Amateur sleuths Flora Steele and writer Jack Carrington are back with yet another murder to solve...

This time the young couple discover a body in a ditch just a short distance from their home in Abbeymead (and not Cleve College as the title misguidingly suggests). The man has no identification on him nor is it anyone they know. With days out from their wedding, Flora and Jack hand the mystery over to Inspector Alan Ridley at Brighton CID and set to the exciting lead up to their big day.

And the day arrives but the joy is shortlived when Alan turns up at the reception and asks for Flora and Jack's assistance with the case that in his opinion has no leads whatsoever and going nowhere. Loathe to abandon their celebrations, the couple undertake investigations in lieu of a honeymoon and upon revisiting the crime scene, it isn't long before Flora discovers a letter with an address in Brighton...but no name. Leaving the All's Well in the capable hands of her new assistant Rose Lawson, Flora and Jack set off to Brighton and the address on the letter. They discover the occupant of the said flat, a Russell Farr, hasn't been seen for some weeks. Should they let the inspector know? Or should they sit on it for a few days and see what they come up with?

In the meantime, Jack has taken up a part time position at Cleve College in Lewes whilst Flora uses the time to visit a nearby town where she meets the effervescent Roberta Raffles. It isn't long before Flora finds that Roberta has inveigled her way into her life and she suspects the poor woman is a little lonely what with her own husband working away in London all week.

Jack meanwhile is trying to find his feet at Cleve College and while he enjoys the job, he is somewhat uneasy about some of the staff and goings on there. After all, his predecessor mysteriously drowned in the lake on the college's grounds. And then there is the handyman that appears to be following Jack and watching him at every turn. It's when attempts are made on Jack's life that the couple put their heads together to unravel the mystery of Russell Farr's demise in a village he has no connection to, the strange goings on at Cleve College and the mystery surrounding the abandoned Rillington orphanage.

Another delightful outing with the now Mr and Mrs Jack Carrington as they undertake yet another murder mystery to solve in the vein of Agatha Christie, Midsomer Murders and Father Brown combined. I admit with all the lead up to Flora and Jack's wedding, and Alice's take on it all, I was disappointed that it featured so little. Mid-chapter we seemed to get a rushed description of Flora walking down the aisle, nothing of the ceremony and a little of the reception celebrations afterwards until Alan shows up...in the middle of their wedding! I guess it's the romantic in me that just wanted to savour the romance of their big day a little more. But having said that, it is still an entertaining and exciting mystery that the couple have in front of them. Loads of speculation, a little evidence and bam! Flora has it solved. She is, after all, known for her hunches. Some of which are correct, while others are way off base.

Overall, another entertaining visit to Abbeymead. Though they ventured further afield to Brighton and Lewes this time, I must admit I prefer it (much like Alice) when they remain in the safe confines of their village...even if there is murder about! Can't wait for the next one and see what's in store for the newly married couple.

I would like to thank #MerrynAllingham, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MurderAtCleveCollege in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy of “Murder at Cleve College.” All opinions and comments are my own.

Weddings bells are in the air at last, for Flora Steele and Jack Carrington -- but what’s an Abbeymead book without a mystery -- and a murder? Readers expecting the worst (and who isn’t) won’t be disappointed in “Murder at Cleve College,” whereby a dead body turns up right off the bat, and lots of trouble emanating from a long-closed orphanage; but honestly, who’s got time for that, when there’s marrying to be done?

Well, nothing has stopped Flora and Jack before, even when sleuthin’ gets oh so personally dangerous. And it won’t this time, either, in a nifty tale of shifty characters, long-held secrets, and folks who want the past to stay hidden, and will stop at nothing to make sure of it.

Personal stories play a big part in “Murder at Cleve College,” too, as the long-running series keeps track of the villagers we’ve come to know and care about. Author Merryn Allingham has an eye for characterization and personalization, and members of the “team” get updates. And might there be some changes in store for Flora? We’ll just have to see in future books.

I loved everything about this book! To me Murder at Cleve College is the best from the series so far. I was hooked even from the first paragraph! The prologue is my favorite, it instantly brought you straight to the moment before a murder took place. After that it's switched to Flora and Jack, to Abbeymead, to everyday life. But only a fleeting moment later, another murder case faced the newlywed couple. I love this structure. Many cozy mysteries these days get to be too cozy, they seem to focus more on the sleuth's personal life than to the murder investigation.

After the first murder, slowly but steadily, Flora and Jack found new facts - bits and pieces - that brought them closer to the truth, the secret dark past. It's an entertaining story packed with action, surprise, and twist, but with a charming touch of the 1950 vibes of English small village of Abbeymead. A delightful read from start to finish.

Murder at Cleve College is the ninth book in Merryn Allingham's Flora Steele series. Each novel features a standalone mystery but much of the enjoyment comes from seeing how the lives of the recurring characters has developed over time. Therefore, I would ideally recommend reading the previous books if possible.
There's a significant change here too, as, after much "will they or won't they" in the earlier stories, Flora finally marries Jack Carrington. Time will tell if the series is renamed the Flora Carrington Mysteries going forward! The wedding itself barely features, for just before the big day, death came once more to the supposedly peaceful village of Abbeymead – and of course, it's Flora and Jack who find the body of the man. He's clearly been hit by a large vehicle but was he the victim of a hit and run accident or murder? Married life, then, sets off on the same foot for our sleuthing pair, who, after a brief honeymoon, are inevitably drawn into investigating what happened to the unfortunate stranger. However, while their propensity for becoming embroiled in murder mysteries persists, there are other changes in their lives too.
Jack leaves Overlay House to move in to Flora's cottage and also starts working part-time as writer-in-residence at Cleve College. Meanwhile, Flora has employed Rose to cover some of her days at her beloved All's Well bookshop, meaning she has to find new ways to fill her time. The book is set in 1958 and although it was a period of societal upheaval, she is still now first and foremost a wife. I thought it was interesting that an announcement elsewhere heralds the suggestion that the couple may have choices to make about what they both want, in the face of popular expectation in the future. Even making a change to their living arrangements has certain residents of the village annoyed here, so it will be fascinating to see how these intertwined lives adapt going forwards.
Over the course of the series, Merryn Allingham has gradually broadened the setting, cleverly adding new establishments and therefore scope to the storyline. Cleve College was briefly introduced in The Library Murders, when Jack was first offered his new position. It obviously appears far more prominently here but as Jack tries to find his feet, he becomes aware that he is being watched – and then learns that his predecessor came to a sad end. It's not just Cleve College which is important, however, and another building with a tragic past and gradually, Flora and Jack begin to suspect the two are lamentably connected.
The pair have a frustrating case on their hands, with suspicious deaths in the past and present to investigate, but it also proves to be highly dangerous for them both. This is a cosy crime novel and so of course, any murders aren't described in brutal detail and there's a warmth to proceedings too. However, one character is especially unpleasant, while others also give reason to become suspects too. and there is still a sense of tension engendered – particularly when it becomes clear that both Jack and Flora have become targets themselves...
Murder at Cleve College is an absorbing read throughout and another engaging addition to this thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery series. I look forward to discovering what intrigue lies ahead for the Carringtons next

Flora and Jack have just got married and a dead body is found in the village and Flora, wedding or not can’t let it go.

The dead man has not much history to go on, but closer investigation unravels a past going back several decades, and another death which was passed as nothing unusual and a number of innocuous characters and events, nothing unusual but all linked.

Jack has just started working at Cleve College and nothing prepares him for the animosity and hatred of its caretaker Miller and the repeated attempts to hurt and eventually kill Jack.

To link the murdered men with Miller who also gets murdered and finding a suspect is a complicated one, but it does get sorted out.

Very Agatha Christie in style and especially the 1958 setting, makes for a nostalgic read.

This is the ninth book in the series and is another intriguing mystery. The twists turns and red herrings were written very neatly and disguised the real perpetrator quite well although I did guess the perpetrator before Flora. The leads take us between Abbeymead and Cleve College where Jack is working his new part time job with the tension building as both Jack and Flora in danger at the same time but in different locations after finally becoming husband and wife. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

1958, newlyweds Jack and Flora Carrington have only just said their vows when they find a body in a ditch and are catapulted into a murder investigation. They need to keep each other safe as danger looms, but also adapt to married life...
Murder at Cleve College is the 9th book to feature amateur sleuths Flora and Jack and they finally make it down the aisle!
Jack is settling into his new job at Cleve College but finds that the murder victim has a connection to some of his colleagues and his own deceased predecessor. Flora and Jack should be thinking ahead to their future together but instead are digging into the past of a stranger. There is quite a lot of travel involved as Jack takes up his new role and this also separates our married pair so they are investigating different suspects. This adds to the danger as they are not together so are vulnerable.
As usual, the 1950s, quintessential English village is brought to life and underpins the plot and character development. Views about class and gender are old fashioned but appropriate to the era. It is refreshing to visit a technology free society and this series has a classic feel reminiscent of Agatha Christie where the sleuths rely on clues and understanding the suspects and their motives.
Murder at Cleve College is an enjoyable historical murder mystery.

Is anyone surprised that Flora and Jack's long awaited wedding celebrations would be interrupted by news of a murder investigation? Long time fans won't be. Flora and Jack have danced around the idea of marriage for what seems like ages after getting to know and respect each other while investigating, what else, murder. The compliment each other nicely, with Flora usually the more impulsive, hunch-driven one, while Jack tends to tread a more cautious, slower process. I won't give it away but their nicknames for each other are even driven by murder, albeit from a popular couple in literature. As always, author Merryn Allingham does an excellent job setting the scene, introducing us to what seems an ever growing cast, while never losing sight of the readers' need to know whodunit. Once you adjust to the slower paced world of, in this case, 1958 Sussex, you'll find yourself marveling at the difference between police investigations then and now. For instance, if you stumble across a body, you have to leave it to go find help or at the very least a phone to summon help. Abbeymead, the setting, sounds lovely, although it isn't without its secrets and quirky citizens. It takes Flora two different buses rides to get from Abbeymead to Lewes, btw, another difference of the times.

In this installment, we spend time in Lewes, where Jack has taken a part-time job at Cleve College as a sort of mentor to young writers, a writer-in-residence type role. He finds he enjoys the job but he's also uneasy. Wouldn't you be if you discover your predecessor mysteriously died in the college's lake? This is where the story takes off as Flora and Jack stumble across a connection between the current murder and some suspicious activity and deaths connected to the college. I won't relate any more of the plot as it builds slowly (remember, we're talking not just pre-cell phones but pre-modern sleuthing equipment) and one bit of info fits into the jig saw puzzle as the connections are realized. There's lots of speculation, of course, even without evidence, so be prepared. Flora is known for her hunches.

So, who killed the initially unknown body that is discovered by, you guessed it, Flora and Jack? How do they figure out who he is? Why are they so quick not so share information with Inspector Ridley, a man Jack seems to like and respect? To be honest, the almost glee with which they react to, sigh, having another case to solve is a bit off-putting, doubled by, in particular, Flora's almost need to prove they can solve the case before the inspector. Never mind the danger they not only put themselves into but the potential dangers it might spark for others. In any case, it goes without saying that both Flora and Jack dash in to ask questions of potential suspects, albeit not without finding themselves in danger.

Bottom line, despite my annoyance at both Flora and Jack (it's usually Flora whose rashness annoys me), I do enjoy this series and liked this book. We got to see the potential of their now married partnership as well as expand into other areas. I particularly enjoyed getting Jack's viewpoint (we get both) where his students needs and what he hoped to teach them, all of which gives us insight into what Jack, a well-known author, experiences as he writes. It was also fan to visit with friends in Abbeymead as well as venture into Lewes and college life in the late '50s. I definitely learned a bit about some orphanages of that time, reminding us that there is always improvement to be made. Thanks #NetGalley and #Bookouture for inviting me back for an early look at what is in the works for Flora and Jack.

Flora Steele is now a married woman, happy to be with new husband Jack Carrington. Surprisingly, their wedding reception takes a turn when they discover a dead body. Meanwhile, Jack will soon be working away much of the time, and with yet another murder that Flora just has to become involved in - solving it anyway - wedded bliss just might have a few hiccups. But, what else is Flora to do? Proven to be more than adept when it comes to amateur sleuthing, Flora digs deep when it comes to looking for answers.

While Jack makes the perfect partner for Flora, in marriage and in life, Flora finds herself really missing her new husband. His new teaching job means he will be living at Cleve College for more than half the week. As things turn out, the body that the pair discovered was, in fact, connected to the college, so just maybe Flora and Jack won’t be complete strangers to one another.

Nine books in and Merlyn Allingham has done a fabulous job keeping the series fresh. With intriguing plots, ideal characters and the right amount of twists and turns, readers are in for a light and cozy treat.

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

Flora and Jack have had a long trip to the alter but are able to tie the knot without murder disrupting the ceremony but reception was not so luck. However, the investigation doesn't really kick off until Flora finds a cigarette case that seems to have belonged to the dead body found in town that no one can identify. It turns out the man once worked at the college Jack now teaches at as the writer-in-residence. Can the two sift through the many suspects before someone teaches them a deadly lesson?

A clever mystery with plenty of twists that kept me guessing until the end. I really like Flora, Jack and the other residences at Abbeymead but the world of these two is expanding into the college and the other town where the college is located. Flora and Jack decide to spend some of the week at the college and some at Abbeymead. We will have to see if new mysteries tie into the new location. New characters are good but I hope there are still plenty of connections to Abbeymead.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Another delightful installment of the Flora Steele Mystery series! It is warm, holds your interest and is cleverly done.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

The ninth book in the series and at last Jack and Flora have made it to their wedding. Of course no mystery novel can have a totally uneventful wedding but at least this one waits until after the main events before the body is found.

It is an intriguing mystery with leads occurring both in Abbeymead and at Cleve College where Jack is now writer in residence. Jack and Flora both have near death experiences in separate places at the same time and the tension builds. The usual red herrings were written very neatly and successfully disguised the real perpetrator. I did not guess who it was until very near the end.

Another successful book in this series and, now that the author has opened a whole new venue at Cleve College, I hope there will be many more.

Flora and Jack finally marry in 1958, but not surprisingly, they find themselves embroiled in a series of suspicious deaths that appear to have their roots in the past. The mystery is multi-layered and rather poignant, and this story has a definite menacing undercurrent. Flora and Jack are credible amateur investigators, and their relationship is authentic. I also enjoy the village community, which comprises vibrant and resonating characters. It's an absorbing story with an evocative 1950s setting. It's one of my favourite historical cosy crime series.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

4 Stars
One Liner: The series is still on a high!

The D-day is here, and Flora and Jack are married (woo hoo!). Jack has accepted the offer to be a part-time teacher at Cleve College. While he doesn’t feel fully comfortable, he is willing to handle it for some extra money.
The newlywed couple discovers a dead body and soon takes up sleuthing. As new information appears, it seems that the case is connected to Cleve College. There’s no dearth of suspects even though the motives are unclear.
Can Flora and Jack continue their success rate by solving this case too?
The story comes in Flora and Jack’s third-person POVs.

My Thoughts:
They are married! I’m glad that we get a short scene with the wedding and reception. Given the book’s size, it works well and continues to keep the focus on the mystery. The book should work as a standalone but will be better when you know at least some backstory of the characters.
Ordinary couples may hate starting their new journey with a dead body, but not Flora and Jack. Jack is understandably a bit reluctant to divert his attention to sleuthing since he is already multi-tasking but Flora is as curious as ever to solve the crime.
The mystery is intriguing and has many threads. Quite a few suspects too, though I had my target on someone the sleuthing couple didn’t focus on (should I specify I was right?). The case is intricate with enough red herrings and reaches a logical conclusion.
The pacing felt a little off or maybe it was coz my timetable went for a toss, leaving me with less time to read! Either way, I could finish it as per the plan, so all good.
Jack has relocated to Flora’s cottage, so it is some time for adjustments for both. They manage to create a schedule that suits their career commitments and gives them some time to spend together. There isn’t any extra lovey-dovey which I like. After all, their character arcs don’t change.
There are a few more developments in the village, some of which are definitely annoying our dear Alice. I like how even the side characters have meaningful character arcs. Charlie is growing up too fast, and we don’t get enough of him now!

To summarize, Murder at Cleve College easily sustains the momentum of the series while also keeping it fresh with new changes. The danger levels are a bit high in this one, adding to the intrigue and entertainment.
Can’t wait for the next book. I guessed where the next case is likely to be. Now, I wait until the blurb is out to confirm.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

In Murder at Cleve College, bookshop owner Flora Steele and crime writer Jack Carrington, our amateur sleuthing duo are finally at the altar, but before the celebrations have even winded down, a new mystery pulls them right in (their friend, Inspector Ridley even gatecrashing the festivities). Just outside Abbeymead, a body has been found and no one has been able to identify him. Flora and Jack mange to find the victim’s name but it will take some digging to learn more about him and what might have befallen him.

Meanwhile Jack, who had taken up a position to mentor students at Cleve College in Lewes in the last book has started his new job but something on the premises makes him rather uneasy. The creepy caretaker Joe Miller seems to be incessantly dogging his steps and spying on his every move and before long he learns his predecessor had drowned in the lake while out swimming. Was it just an accident or something more foul?

As they begin to investigate the deaths and various connections are made—some centring around Cleve College—things get increasingly dangerous with both Flora and Jack, especially the latter, being targeted. Will they be able to identify the killer in time?

Murder at Cleve College proved to be another highly entertaining instalment in the Flora Steele series with its fair share of suspicious deaths, a menacing presence in the form of Joe Miller always at Jack’s heels, suspects aplenty and danger not just threatening Flora and Jack but managing to touch them as well.

But amidst all that, there’s also plenty more. With Flora and a new acquaintance she makes at Lewes, we get to learn something of the town and its historical and literary connections from Bull house where Thomas Paine once lived to a memorial for Russian soldiers captured during the Crimean war who’d died in a Lewes Prison. I always enjoy how Allingham’s books give one a good sense of the setting too (as was the case with Brighton and even more so parts of Cornwall in previous books).

And of course, every new entry in the series gives one a chance to catch up with life in Abbeymead, which is indeed beginning to change and old friends, which the characters have by now become for us readers. Flora is taking regular days off from her shop the All’s Well; young Charlie Teague, Jack’s former errand boy is exploring his new talents more fully and successfully and there are changes in Kate’s and Sally’s lives too.

But it is the mystery, or should I say mysteries that remain at the core of the book. With more than one suspicious death on their hands and Inspector Ridley, as is often the case, making little progress, it is Flora and Jack who discover vital information. This makes things more than uncomfortable for them, the danger this time being both more palpable and coming too close to home. The winter setting adds seasonal colour and exacerbates the challenges that Flora and Jack much face. The mystery threads were nicely done as always and while I did pick up one solid clue/connection early on, how that actually turned out was very different indeed from how I interpreted it. The various elements and details of the solution weren’t something I could work out or even guess at which made the denouement interesting and fun.

With a strong enough hint as to the place the next Flora Steele mystery is likely to take us, wrapping up this enjoyable entry in the series has only left me eagerly anticipating the next!

My thanks to Sarah Hardy at Bookouture for a review copy via NetGalley

This is the 9th book in the series and it was a fantastic read.

I loved the main as well as the side characters, and the ease with which they lived together. The whole quaint setting of the village was also quite lovely. The writing is great and engrossing.

I started in the middle of the series, so it took me some time to keep track of all the characters, but overall it was quite a great read and can be read as a standalone book as well.

Looking forward to the next in the series.

I received an advance copy of the book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

(Review posted on both Goodreads and Amazon)

1950s, amateur-sleuth, bookseller, college, cozy-mystery, England, famous-author, friends, friendship, historical-novel, historical-research, investigation, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, murders, orphans, professor, read, relationships, rural, suspense, suspicion, Sussex, twisty, village, wedding, writers, wry-humor*****

Flora Steele and Jack Carrington are now married and he has moved in with her to be close to the bookshop while he has a commute to the college where he is the writer in residence. Then they find an
unknown man's body in a ditch and the mystery becomes a real puzzle. I love seeing the way each has their own method and perspectives and the way they can work together without any sort of rivalry. Another good addition to a stellar series!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!
#FloraSteeleMysteriesBk9

4.5 upped to 5
Flora and Jack are getting married and it was a wedding I've been waiting since I read the first instalment in this series.
It's twisty and complex story, there're changes in the life of the characters, a new setting, and plenty going on.
The historical background is as accurated as always.
I appreciated the evolution of the characters and the the description of the college and the college life.
My only note is the high number of new characters and sometimes I felt a bit confused.
The twists and the solution surprised me and I liked them
A well plotted story, looking forward to the next one.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is another delightful investigation by the newly married couple. With its 1950s rural setting it is a charming read. The book evokes the more sedate pace of life, with lovely period details. It could be read as a stand alone novel but knowing the back story of the characters is even more satisfying.

Jack & Flora are married in Abbeymead & nearly the whole village joins in their celebration. Then a stranger is found dead in a ditch in the village, he doesn’t have any identification. When the couple revisit the site of the tragedy Flora finds an envelope tucked into the man’s silver cigarette case, the address is key to discovering the poor chap’s name, Russell Farr. He isn’t known to any of the villagers then they discover Farr is connected to the esteemed Cleve College, where Jack is now a writer-in-residence. The college has made Jack feel uneasy ever since he learned his predecessor drowned in its lake, and now it appears a second suspicious death is connected to it.
This is the ninth book in the series & whilst it could very easily be read on its own I’ve loved following Jack & Flora from their initial meeting to their wedding, there’s also a stellar cast of regular supporting characters. Another well written engrossing cosy mystery, the author portrays life in a country village in the late 1950’s so well. Jack & Flora are quickly submersed in the murder mystery & the more they delve the more they realise events from two decades ago are linked. There are a few suspects & there are twists, turns & red herrings also Jack & Flora have very lucky escapes before all is revealed. A very enjoyable murder mystery, which I read in two sittings
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own