The Summer House at Larkspur

An interesting story line with twists right to the end but couldn't connect well with any of the characters or the writing for that matter. A one time read.

When a Nun is stabbed to death, the town of Hembree is on edge. Who could have killed Sister Clare? The rumour mill runs wild and real estate agent Mosey finds herself in the middle of the investigation... again.

As Lieutenant Olivera conducts his investigation, a second victim is found at Larkspur House, the home of Sister Clare's long dead family, the Bilyeu's. But when distantly connected family begin appearing from New Orleans and Spain, it is clear there is more to the murders than meets the eye. So, who is the murderer living amongst them?

This book covered important themes such as the treatment of African American sharecroppers in the early 1900's and their fight to unionise, and it was a timely read as we enter Black History month and it has left me contemplative.

I enjoyed the story but found the first few chapters very confusing with a lot of information shared without much background explanation. For someone who does not live in North America, there were quite a few things I had to research to understand the storyline.
The twists and turns were great but I do wish the finale had been more satisfying and after many chapters, more time spent in explanation.

Thank you to Netgalley, Author Kay Pritchett and Wild Rose Press for this free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was one in a series but for me was my first read by this author.


Mosey Frye is looking around an old house. An estate agent she is always scouting
for a residence which could be sold or rented. she discovers human remains in a half covered cistern and reports it to Chief Oliviera to investigate. On the same day a nun, the only
survivor of the family which owns this property is found brutally stabbed to death.
The nun was mild,harmless and the killing seems senseless. Mosey is convinced there is a
connection between the two incidents but the Chief thinks otherwise.

The story set in a Southern part of america in a small town is quite descriptive of a
more family oriented, close knit community whose family histories seem inter twined
and connected over several generations. Quite old fashioned families with ties of loyalty
and respect. The detective part of the story was well done and detailed.

From the cover design and description, I thought this looked and sounded like a book that I might enjoy.

I found this very light, easy reading, and it had a cosy feel. The protagonist was a nice character, and I found some of the other characters quite fun and quirky.

I didn't feel as invested in the story, or as connected to the characters, as I would have liked. I hadn't read any of the previous books in this series, and I wonder if that may have made a difference.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.