Book Review: Murder at Gull's Nest | Jess Kidd

Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Murder at Gulls Nest is a classic cosy mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Here, we have an Nora Breen, a former nun, who arrives at Gore-on-Sea in Kent in search of Frieda Brogan, her former novice and friend. Gulls Nest, the same boarding house that Frieda disappeared from, is filled with odd characters: the grieving widow and her wild, silent child; the loving couple who may be facing difficult times; the secret smuggler; the old entertainer; the foreigner; and the grim housekeeper. It's all Breen can do to trace Frieda's footsteps... and then the murders start.

The mystery itself is intriguing. There's enough intrigue and misdirection, misunderstandings and coincidences to keep you entertained and guessing. The various characters are colourful and complex... and yet the main thing that kept me from really enjoying the book was Nora Breen herself.

Breen is supposed to be about 50, but she came across to me as rather brash, impulsive, and unlikeable, as if she'd staved off her teenage years in the convent and was now catching up with antics like constantly throwing shoes at the police constable. There's her rape backstory to contend with, which felt like it was mostly brought up to force a connection with another character. And then there was that nod to a relationship between Breen and the Inspector at the end of the book, which felt rather forced after their extremely contrary working relationship. It's not quite insta-love, but it feels like it was made to happen because both of them were single and had, well, a love for solving mysteries and this was the easiest way for them to work together in future books.

Other minor quibble: The book was written in the present tense, which felt rather jarring and strange for a book of this kind/genre. There didn't seem to be anything in the narrative or text that made it feel necessary, neither did it add to the atmosphere. This is very much a reader preference, however, so maybe it works for others.

At any rate, anyone who likes whodunnits would probably like this book.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Atria Books via Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

View all my reviews