"Manor of Dying" earns 5/5 Vintage Mysteries...Clever and Engaging!

I am an eager fan of Kathleen Bridge's By the Sea Mystery series, so I'm embarrassed I've not been faithful to her Hampton's Home & Garden Mystery series. But, better late than never...after reading book five, I am a fan now!

Meg Barrett has set up a lovely interior design business, Cottages by the Sea, in Montauk, Long Island, and with the slow down in business opportunities during the winter months, she accepted a job at Nightingale Manor on Shelter Island, just a short ferry ride across some choppy grayish waters. Hired by a film crew setting up for a Thin Man-style mini series, Meg and BFF/partner Elle would be inventorying items to be used for the 1930s era and assisting the set designer. But, the old manor, once an sanatorium/asylum, and site of a grizzly murder sixty years ago...oooh, that's a super set up for things to go wrong! Then the arrival of a major storm, a power outage, elevator mishap, and a dead body...ok, things have definitely gone wrong! I love it!

Cozy fans will love it, too! Kathleen Bridge's well-written first-person narrative allowed me the vicarious thrill to be in the middle of Meg's experience....her fears, her strengths, her connections with other people, and her journey to a very exciting conclusion. The mystery kept me quite engaged, fascinated by the tales behind the murderous events at the manor and the current owner's legal issues, and challenged to determine the culprit. Her writing style was rich with vivid description of the physical and the emotional, and dialogue illustrated well the tone and personalities. I really like the sister-like dynamic between Meg and Elle, and the manner in which they collaborate. There are a lot of characters to follow, but there were enough references to keep everyone's story straight. Karma did well to bring motive into clarity..creative!

And I love the bonuses! Meg and Elle's Think-Outside-the-Box Guide to Repurposing Vintage Finds highlights ideas about creating a barista station in the kitchen, turning a windowsill into an herb garden, one-of-a-kind magnets, and more. For the culinary fan easy-to-follow Year-Round Party Pleasers: Jeff Barrett's Roquefort/Fig Flatbread, Meg's Mozzarella Balls, Artichokes and Olives, Meg's Easy Cheesecake Bars, and Claire's Cranberry Pineapple Punch!

Meg was heading to a spooky island former home of an asylum where a murder happened years ago. Meg and her friend Elle were helping with set design. Meg and Elle are trying to transport props for the movie and sort through possible murders. Is the murder of the past connected to the murder of the present.

This cozy mystery follows Meg Barret as she helps her friend Elle to collect pieces for a TV mini-series set to be filmed at Nightingale Manor on Shelter Island. The estate was previously owned by Dr Tobias Nightingale and used as a sanitorium and was the location of the shocking murder of a high profile patient in the 1950s. The current owner is his grandson, Dr Blake Nightingale, a former TV personality plastic surgeon who is being sued in the aftermath of a botched surgery. Now he is in need of money and so is keen to have the mini-series filmed on his estate.

While digging for pieces for the set,  Meg and Elle along with Felicity from the production team, find themselves trapped in the elevator for several hours during a power outage. When power is eventually restored and the elevator begins to move, it opens in the basement and to find another murder had occurred to mirror the one from the past. Know the three of them to be innocent, Meg takes it upon herself to weed throught the remaining people in the house in order to solve the mystery and insure one of them won't be next as they continue their work at the house.

This is the fourth book in Kathleen Bridge's Hamptons Home and Garden Mystery series, but Manor of Dying could also serve as a stand alone book. There are brief mentions throughout the book of Meg's tendency to stumble her way into murder investigtions, which are obviously referencing the prior books, but you don't need to have read them to understand this book. If you enjoy cozy mysteries  and this book though, you should go back and read them because why not enjoy the whole series?

I really liked the reciepes included at the end of the book. I thought it was a really cute touch. Ocassionally I found the interactions between characters to be a little forced, but I did like all of the different characters. There were a lot of characters in this book and they all worked into the story very well. The mystery was engaging, with a couple surprises along the way. I guessed who the murderer was before the reveal, but I was intruiged to learn her reasoning.

I really wish the two Scottie dogs had been in the book more, the only time they featured in the book was to push the plot forward a bit and as a way to give Meg a clue. They were cute and I would have loved to see a little more of them, but I will content myself that we see some other pets we met in the book.

My biggest complaint was that there was no real sense of danger for the characters, mainly there was just a creepy vibe to the story. That and the love triangle between Meg, Patrick, and Cole. I'm not much a fan of love triangles and this one felt pretty weak. Perhaps if I read the prior books in the series I would understand Meg's reasoning better though.

Overall a decent cozy mystery, but not one of my favorites.

Thank you Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley, this is my honest review.

This is #4 in the series involving Meg Barrett. A hearing-impaired protagonist is a rarity and she is portrayed wonderfully. This time the adventures take place in a former mental asylum and if that sounds creepy, it is. Lots of twists and turns and red herrings but what a satisfying and enjoyable mystery! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This is the first in Kathleen Bridge's A Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery series I have read and I loved it. I was intrigued by the hearing impaired main character, by her thoughts and by her approach to life. Combine that with an absolutely fascinating mystery, played out in a home that was a former mental asylum as a potential location for a television series set in the 1930's. It was both fun and suspenseful. There were twists and turns and I admit I guessed wrong, which makes a cozy mystery lover happy. Added to the mystery is a tantalizing hint of romance that has me anxious for the next in the series. I'm going to go back and get the first books so I can enjoy more!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is the 4th installment in this series. Meg Barrett is helping her friend Elle in helping to catalog and find items for an upcoming TV mini-series. The series is planned to filmed on Shelter Island at Nightingale Manor. This is the home of Dr. Blake Nightingale a TV celebrity plastic surgeon who is in the process be sued for a botched surgery and the grandson of Dr. Tobias Nightingale the central figure in a decades old murder at the former mental asylum. Meg and Elle are in the attic along with Felicity a production assistant on the project when they decide they should get going as a storm is heading in. While in the elevator the power goes out and they are trapped overnight and when the power comes up the elevator takes them to the basement and former operating room. There they find Dr. Blake on the operating table with an icepic thru his heart (this is just like the original murder). Meg finds some items missing in the attic after the murder (including the contents of a suitcase of the murder victim from the 50's) as well as a letter from Marion Fortune who was convicted of the murder of her friend Arden. Meg is convinced the murders are connected but decides to let the police handle it. Yeah Right!! This was an entertaining read with only a handful of suspects but the story and plot kept me engaged. I look forward to next installment in this series and hopefully a resolution to Cole versus Patrick. Not really a fan of love triangles.

Meg Barrett who is a decorator is thrilled when her best friend Elle lands them a job on the set of a miniseries being filmed at a 1930’s mansion. Going through the treasures in the house is right in Meg’s wheelhouse, but what really fascinates her is that the house use to be a psychiatric hospital which also had a murder in it’s past. The girls are working hard at not getting involved in the long ago murder but it’s hard not to when another murder takes place while they are in the house! The suspect pool is narrow, and so Meg begins her sleuthing to find the killer.

This book was so good I could barely put it down. Kathleen Bridge wrote this book so fabulously that just when you think you have it all figure out, you get just another little tidbit of information to make you suspect one of the other characters. This is the first book I read in the series, but I am definitely going to go back and read the other three novels. I found it easy to follow the history of the characters and this can definitely be read as a stand alone novel. A huge thank you to Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to review. I absolutely loved it.

Having lived near a mental asylum in upstate New York and visiting an historic one in Jerome, Arizona I was intrigued by the book description and cover.

Meg Barrett and her friend Elle are helping to set the stage for a new 1930s-style television mystery series in the Hamptons (Long Island, NY).
Meg and Elle are stranded during a snow storm at the mansion. The power goes off while they are in an elevator. When power is restored, the doors open in the basement and reveal the owner dead on a cot. This eerily resembles the previous decades-old murder.

I found the plot engaging, the characters well-developed, and the twists and turns kept me turning the pages.

This is the first of the series that I have read. It is a standalone story and worth the time to read. I have added this author to my read list.

Meg Barrett and her friend Elle are headed for Nightingale Manor, the site of a former mental asylum, complete with the history of a grisly murder. They are to pick out historical props for an upcoming series set in the 1930's. But when they arrive there is friction between factions and the house itself is cold and forbidding. The inventory is in the attic but the tension everywhere else has Meg curious, listening- for Murder is in the air...

I really loved the plot. The type of work Meg does and her friend Elle, that is exactly what I would like to do, particularly in set research for film. The additional plus of cataloging inventory and Thirties decor, between the two, was a major plus. The whole book read like my dream life with a dream job. I suspect many Readers will feel this way. This is Book 4 so there is quite a bit to take in.. especially the first few chapters. The pace is fast though and before I knew it I was halfway through the Book.

The descriptive details are amazing... a ferry with its rough waves and a gray, forbidding ocean...a small cottage tucked into Montauk with views of a lighthouse. But all through the Book these charming details are sprinkled and they add to the story along with- the warm friendship between Elle and Meg. Some of these characters I have not met yet, such as a boyfriend who delivers yachts to buyers and has invited Meg to Cornwall. But I can't wait to do so...

The shivery aspect of the Manor House, complete with Tombstones next to the gate house or tickets tucked into an armless doll, will enthrall everyone. Added to that, the forbidding, coldness of the Rooms and the basement which still houses the Asylum gurneys, will guarantee this will be a story you want to read. I could not stop until I had devoured the last page. Five stars

This was a new author to me and I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. It kept me guessing until the end. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

This is the 4th in this series and the last book was released awhile back. When I finally remembered who the main character was it was a good book to read. Was very easy to get familiar with the characters like meg and ellie. If you have never read this series I recommend it. Meg finds herself investigating another murder. with the help of ellie

cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, women-sleuths, friendship *****

Good friends Meg and Elle have similar taste and interests and now get to indulge themselves by choosing the furniture and things for the sets for a new miniseries filmed in their area. The building being used is a 1930s mansion on an island nearby. But it's December and that means lots of snow and using the ferry. It also meant a power outage while being stuck in the elderly household elevator. Which meant that they didn't get to know who committed the murder. Let the sleuthing begin!
The plot holds interest, lots of red herrings and twists, convincing suspects, and a much earlier murder to be reexamined. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

Meg Barrett and her BFF Elle have been hired to work on a miniseries set in the 1930s that is being filmed locally on Shelter Island during the off season. When Meg and Elle are stranded during a snow storm in the creepy old mansion, a one time mental asylum, they get stuck in the elevator as the power goes out.

When the power finally comes back on the elevator opens in the basement and the owner of the manor is lying on a gurney with an icepick in his heart, mirroring a murder that took place at the asylum years and years ago. With the snow storm meaning no one got off or on the island since last night, the murderer is one of the people in the house and Meg isn’t going to stop until she has answers.

This is the first book I have read in the series and serves fine as a standalone, though references to Meg and Patrick’s interactions in the previous books have me wanting to read those to get the full story. A quaint cozy that will leave you wanting more of the Hamptons, Meg and the gang.

The fourth book in the Hamptons Home & Garden series is another great addition to the series. It's the Christmas season in the Hamptons and Meg and Elle are working at an island mansion selecting the perfect vintage decorations for period tv mini-series. While stuck at the mansion during a snow storm the mansion's owner is murdered in a way that echoes a decades old murder that also occurred at the mansion.
This is a well plotted mystery with great characters. I have read the other books in this series (if you haven't you're missing out) but this book works well as a stand-alone novel.

Friends, Meg and Elle have been chosen the enviable task of choosing period furniture for a television mystery series set in the 1930’s. A remote mansion has been chosen for the site of the series and although Meg and Elle are excited, they are also apprehensive after learning that the manor was formerly a mental asylum and the site of a horrific murder. Does the future imitate the past? In this new interesting series set in the Hamptons, all roads lead to mystery and murder. A good book and I look forward to see what next these friends can get into.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book for my honest review.

I'm happy this series is back because I really loved the previous installments.
I liked this one as well but somehow it seemed different from the others in the series.
Many it's due to the setting that is different, maybe it's due to fact that Meg is going to places where there can be dangerous and nothing ever happens.
On a general level this book was engrossing and entertaining, it was great to meet again the cast of characters, and the setting was amazing.
I hope there won't be any love triangle because they usually bores me to tears after a couple of installment.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This was a great read and I enjoyed Meg and Elle. The setting is creepily enjoyable. The mystery kept me guessing and loved that the original murder also got solved.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review. - I like this series and look forward to reading previous books.

"Manor of Dying" by Kathleen Bridge is the 4th installment in "A Hamptons Home & Garden Mystery". I highly recommend this book and I purchased the previous 3 books as soon as I finished reading.

The Protagonist Meg is clever, well developed and down to earth. There were quirky characters and likeable side characters. I enjoyed the relationship between Meg and her BFF Elle.

The description of the Hamptons, vintage clothes and Nightingale Manor was wonderful. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep me wanting to find out what will happen next. The book is engaging from start to finish, grabbing you from the very beginning.

Highly recommended. A fabulous book for an author I will definitely follow in the future.

I requested and received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Beyond the Page and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my OWN.

I am thrilled this series was picked up by a new publisher.
I will be honest that I have not read the previous books in the series, but I will rectify that.
This was a real delight to read.
I really enjoyed the characters, especially the protagonist. The whodunit was engaging and kept me interested and guessing.
I cannot wait to read more in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Glad to see this series back as it's one I've enjoyed. Well written with fun characters and a trip back in time to the 1930s and a mystery that keeps you guessing.