1. Rules of Murder, Drew Farthering Mystery Series #1
    Julianna Deering
    Bethany House / 2013 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$15.00 Retail Price$16.00 Save 6% ($1.00)
    4.4 out of 5 stars for Rules of Murder, Drew Farthering Mystery Series #1. View reviews of this product. 39 Reviews
    Availability: In Stock
    Stock No: WW210952
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Displaying items 6-10 of 39
  1. Rosie
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    August 16, 2013
    Rosie
    Age: Under 18
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    An exciting, 1930s mystery!

    When I first heard about Rules of Murder I fell in love with the cover. The style and the font fit the story setting very well. But, as we all know, we cannot simply judge a book by its cover. I'm happy to say what I found inside the cute cover is a fabulous mystery that befuddled me further with every new clue. Though I will note with some pride I did see one of the twists coming... Ahem. Anyway.

    Deering did her research well. Drew, Madeline, and Nick's accents, and even the way they talked, popped off the page. She crafted the setting very well, also bringing it off the page, reminiscent of Downton Abbey. I don't think she could have made the story feel any more real and for that, I praise her.

    Drew and Madeline are positively adorable together. I loved the banter between them and between Drew and Nick. The three of them make up a great cast and I cannot wait to read more about them in the next novel Death by the Book!

    If you enjoy mysteries or any of Agatha Christie's works (note: I have not read any of her novels) then I can guarantee you'll like this one. With an escalating mystery, true to the times characters, and a tangible setting, Deering's debut is one you won't want to miss. I recommend to 15+ for some minor violence surrounding a murder.

    I received this book from CFBA, through the publisher, in return for an honest review of my opinions, which I have done. Thanks!
  2. Jael Kenney
    Lachute,QC
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    A must-read for mystery lovers!
    August 14, 2013
    Jael Kenney
    Lachute,QC
    Age: 25-34
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    There were so many things I liked about this book! For one, the author has a pen name; I find it adds extra flair to the book: like brownies with whip cream on top.

    I could also go on about how well the characters are described and how interesting their interactions with one another are; making a book about murder somewhat less horrifying thanks to the appropriate levity. Great descriptions, an interesting time period, and just the right amount and type of romance and spiritual discovery makes this book so much more than a "whodunit". The mystery itself I can't describe without giving everything away. All I can say is that finding the murderer is much harder than one would think!

    The best part about this book though is the title: Rules of Murder. Why? Because the author of this breathtaking mystery had the genius idea to write a mystery that broke all the "rules" laid out by another author who wrote a book on "what shouldn't be included when writing a mystery". And she pulls it off remarkably well. This book is a must-read for mystery lovers.

    Thanks to NetGalley (https://www.netgalley.com) and Bethany House, I was provided with a copy of this marvellous mystery to read and review by giving my honest opinion on it. "Rules of Murder" came out on August 1, 2013.
  3. tickmenot
    Kansas City
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    “Rules of Murder” by Julianna Deering
    August 14, 2013
    tickmenot
    Kansas City
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    This is a whodunit written in the classic English mystery style of the 1920′s and 30′s. Handsome Drew Farthering is single, rich and the heir apparent to Farthering Place, a grand estate in the English countryside. His best friend, Nick, is the son of the head butler. After the death of Drew's father, his mother, Constance, married Mason Parker.

    The story opens with Drew and Nick arriving back at the manse and discovering his mother was throwing a grand party, complete with fireworks, that weekend. The house is overflowing with guests. Mason's American niece Madeline and two girlfriends are scheduled to arrive the next day, one of the first stops on their European tour. Upon Madeline's arrival, Drew is immediately smitten with her.

    The night of the party, a body is found in the greenhouse, and Constance is discovered dead in her bed. Drew and Nick are hopeful they can discover the identity of the murderer. Per Drew's request, Madeline agrees to give up her tour of Europe to stay and help solve the murders, as well. Madeline also wants to help and support her uncle during his time of grieving.

    This story has many twists and turns, with more bodies showing up as time goes by. There are lots of interesting characters and events. The reader is led in many different directions when trying to solve the mystery. Even though I thought I had the mystery figured out, I was completely wrong. The author really fooled me.

    I liked this story, it is a clean mystery. This is the first book in the Drew Farthering Mysteries series. I am a great fan of classic English mysteries, especially works by Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie. Because of that, I am pernickety about the work of modern authors who attempt to write as if they were from that time period. Julianna Deering did a good job creating that illusion. She does enough period references to make this story really feel like it was written between the two world wars. Her characters were well developed and believable. This tale kept me guessing "whodunit" to the very end. I liked that faith was part of the story, although I do wish it had a bit stronger presence. The next book in the series will have a lot to live up to, and I look forward to reading it. I recommend this book and give it five stars.

    The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through Bethany House Publishing for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own, and I have not been compensated in any other manner. Despite my receiving the book free, it has not influenced my judgment, and I have given an honest opinion.
  4. VicsMediaRoom
    Irvine, CA
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: male
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    The Gentleman Detective Returns Murder Mystery
    August 10, 2013
    VicsMediaRoom
    Irvine, CA
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: male
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Julianna Deering in her new book, "Rules Of Murder" Book One in the A Drew Farthering Mystery series published by Bethany House Publishers introduces us to Drew Farthering.

    From the Back Cover: Introducing Drew Farthering

    From the tip of his black Homburg to the crease in his Cheviot trousers, he's the epitome of a stylish 1930′s English gentleman. His only problem? The body he just discovered.

    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.

    With the help of beautiful and whip-smart Madeline Parker, a guest from America, Drew proposes to use the lessons he's learned reading his mysteries to solve the crime. Before long he realizes this is no lark, and no one at Farthering Place is who he or she appears to be-not the butler nor the blackmailer, the chauffeur nor the embezzler. 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.

    I grew up watching the repeats of the old 30′s and 40′s black and white mystery movies with the gentleman detective and I loved every minute of them. Couldn't get enough of them actually. Then, sadly, there were no more. Those detectives had seen their day and were replaced by the Private Investigator and then even he disappeared from view. Imagine my delight when I found that Ms. Deering had recreated the gentlemen detective in her Drew Farthering series. "Rules Of Murder' progresses at a nice, steady pace introducing all the characters and then the murder for which Drew is the suspect. Now he sets off to find out who the murderer really is with the help of his friends before the body count continues to rise. "Rules Of Murder" is a page-turner, action, suspense thriller. Drew and his friends lives are in deadly danger as they try to sort out the lies and deceptions and identify the killer before he kills them. Don't start this book late at night because it will be very difficult to put it down. I recommend this book highly and am greatly looking forward to the next book in this excellent series.

    Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
  5. Iola
    New Zealand
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Classic Detective Fiction with a Christian Flavour
    August 9, 2013
    Iola
    New Zealand
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Drew Fathering has returned home to the family estate in Hampshire, England, and finds his mother and stepfather are hosting a house party, and the 'odious David Lincoln' has been given his room. But other guests are more pleasant, particularly Miss Madeline Parker, his stepfather's attractive American niece. Drew finds he and Madeline share a common interest in reading detective stories: Drew's current favourite author is Ronald Knox, a Roman Catholic priest who postulated Ten Commandments of Detective Fiction (hence the title, Rules of Murder).

    So, this is a murder mystery, and the party gives Deering a good opportunity to introduce the reader to the house guests, and to the victim. Someone dies (that's not a spoiler. It's a murder mystery. Someone has to die — see the above commandments), and Drew attempts to solve the murder with the help of Madeline, and his good friend, Nick Dennison (son of the Fathering Place butler).

    The writing was solid, and I particularly liked the occasional injection of dry humour. It's been years since I read a Miss Marple novel or even one of Georgette Heyer's contemporary detective stories (contemporary in that they were set in the 1930's, when they were written). Rules of Murder is Christian fiction, so part of the story is Drew's faith journey as well as his desire to solve the mystery.

    The author has a strong voice and makes good use of vocabulary and word order to indicate the working class accent, and has a good grip on the vocabulary of the time (although I still noticed a couple of Americanisms, like a quarter after eight and inviting most everyone). But Julianna Deering has captured the essence of the genre, and I'll look forward to reading more of the Drew Fathering Mysteries.

    Thanks to Bethany House and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
Displaying items 6-10 of 39