False Impression

Bea Abbot runs a successful domestic agency but somehow she still seems to get mixed up in murder, mayhem and other skulduggery.  This time her friend Leon Holland has inadvertently involved her in his fight with an unseen enemy who may or may not be his brother.  When Leon and a picturesque young man called Orlando, the son of a business associate, are lured to a car park in an attempt to frame one or other of them for murder Bea offers sanctuary.  But her house is soon bursting at the seams as she already has Dilys - Leon's drippy niece, staying with her.

When the Abbot Agency starts receiving threatening and abusive e-mails and their computers are infected with a virus Bea really starts to think someone may be out to get her as well as certain members of the Holland family.  This is a very well plotted cosy mystery where events move quickly and no one is to be trusted.  Even though there is plenty of tension there are still some funny incidents - such as Bea's excellent way of dealing with unwelcome callers!

If you want a crime novel without bad language or graphic violence then try this excellent series.  They don't have to be read in order but it is interesting to see how the series characters develop if you do read them in order.  I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.
This review will go live on my blog on 12 November and is currently live on Goodreads and Amazon

False Impression: A Bea Abbot British Murder Mystery  By Veronica Heley	

What it's all about...

Bea...runs a domestic service company from her home but is involved in so many other things!   Her "friend" Leon needs her help.  She is helping Dilys...a sort of lost soul related to Leon, and Orlando...another lost soul/semi closeted homosexual who is supposed to be marrying Dilys.  She meets with her ex husband and even meets regularly with DI Durrell...friendships only and seems to spend tons of time feeding her friends...tea and toast or biscuits as needed...eggy breakfasts and dinners, too!  Bea also seems to be housing tons of people.  Her house is home to her business, people she befriends and her beautiful chubby kitty...Winston.  Then...sort of all of a sudden a man is found dead in a swimming pool parking lot and a woman is found dead there, too.  Bea's house is bugged, people are kidnapped or held hostage or trapped in buildings and Leon's business is threatened.  He can't get to his elderly brother and things turn nasty!  Gas leaks, disappearances, more bugs and very bad people!  This book was so good!

This is my first experience with Bea Abbot and I was totally thoroughly charmed by her.   

Why I wanted to read it...

I love cozy mysteries and this one was both cozy, fast paced and addictive!

What made me truly enjoy this book...

I actually loved reading all about Bea.  Her thoroughness, the way she feeds everyone and her relative calmness amidst tons of crazy riled up characters was actually quite fun!  I loved Watson!

Why you should read it, too...

If you love cozy English mysteries filled with quaint and quirky characters...I think you will love this series.  It was really surprising to me and I want to read more Bea books.  I did some research about the author and she is a sweet looking little white haired lady who says she has lots more stories in her!  Hurray!

a liked Leon a lot.  In fact, Leon Holland was becoming very dear to her.  She wasn't ready to commit to anything yet, but she didn't want to lose him.  When he asks her for an alibi, she's willing but she wants to know why.  Soon she's going to be sorry she even knew the Holland family...

Severn House and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published the first of March, 2015, so look for a copy then.

I really enjoyed Bea.  She's a good woman who helps anyone who needs it and she cares about her friends and family.  Leon is a rock.  He's a big strong man who has a soft spot for Bea.  Unfortunately, he also has family troubles.

Leon's brother is in ill health.  He has divided his company and has given Leon a segment to manage and own.  He's doing that but finds his brother is accusing him of treacherous acts.  Then Leon almost gets run over by a van as he's crossing the road.  He's also lured to a car park to meet a missing accountant and finds two people who have been killed in their cars.  Neither one is the accountant.  Next, Bea's office gets hit by a virus impacting all of her computers.  She also finds out her house is bugged and someone is watching the porch by a remote camera.  Where's all this coming from and how does it tie back to Leon?  Or does it?

I enjoyed watching the various characters in Bea's home go from despair over breakups to budding new love.  Bea and Leon make a mean team in handling the threats and finding the killer.  It's a layered plot with lots going on and several deaths.  The story keeps your attention and keeps you reading.  It even makes you laugh in a few spots.  I enjoyed reading about Bea and Leon and hope they will be back again.