Murder at Blackwater Bend

By: Clara McKenna

Narrated by: Sarah Zimmerman

Following a whirlwind engagement to Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst, Stella Kendrick is finding her footing within an elite social circle in picturesque rural England. Except tea time with refined friends can be more dangerous than etiquette faux pas - especially in the company of Lady Philippa, the woman Lyndy was once set to marry, and her husband, the ostentatious Lord Fairbrother....

Outrage erupts and accusations fly after Lord Fairbrother's pony wins best in breed for the seventh consecutive year. The man has his share of secrets and adversaries, but Stella and Lyndy are in for a brutal shock when they discover his body floating in the river during a quiet morning fishing trip....

Suddenly unwelcome around hardly-grieving Lady Philippa and Lyndy's endlessly critical mother, Stella faces the bitter reality that she may always be an outsider - and one of her trusted new acquaintances may be a calculating killer. Now, Stella and her fiance must fight against the current to catch the culprit, before they're the next couple torn apart by tragedy.

©2020 Anna Loan-Wilsey (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Can’t abide snakes

I started this book months ago but couldn’t get past the subject of snakes. Finally I read the first few chapters on Kindle and got past the worst of the snake activity. After that, I listened and enjoyed. Lundy and Stella are very likeable and the nasty characters are delightfully spiteful, arrogant and downright rude. One hopes they will get their comeuppance but I won’t give that away. I did solve the mysteries long before the end but that was satisfying too. I am ready for the next book.

Description and flow

I love how she takes time to describe what is seen, smelled, touched, tasted, and thought by the characters. She is good at creating atmosphere. The only thing I dislike are the antagonist in the story, what you're supposed to dislike them.

Great characters and mystery

I enjoy this series. The characters, Stella and Lindy, are likeable and its nice watching their relationship evolve. The mystery is solid. I hope that Lindy's mother and Stella's father have some karma coming. This is a clean mystery with a little romance . I would start with book 1 to see how the characters meet. The narration is good. It is paced well and the voices / accents are well done. I found the narrator's voice relaxing to listen to. I had both the kindle and audio so I switched between reading and listening.

Great new series! Interesting and good story.

Fun. Good plot. It’s a mystery. Some romance but not stereotypical and trite plot. No sex scenes which would have been ok but that was not in keeping with the theme. Good writing. Interesting historical context in the time of Downton Abbey. Read the first and enjoyed it as much. I will buy the third when it comes out.

Very good storyline!

I am enjoying this series very much! I am anxious to start the next one!

Loving Lyndy and Stella!

You really feel for Stella in this one, navigating the vipers of English high society. The outcome is a little easier to guess in this story, but still engaging with the various characters and intrigue. I can’t wait to read more!

Great mystery, romance

I particularly like the reader. She helps create a true American personality in 1890s England.

An engaging mystery with endearing characters

For some reason, I found both Stella Lyndi to be quite endearing. I enjoyed the casual and yet honest approach which this author used in the building of their relationship -in that they both seem to be honest and forthright with themselves an each other. I find that most people lie or hide their genuine feelings and then wonder why they are constantly misunderstood. How stupid is that? It is refreshing to not have that “Cat and Mouse” foolishness in a book. Thank you Clara for including this in the development of your characters.
I also appreciate the author’s accurate descriptions and overall familiarity with horses. I even preferred this sequel and second installment to the series, over the first book (Murder at Morington Hall), albeit, I also enjoyed that volume, as well.

Quirky characters and an engaging murder mystery

I loved the unusual characters, including Stella’s despicable narcissistic father and the evil Lady Philippa, as well as the enjoyable quirky side characters. It was an unusual murder mystery with an interesting angle. I hated when it turned into a romance novel with the endless descriptions of Stella’s porcelain skin, her slender waist, her gorgeous hair and on and on and on. That was done with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. I also found the narrator extremely irritating. She read the story with an over-enunciated singsong, which sounded to me like a librarian explaining the basics of how to find a book in her library.

Too much detail not enough mystery.

Incredibly tedious though good narration. This inspired apathy. I didn't bother to finish it.