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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Really good book. The story is amazing and the twists and turns keep you in your toes. Very well written and cannot wait for Iris to come back with a new adventure.
3.5 stars. Just short of 4 stars as I didn’t feel any emotional connection or much care for the characters. I’m not entirely sure this is a cosy mystery dealing with as much abuse as it does.
A first in a new series of mysteries featuring Iris Grey, a portrait painter whose skills of seeing detail work well in solving a mystery. Set in Hampshire, Iris is hired to paint the portrait of Don Wetherby, a celebrated author. Living on the grounds of the Wetherby house Iris has front row seats to the events that unwind after a murder. I look forward to reading the next Iris Grey mystery. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy.
I chose this audiobook from my library because I was in the mood for a cozy, Christmas mystery. [b:Murder at The Mill|33143064|Murder at The Mill (An Iris Grey Mystery #1)|M.B. Shaw|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1512752404l/33143064._SY75_.jpg|53828128] exceeded my expectations. This mystery had far more twists and turns than I expected and was full of likable characters and layers upon layers of storytelling. I figured out the whodunit pretty early on, but the way the story was revealed and the extra layers of mystery kept me interested and surprised throughout the whole 13 hours of audio.
Iris Grey is a painter who decides to move away from the city (and from her husband) to take on the commission of painting famous mystery author Dom Wetherby. Iris loves the peace of living in the countryside, but it’s not peaceful for long. The Wetherby family has secrets upon secrets and somehow it seems Iris is the only one willing to dig deeper and find out the truth.
I didn’t love the portrayal of Lorcan, the youngest Wetherby son who has Down syndrome. It was kind and respectful, but still felt dated somehow. (It was also totally not necessary to the story for him to have Down syndrome, which made it more irritating to me.) And, since I was listening to the audiobook, I got the distinct pleasure of listening to the British narrator attempt to do an American accent to portray one of the characters. Other than those complaints though, I greatly enjoyed this book and would consider picking up the next Iris Grey mystery.
**read as an audiobook**
Iris Grey is a painter who decides to move away from the city (and from her husband) to take on the commission of painting famous mystery author Dom Wetherby. Iris loves the peace of living in the countryside, but it’s not peaceful for long. The Wetherby family has secrets upon secrets and somehow it seems Iris is the only one willing to dig deeper and find out the truth.
I didn’t love the portrayal of Lorcan, the youngest Wetherby son who has Down syndrome. It was kind and respectful, but still felt dated somehow. (It was also totally not necessary to the story for him to have Down syndrome, which made it more irritating to me.) And, since I was listening to the audiobook, I got the distinct pleasure of listening to the British narrator attempt to do an American accent to portray one of the characters. Other than those complaints though, I greatly enjoyed this book and would consider picking up the next Iris Grey mystery.
**read as an audiobook**
A good fluff read for when you need something easy and fun. A good murder mystery, but I've never been a fan of the bad guy just blatantly confessing to crimes with every detail. But I do like the twists and turns of this one overall.
I enjoyed this first in series mystery with a portraitist as our amateur sleuth. There are actually two mysteries here with enough greed, vanity, revenge, and twistedness to fill two books. I had figured out part of the denouement but still had some surprises. My only complaint...at almost 400 pages, a bit too long and drawn out. Liked heroine and would definitely read more. Iris Grey felt fresh as a character, and I liked that she, as a portraitist trained to capture hidden depths of her subjects, tapped into that ability as she began to search for the truth.
Great potential here for lots more mysteries/adventures as her career takes off and calls her to different locales.
Thanks to #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress and #MinotaurBooks for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
Great potential here for lots more mysteries/adventures as her career takes off and calls her to different locales.
Thanks to #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress and #MinotaurBooks for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
slow-paced
Murder at the Mill by M. B. Shaw takes us to charming village of Hampshire in England. Iris Grey, a portrait painter, has rented out Mill Cottage from Dom and Ariadne Wetherby. Dom is the charismatic author of the Grimshaw novels. Iris felt she needed time away from her playwright husband, Ian McBride whose career is on a downswing along with his attitude. Dom is retiring from writing and publishing his last Grimshaw book. Ariadne has requested Iris paint Dom’s portrait in honor of the occasion. During the sittings, Iris notices tension among the members of the Wetherby family. At the boisterous annual Wetherby Christmas Eve party, Iris meets Graham Feeney, lawyer and friend of the Wetherby’s. She is attracted to Graham, but Iris has yet to make a decision regarding her marriage. After a quiet Christmas day, Iris hears a scream down by the river. Lorcan, the Wetherby’s youngest son with Down’s syndrome, was playing with his boat in the river and it caught on a body. It looks like a suicide, but the victim had no reason to harm himself. Iris, with help from Jenna Wetherby, begins searching for the truth. The villagers are a curious and gossipy bunch who are happy to give Iris the lowdown on the Wetherby clan. Can Iris uncover the truth? Join Iris Grey in Hampshire on her inaugural investigation in Murder at the Mill.
Murder at the Mill is set in Hampshire, England which will please readers who enjoy English cozy mysteries especially those with a bit of edge to them. Hampshire is a small village where gossip runs rampant. Iris Grey is a portrait painter known for capturing the essence of her subjects. Doing a portrait of Dom Wetherby would be a feather in her cap and would greatly help her career. Iris has a colorful and quirky clothing style which some find garish. Dom is known for being charming and flirtatious which makes it hard to get to know the real man. Billy Wetherby, the middle son, is the villain of our piece. He has just been released from prison and a lack of funds has him living at home once again. Billy and Ariadne are frequently at odds. There are numerous characters in Murder at the Mill. It can be hard to keep them all straight. It is made more difficult since the point-of-view alternates between several of them including Iris, Marcus Wetherby, Ariadne Wetherby, and Jenna Wetherby. I think the novel would have benefited if the story had been told from Iris’ perspective or in the third person. It would have helped the flow of the story. The author has a descriptive writing style and likes to use similes. Some of the authors comparisons made me cringe (“the spindly tree branches swayed and shivered pathetically in the wind like the starved limbs of concentration-camp prisoners, pleading for escape” or “Lorcan tore at the wrapping on his gift like a starving child clawing at a bag of rice”). Her descriptions, though, help readers imagine the scenes in the book and bring the story to life. There are two mysteries in Murder at the Mill with multiple suspects, good clues and red herrings. I like how the two whodunits tied together and all the threads were tired up at the end. I do want to warn readers that there is a significant amount of foul language and animal lovers will be offended at how Ariadne uses real animals as subjects for her sculptures (she uses anesthesia to put them to sleep while she sculpts). Murder at the Mill is a potboiler that will have you on the edge of your seat as you quickly turn the pages to the surprising ending.
Murder at the Mill is set in Hampshire, England which will please readers who enjoy English cozy mysteries especially those with a bit of edge to them. Hampshire is a small village where gossip runs rampant. Iris Grey is a portrait painter known for capturing the essence of her subjects. Doing a portrait of Dom Wetherby would be a feather in her cap and would greatly help her career. Iris has a colorful and quirky clothing style which some find garish. Dom is known for being charming and flirtatious which makes it hard to get to know the real man. Billy Wetherby, the middle son, is the villain of our piece. He has just been released from prison and a lack of funds has him living at home once again. Billy and Ariadne are frequently at odds. There are numerous characters in Murder at the Mill. It can be hard to keep them all straight. It is made more difficult since the point-of-view alternates between several of them including Iris, Marcus Wetherby, Ariadne Wetherby, and Jenna Wetherby. I think the novel would have benefited if the story had been told from Iris’ perspective or in the third person. It would have helped the flow of the story. The author has a descriptive writing style and likes to use similes. Some of the authors comparisons made me cringe (“the spindly tree branches swayed and shivered pathetically in the wind like the starved limbs of concentration-camp prisoners, pleading for escape” or “Lorcan tore at the wrapping on his gift like a starving child clawing at a bag of rice”). Her descriptions, though, help readers imagine the scenes in the book and bring the story to life. There are two mysteries in Murder at the Mill with multiple suspects, good clues and red herrings. I like how the two whodunits tied together and all the threads were tired up at the end. I do want to warn readers that there is a significant amount of foul language and animal lovers will be offended at how Ariadne uses real animals as subjects for her sculptures (she uses anesthesia to put them to sleep while she sculpts). Murder at the Mill is a potboiler that will have you on the edge of your seat as you quickly turn the pages to the surprising ending.
MURDER AT THE MILL by M. B. Shaw
The First Iris Grey Mystery
Iris Grey is an accomplished portrait painter looking for a respite from a bad marriage. Staying at the cottage of Mill House she finds comfort in her doll house and opportunity in painting a portrait of her landlord, famous crime writer Dom Wetherby. But all is not what it seems in Mill House. Undercurrents simmer beneath the family that strives to be so perfect. On Christmas day, Dom's body is found dead. The author, retiring his favorite character, both in book and TV, has committed suicide. His daughter in law doesn't believe it and enlists Iris' aid to prove it was murder. Will Iris be able to uncover the secrets of the Wetherby family? Will she stay in her unhappy marriage or will she find a new life for herself? Or will trying to find a killer only bring death?
Although set at Christmastime, MURDER AT THE MILL is not a cheerful holiday mystery. It's an involved psychological drama with a multilayered mystery. The Weatherby family seemingly has it all, but what have they done to get there? And what will they do to keep their image intact?
The book is also a journey as Iris Grey comes into her own. I enjoyed watching Iris evolve, finding her confidence, discovering who she really is, and not letting anything or anyone stop her. She will uncover the truth, no matter how difficult.
MURDER AT THE MILL is a complex mystery that looks to the very core of its characters.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
The First Iris Grey Mystery
Iris Grey is an accomplished portrait painter looking for a respite from a bad marriage. Staying at the cottage of Mill House she finds comfort in her doll house and opportunity in painting a portrait of her landlord, famous crime writer Dom Wetherby. But all is not what it seems in Mill House. Undercurrents simmer beneath the family that strives to be so perfect. On Christmas day, Dom's body is found dead. The author, retiring his favorite character, both in book and TV, has committed suicide. His daughter in law doesn't believe it and enlists Iris' aid to prove it was murder. Will Iris be able to uncover the secrets of the Wetherby family? Will she stay in her unhappy marriage or will she find a new life for herself? Or will trying to find a killer only bring death?
Although set at Christmastime, MURDER AT THE MILL is not a cheerful holiday mystery. It's an involved psychological drama with a multilayered mystery. The Weatherby family seemingly has it all, but what have they done to get there? And what will they do to keep their image intact?
The book is also a journey as Iris Grey comes into her own. I enjoyed watching Iris evolve, finding her confidence, discovering who she really is, and not letting anything or anyone stop her. She will uncover the truth, no matter how difficult.
MURDER AT THE MILL is a complex mystery that looks to the very core of its characters.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.