Series: Iris Woodmore Mysteries #6 (Not a standalone)
Publication Date: 09th March 2025
Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/MillPondsHouse
Goodreads Book Page: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217973738-murder-at-mill-ponds-house
Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery
3.7 Stars
One Liner: Good
Book Blurb:
When murder hits close to home, Iris
must fight to clear her name…
Spring, 1924.
Reporter Iris Woodmore plans to move to London to avoid a shocking hometown
scandal. Longtime enemy Archie Powell has been threatening to reveal her
darkest secret – and she’s desperate to flee before he does.
But when he’s found murdered after a violent
argument with her, there’s no escape. Iris must stay and clear her name even
though the truth could ruin her reputation.
With the police closing in, Iris has to find the
real killer if she wants to keep her secret. Can she prove her innocence
without revealing the identity of the one man who can provide her with an alibi?
A gripping new mystery for fans of
Verity Bright, Clara McKenna, and Helena Dixon.
***
My Thoughts:
The story comes in Iris’s first-person POV.
Considering the premise, this book wouldn’t be effective as a standalone. You’ll have to read at least the previous book and preferably the last three books to have a better idea and understand the situation. There is enough background information if you want to jump right in.
The story starts four months after the previous book
ends. It’s May Day and Iris is annoyed about her situation. The murder takes a
while to happen but this delay is necessary to catch up with the changes.
NGL, I was pretty irritated with the FMC in the last
book. She made it hard to empathize with her even in this one but finally, she
showed some promise. I like her mystery-solving brain. It’s her taste in men I
find stupid. Anyway!
The dreaded nemesis is dead, and not surprisingly,
there are quite a few suspects. After all, the man, despite his charming and
magnetic personality, made many enemies.
There’s quite a bit of repetition with the FMC
risking everything for someone who couldn’t and may not do the same for her. It
was starting to grate on my nerves. She has been stuck in the loop for too
long. Okay, I understand… but TBH, I can’t say he deserves what she’s putting
herself through to protect him.
The mystery is well done. They are grasping at any
lead and many are dead ends until a random and unexpected lead brings things
together to complete the picture.
Percy comes later on and we do see some of his
antics. There are new additions to the character list, and I think they will
reappear in other books too. I sure am excited to see how a certain track will
unfold.
The ending gives a lead to the next setting, and
naturally, something will happen for Iris to investigate. I can only hope she
has learned her lessons by now. Making her repeat the same mistakes would
affect her arc and make readers disinterested.
To summarize, Murder at Mill Ponds House is a good
continuation of the series and might be the book that marks a definite change
in the FMC (if we are lucky). The mystery is cool and the pacing is decent, so
give it a go if you read the series before.
Thank you, Rachel's Random Resources and
Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest
opinion about the book.
#NetGalley
***
Michelle Salter Says
Thanks for taking the time to stop by. You’ll see
all my books are classic murder mysteries – because golden age whodunnits are
the stories I enjoy reading most.
I love to create memorable characters and devise
intriguing plots with a focus on mystery rather than violence.
I live in Hampshire, England, and it’s the setting
for many of my books. My standalone novel, Murder at Merewood Hospital,
features Sister Helen Hopgood, the last nurse left in a military hospital in
Hampshire at the end of the First World War.
I also have family connections to Devon, and the
fourth Iris Woodmore Mystery, A Killing at Smugglers Cove, is set on the south
coast of Devon in 1923. Iris is back in her native Hampshire for A Corpse in
Christmas Close, set in Winchester over Christmas 1923, and Murder at Mill
Ponds House, which begins on 1st May 1924.
You can read all of my books as standalone novels,
even the Iris Woodmore Mysteries, as each is a separate story, although the
characters develop as the series progresses.
I hope you enjoy reading or listening to my books.
Follow the Author:
Facebook: @MichelleSalterWriter
Instagram: @michellesalter_writer
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/MichelleSalterNews
Bookbub Profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michelle-salter
***
This has been a stop on the #MurderAtMillPondsHouse blog tour by Rachel's Random Resources (@rararesources). Thanks for stopping by!
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