I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Murder in the Studio, the fifth novel to feature DI Siv Drummond, set in the fictional Sussex town of Berminster.

Luanna Forbes is murdered in the studio next door to her own in an upmarket arts and crafts centre. The studio where she is found is rented by artist Jem Calloway, who coincidentally or not wanted to talk to Siv’s sergeant, DS Ali Carlin, about Lu at a drunken party the night before. Circumstances intervened and today he is denying all knowledge of the murder and Lu’s strange behaviour.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder in the Studio, which is a great puzzle with some pleasant characters and a welter of secrets waiting to be discovered. It is a straightforward police procedural with Siv and Ali interviewing all potential suspects and witnesses, even some with only a peripheral connection to the victim. It would appear that she is a secretive, perhaps selfish woman with outspoken views and little restraint in airing them, and yet she is well liked and a good businesswoman. So where does the motive lie? Siv and Ali have to work hard to find out and it still came as a surprise to me. Obviously I wasn’t working hard enough.

I like Siv and Ali. He is the more straightforward with a happy marriage and a sweet tooth, not an ideal match with his diabetes. His constant calculations about how much he can eat is refreshingly normal and his rationalisations all too recognisable. Siv’s situation is more complicated. She’s an unexpected widow and returned to Berminster for comfort and a slower pace of life, but unfortunately her dysfunctional family has followed. She’s caught in the middle between her narcissistic mother and volatile, unpredictable sister. To make matters worse her mother is living with her boss and he’s not shy about bringing family matters to work. It’s so awful it makes me laugh.

Murder in the Studio is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

MURDER IN THE STUDIO by Gretta Mulrooney.
DETECTIVE INSPECTOR SIV DRUMMOND SERIES Book 5.
A victim who’s made her last mistake.
A killer hiding in plain sight.
Detective Siv Drummond faces her toughest case yet . . .
One Saturday morning, Detective Siv is called to Lansdown Court, a secluded little seaside community of artists, entrepreneurs and drifters. Where someone just committed the ultimate crime. Behind the doors of Jem Calloway’s studio, the walls, the canvases, everything is stained red. With blood. Slumped in Jem’s chair, there’s a dead woman. A knife plunged deep in her neck. She is Luanna Forbes, owner of the bijou gift shop next door. Jem says he has no idea how she got there. He spent the whole night at a party, in a drunken haze. Detective Siv has her doubts. Because her sergeant was at the same party.
And something was eating Jem that night. A secret he couldn’t tell.
What — or who — made him hold his tongue? Siv must break through a wall of silence to uncover the truth. But in a tight-knit community where blood runs thicker than water, she’s got her work cut out . . .
I really enjoyed this book. I love this series. I do like Siv. 5*.

I had forgotten about Siv, as I read on average three books per week and it had been a while since she last surfaced.
Needless to say, that Gretna Mulrooney never disappoints, bringing together a number of interesting characters who drift in and out of the pages.
The story line? Yes, you might work out who did it, but it is certainly far from straightforward.
Hope it’s not too long since until the next book in the series.
Recommend.

DI Siv Drummond is still trying to balance work and her family. A murder is almost a place of peace among the squabbling between her mother and sister. Her sister Rik is around and her mother - Mutsi - is living with Siv's boss. There seem to be no clues to begin with for who carried out Lu's murder - but like places of employment that call themselves a family. - Landsdowne Court's 'family' is just as toxic. Slowly but surely Siv and her team start to find out the truth.

Loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

269 pages

4 stars

A murder takes place in the studio of a colony of artists. A woman is found stabbed to death in a shop that is not hers.

DI Siv and her partner Ali respond to the crime scene. As the interviews begin, they find out that the murder victim, Luanna “Lu” Forbes is not the most liked member of the little colony. She was outspoken and a little bristly for most of the other members’ tastes.

So begins another twisty investigation by Siv and her team. Siv’s sister, Rik is now living with her and it is a major strain on Siv. Rik is the wild child and won’t tell Siv why she returned home.

The police officers suspect everyone, they have to. They soon learn that not everyone is telling the truth. Ali has a difficult time trying to get the truth out of an arrogant teenager who is full of himself and can’t stop lying. (He’s a real peach.)

Ms. Mulrooney writes another twisty and intriguing story. The plot is interesting and easy to follow. I didn’t figure out the culprit until they were revealed. Then, it made perfect sense. (duh) I have truly enjoyed the DI Siv series and will continue to read them.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this book so that I may read, enjoy and review it. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Love, love, love this series. Gretta Mulrooney at her best. Lu is murdered in an arts and crafts centre and DI Siv investigates. It's an enjoyable cosy murder mystery with lots of clues, twists, turns and surprises. I loved how it all unravels and comes together.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

This is the fifth book in the authors DI Siv Drummond series and I really enjoyed this read. Drummond and her team investigate the murder of a local business woman. I've always liked Drummond, she is a very unique and feisty character and I like the team she works alongside. I like the way her character has developed over this series. I didn't particularly like most of the other characters, they had their own secrets and agendas and I kept changing my mind as the book progressed who the murderer could be. I think the book is written well, it has a good plot line and the story is easy to follow. The glimpses into Drummonds home and personal life are nice touches. This read didn't quite hit the mark as much as the previous book did, it lacked the wow factor for me although I still found it to be a good, enjoyable read that I'd recommend. If you've not read any books by this author start this series from the beginning to get to know Drummond and her history right from the start.

3.5 stars

Thank you Joffe Books and NetGalley for the eARC copy of this book

This in the latest installment in the DI Siv Drummond series. Gretta Mulrooney always writes a good book but this one didn't grab me like her previous books in the series. In this book, Drummond and her team are on the hunt for the murderer of a young natural cosmetics entrepreneur. Lu Forbes is found dead in her shop in a quaint arts and crafts centre early one Saturday morning. The timeline suggests her killer is one of the artisans that have their shop in this arcade. It's an excellent mystery. I like the focus and the fleshing out of Drummond's team but I found the interplay between her, her sister and her mother just a little too much. Drummond is a very likeable character, the rest of the family not so much and I really wish she'd just tell them to sod off. As you can tell I'm not a fan of books where the key detective's home life becomes such a large part of the story. I do like Ms Mulrooney's work so I'll give it three stars and hopefully her family starts to take a back seat in further books.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Another great book by this author! Love this and all her other series; her books never disappoint.
D.I. Siv Drummond is so likeable. Not only is she a good cop, with a great team, she also has a fascinating back story ... her sister and mother make me laugh, while cringing for Siv.
Excellent mystery, didn't see the end coming, highly recommended!

Absolutely brilliant as always, you know you are going to be reading an excellent book when it is by this author. I love these characters and the interactions between them. Great plot too. A genuine five star read.

3.5 stars


Some cracking characters, and a couple I'd happily slap if I met them out and about, and it was legally allowed.
The family history of Siv's family could be a stand alone book themselves, and I'd definitely be reading that.
Some nice twists in the story, and the ending was upon me before I'd even guessed at anyone being the murderer, let alone worked out why.
A good series to get into .

Ooo ooh what a twisted tale! Great book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, great who done it that I could not figure out till almost the end! Great police work, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

What I liked is the settings, and a plot that moves quickly. The community is tight-knit and there are secrets, How Detective Siv comes to solve was enjoyable to read. A quaint little seaside village of artists and drifters.
Luanna going in to open her gift shop, a couple of problems gone, now the anger.
Noticing Jem the owner next door came in early, another shouting match.
Words shouted should not been said, now it was even worse murder. A good police mystery, as is this series. Given arc by.Net Galley and Joffe for my voluntary review and and my honest opinion