I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

Nora has left the nunnery where she has lived as Sister Agnes for the last thirty years, partly because she is concerned about Frieda, a former novice, who has abruptly stopped writing to Nora. Frieda was living at a boarding house called Gull's Nest before her disappearance, so Nora books herself in there and starts making enquiries.

The boarding house sounds frankly appalling - the food is so inedible that barely anyone eats it, and the feral mute daughter of the owner roams the house, going through people's things. Nora finds no trace of Frieda, but then other boarders turn up dead. Nora is convinced they were murdered, but it is hard to persuade Inspector Rideout of this.

I enjoyed this overall, although it was a little 'cosy' and didn't exactly race along. Nora was a likeable and interesting character. There were lots of instances of her musing on what she does and does not miss about the nunnery, but I am surprised there was not more for her to marvel about in the world in general - so much must have changed during her 30 years of isolation. The mystery was reasonably intriguing, and there was a strong sense of the post-war period. I imagine there will be more of Nora and her Inspector, whose garden she is clearly longing to take in hand.

This book was a pleasant surprise! I didn't know what to expect with this book, so I was pleasantly surprised with how much fun this murder mystery story was!

This book follows Nora Breen, a former nun/nurse who has arrived in Gore-on-Sea in Kent to search for her friend, Frieda, when her letters stop arriving. Nora books a room in the same boarding house that Frieda had been staying in and starts to search the town for her friend, not disclosing their friendship to the other people in the boarding house. She quickly discovers that her housemates all seem to be hiding their own secrets, and enlists the local detective to help her find her friend.

This was an enjoyable, cozy mystery in the same vein as 'Murder She Wrote'. Nora is a feisty character, and has to deal with her own history as well as her attempts to find her friend. The 1950s setting adds to the sense of nostalgia, and allows for a slower pace to the mystery that makes it incredibly enjoyable to read. While I had my suspicions to the ending, this story wrapped up in a satisfying way and left me wanting more with these characters! Nora's interactions with Inspector Rideout were funny and enjoyable, showing how spunky Nora can be.

4.25/5

While this book took a bit for me to get into and to get into sync with the protagonist, but by the end of this book, I really enjoyed it. It seems like the ending leaves the book open for more to come in the series, and I would certainly read another about this place and characters. I liked how it walked the line of cozy mystery, but was really entertaining and fun to read. I would recommend this to mystery readers who like a spunky female lead. Miss Marple fans may enjoy this series.

This novel was definitely a mystery, however the descriptor of 'cozy' could only be applied to Gore-on-the-Sea, the little town that Gull's Nest boarding house is set in. Or, perhaps, the cover. This book had multiple murders, tons of suspense and a slow burning lure. It took me a little bit to get into the plot and keep all the characters straight, but soon I was eagerly turning the page, wondering, alongside our heroine Nora Breen, who was taking down members of Gull's Nest.

Murder at Gull's Nest is a delightful mystery with eccentric characters that keep you guessing from the first to the last page.

Gull's Nest is a boarding house for what appears to be mainly misfits and one of their own goes missing followed by a death in house.

Nora is a friend of the missing woman so she leaves the nunhood and heads to the small costal town to find out what ever happened.

Can she solve the mystery.

Nora is a delight and for the most part all of them trust her and will confide in her but Nora just knows there is more to the story than anyone is saying

The detective on the case realizes that Nora is further ahead then the police and he reluctantly listens to her. Its a fun and complicated relationship .

Twists and turns with quite a few red herrings keep the pages turning.

I certainly hope we see Nora and the detective again soon.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada/Atria books for the privilege of reading and reviewing Murder at Gull's Nest.

Murder at Gulls Nest was such an unexpected pleasure! Set in 1954, we meet Nora Breen, a mid-aged woman who's just been released from her vows as a nun. Nora is worried that her younger friend, also a former nun, is in danger as her letters have stopped arriving. With questions in hand, Nora heads off to her last known location, Gore-on-Sea in Kent and its small boarding house, Gulls Nest. Nora quickly immerses her self in the home and is determined to uncover the truth of her friend's disappearance as well as the questionable behaviour of Gulls Nest's guests despite being repeatedly asked to leave things alone by the local police.
Murder at Gulls Nest is a cozy, creative murder mystery full of inquisitive characters that will stick around with you for a long time. I so look forward to reading more of Nora's adventures in future releases!