Veronica Heley's books always leave me feeling breathless. This is clearly her style - she piles one crisis on top of another until the reader feels that everything is out of control In False Gold we're back with Bea Abbot at the estate of Sir Julian and Lady Polly where a body has been found. Who it is is in dispute. There are other questions too and gradually our trusty leading lady helps sort everything out and answer all the questions.

I've read all the books in this series and I always enjoy them. There have been a few now featuring Julian and Polly and it's been fun spending time with them. As I read, I am always caught up in the whirl of all that is going on. Perhaps afterwards the plot doesn't bear too much inspection, but as you read it is beguiling.

Bea Abbot is visiting her old friend Sir Julian at Marston Hall, but her trip starts badly when she arrives to a scene of chaos. It seems that a group of youths armed with metal detectors broke into the derelict amusement park in the grounds of the Hall and fled when disturbed . . . leaving the body of a middle-aged man behind.

Excellent reading. I have enjoyed all the books in the series, and they just keep getting better and better. I couldn't put this book down, it was a well written and intriguing story.

Would highly recommend!

Although well into the series, 18th I believe, this is a first for me. Bea Abbott arrives to chaos when visiting an old friend who is turning his crumbling mansion and estate into a going concern. The derelict amusement park seems to have been targeted by a gang of youths with metal detectors thanks to the rumours circulated by the local historian about buried treasure - it is an old mansion after all. They were disturbed, ran and left behind a body; the features were sufficiently damaged such as not to be able to identify him and it was simply assumed by the local police, and the unpleasant estate manager, to be that of the missing security guard. Sir Julian, impoverished old friend, does not believe this so he and Bea set out to investigate. Unpleasant and over bearing relatives, management disputes, lots of chasing around the countryside, dogs, heavily pregnant women and there's plenty of twists and turns. It's quite predictable at one level but is a pleasant read that keeps the reader's attention. Worth looking at some of the earlier ones in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Bea Abbott leaves London to visit a friend (Sir Julian Marston-Lang, who first appeared in a previous book in the series that I did not read). A man is found dead on the day of her arrival to Marston Hall in England’s Home Counties, and the police have no interest in really investigating the case, pushing it off to the Metropolitan Police.

Clever Bea figures out soonish that the attack is not as described and that the victim is not who the police say it is and that security guard is missing, not dead, and not an accomplice to the attackers in a deal gone wrong.

Readers and Bea will figure it out at about the same speed, which is not a dealbreaker for me. I love meeting up again with clever, independent, resourceful (in every sense of the word) Bea, and <i>False Gold</i>, the 18th in this wonderful cozy series, is no exception. I devoured this book in a day! Newbies to Bea Abbott won’t feel lost. I haven’t gotten to the last three or four Bea Abbott books before this one, and I was able to follow just fine.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy mystery set in a "derelict amusement park?" Yes please. This book didn't disappoint. The mystery was one I had never read anything similar to, which was a breath of fresh air for thos avid cozy mystery reader. This author nailed it!

Something Amiss..
The eighteenth outing in the Abbot Agency series of mysteries finds Bea embarking on an outing to a country Manor House for a supposedly relaxing weekend break. Upon arrival, it soon becomes clear to Bea that something is very badly amiss. Another enjoyable and entertaining instalment in this long running series with a likeable protagonist, a nicely crafted plot populated with a colourful cast of characters and a solid mystery at its heart.

If you’re in the mood for a mystery that has you hunting for treasure, check out False ahold by Veronica Heley. It was a good read.

Bea Abbot is visiting her old friend Sir Julian at Marston Hall, but her trip starts badly when she arrives to a scene of chaos. It seems that a group of youths armed with metal detectors broke into the derelict amusement park in the grounds of the Hall and fled when disturbed . . . leaving the body of a middle-aged man behind. The police and Sir Julian’s estate manager assume this is a missing security guard, Pete, but Sir Julian has doubts. Is the dead man really Pete, and if not, then where are he and his border collie, Beauty?