones has always had a little trouble fitting in. As a neurodivergent, hyperlexic book editor and divorced New Yorker transplanted into the English countryside, Jo doesn't know what stands out more: her Americanisms or her autism.

After losing her job, her mother, and her marriage all in one year, she couldn't be happier to take possession of a possibly haunted (and clearly unwanted) family estate in North Yorkshire. But when the body of the moody town groundskeeper turns up on her rug with three bullets in his back, Jo finds herself in potential danger--and she's also a potential suspect. At the same time, a peculiar family portrait vanishes from a secret room in the manor, bearing a strange connection to both the dead body and Jo's mysterious family history.

With the aid of a Welsh antiques dealer, the morose local detective, and the Irish innkeeper's wife, Jo embarks on a mission to clear herself of blame and find the missing painting, unearthing a slew of secrets about the town - and herself - along the way. And she'll have to do it all before the killer strikes again..."

Sold at "abandoned English manor."

Any time a book has me questioning what genre I'm reading - I feel like I'm in for a good time, and The Framed Women of Ardmore House did just that!!

Partially working through emotions that feel foreign to our heroine. Jo Jones retreats to a reclusive manor house that really no one would want in present-day England to start over, but things aren't going well. There are no coffee shops or bodegas around the corner like her previous home in New York, but building a life for yourself after loss isn't supposed to be easy, is it? When portraits go missing, and people wind up dead... things take a turn for the seriously unfair as Jo is trying to rebuild her life.

If you've ever felt like you can't catch a break and love figuring out puzzles from the minutiae - you'll love Schillace's The Framed Women of Ardmore House!!

NOTES:
**I read this in a day because I just really wanted to know what happened!!

**Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Oh boy, I am so disappointed to be giving this review. I don’t want to! I don’t want to poopoo a book that had so much potential but instead was flushed.

The basics: Jo, a neurodivergent and hyperlexic book editor loses her mom and her marriage. She moves away from New York to settle her mom’s affairs in North Yorkshire, an old, abandoned family estate that no one seems to want, except for a moody groundskeeper who won’t accept the termination of his job.

The groundkeeper shows up dead on Jo’s floor. She is a suspect but so is everyone else. Oh, and there is a missing painting. Jo believes there is a connection between the murder and the missing painting, a mystery to her family’s secrets. With the help of a handful of people, Jo tries to find the painting and clear the name of the murder.

What worked: I adored Jo. She’s humble and sweet with a little bit of bristle. I liked that there was representation for those with autism. It helps to show neurotypical readers that people who might come off as rude might not be rude at all; they are simply trying to cope in a noisy and full world.

What didn’t work: There is not enough of Jo!! There is a detective on the case and why, oh why, are we stuck in his POV most of the time? It’s almost as if Jo was a supporting actor in her own story! There is way too much police procedural in this story for it to be about an American woman with autism on a journey to a different country to learn about her ancestors. Keep the camera on Jo!

The writing was done well and even represented queer and ADHD characters. I’m sure this book has the right audience, but I wasn’t it. I was expecting more. I wanted to stay in Jo’s shoes, but she only pops up here and there to move the plot along and to show how quirky she is, but then the police people take over again.

Jo is severely underused and pushed to the sidelines.

Meh.
Thank you to @NetGalley and @htpbooks for this free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this book, its title and the book’s description all drew me in and made me very eager to read this one. It did not disappoint. I think that The Women of Ardemore House will be adored by those who enjoy a twisty plot and an interesting protagonist.

As in The Maid (Nita Prose),, the main character, inheritor of Ardemore House, sleuth, and keen observer is neurodiverse. This leads to Jo being hyperlexic as just one of her talents. But, readers will enjoy spending time with Jo for many reasons, not just her autism. (It has been noted that the author also is neurodiverse, leading her to be well able to describe Jo’s world.)

Jo is coming out of a difficult period when the story opens. She is recently divorced and has been badly used by her publisher ex. Jo has also experienced the death of her mother. So, when she learns that she has an inheritance in England, Jo is ready to try out the ex-pat life. She arrives to find the requisite decaying country pile and its small cottage, a rather strange caretaker and a portrait…but it disappears.

When caretaker Sid is murdered, the story moves toward solving the case. This gives readers the opportunity to know all those working the case as well as the people in the village.

Who killed Sid? Why? Will Jo find happiness in Britain? Readers will turn the pages as they wait to find out.

I recommend this title. Mystery fans could not do better as they start reading in 2024.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.