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The Murders at Fleat House is not an adrenaline-rush thriller but at no point in the story, does the reader feel any lapse in pacing. The police procedural that shows the inquiries leading to more than one murder inside Fleat house is a ‘one thread leading to another puzzle’ type that untangles in a steady manner. I had guessed the culprit in the beginning but was happy with the author’s jumbled yarn that linked the past and present into one engrossing narrative. Lucinda Riley sadly passed away in June 2021. Over the years, I’ve bought most of her books and only allowed myself to read a few, saving the others for later because I’ve loved what I read so far. Thankfully I read The Murders at Fleat House, and of course I thoroughly enjoyed it. But the local police cannot rule out foul play, and the case prompts the reluctant return of high-flying Detective Inspector Jazmine ‘Jazz’ Hunter to the force. Reunited with her loyal sergeant, she enters the closed world of the school and begins to probe the circumstances surrounding Charlie Cavendish’s tragic death. The initial mystery element of Lucinda Riley’s first crime tale was presented well. This boarding house murder mystery was intriguing and the first few chapters played out well, casting plenty of suspicion. Riley does a good job of setting her scene in the Norfolk surrounds, this location had a misty and creepy vibe. Additional tension from bullying, allegiances, privilege, power, deception, betrayal, lies, the rumour mill and even ghost stories extend the conjecture element of this tale. Riley ensures that this book contains a distinct air of tension, suspicion and mounting danger. The characters appeared to be quite a troublesome bunch and they kept me on my toes. My sense of trust, concern and blame shifted as the novel made its way from the beginning through to the end. However, I did feel that the plot was slightly bumpy in places, unclear at times and complicated. A glance at the additional notes by the author’s son reveals that The Murders at Fleat House was left fairly unchanged, with the family opting to keep the novel as close as possible to original manuscript penned in 2006. I have the utmost respect for Riley’s family in keeping this novel as close as possible to Lucinda’s voice. I do wonder if this was ever intended to be the start of a possible series continuation for Detective Jazz, who is quite an engaging lead character. The sudden death of a boy in St. Stephens Fleat House sets the stage for a mysterious situation at a small private English boarding school deep in the heart of Norfolk.
Her books have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Italian Bancarella prize, The Lovely Books award in Germany, and the Romantic Novel of the Year award. In 2020 she received the Dutch Platinum award for sales over 300,000 copies for a single novel in one year – an award last won by J K Rowling for Harry Potter. EXCERPT: Outside Study Number Seven, the figure paused for a moment, listening. Being a Friday, the eight boys on this floor would have signed out and walked to the pub in the nearby market town of Fotlesham, but it was as well to be sure. Hearing nothing, the figure turned the handle and went in. Do you prefer to listen to your books rather than read them? A lot of people do. It’s great to be able to listen while you’re driving, taking public transportation, maybe while you’re working out, or even perhaps while you’re cooking!Though she brought up her four children mostly in Norfolk in England, in 2015 she fulfilled her dream of buying a remote farmhouse in West Cork, Ireland, which she always felt was her spiritual home, and indeed this was where her last five books were written. Sadly, Lucinda passed away before she could finish the eighth and final book in her Seven Sisters series, and so entrusted its secrets to her eldest son, Harry, who completed Lucinda’s final novel to ensure her fans could complete the journey they embarked upon with her. Jazz is likeable and relatable, and her ex is a total tosser who irritated me, but his presence gave Jazz the closure she needed to move to the next chapter in her life! I only wish there was more, but the last chapter is a pretty good indicator as to how things will go for her. DI Jazz Hunter is a fascinating and intriguing character. She is at a crossroads in her life after leaving the Metropolitan Police in London after her divorce from a fellow detective. Norfolk is a new start for her, she wants a quiet life where she can paint and live life at a much slower pace. As a detective she is repected by her contemporites and her superiors as well which is why she is asked to lead the murder investigation. I liked that we got to see all the sides of Jazz’s character; her analytic and methodical investigate technique, her venerability after her divorce and her love and care for her parents. The same attention is paid to the cast of supporting characters who open up the story and many of whom I felt real empathy for, of course there are a few who a very dislikable to say the least. The pacing is slow to medium, with no progress in some places. Things happen on and off, which is probably because the book wasn’t thoroughly edited (as mentioned in the foreword).
The death of Lucinda Riley from cancer at the age of only 56 last year truly is a tragedy - not just for her family, but for the Bookloving World - she was at the height of her success with the Seven Sisters series, and who knows what else she would’ve gone on to write. This, her only crime novel, was written in 2006, and while complete, was not “finished”. Her son, Harry Whittaker, a writer himself, explains in the foreword that his dilemma was whether to publish it as it was, or rewrite and update it. He chose to honour his mother by leaving it unchanged, which I respect, but it means that this is not as good as it could’ve been with comprehensive editing and correction of various mistakes. She was such a compelling story-teller however, that this was still a very enjoyable mystery. In collaboration with her son Harry Whittaker, she also devised and wrote a series of books for children called The Guardian Angels. The Murders at Fleat House is the suspenseful and utterly compelling crime novel from the author of the multimillion-selling The Seven Sisters series, Lucinda Riley. First of all, I would like to thank the family of Lucinda Riley for deciding to release this forgotten work by the author without many editions. The author is a household name for fans of historical fiction, but The Murders At Fleat House is her first foray into crime fiction and it is so painful to know that she wouldn’t be able to continue writing this genre as her central protagonist DI Jazz Hunter seems like someone who needs a series by her own. Essentially Lucinda Riley’s historical fiction always carries a thread of mystery intertwined thru its story, the few books I have read had a dual timeline narrative added to the bargain providing a new dimension to the unraveling of the family dynamics at the end.
Then a particularly grim discovery at the school makes this the most challenging murder investigation of her career. Because Fleat House hides secrets darker than even Jazz could ever have imagined… Mum was hugely proud of this project. It is the only crime novel she ever wrote, but loyal readers will instantly recognise her unrivalled ability to capture a sense of place. I’m sure it will interest you to know that, at the time of writing, my family lived in the vast, mysterious landscape in which the story is set. What’s more, the Norfolk school featured in the book was heavily inspired by the one which we, her own children, attended. Thankfully, I can confirm that nothing so dramatic actually took place in the corridors of the boarding houses. As Jazz begins to probe the circumstances surrounding Charlie’s death, more bodies start to pile up. Jazz is a great character, and it saddens me to think she may not have more books. I love the multiple shades in her arc.
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