Jess Kidd excels at creating an environment for her stories. This novel, set in coastal Britain, gives off the mood of gulls, damp air, clouds. It is a cozy mystery, and while there is some gore, it is mostly mild.

Sister Agnes has left the monastery to find a friend, Frieda, who also left the monastery for her health. Frieda landed at Gull’s Nest, a tattered boarding house on the coast. When Sister Agnes suddenly stops receiving letters from Frieda, she feels compelled to try to find out what happened to Frieda. It’s back to being Nora Breen after 30 years as a nun.

Nora takes over Frieda’s room at the boarding house, but does not tell the other inhabitants that she knew Frieda. Her investigation begins of the rather diverse population. Stella and Teddy, newlyweds. Professor Poppy, a puppeteer. Bill, the bartender. Then there is the proprieties, Helena and her mute daughter, Dinah. We cannot forget the very domineering Irene, the housekeeper and cook.

All have taken refuge in this locale which is known for its people who come and go. All have secrets as well. Nora is convinced that Frieda didn’t just take a train out of town. Especially once murder happens at the boarding house. Murder becomes quite the theme of this house, with fingers pointing at all the occupants and then some. While the local constabulary seems to think it’s coincidental, Nora thinks otherwise and is out to prove them wrong. All the while becoming something of a companion to Inspector Rideout.

I love that this is going to be a series of books. Nora is such a pleasant, fun former nun. The time and setting are perfect for mystery and crime solving. I look forward to the next installment.


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This is Kidd's best book! The characters are kooky and heartfelt and the twists are fun, told in her signature voice. Highly recommended.

First book in a new series. The book started out feeling a bit depressing for some reason. Not sure why, maybe it was just me. I think all cozy mystery lovers will enjoy this book

Taking place shortly after WWII, Nora requests to leave her sisterhood and goes undercover to try and find out what happened to her missing novitiate. What follows is a cozy with so many twists and reveals that it seems like hard boiled thriller! Everyone has something to hide. Adding to the feel of the book is Nora herself who not only has to figure out her place outside the nunnery but also has to face her own past and secrets. the character development needed for a new series did not overshadow the mystery and plot of the book and I am looking forward to future books in this series. While the murder at Gulls Nest was solved, the mystery of Nora Breen continues!

Murder at Gulls Nest is the first in a new cozy mystery series by Jess Kidd. It is quite different from the author's others works. The story centers on Nora Breen, a former nun who has left her convent in search of a friend (also a former nun) who went missing. When Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, the bodies start piling up and she and the village inspector, Inspector Rideout must solve the case.

I really liked the atmosphere of this book. It was a little spooky and dark and I could feel the chill breeze coming off the ocean. It's set in 1950s England and I feel you really do get the ambiance of that. I liked the characters, especially Nora. Her character is slightly improbable, but I loved her personality and her never give up attitude.

The writing in this story is so much better than your typical cozy mystery. The prose is lovely and it really flows. That said, the plot can be slow in some parts and I found myself getting frustrated with the pace. But I was kept guessing until the end and didn't solve the mystery ahead of time.

I think this is a great start to the series and I look forward to more installments! Thank you to the publisher and @netgalley for the ARC!

Classic mystery fans should check this one out!

In the 1950s, ex-nun Nora Breen has left her convent for the seaside in Kent, England, a woman on a mission. Her friend from the convent, Frieda, has stopped writing, and Nora is convinced that her friend is the victim of foul play. Nora takes up residence at Gulls Nest, the same boarding house Frieda was staying in before she died. The other residents of Gulls Nest are eccentric, with secrets of their own, and when someone turns up dead, it’s up to Nora to solve the case.

This had the feel of a classic Agatha Christie mystery—cozy, but more so in the Christie sense than the modern day cozy mystery genre. I enjoyed the setting of this historic seaside town in England and Nora as a main character was pretty interesting. She was a fun character to follow, with a keen intellect and determined spirit, as well as a complicated backstory that we get some hints of throughout the novel. There was also a hint of a potential romance for her that I enjoyed.

Because the cast of characters is small, I did guess who the murderer was. I mean, there’s only so many people it could possibly be! But I think if you love that classic mystery vibe that you get from Agatha Christie and co., this book is gonna be for you.

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting based off the cozy/cutesy cover. This was more of a melancholic, slow burn mystery with great atmospheric writing. In general, I think this book had a good foundation with the potential for an interesting main character and a gripping plot as the tension rise with increasing dangers, but it felt a bit too surface level for me. I wanted to explore the characters more deeply, especially the main character, as you get glimpses of how interesting she could be as a main character but she just didn't feel fully realized.

I also felt the story dragged on too long. It took until 95% to receive answers and the ending wrapped up super quickly and left me feeling wanting. This is kicking off a new series and based on this first book I don't think I'll be continuing, but I do think it has potential.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

Quirky, charming, smart! A nice cozy mystery with a welcome seriousness at heart. I loved the amateur sleuth headlining this new series, a former nun named Nora Breen who is intelligent, kind, and feisty. Great setting in a boarding house by the sea. This book has an admirably slow pace - never boring but unfolding carefully, as it to set this up for many more books to come! Highly recommend.

“In a house as beset by misfortune as this one… where deaths both sudden and violent have occurred, and mysteries abound…”

She’s a 10 but she…
- fancies herself the hero of an old-fashioned detective story, even though she has zero experience with investigative work
- stares down degenerate rakes in bars and threatens to take them outside & knock their teeth out
- accidentally finds herself three sheets to the wind by lunchtime
- bribes bedraggled young ragamuffins with sweets
- has conversations with errant seagulls named after notable members of the clergy
- isn’t quite seeing eye-to-eye with the Big Man Upstairs, despite her 30-year career as a nun

”What kind of fool throws up thirty years of dedication to solve a puzzle?”

That’s Nora Breen in a nutshell, the heroine of this delightful cozy mystery from Jess Kidd. Nora is about to walk away from her life as a nun in favor of another existence entirely—one filled with missing friends, suspicious deaths, a smuggler’s cave, and a rabbit hole filled with nearly 100 actual rabbits.

”Sometimes a little chaos is beneficial…”

I can barely find the words to express how much I loved this. Nora and her fellow characters are quirky, winsome, and charming, and the layers of mystery were artfully crafted and compelling. The early 1900s setting makes the whole thing feel rather grown-up and literary, rather than falling into the often-cheesy tropes of cozy mysteries set in the present day.

”I believe every one of us at Gulls Nest is concealing some kind of secret—I shall make it my business to find out.”

Jess Kidd has always been an auto-read author for me, and even though this genre is so different from her previous work, I didn’t doubt for a minute that she could execute it flawlessly. Her narrative voice is unlike any other, and that is as true as ever in Murder at Gull’s Nest. Five wholehearted stars.

“The blessings of the Holy Family upon you; mind how you go…”

——

A huge thank you to Jess Kidd, Atria, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"In a house like Gull's Nest, curiosity might prove fatal."

Former nun Nora Breen has picked a rather odd spot for her spell of rest and relaxation, but like the other residents of Gull's Nest, she's got a hidden agenda.

"I believe every one of us at Gull's Nest is concealing some kind of secret . . ."

And, someone is wiling to kill to keep that secret buried forever.

I've yet to be disappointed by anything Kidd writes. This one proves to be another winner, and a great start to a promising new series.

A nun goes undercover to find a missing friend; a nun puts the town womanizer in his place; a nun befriends a grumpy detective with her persistence and wit. If any of those statements intrigue you, then Nora Breen is your girl. Nora is a spunky character who I quickly enjoyed following in this mystery. The first 100 pages of this book were incredibly atmospheric and I felt instantly transported to the costal town of Kent.

Truly would love to read another mystery with Breen, Detective Rideout, and whatever cute animal she befriends next.

I’m a sucker for a good cozy mystery, and this one didn’t disappoint! Nora Breen, a former nun, leads a cast of misfits as she solves her friend’s disappearance from a British seaside boarding house. Themes of mid life reckoning, self discovery, the power of friendship, and overcoming hidden pasts. 4.5 star reading experience + the discovery of a series I’m looking forward to following.

Due out April 8

4.5
This was a perfectly plotted mystery with an entertaining cast of characters.

Sister Agnes has left the convent. When her friend, former nun Frieda, abruptly stops writing, Nora leaves her work as a nurse and nun to find her. Upon arrival in Gulls Nest, Nora keeps her past quiet so she can learn more about Frieda's housemates. She also begins prodding the local Inspector Detective, who believes her friend has simply moved on, to assist in the search for her friend. When there's a death, Nora decides she will have to head the investigation herself.

Nora is clever and delightful, and so easy to root for. I can't wait for the next book in this series!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this fourth book that I have read by this author.. they all are very different.
This book takes us to a coastal boardinghouse in an English seaside town.
A nun goes undercover to find out what happened to her younger novice..Frieda, who had left the convent by orders of her doctor to go to the seaside for her ill health.
The younger nun who promised to write often.. stopped writing and Nora..the older nun, is very worried.
This was quite an entertaining and fun read.. in spite of some murders that are happening at the run down inn that Frieda stayed at and that Nora takes up residence in… along with a hand full of other residents with different ages and history’s.
Nora plays amateur detective… and it is quite amusing..

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for the ARC!

Jess Kidd writes a cozy mystery? Yes, please! I loved Nora Breen and her plucky, investigative nature. I certainly hope this is a series that will continue!

"From Jess Kidd, the bestselling author of Things in Jars who "is so good it isn't fair" (Erika Swyler, nationally bestselling author), the first in a cozy mystery series about a former nun who searches for answers in a small seaside town after her pen pal mysteriously disappears.

I believe every one of us at Gulls Nest is concealing some kind of secret.

1954: When her former novice's dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda's letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent.

A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests. But when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it's time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind."

Jess Kidd is a fabulous writer, but what draws me most to this is the Goreyesque town of Gore-on-Sea.

I really loved this story. It's paced really well and I found the writing style unique, in the best way. I want to be Nora Breen's friend. I was emotionally invested in her story and who she is as a person and her development throughout. They mystery was well done and kept you guessing right up to the end.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced readers copy.

Picture this: a house perched on a cliff, waves crashing below, secrets swirling within. Jess Kidd's "Murder at Gull's Nest" plunges us into this deliciously ominous setting, where mystery lurks in every shadow and whisper.

At the heart of this story stands Nora Breen, our amateur sleuth extraordinaire. Don't let her novice status fool you – Nora's quiet grace belies a razor-sharp mind and an uncanny knack for observation. As she peels back the layers of deceit, you'll find yourself captivated by her journey as a determined truth-seeker.

The cast of suspects is a veritable smorgasbord of intrigue. Each character harbors their own dark secrets, and the process of uncovering them is as thrilling as it is unsettling. Kidd masterfully weaves a web of red herrings that will have you second-guessing your every assumption. Trust becomes a precious commodity in this house of lies, and you'll relish every moment of trying to discern friend from foe.

But it's not just the suspects that keep you on your toes. The growing dynamic between Nora and the inspector adds another layer of complexity to the tale. Their tentative alliance hints at a future ripe with potential for more mysteries to be unraveled together.

From the first page to the last, "Murder at Gull's Nest" grips you in its talons and refuses to let go. The plot twists and turns like the treacherous coastal paths surrounding Gull's Nest itself, leading to a reveal that embodies the adage "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" in the most spine-tingling way possible.

Thank you, Atria Books and NetGalley, for my free books.

Nora is a nun who, after not hearing from another former nun whom she had been faithfully corresponding with, decides to leave the convent and find out where her friend is. She goes to the last place she knew her friend had lived and finds herself in the middle of a couple of suspicious deaths. I enjoyed Murder at Gulls Nest, Nora's character in particular. Loved her feistiness and inquisitive attitude. If this becomes a continuing series, will definitely look forward to reading more of her story.

I enjoyed this mystery. It wasn't too simplistic and I enjoyed the characters. I look forward to a second book. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.