Review of British Murder My Leslie Meier

I received an Advanced Readers Copy courtesy of NetGalley.

When I saw a new Lucy Stone Mystery was available on Net Galley, I got excited. I wanted to read it right away. So much I scurried to Amazon to catch up on the series. I read Silver Anniversary Murder and Invitation Only Murder followed by British Murder in 13 days. After a serious read-a-thon to catch up it was disappointing to discover a British Murder was not a new Lucy Stone book. It was in fact a compilation of two previously published Lucy Stone Mysteries. Composed of English Tea Murder and British Manor Murder at 448 pages this is a lengthy book. 

I felt the first offering English Tea Murder dragged on. Taking inspiration from Agatha Christie the plot was predictable but entertaining. I find the Lucy Stone Mysteries where she is traveling with friends to be much more bearable. Meier dates the Lucy Stone Mysteries with a stagnant tone and style. Lucy’s husband Bill is old-fashioned and for lack of better words a jerk. His character really detracts from the books. 

I can say the same about British Manor Murder. The plot dragged on. Lucy usually solves the murder only to have another plot twist at the very end. As a cozy reader can irritate to have a second plot twist out of left field. 

The main issues with English Tea Murder and British Manor Murder is that Meier murders a second character to add a plot twist and resolution. I feel the editor should have trimmed down some filler. The ending would have fit better with more information on the killer rather than filler. I also feel in that respect it made the books somewhat similar. 

The subplot of Lucy missing her grandson in British Manor Murder was unbearable. I get that someone can miss a family member but she was borderline obsessed with him and it grew old fast. It was so uncharacteristic to be honest. Usually the only thing Lucy obsesses over is a murder she should not be investigating. 

I read my first Lucy Stone Mystery many years ago. In fact, it was one of my first cozy series. I have stuck it through and I will to the end like I did with the Goldy Schulz books. What has always detracted from my enjoyment of these books is the self absorbed and rude behavior of the characters Lucy included. 

It feels like Meier had tried as the latter volumes have been less judgmental. The characters say/think outright rude things. The characters in these books are flawed and stale. It feels like Meier has slowly worked on Lucy’s character development. She is not the harried and passive wife she used to be but she needs to grow. So do the other characters. I much prefer the books where Lucy is traveling because many of the characters who need to evolve along with Lucy are not in them. 

In, both volumes the characters rudeness was over the top. Yelling. Saying things that were inappropriate. My main problem with the books is that no one has manners. The characters for the most part are people you would not want to spend time with. 

Each book also had a second murder added late in the book. I feel there was useless dialogue and not enough action to show us the how and why. The red herring is always a giveaway with Lucy Stone because we get so much information. It barely mentions the actual killer. I looked back at my first remarks for the first Lucy Stone Murder and that has been an issue with the series all along. 

I will say this for the Lucy Stone Mysteries and those included in the British Murder they keep you guessing. Many cozies follow the same stale protocol and the killer is obvious early on. Because Meier does not play fair and make the killer a main character or minor player in most books you will not solve the mystery on your own. 

I enjoyed British Murder and despite my gripes with the books recommend them. I could not figure out who the killer was in British Manor Murder and this was my second time reading it. So if you like a mystery that keeps you guessing British Murder is a good choice. I rated this book 3 out of five stars on Goodreads.