Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd

The first in a sparkling new 1950s seaside mystery series, featuring sharp-eyed former nun Nora Breen.

In a house like Gulls Nest, curiosity might prove fatal…

After thirty years in a convent, Nora Breen has thrown off her habit. Her fellow sister Frieda has gone missing and it’s up to Nora to find her. Nora’s only clue is that Frieda was last seen at Gulls Nest boarding house. So she travels down to the seaside town of Gore-on-Sea, takes a room and settles in to watch and listen. Over dubious – and sometimes downright inedible – dinners, Nora gathers evidence about the other lodgers. At long last, she has found an outlet for her powers of observation and, well, nosiness.

When one of the lodgers is found dead, Nora decides she must find the murderer. Not least because she suspects the victim knew Frieda. Could solving this mystery help her to understand what has happened to her friend?

I’ve enjoyed several of Jess Kidd’s novels, and I was immediately intrigued by this move into crime fiction, particularly as it features such as unusual protagonist.

who would want to read about a failed old nun with her stipend and second-hand shoes?

I would, as it happens. I was immediately taken with the character of Nora Breen. A nun for much of her life, she has now left her order to look for a missing friend – a fellow nun who left for health reasons. And while nun to detective isn’t the most obvious step, her vocation means that she’s both patient and disciplined, and her time working as a nurse also comes in useful. What stands out more is that she is also incredibly nosy and surprisingly forthright. She refuses to be overlooked, even throwing a shoe at a police officer at one point, and she had me chuckling throughout at her shenanigans. She’s a character who others underestimate, and while this serves her well at times, they soon learn the error of their ways.

Murder at Gulls Nest sits at the cosier end of the crime spectrum as Nora investigates the disappearance of her friend, Freida. Freida promised to write upon leaving, and the sudden breakoff in communication is suspicious to Nora. Freida is not the sort of person to break a promise so easily, however ready the police are to dismiss the disappearance. Having been last seen at Gulls Nest Boarding House in Gore-on-Sea, Nora checks herself into the same lodgings, and begins to gently interrogate her fellow residents. That she’s not too subtle about it is part of her charm. Things become more complicated as another resident dies in mysterious circumstances…

While many would let the police handle it, Nora joins the investigation. By which I mean, she forces her way in, understanding but ignoring the not too subtle hints that she should leave it to the professionals. That there’s a little frisson of something between Nora and Detective Inspector Rideout doesn’t hurt at all, and I’m interested to see how that might develop. Set in the 1950s, this intrusion into the investigation feels ok – today, it just wouldn’t work – particularly as she does add value to the investigation. And she and Rideout do work well together, even as she frustrates him in her refusal to follow his instructions.

Murder at Gulls Nest is a delightful start to a new series. Warm and witty, I love the gentle humour throughout and Nora is an absolute blast. There’s a second Nora Breen novel coming out in March next year, and I cannot wait! Highly recommended!

Also by Jess Kidd and reviewed on Jo’s Book Blog: