Florence is going away for a week to stay with her cousin. George will miss her but he knows how well she and her cousin get along. He hopes she has a good time. When she notices a woman look like she's going to jump in front of the train, she gets concerned. When the woman steps back, she breathes a sigh of relief. However, when she gets off the train at her stop, she sees the woman again. She's gone in a flash. Florence tries to put her out of her mind, but then she hears on the news that a woman has been run over by a bus. She's afraid it's the same lady...

Severn House Publishers and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published July 1st, so that gives you enough time to read the first book in the Florence Norris series if you haven't yet. They're both very good reads.

Ms. Cannell can create intrigue where there isn't any and is very good at turning up rocks and seeing what crawls out from under them.

When Kenneth Tenneson is found at the bottom of his stairs dead from the fall, it's determined to be an accidental death. Florence isn't sure about that, but suspicion is nothing without proof. She goes out of town without actively worrying about it. But when the superintendent of the police district shows up in George's bar, he knows the game is afoot. Too bad Florence is away.

This is a very convoluted tale that sounds far from the truth. However, people with money have been manipulating people without for years. It could be plausible. Especially since some of the people involved are quite nasty. I found it interesting and unusual, which I like.

Florence is very diplomatic and helps smooth over any hurt feelings she finds. She also watches over all her friends. She's also the one who finally gets to the end of this tale that began years ago. Now if she'd just marry George...

I liked this second story in the Florence Norris Mystery series better than Murder at Mullings because I got the full effect of the novel taking place in 1932. Reading historical mysteries is a pleasure for me, but I want to really feel the time period and this novel gave that to me. This story takes up just a few months after the murder involving the Stodmarsh family and their ancestral home of Mullings with the return of the well developed characters from that first novel. If you missed reading Murder at Mullings you can easily begin the series here, but be aware that there are many references to incidents and relationships covered in that first novel.

Florence Norris is housekeeper at Mullings and this story opens with George Bird, owner of the Dog and Whistle pub, seeing her off at the railway station for a week long holiday in London with her cousin Hattie Fly. Just as the train pulled into the station Florence had the strongest impression the only other person on the platform, a woman, was thinking about throwing herself in front of the train. Nothing happened, though, and both women boarded the train for London. From this incident Florence found herself investigating a secret in the village which lead to death and possible insanity.

At a very early spot in this story the author put in a plot device which blew my preconceived notion of where the story was leading all to bits. What a nice shock that turned out to be because it made this story take on a more original aspect than I've encountered in many years of reading mystery novels. Once again the characters of Dovecote Hatch are exceptionally well presented and the resolution of the questions being investigated make perfect sense. I really am looking forward to reading future novels in this series.

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley.