Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering (Review)

Series: Drew Fathering Mystery #1
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Bethany House
Released: August 1, 2013
328 pages

About the Book:

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. When a weekend party at Farthering Place is ruined by murder and the police seem flummoxed, Drew decides to look into the crime himself. With the help of his best friend, Nick Dennison, an avid mystery reader, and Madeline Parker, a beautiful and whip-smart American debutante staying as a guest, the three try to solve the mystery as a lark, using the methods from their favorite novels.

Soon, financial irregularities at Drew’s stepfather’s company come to light and it’s clear that all who remain at Farthering Place could be in danger. 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.

 

My Rating & Thoughts:    ⭐⭐⭐

This story took me a while to get into, and I never did fully figure out the year it is set. Drew Farthering is in his 20s and grew up wealthy and inherited his father's share of a company. His mother and stepfather (who is a partner in the company) live on the estate. Story opens with Drew and Nick returning home after being away to discover his mother is hosting a weekend party and his stepfather's niece, Madeline, is visiting from America with a couple of friends. A murder happens during the party, and the police are called, but Drew, Nick, and Madeline begin investigating on their own. Over the course of the initial investigation, a few more deaths happen, and some strange events are occurring. I loved that Drew and Nick were close friends even though they were considered to be in different class statuses. Drew comes from a wealthy family, and Nick was the son of the butler. I also enjoyed the interaction of Drew and Madeline, but I struggled with the romance between them. As the story progressed, I was suspicious of a few characters, and while my thoughts may have been right about one, I never fully figured out who was responsible and what really happened. I am interested in continuing the series to see what happens with Drew and Nick.

(I purchased my copy of this book; opinions expressed 

in this review are my honest opinion and completely my own.)