Jess Kidd introduced her Miss-Marple-esque amateur detective Nora Breen in the delightful mystery Murder at Gulls Nest. In that book Breen left the monastery where she had lived for the last thirty years to find out what happened to one of her colleagues who left and was subsequently killed. The new book finds Breen still living in the Gulls Nest guest house in the small British seaside town of Gore-on-Sea, enjoying her new life.
When the book opens, Inspector Rideout has invited Breen to accompany him to the house of local medium, Dolores Chimes. Chimes is known for being able to contact the dead and is about to host a seance to which Rideout was invited. At that séance, Chimes dies under mysterious circumstances, and it soon appears that the others who attended may also be the target of what many believe may be a malevolent spirit. Breen, who now has a job with the local newspaper, starts to investigate, and is particularly determined to solve the case when it turns out the Rideout himself may be in danger.
Nora Breen, who loves nothing more than a good mystery, spends this book also trying to build a life for herself in the world outside the monastery. She is surrounded by a diverse and colourful cast of small town characters. And while perhaps there is possibly a little too much murder for such a small town, Gore-on-Sea would not be the first fictional British town to suffer in this way.
Murder at the Spirit Lounge is pretty classic cosy mystery set in a small British town in the years following World War 2. Those who read this sort of thing more will probably pick the culprit fairly early on, But the enjoyment here is living in the world of Nora Breen and a satisfying mystery well solved.
Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd
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