TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Rhyme Of The Magpie

About The Rhyme of the Magpie: A Birds of a Feather Mystery

Published by : Alibi  (June 02, 2015)
Pages: 224

For readers of Laura Childs, Ellery Adams, and Jenn McKinlay, the high-flying new Birds of a Feather mystery series from Marty Wingate begins as a British woman gets caught up in a dangerous plot when her celebrity father disappears.

With her personal life in disarray, Julia Lanchester feels she has no option but to quit her job on her father’s hit BBC Two nature show, A Bird in the Hand. Accepting a tourist management position in Smeaton-under-Lyme, a quaint village in the English countryside, Julia throws herself into her new life, delighting sightseers (and a local member of the gentry) with tales of ancient Romans and pillaging Vikings.

But the past is front and center when her father, Rupert, tracks her down in a moment of desperation. Julia refuses to hear him out; his quick remarriage after her mother’s death was one of the reasons Julia flew the coop. But later she gets a distressed call from her new stepmum: Rupert has gone missing. Julia decides to investigate—she owes him that much, at least—and her father’s new assistant, the infuriatingly dapper Michael Sedgwick, offers to help. Little does the unlikely pair realize that awaiting them is a tightly woven nest of lies and murder.

“Marty Wingate plants clever clues with a dash of romantic spice to satisfy any hungry mystery reader.”—Mary Daheim, bestselling author of The Alpine Yeoman

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Review: I discovered Marty Wingate on a book tour for her Potting Shed Mystery series. I absolutely love that series, so I decided to give this one a go as well.

Whereas the Potting Shed Mysteries involve English Gardens, this book involves birds and some environmental issues as well.

Julia is quiet the heroine in this story. She's dealing with a lot of changes in her life, changes she has a hard time dealing with. I really liked her and found I could identify with her. I know if either of parent were to remarry quickly after the death of the other, and to that parents bff, I'd be more than a bit angry. However, some of her actions are a little too much to handle and she does come across as childish.

So Julia's relationship with her father, who did just that, is strained, to say the least, though thankfully things improve as the story goes on. 

Then her dad disappears and a body is found on his property, a body that belongs to someone who didn't quiet get along with him. In fact, they could call each other enemies. Worse yet, her dad got a threatening letter and then he is kidnapped!

Along with her father's new assistant (a job that used to be hers), Michael, they set about solving the mystery. There's some romantic tension between these two as well. I found that they made an excellent couple and I look forward to seeing how their relationship progresses in upcoming books.

There's a lot of family goings on, as well as stuff with old family friends, who may not be quite so friendly as they were thought to be.

What sets Marty's books apart from other authors, is how well she conceals the whodunit. You definitely will be kept guessing until the very end.

This was a highly enjoyable story and a great start to a new series. I have to say, I like the Potting Shed mysteries better, but I think this series shows promise.

Rating: 5 flowers