Nora Breen has spent 30 years in a convent, but when her penpal (and ex novice) friend Frieda vanishes, she leaves the convent in search of her and moves to the hotel where Frieda was last seen. This cosy crime series starter is a tale of indigestible food (shades of the Grace Dent memoir we read back in February), murder, missing people, gulls, and the surprising benefits of nosiness.
The library at SWFT was lucky enough to receive free copies of Murder at Gulls Nest from the publisher Faber, but this has not influenced our views of the novel. In fact one group member bought an additional copy after listening to the audiobook (brilliantly narrated by Siobhán McSweeney).
So what did we think? Everyone present had read and enjoyed this murder mystery – in fact we had several people say they weren’t coming to the discussion as they hadn’t quite finished it and were worried about spoilers. We agreed that this was a nice, gentle, cosy read, with a lot of red herrings. Just when you thought you had worked out the reason behind something, there would be a twist making you look at the scenario from a different viewpoint.
We particularly liked the different characters, although Nora was an immediate favourite with everyone. As an ex-nun, we might have expected her to be meek and mild, but soon realised that she was a force to be reckoned with. This was especially highlighted in her confrontation with the desk sergeant at the police station where she ended up throwing her shoes to get his attention. Nora’s fellow guesthouse boarders seem at first to be a very random assortment of ‘types’ from vintage crime stories – the newlyweds Teddy and Stella, Bill the barman (and spiv), the photographer Karel, and Professor Poppy, the old Punch and Judy man. When you add the elegantly ethereal Helena (owner of the boarding house), her silent young daughter Dinah, and Irene the unwelcoming housekeeper (and dreadful cook) to this motley crew you could almost have a game of Cluedo.
The original reason for Nora’s stay at Gulls Nest, Frieda’s disappearance, soon gets lost in the mystery of a sudden death – but was it accident, suicide or murder? Nora joins forces with the reluctant (but rakishly attractive) Detective Inspector Rideout to find out what has happened, as the deaths and mysteries mount up. Is anyone really who they say they are? What are they hiding? Why? and the ongoing query – where is Frieda?
We felt that Murder at Gulls Nest was well paced, fun, and made a change from Jess Kidd’s previous novels. It would make an excellent Sunday evening drama series, and we could envisage actors to play the various roles. We are very much looking forward to reading the next in the series, Murder at the Spirit Lounge when it is published in 2026!
Life is short and no-one knows that better than 17 year old Lenni, living on the terminal ward. As she is about to learn, it’s not only what you make of life that matters, but who you share it with.
Dodging doctor’s orders, she joins an art class where she meets fellow patient Margot, a rebel-hearted 83 year old from the next ward. They bond instantly when they realise that together they’ve lived for one hundred years.
To celebrate their shared century, they decide to paint their life stories: of growing old and staying young, of giving joy, of receiving kindness, of losing love, of finding the person who is everything. Life is not done with Lenni and Margot yet.
If you like the look of this month’s read, why not pop along and borrow The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot from the Education Centre Library at SWFT? Come join our next meeting on Tuesday 20th May at 1pm, or email us for more details
Find out more about our reading groups here
Take a look at the blog posts for our previous reads here.