My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sara Medlar, a world-renowned bestselling author with her niece Kate and honorary grandson Jack is flying from Florida to Oxley Manor, an estate that has been converted into a country house hotel in England. The plan was to enjoy a well-earned vacation but Oxley manor has a past that piques Sara’s interest and with the help of Kate and Jack, Sara begins to inquire into the circumstances that led to two missing people.
The mystery was exciting and had an Agatha Christie feel as all the central characters involved from years earlier meet again at the manor and reenacts the scenes that went into play on the particular night. Each and every person had something to hide and facing their own past was never going to be easy, to know the foibles of youth, to know that one has been the cause of extreme distress to another friend, and to push everything under the carpet with the callousness of being young and carefree, each person involved had to face the truth about themselves about the night in question before the truth is thrown into the light.
I loved Sara Medlar’s character, and also Kate and Jack, the small element of romance between them kept the story entertaining. Puck, as a 40 yr old woman considered to be different and weird touches the heart, the only person who knows that the grounds in the manor also hides a body. A Forgotten Murder is Book # 3 in the Medlar Mystery series by Jude Deveraux and it was thoroughly enjoyable. Of course, being a fan of historical romances, I have read quite a few books by the author but this cozy mystery was really a surprise. Looking forward to catch up with other books in this series.
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An English manor home, an unsolved mystery, too many suspects to count… It’s the perfect holiday for romance novelist Sara Medlar.
After solving two murder cases in their hometown of Lachlan, Florida, Sara Medlar, her niece Kate and their friend Jack need a change of scenery. Sara arranges for them to visit an old friend of hers in England. Upon arrival at Oxley Manor, a centuries-old estate that has been converted to a luxury hotel, Kate and Jack quickly realize that Sara is up to something. They learn that Sara has also invited a number of others to join them at Oxley.
When everyone assembles, Sara lets them know why they are there. Decades earlier, two people ran off together from Oxley and haven’t been heard from since—and Sara wants to solve the case. As the people who were there the night the two went missing, the guests find themselves cast in a live mystery-theater event.
In reenacting the events of that night, it becomes clear that everyone has something to hide and no one is safe, especially when the discovery of a body makes it clear that at least one of the people who disappeared was murdered.
Sara, Jack and Kate are once again at the heart of a mysterious case that only they are able to solve. But someone is willing to continue to kill to keep the truth about Oxley Manor buried, and none of the guests are safe.