Murder at Gulls Nest: Nora Breen Investigates, the charming new historical seaside murder mystery, from much-loved author Jess Kidd
Mar 2025 · Faber & Faber
5.0star
2 reviewsreport
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336
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About this ebook
'HIGHLY recommended.' Marian Keyes
'Nora Breen will become a favourite character.' Ian Moore
'Nora Breen is Maria Von Trapp on steroids.' Richard Armitage
'A seaside mystery full of intrigue and secrets.' Olivia Kiernan
'A beautiful book, exquisitely written, I loved it.' Nicola Upson
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?
'Kidd has imagination to die for and a real command of plot and character.' Guardian
Readers love Murder at Gulls Nest
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A story that hooks you in and races you along. I loved it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The character observations are wonderful. Highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I fell in love with Nora from the moment I met her.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ She really has a magic way with words and it puts this "cosy" into a class of its own.
'Nora Breen will become a favourite character.' Ian Moore
'Nora Breen is Maria Von Trapp on steroids.' Richard Armitage
'A seaside mystery full of intrigue and secrets.' Olivia Kiernan
'A beautiful book, exquisitely written, I loved it.' Nicola Upson
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?
'Kidd has imagination to die for and a real command of plot and character.' Guardian
Readers love Murder at Gulls Nest
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A story that hooks you in and races you along. I loved it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The character observations are wonderful. Highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I fell in love with Nora from the moment I met her.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ She really has a magic way with words and it puts this "cosy" into a class of its own.
Ratings and reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Duchess Sarah Ferguson
- Flag inappropriate
March 15, 2025
It's 1953 and former cloistered nun Nora Breen emerges from decades in a convent to investigate the disappearance of her friend Frieda from a seaside town in Kent. Humour is brought into the story via Nora's occasionally abrasive and impetuous behaviour towards those who underestimate her, the antics of Dinah, the landlady's 8-year-old daughter, and Nora's bond with a friendly seagull called Father Conway. I'd enthusiastically recommend Murder at Gulls Nest to all readers of quality crime fictio
About the author
Jess Kidd was brought up in London as part of a large family from county Mayo and has been praised for her unique fictional voice. Her debut, Himself, was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in 2016, the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award 2017 and longlisted for the John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger 2017. Jess won the 2016 Costa Short Story Award. Her second novel, The Hoarder, also titled Mr. Flood's Last Resort (U.S.), was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2019 and longlisted for the 2020 International Dublin Literary Award. Both books were BBC Radio 2 Book Club Picks. Her third book, the Victorian detective tale Things in Jars, has been released to critical acclaim. Jess's work has been described as 'Gabriel García Márquez meets The Pogues.' Jess's first book for children, Everyday Magic, was published in April 2021. Jess's fourth novel for adults, The Night Ship, was released in August 2022. Jess is currently developing her own original TV projects with leading UK and international TV producers.
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