RULES OF MURDER
(Drew Farthering Mysteries: #1)
Written by Julianna Deering
(aka: DeAnna Julie Dodson)
2013, 336 Pages
Genre: mystery, historical, fiction, romance

(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.)

★★★★

Drew Farthering and his childhood friend, Nick return home to Farthering Place to find Drew's mother and stepfather hosting a weekend party. Before the weekend finishes there is a murder at the country estate and the police are unsure where to turn. Drew and Nick love a good mystery and decide to try their hand at following the clues. In between leads Drew is also trying to woo Madeline Parker, niece of his stepfather, and fellow mystery addict. The clues seem to lead them closer to home and the killer may be someone they know well.

I have a new favourite for cozy historical mystery - The Drew Farthering series. This is the first book in the series and it is set in a British village in 1932. Much of the writing, characters and plot reminds me of Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie and Patricia Wentworth. (Deering is the pen name for DeAnna Julie Dodson who writes Christian fiction. The Drew Farthing series is also considered Christian Literature but is quite mild). I like the light banter between the characters, the romance between Madeline and Drew and real-life mystery author references. Both Drew and Madeline love mystery novels so we see them fight over the newest edition. It is a predictable story but I enjoyed the characters and go on the ride with the characters.

k (My Novelesque Life)

Well-intentioned, and there is absolutely an audience. I even suggested it to a reader this week. Follows many of the classic mystery conventions, though not always successfully. The main characters are alternately charming and exasperating, and one glaring issue was

Spoiler

how unaffected Drew was at the death of his mother. Even if they weren't close, and she turns out not to be his birth mother, she filled that role for all of his life until her death. How callous that she was so easily dismissed as not worthy of real grief.

audiobook note: If it weren't for Vance's characteristically delightful reading, the flaws would have grated more. As he often does, his light touch elevated the material.

WOW! This is a great book. It was very hard to put down. Ms. Deering did a great job writing it. The book flowed nicely. I am looking forward to reading more of the Drew Farthing Mystery series!

Agh, finally! A true mystery novel that is also Christian fiction. Not only was the mystery real throughout the entire book, but Drew, Madeline, and Nick were highly entertaining and I found myself laughing many times throughout the book. I loved that throughout the book there were always moments when I thought I knew what had happened only to find out that my conclusion was a dead end. I truly had no idea who the murderer was until I had 30 minutes left in the book. The characters were super witty and easy to get along with, the town and people were charming and the way that Deering incorporated other mystery writers and their books into hers was very unique and totally worth it. Absolute must-read.

Rounded up from 2.5 stars
I was looking for a British cozy mystery and this one didn't quite make the mark. The writing was good and the characters not too bad, despite the instalove, but there were a few plot holes with the mystery and the focus on religion wasn't to my taste.

Ugh. Love the audiobook reader, but this was a tedious slog... Just not my cup of tea.

3.5, I'm hoping as the series moves on the books move into solid 4 range. I did love the Christian tie in- it's not overwhelming or preachy but for someone that believes in the hope that God provides, it's nice to see that being embraced in a storyline. I'll read the second book.

Drew Farthering comes home with his friend Nicky Dennison. His stepfather and mother are giving a party at the estate. His stepfather's niece and a couple of friends have come for a visit. Drew is immediately struck by the niece. Then, that night at the party, a partner in his father's firm and his mother are killed. The three enjoy reading mysteries. Nicky has a list of rules by mystery writer Knox of things that are not done in mysteries and the three proceed to break all the rules.