Christa Reads and Writes: Blog Tour: EMPTY NEST (A Birds of a Feather Mystery) by Marty Wingate

Friday, November 27, 2015

Blog Tour: EMPTY NEST (A Birds of a Feather Mystery) by Marty Wingate

Synopsis

If you love Laura Childs, Ellery Adams, or Jenn McKinlay, don’t miss Marty Wingate’s charming Birds of a Feather series! In Empty Nest, Julia Lanchester’s life is interrupted by a murder most foul—and a killer who’s watching her like a hawk.

Manager of a tourist center in a quaint British village, Julia Lanchester finds herself with more ideas than time. Her boss is the Earl Fotheringill himself, but apart from him, she doesn’t mix well with the aristocracy. Unfortunately, toxic mold forces her from her cottage and into one of the earl’s countless spare rooms at the Hall. She tries to get a handle on her overload of work, while she finds herself arguing with dinner guests, chaffing at the sudden interest the earl’s son has in running the estate, and missing her new beau, Michael Sedgwick.

Her life goes from bad to sinister when Julia discovers poisoned sparrowhawks on the expansive estate grounds. And soon after, she finds one of the Hall’s visitors murdered—felled by the same poison. While simultaneously both spooked and angry, she still can’t keep herself from snooping, and dragging Michael along into her investigation. But will she find the culprit before her own wings are clipped?

Review
This is another strong mystery by Wingate. Julie is working hard at promoting the Fotheringill estate with various activities and promotions. She is living on the estate while her cottage is not inhabitable and chooses to ignore Lord Fotheringill's possible motives for suggesting this arrangement. Her boyfriend Michael however picks up on those motives quickly. Add to that the prodigal son who returns, his antique dealer friend who winds up dead, the suspicious estate agent, and dead sparrow hawks - there is plenty of action.

The pace is quick, the characters are well-developed, and the plot has many twists and turns. Julie and Michael's relationship adds a little romance to the mix. I've read other of Wingate's novels and this one did not disappoint. I realized I have another of Wingate's novels on my kindle/TBRList from her other series - The Potting Shed Mysteries - and I just moved it up along with THE RHYME OF THE MAGPIES, the first in this series. Although EMPTY NEST is the second in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

About the Author

Marty Wingate is the author of two previous Potting Shed mysteries, The Garden Plot and The Red Book of Primrose House. Her new Birds of a Feather Mystery series debuted with The Rhyme of the Magpie. Wingate is a regular contributor toCountry Gardens and other magazines. She also leads gardening tours throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, France, and North America. More Potting Shed and Birds of a Feather mysteries are planned.