A Forgotten Murder by Jude Deveraux – a Review

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Description:
An English manor home, an unsolved mystery, too many suspects to count… It’s the perfect holiday for romance novelist Sara Medlar.

After solving two murder cases in their hometown of Lachlan, Florida, Sara Medlar, her niece Kate and their friend Jack need a change of scenery. Sara arranges for them to visit an old friend of hers in England. Upon arrival at Oxley Manor, a centuries-old estate that has been converted to a luxury hotel, Kate and Jack quickly realize that Sara is up to something. They learn that Sara has also invited a number of others to join them at Oxley.

When everyone assembles, Sara lets them know why they are there. Decades earlier, two people ran off together from Oxley and haven’t been heard from since—and Sara wants to solve the case. As the people who were there the night the two went missing, the guests find themselves cast in a live mystery-theater event.

In reenacting the events of that night, it becomes clear that everyone has something to hide and no one is safe, especially when the discovery of a body makes it clear that at least one of the people who disappeared was murdered.

Sara, Jack and Kate are once again at the heart of a mysterious case that only they are able to solve. But someone is willing to continue to kill to keep the truth about Oxley Manor buried, and none of the guests are safe.

Review:

A Forgotten Murder by Jude Deveraux is the 3^rd book in her Medlar Mystery series.  I have not read the first two books in this series, but I had no problem starting with this book.  It was easy to get to know our heroine, Sara Medlar, a famous romance novelist, who loves to solve mysteries. I also enjoyed getting to know her cohorts in her crime solving (they solved two murders in the previous books); her niece Kate and their friend, Jack.

Sara arranges to visit an old friend in England, Bella, at her renovated hotel, Oxley Manor.   A few years ago, Sara paid for much of the renovation of Oxley Manor, to help out Bella.   Upon arrival, both Kate and Jack, who were planning a trip to Scotland, while Sara stayed at Oxley; but they quickly discover that Sara is up to her old tricks.  Seems there was an unsolved mystery 20 years before, when two people went missing, never to be seen again.   Sara takes it upon herself to invite all the living participants at the time of the incident to Oxley.  Kate and Jack decide they will put their trip on hold, and stay to help Sara, since they worry about her putting herself in danger.

When the group from the past arrives to Oxley Manor, Sara, Kate and Jack meet up with them to try and get information from that day when two people disappeared.  Sara is determined to solve the case, and as things get a bit too close for comfort, someone else is murdered; with everyone beginning to fear for their own lives. Sara will then have them reenact that night, with her putting all the clues she has together, for each to play their part, and see if they can tell who the guilty one is.  There are a few surprises twists, as well as other guests who arrive. 

What follows is an exciting, intriguing mystery that also has a few surprise twists as we come closer to the end.  Just when we discovered our surprise murderer, there is another surprise that threw us for a loop.  To tell too much more would be spoilers.  A Forgotten Murder was a fun well written mystery, which Jude Deveraux kept us on the edge of our seat.  If you enjoy old fashion murder mysteries, then you should be reading A Forgotten Murder.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher