Empty Nest by Marty Wingate is the second book in A Birds of a Feather Mystery series. I did not read the first one so it took me a while to figure out who was who and how Julia Lanchester, the main character and narrator of the story ended up at this estate. She thirty-seven years old and divorced. She changed careers recently from being her father’s assistant (he is an ornithologist and hosts a show on BBC) to running a Tourist Information Centre in Smeaton- under-Lyme where she is responsible for creating and running events to attract tourists. She also started a new relationship with Michael, her father's new assistant. She is staying at Hoggin Hall the home of Lord Linus Fotheringill because Pipit Cottage (her home) had a severe mildew problem and is being fixed.

One evening while at dinner at Hoggins Hall, Cecil Fotheringill, Linus' adult son shows up with a rather smarmy friend, Freddy Peacock. Cecil has decided it is time to learn about the running of the estate. He is rather surprised to see that his father has recently hired an estate manager, Geoffry Addleton.

On the day of the cider festival, Julia finds poisoned birds in a field near the new estate manager’s cottage. Someone deliberately poisoned them and it is reported to the police as well as her father investigating. A few evenings later Julia comes home late and smells a fire. She discovers a fire in Freddy’s room with Freddy unconscious on the floor, or is he. Freddy is dead and it is ruled a homicide. When Lady Isabel Fotheringill shows up things start to get uncomfortable. When the main suspect turns out to be Cecil, Julia starts to investigate to support Linus and Cecil. When Julia starts to feel ill, her father suspects she is being poisoned. It seems the killer does not like the questions that Julia has been asking. Will Julia be able to find the killer before the killer does in Julia?

As I stated at the beginning of this review, it is probably best that you read the first book in this series, "The Rhyme of the Magpie" first. The author does not provide a lot of clues to the murder and it is not obvious who the murderer is or why the murder occurred. There are some theories, but it is not until the end that we actually find out the motive for the crime. The mystery is not simple which makes the book more interesting. There is a lot of eating in this book, which made me hungry while reading it, but it plays an important part of the story. I enjoyed this book and will read the first one.

I received a complimentary copy of Empty Nest from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Very cute story. It was a fast read I had issues putting it down at night. ( )

Very cute story. It was a fast read I had issues putting it down at night. ( )

Our second review is a British cozy mystery, Empty Nest by Marty Wingate. This cozy is part of the Birds of a Feather mystery series; however, I haven’t read the rest of the series and had no problem reading Empty Nest as a stand-alone novel. It has all the hallmarks of a fun cozy mystery, from the quaint village to a lovely manor house, lots of busy-bodies and red herrings, and a reluctant female amateur detective. I found it to be a fun, quick read and a great escape from the stresses of everyday life. If you’re into cozies, and have an e-reader or tablet on which to read it, then I’d jump on this bargain book. Learn more at http://popcornreads.com/?p=8786 ( )

Empty Nest by Marty Wingate is the second book in A Birds of a Feather Mystery series. Julia Lanchester is thirty-seven years old. She changed careers recently. She used to be her father’s assistant (he is an ornithologist and hosts a show on BBC) Pipit Cottage (her home) had a severe mildew problem and she is staying at Hoggin Hall with Lord Linus Fotheringill (her boss). Julia the manager of the Tourist Information Center in Smeaton-under-Lyme. She also creates events to attract tourists to the hall and town. One evening Julia is enjoying dinner with Linus, Vesta Widdersham (co-worker and friend), and Akash Kumar (Vesta’s boyfriend) when Cecil Fotheringill shows up. Cecil is Linus’ thirty year old son, but he rarely comes home. He has decided it is time to learn about the running of the estate (about time) and he has brought a friend, Freddy Peacock, with him. Freddy and Cecil worked at the auction rooms in London together. The next day the new estate manager, Geoffrey Addleton, arrives. Dinners are starting to become something Julia wishes to avoid.

On the day of the cider festival, Julia finds poisoned birds in a field near the new estate manager’s cottage. Someone deliberately poisoned them. A few evenings later Julia comes home late (after being with her boyfriend, Michael Sedgewick) and smells a fire. She discovers a fire in Freddy’s room with Freddy on the floor. Poor Freddy is dead and he was poisoned. The main suspect turns out to be Cecil. He refuses to tell the police is whereabouts for that evening (for a very silly reason). Then Cecil’s mother, Lady Isabel Fotheringill (Linus and Isabel are divorced) shows up to help her son (she is overbearing and demanding). Julia starts looking into matters to try and clear Cecil for Linus (he is so upset and Julia is afraid he will confess to save his son). Then Julia starts to feel ill. Turns out she is being poisoned. It seems the killer does not like the questions that Julia has been asking. Will Julia be able to find the killer before the killer does in Julia?

In order to understand the characters and dynamics in Empty Nest, you really need to read first book in the A Birds of a Feather (otherwise you will be lost and confused). The book is told in the first person from Julia’s point-of-view. There are long sentences, a lot of rambling, and a very bumbling Julia. Julia is supposed to be a manager who is capable of running large events. The rambling and bumbling do not go with that description. The author did not provide a lot of clues nor was there much action during the majority of the book (except the murder). The mystery is not simple which makes the book more interesting. I am amazed at all the tea and food. It seems if you stop in anywhere, you get tea and treats (they must have had tea over 20 times in the book). It was like the author was trying very hard to make sure we knew they were in England where they have tea. I give Empty Nest 3 out of 5 stars. I do not believe this series is for me.

I received a complimentary copy of Empty Nest from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )