A Body In Seaview Grange (Kate Palmer 2) by Dee MacDonald @bookouture #BookReview

Hello lovelies! I can’t believe it’s the last day of April already!! Today I’m trying to catch up, as usual, with the second in the Kate Palmer cozy mystery series as I have the third book for a blog tour in May. First a little about the book:

Title: A Body In Seaview Grange (Kate Palmer 2) by Dee MacDonald

Publisher: Bookouture

Date Published: 12th November 2020

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Description:

Practice nurse Kate Palmer is ready for some peace and quiet in her little Cornish village, but there’s soon to be a murder on her doorstep…

Kate’s retirement in Cornwall hasn’t quite gone as planned – Lavender Cottage is in need of substantial repairs and her sister Angie’s fondness for gin does rather stretch the purse-strings.

So when Kate is asked to do some nursing at the luxury retirement flats in Seaview Grange, she jumps at the chance. The old Victorian house has stunning views of the sea and the retirees are a peaceful bunch. That is, until Edina Martinelli, a glamorous ex-opera singer, is found poisoned in her home.

Edina’s death is ruled an overdose by Digoxin, the same medication she had been on for years. But Kate is sure the woman she met was not suicidal, and with the reputation of her practice on the line, she decides to do some digging. Luckily she’s got the newly retired Detective Inspector Woody Forrest to help her…

It’s not long before Kate discovers evidence of foul play, and there’s no shortage of suspects. Was it the besotted vicar? The ill-tempered stepson? Or perhaps Edina’s neighbour finally had enough of her constant warbling. It seems everyone had a motive, but who amongst them had the stomach for murder? And will they kill again?

If you love murder mysteries by Agatha Christie, Faith Martin or Joy Ellis, then this page-turning novel will have you reading late into the night!

Review:

I want to thank Bookouture for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in the series and can easily be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the first A Body In The Village Hall, just to get a better understanding of the characters.

A Body At Seaview Grange is a traditional British cozy mystery, not much blood, gore or violence, an idyllic village setting and some interesting suspects along the way.

Semi retired nurse Kate is pulled into the mystery surrounding Edina Martinelli, ex-opera singer and full-time diva, who annoyed almost every single one of her neighbours at the Seaview Grange. The police think Edina took too much of her prescription medication, but the woman herself was convinced that someone was out to kill her. 

Kate is still on fine form, dogged and determined even though the police think Edina’s death may have been an accident. I really enjoyed the development of the character, along with the addition of a new police inspector for her to butt heads with. There’s also still a bit of romance with ex DI Woody Forrest, who reveals a few surprising facts about himself in this book.

As with the first novel I guessed the who quite early on, but the why wasn’t clear until the killer was revealed.

A Body At Seaview Grange is a light-hearted mystery which is a perfect escape for a few hours.

About The Author:

Aged 18, Dee arrived in London from Scotland and typed her way round the West End for a couple of years before joining BOAC (forerunner of British Airways) in Passenger Services for 2 years and then as a stewardess for 8 years.

She has worked in Market Research, Sales and at the Thames TV Studios when they had the franchise.

Dee has since relocated to Cornwall, where she spent 10 years running B&Bs, and only began writing when she was over 70!

Married twice, she has one son and two grandsons.  

You can find Dee on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/dee.macdonald.18659

and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/DMacDonaldAuth