Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Rules of Murder Bethany House Publishers (August 1, 2013) by Julianna Deering

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

JULIANNA DEERING has always been an avid reader and a lover of storytelling, whether on the page, the screen or the stage. This, along with her keen interest in history and her Christian faith, shows in her tales of love, forgiveness and triumph over adversity. A fifth-generation Texan, she makes her home north of Dallas with three spoiled cats and, when not writing, spends her free time quilting, cross stitching and watching NHL hockey. Her new series of Drew Farthering mysteries set in 1930s England debuts with Rules of Murder (Bethany House, 2013) and will be followed by Death by the Book (Bethany House, 2014).



ABOUT THE BOOK

Downton Abbey Meets Agatha Christie in This Sparkling Mystery

Drew Farthering loves a good mystery, although he generally expects to find it in the pages of a novel, not on the grounds of his country estate. When a weekend party at Farthering Place is ruined by murder and the police seem flummoxed, Drew decides to look into the crime himself. With the help of his best friend, Nick Dennison, an avid mystery reader, and Madeline Parker, a beautiful and whip-smart American debutante staying as a guest, the three try to solve the mystery as a lark, using the methods from their favorite novels.

Soon, financial irregularities at Drew's stepfather's company come to light and it's clear that all who remain at Farthering Place could be in danger. Trying hard to remain one step ahead of the killer--and trying harder to impress Madeline--Drew must decide how far to take this game.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Rules of Murder, go HERE.

My review:
   My hat is off to this author for being a female and writing a series with a male as the main character. This was one of those books that I thought sounded good, but after it came, I was dubious - the cover didn't exactly grab me and make me want to read it, but I picked it up one evening and started reading it, and was glad I did.

  This was different from my usual fare of suspense/mystery. It is set in the 1930's, without our modern ways of solving crime and all the electronic gadgets we have, so that made for an interesting read with that factoring in alone. This book was compared to Agatha Christie's books. I didn't read many of hers, but I did read a lot of Sherlock Holmes, and this book was a bit reminiscent of those books.

  I liked the characters Deering has created, with the exception of the airheaded society girls that were in the first part of the book, but I especially liked the main character, Drew, and assume from t he series title that there will be more books with his detecting skills at the forefront of the series. I did enjoy the book immensely, and found it a very enjoyable read. I do have one complaint: the author used several words from that time which I was not familiar with, and I had to look up a few that I couldn't figure the meaning out by their use. A glossary or even footnotes would have made for an easier read. Other than that, great book, and I am looking forward to more in the series.