📚BOOK REVIEW 📚

Sam Blake- Mystery of Four

Release date - 5th January 2023

I was very lucky to receive an early advanced copy of this book through @netgalley

I've never read a book by Sam Blake before and I was really intrigued and drawn in by the cover. I think the cover is fab and really pulls you in.

The book is a really slow burn and I felt it was quite drawn out at the start with a lot of characters. I found that very confusing. I didn't like that there wasn't a heading to tell you which character's point of view was being focussed on. It really took me awhile to adapt to the writing. However, there was a good mix of characters and the story was good to keep you guessing as to who the serial killer was.

I do feel the book could have benefitted from a faster pace with fewer characters as I think I would have connected more with the characters.

It is still a good murder mystery with Agatha Christieesque type vibes and it wouldn't put me off reading another book by this author in the future.

#mysteryoffour #samblake #murdermystery #greatcover #netgalley #kindleread #readingismyhappyplace
#booksaremyescape
#booksforlife #booksread

A very easy story that had a quite slow start. The premise was of a murderer seeking revenge and for me it did not have the suspense that I would expect. It was more like a modern Agatha Christie without the depth. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

The blurb of this really appealed as I love mysteries set in big houses and I had high hopes this would be a modern Christie-type murder. Our main character, Tess Morgan, has been restoring Kilfenora House and Gardens in County Wicklow and we are close to the opening when this story opens. However, things are not going well. Not only is Tess being trolled online, but there is a call from a journalist investigating the disappearance of women living alone, with the suggestion that a man working on the house is linked to the vanishings and the possibility that a body may have been buried on Tess’s property. Then, as if that is not enough, there are ghosts, curses, and an accident which occurs during play rehearsals for the grand opening.

I felt more stunned that the poor actor after all of this, and thought it was a mistake to have the accident happen off-stage, as it were. Tess seems to spend much of the time stumbling around reacting to events, and, as the reader, you are trailing in her wake. I liked some of the characters more than others, but mostly I felt this was a somewhat confused muddle, which – like the plot – never found its way. I would like to be more positive about this, as it was not poorly written, but I found Tess annoying, and I lacked sympathy for her as things went from bad to worse. Despite the various storylines, I was not pulled into the plot and nor could I feel that concerned about anyone involved. The test is whether I would read another novel featuring Tess and I have to say that the answer is no. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

Tess Morgan has returned to ireland after several years in Dubai. She left after her fiance was killed in a hit and run.
She has brought and restored Kilfenora House and the opening is imminent. However it hasn't all been smooth sailing. She has been plagued by a troll on social media. One of the actors in the play that will be performed on the opening has been struck by a falling light and is in hospital in a coma. When a journalist turns up asking to to follow up on a tip that there is a body buried on the border of her land, she starts getting worried that it will affect the opening. Then when the body of a missing turns up closely followed by another it is not coincidence. Helped by friends and the village, the truth slowly starts to emerge. The question is, will there be more bodies, is Tess the target? Why?
This drew me in and I needed to know the answers.

Nothing can spoil the opening of Kilfenora House – except for a tragic accident, a couple of unexplained deaths, and a possible body buried in the grounds. Eight years ago, Tess Morgan had fled to Dubai after her fiancé was killed by a drunk hit and run driver. Six years ago she returned to County Wicklow, bought the wrecked and fire damaged Kilfenora House and its vast estate then spent the next two and a half years restoring the house to its former glory. The formal opening will start with a special staging of Marlow’s “Dr Faustus”, reimagined and directed by Adrian Gaunt, a young actor fresh from the West End, followed by a garden fête. However, with one week to go, things start to go amiss. Is there a plot afoot to ruin Tess? Someone is certainly trolling her, an insecure light fitting falls and almost kills the leading man; a reporter calls to say that there is evidence that one of the victims of the “Radio Snatcher” (a series of unsolved disappearances from eight years ago) is buried on the estate). And then a young girl goes missing and her radio has been left playing. Mark Mulligan, the local pub landlord recently returned from Australia, notes the coincidence between some of these events and events in the earlier history of the house – assuming, of course, that they are coincidences. There are also a number of other characters from the village involved in various ways, notably Gen, Tess’s oldest friend, Clarissa, retired star of stage and screen, the three O’Riordan sisters and Eoin Doyle the local electrician. Are any or all of these involved, or are they all just obfuscations?
So a lovely, complicated scenario (and I haven’t even mentioned poisonous plants and a very clever cat). But somehow it doesn’t come together; solving the mystery is easy, the pace is too slow; there are too many points where the details don’t feel real. Partly, I think, this is because the writing is too descriptive; a technique which works well in literary or even romantic novels but gets in the way in a thriller. So the dénouement isn’t very surprising although the “detective” might be. Fast readers will skate across some of the writing, and people new to the genre might find it a reasonable entry level story.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This thriller follows Tess as she is planning the grand opening of Kilfenora House. With the plans all set the curse of the house is still hanging over Tess.

When a cast member in the opening show, due to take place on the opening eve suddenly gets injured, it is decided the show still must go ahead.

With other strange disappearances and bodies appearing around the house it seems as if the re-appearance of a serial killer or the curse of the house may be set to destroy Tess’s grand plans.

Will Tess manage to have her grand opening? Who is causing the disappearances and bodies?

This thriller is a good read and with many possible suspects/possible explanations for the strange occurrences it keeps you guessing throughout.

I loved how Tess’s friends would all get together to help with the arrangements and help each other through the terrible events which were happening around them.

It sounds like such a beautiful setting and the curse adds that bit of mystery surrounding the house.

Overall, a mysterious thriller where a house with a curse is set to be re-opened to the public.

I did not know this author at all but the blurb sounded just perfect; country house, murder and a lovely cat. I admit that I did guess quite early on but only the who, not the why, how etc. It did not make any difference to my enjoyment of the story. I am not sure if this will be a 'standalone' but I cannot see how it would be turned into a satisfactory series. Single books in this genre are becoming a rarity. Thanks to Netgalley.

Unfortunately I was unable to “get into” The Mystery of Four finding it too boring and not engaging enough .

This was an enjoyable mystery set around an old country house in Ireland. Tess Morgan has bought the lovely but neglected Kilfenora House and has spent the past couple of years renovating it with the help of the local community. The grand opening is coming up but sadly there is a tragic accident involving a member of the drama group who are going to perform Faustus as part of the opening. This is followed by several other ‘accidents’. Is somebody out to get Tess or is it connected to the serial killer who is rumoured to be in the area?
The book had a slow start and there were a lot of characters to get your head around but once the plot got going, I was hooked. I loved the characters especially Gen who runs the local antique shop and Merlin the cat who knows a lot more than he is letting on. The setting of the story is lovely too with gorgeous descriptions of the house and grounds.
The mystery was well-plotted with several side issues to keep the reader guessing. The actual culprit was fairly easy to guess but I didn’t foresee who would do the detective work!
This was a fun read and I’m grateful to Net Galley and Atlantic Books for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The mystery of four is a real slow burn. The start is a bit too drawn out with a lot of characters to keep track of, after halfway however the pace picks up and the story really unfolds.

There is a good mix of characters but none who I felt really invested in. I liked Clarissa the most. There was a lot of shade thrown on the men, understandably, as they searched for the serial killer, which made it hard to trust any of them!

The story was good but could have been better with a faster pace and fewer characters would have enabled us to invest in some of them more.

A good murder mystery but not Sam Blake’s best book in my opinion. 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

This is a is a Christie-esque novel which is character driven, following different characters (sadly did not warm up to any of them) and, obviously, there's murders. Sounds like success, but it just did not work for me from pacing and clunky writing. I felt myself reading rather than being swept by it, had no interest in finding out the mystery. sadly, not for me.

Very slow start to this who dunnit. Many characters to keep track of. Perseverance paid off and well plotted thriller emerged.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Atlantic Books for an advance copy of The Mystery of Four, a stand-alone set in County Wicklow.

A personal tragedy sent Tess Morgan fleeing to Dubai for six years, but she recently returned to Ireland to buy and renovate a country house, Kilfenora House, and it’s gardens, which she plans to open to the public. It’s going well until an accident during rehearsals for a play set to be the highlight of opening day makes everyone uneasy and especially Tess, who is beginning to think it might be personal. Then the deaths start.

I enjoyed The Mystery of Four, which is an easy read with an inviting style of writing. It is told from several points of view, mostly Tess, her friend, Gen, and Gen’s mother, Clarissa, giving the reader a wider take on events. From my point of view I was glad that there was no input from whoever has it in for Tess, as it allows the reader to speculate about what is going on and why.

This is a slow paced, leisurely read and, as such, I would hesitate to call it a thriller. It’s more like an unfolding of unpleasant events that the characters take more in their stride than I would. I guessed early on who was behind it all and sort of why, but I had no idea of how it would play out and that’s where the enjoyment lies. I wouldn’t say there were twists, because that implies drama, but I was never sure what was coming next so there’s a sense of unease.

It is also full of unusual characters. Tess is still full of pain and sorrow but she’s also a driven, successful businesswoman, her friend Gen is a single mother who runs a thriving antiques business and yes it doesn’t seem likely in a small village and there’s the wonderful Clarissa, a thrice widowed former actress with a sharp mind and seemingly boundless energy, not to mention a few secrets up her sleeve. It’s not the married with kids you would expect, in fact I think there is only one married couple mentioned and they appear to be verging on dysfunctional.

The Mystery of Four is a good read that I can recommend.

Struggled getting into this one. Couldn't get into this not sure why just couldn't keep my attention and found it a hard to concentrate on the beginning with all the different charecters, it was a slow burn and not that many thrills. I liked the setting of the book tho.
Thanks to Netgalley for this Arc.

After a personal tragedy Tess Morgan moves abroad to try to forget and move on with her life.

When she hears that Kilfenora House is up for sale she decides to return to Ireland and set about restoring the beautiful building and opening it to the public. As part of the publicity and build up to the opening, she’s persuaded to put on a play. But that’s when things start going wrong, are they just accidents or more sinister?

Took time to get going but I enjoyed the story and I admit I was surprised by the ending. A good "Who-dun-it" with a twist.

There was enough twists and unpredictability to keep me guessing I thought it was well written, well paced, had a creepy setting and the characters were well developed, Really enjoyable

I liked the idea behind the novel and the execution of that idea was impressive. The writing style was simple and effective and the overall flow of the story felt very smooth. I read this book in one sitting. as I really wanted to get to the end to see if I guessed the mystery right.

I always find it difficult when mysteries like this start so slow and then the end is so packed with action and activity to wrap up everything. It just feels a bit lopsided.

I loved the setting, loved the character, but just wish the first 100 pages were a bit more condensed.

Fun and full of character! Tess Morgan has recently taken over the job of restoring Kilfenora House in Southern Ireland and with the help of best friend Genevieve and her celebrity mother, Clarissa, the stage is literally set for the grand opening! Aidan Gaunt, a second rate actor is producing his version of Faustus in the old ballroom as the main attraction but there is an accident on stage! The lead actor is hit by a falling light fitting and so the problems really begin! A suicide, a a drowning and poisoning all get a look in! A little incredulous at times but a rollicking romp with great characters coming to life in trying to save Tess and her dream!

Wonderfully Crafted…
The beautiful Kilfenora House and gardens is at last lovingly restored by Tess Morgan and the opening weekend has arrived. The highlight of the weekend event is a play that is soon to turn nightmare - is the folklore surrounding the enigmatic house true? Is it cursed? Or is there a more human element at play? With the body count rapidly rising and the Poison Garden clearly pillaged, former star of screen Clarissa Westmacott decides to help Tess get to the bottom of the mystery. A wonderfully crafted whodunnit in traditional vein with red herrings and twists aplenty. A wholly satisfying read.