1930s, multiple-murder, family, local-law-enforcement, unputdownable, relationships, historical-novel, investigations, secrets, lies, private-investigators, cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, suspense, suspicion, island-life, Devonshire, actors, fraud, smoke-and-mirrors, closed-circle-mystery, hotelier*****

This is hardly an unbiased review as I really love the Missy Underhay series. This time Missy and her pal Alice are off to a new hotel on a nearby island which is set to open soon. Hardly a day goes past when their host becomes the body in the office. They are able to contact the police and Missy's PI husband Matt. And the sleuthing begins in earnest! Great read with a truly incredible twist!
I requested and received an uncorrected advance review ebook copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!

Firstly just loved the setting, A gorgeous island off the English coast, a beautiful hotel perched on the cliffs, a group of glamourous friends… and a suspicious death? Kitty Underhay’s invitation didn’t mention murder! Like no crime novel I’ve ever read. The pages almost turn themselves and when I was finished I couldn’t stop thinking about the story’s incredible twists, turns, and surprises.

Kitty Bryant is delighted to be able to take her closest friend, Alice Miller, with her to a soon to be opened hotel just off the Devon coast. There on behalf of the local hoteliers organisation it's clear to see no expense has been spared to provide guests with a luxurious and relaxing experience.

The other guests, all friends of the owner, Sir Norman Whittier and his fiancée, opera singer turned playwright Marie Monbiere, are there to rehearse a new play. Everything seems to be in place for a successful opening until a body is discovered. With the weather closing in and the phone line patchy at best it's up to Kitty and Alice to look closely at what happened. As they wait for the police and Kitty's husband Matt to arrive can they work out who is responsible for spoiling everything or will another guest have their final holiday.

The 15th book in this wonderful series is Christie-esque in it's location and some of its characters but still quintessentially Kitty. It was great to have Alice take a more central role and her friendship and investigative skills added another pleasurable level to a very enjoyable read. There were some great twists and turns as well as more than one cliffhanger so now I need book 16 as well!

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bookouture, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a fun addition to a great series. Recommended.

I loved this murder mystery on an island! It is Spring, 1936 and Kitty is invited to the soft opening of the new Bird Hotel on a small island nearby.
She, her best friend and group of actors will be guest for the weekend as the hotel gets ready for it's grand opening. It's not long however, before there are hints of discord and the hotelier is found dead in his study. Cut off from the mainland, the two set up to investigate as they wait for assistance.

This is actual number FIFTEEN in a series so I am excited to go back. No need to read the others first though - grab this right away and venture out to Bird Island, you won't be disappointed! #bookouture #murderattheislandhotel #helenadixon