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A Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery #7
Death on a Winter Stroll
No-nonsense Nantucket detective Merry Folger grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and two murders as the island is overtaken by Hollywood stars and DC suits.
Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket’s favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island’s spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.
The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary’s troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land, where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.
Now, it’s up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?
This latest installment in critically acclaimed author Francine Mathews’s Merry Folger series is an immersive escape to festive Nantucket, a poignant exploration of grief as a result of parental absence, and a delicious new mystery to keep you guessing.
Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket’s favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island’s spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.
The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary’s troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land, where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.
Now, it’s up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?
This latest installment in critically acclaimed author Francine Mathews’s Merry Folger series is an immersive escape to festive Nantucket, a poignant exploration of grief as a result of parental absence, and a delicious new mystery to keep you guessing.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2022
About the author
Francine Mathews
23 books306 followersFrancine Mathews was born in Binghamton, NY in 1963, the last of six girls. Her father was a retired general in the Air Force, her mother a beautiful woman who loved to dance. The family spent their summers on Cape Cod, where two of the Barron girls now live with their families; Francine's passion for Nantucket and the New England shoreline dates from her earliest memories. She grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School, a two hundred year-old Catholic school for girls that shares a wall with Georgetown University. Her father died of a heart attack during her freshman year.
In 1981, she started college at Princeton – one of the most formative experiences of her life. There she fenced for the club varsity team and learned to write news stories for The Daily Princetonian – a hobby that led to two part-time jobs as a journalist for The Miami Herald and The San Jose Mercury News. Francine majored in European History, studying Napoleonic France, and won an Arthur W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities in her senior year. But the course she remembers most vividly from her time at Princeton is "The Literature of Fact," taught by John McPhee, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and staff writer for The New Yorker. John influenced Francine's writing more than even she knows and certainly more than she is able to say.
Francine spent three years at Stanford pursuing a doctorate in history; she failed to write her dissertation (on the Brazilian Bar Association under authoritarianism; can you blame her?) and left with a Masters. She applied to the CIA, spent a year temping in Northern Virginia while the FBI asked inconvenient questions of everyone she had ever known, passed a polygraph test on her twenty-sixth birthday, and was immediately thrown into the Career Trainee program: Boot Camp for the Agency's Best and Brightest. Four years as an intelligence analyst at the CIA were profoundly fulfilling, the highlights being Francine's work on the Counter terrorism Center's investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, and sleeping on a horsehair mattress in a Spectre-era casino in the middle of Bratislava.
Another peak moment was her chance to debrief ex-President George Bush in Houston in 1993. But what she remembers most about the place are the extraordinary intelligence and dedication of most of the staff – many of them women – many of whom cannot be named.
She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Fifteen books have followed, along with sundry children, dogs, and houses. When she's not writing, she likes to ski, garden, needlepoint, and buy art.
In 1981, she started college at Princeton – one of the most formative experiences of her life. There she fenced for the club varsity team and learned to write news stories for The Daily Princetonian – a hobby that led to two part-time jobs as a journalist for The Miami Herald and The San Jose Mercury News. Francine majored in European History, studying Napoleonic France, and won an Arthur W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities in her senior year. But the course she remembers most vividly from her time at Princeton is "The Literature of Fact," taught by John McPhee, the Pulitzer Prize winning author and staff writer for The New Yorker. John influenced Francine's writing more than even she knows and certainly more than she is able to say.
Francine spent three years at Stanford pursuing a doctorate in history; she failed to write her dissertation (on the Brazilian Bar Association under authoritarianism; can you blame her?) and left with a Masters. She applied to the CIA, spent a year temping in Northern Virginia while the FBI asked inconvenient questions of everyone she had ever known, passed a polygraph test on her twenty-sixth birthday, and was immediately thrown into the Career Trainee program: Boot Camp for the Agency's Best and Brightest. Four years as an intelligence analyst at the CIA were profoundly fulfilling, the highlights being Francine's work on the Counter terrorism Center's investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988, and sleeping on a horsehair mattress in a Spectre-era casino in the middle of Bratislava.
Another peak moment was her chance to debrief ex-President George Bush in Houston in 1993. But what she remembers most about the place are the extraordinary intelligence and dedication of most of the staff – many of them women – many of whom cannot be named.
She wrote her first book in 1992 and left the Agency a year later. Fifteen books have followed, along with sundry children, dogs, and houses. When she's not writing, she likes to ski, garden, needlepoint, and buy art.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
November 26, 2022
Police Chief Merry Folger’s life and work on Nantucket is anything but quiet. Her town, like everywhere around the world, is bouncing back from the pandemic, and they are not quite prepared for the newest influx of island visitors.
Not only is there a large crowd from Hollywood filming on the island, the U. S. Secretary of State and his wife and difficult stepson are there as well. Quarantine wasn’t easy, and with all the new people suddenly flocking to the island, permanent residents are not happy. To really complicate things, the female lead in the Hollywood production is murdered.
Merry’s job of discovering the murderer is not easy, as the list of suspects is long. Howie Seitz, one of Merry’s detectives, is leading the investigation, leaving Merry to another matter. When a woman is found dead who had been living in what was thought to be an abandoned house, Merry is determined to find out who she was and how she came to be living in the house. More than that, her manner of death is concerning to Merry.
Although this is the seventh book in a series, I had not read the previous titles. Although it took a few pages to get to know Merry, the story flowed easily from there. Along with Merry and Howie as excellent protagonists, I enjoyed the two younger people in the story as well. They were the murdered lady’s son Ansel and Winter, the daughter of the lead actor in the production. They had deeper problems that were explored in this mystery, all while the investigations into the two deaths that were likely connected went on. Factoring in the effects COVID-19 had on so many lives gave another layer to this story.
This intriguing story definitely caught my attention as it was well executed as well as entertaining and left me guessing. I definitely am looking forward to book eight in the series, as well as finding time to read the previous titles.
Many thanks to Soho Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/seSU0jMq_Kc
Not only is there a large crowd from Hollywood filming on the island, the U. S. Secretary of State and his wife and difficult stepson are there as well. Quarantine wasn’t easy, and with all the new people suddenly flocking to the island, permanent residents are not happy. To really complicate things, the female lead in the Hollywood production is murdered.
Merry’s job of discovering the murderer is not easy, as the list of suspects is long. Howie Seitz, one of Merry’s detectives, is leading the investigation, leaving Merry to another matter. When a woman is found dead who had been living in what was thought to be an abandoned house, Merry is determined to find out who she was and how she came to be living in the house. More than that, her manner of death is concerning to Merry.
Although this is the seventh book in a series, I had not read the previous titles. Although it took a few pages to get to know Merry, the story flowed easily from there. Along with Merry and Howie as excellent protagonists, I enjoyed the two younger people in the story as well. They were the murdered lady’s son Ansel and Winter, the daughter of the lead actor in the production. They had deeper problems that were explored in this mystery, all while the investigations into the two deaths that were likely connected went on. Factoring in the effects COVID-19 had on so many lives gave another layer to this story.
This intriguing story definitely caught my attention as it was well executed as well as entertaining and left me guessing. I definitely am looking forward to book eight in the series, as well as finding time to read the previous titles.
Many thanks to Soho Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/seSU0jMq_Kc
December 28, 2022
There’s always a little thrill of excitement that courses through me when I pick up a new to me series by an author with whom I’m happily familiar. Francine Mathews writes the clever and engaging historical Jane Austen Mysteries and I have long planned to pick up her contemporary Merry Folger Nantucket mysteries. With the added incentive of wintry holiday festivities as backdrop for a murder investigation, I got under my throw beside a cozy fire and let the book take me on the Winter Stroll and into a diverting mystery.
First Sentence from Prologue: Plague Winter
“It was sleeting and nearly dark when the woman reached the overgrown turnoff to the house.”
Meet the Players
The Covid 19 pandemic shut down has just lifted and people are returning to their traditions including the new president who came to Nantucket for his holiday and now insists his new Secretary of State show she’s big on family togetherness and comfortable in her role so Janet McKay and her entourage including husband Ron, his son, Ansel, and her assistant, Micheline, land on Nantucket with gritted smiles and forced togetherness with this career woman prepared to show a good face as a family woman come home for the holidays. Ron will help, but Ance’s oddities have her a little nervous. Ominously, she thinks:
“A few days of cheer. Of family and relaxation. She would have to survive them somehow.” p. 15
At the same time, Hollywood A list action star, Chris Candler and his gorgeous daughter, Winter, arrive on Nantucket to join wealthy backer, Vic Sonnenfield and his wife, Carly who is making a police procedural series starring Chris, and the newly arrived Marni LeGuin with her dresser, Theo. Chris’ wife recently committed suicide and he hopes this trip will help Winter because he can tell that even with the therapy for her eating disorder, something else has her troubled. Undercurrents are already flowing viciously as the players eye their nearest and dearest as well as the rest of the actors and staff.
“And not to fret. If Vic tries anything in the night, I’ll kill him, shall I?” Marni’s stomach swooped to her knees. What did Theo know?” p. 22
Not far away a reclusive bird enthusiast, photographer, and Instagram influencer is living on a derelict property biding her time photographing the local fauna while seeming to be waiting for something to happen.
Festive Stroll and VIP Visitors Intersect
“Every third person in the crowd—and there were about ten thousand people in town jockeying for the best viewing spots—was dressed in ways bizarre or wonderful. The color and noise and exuberance were thrilling after the cheerless quarantine holidays, and Merry was grinning helplessly…The Town Crier hailed the boat, Santa waved, horns blared, the drum corps drummed. Merry and Peter and John whooped along with everyone else” p. 70-71
Ansel and Winter, meeting and hitting it off, sharing burdens and therapy, were a bright spot in the murky landscape of murder that appeared about halfway into the book after all the character intros and murder plot set up occurred in a montage of shifting points of view.
“Ansel swallowed. ‘I don’t know why I said that. It may not even be true. My dad’s lied to me a lot.’ ‘My dad doesn’t,’ she said simply. ‘That’s why I love him. But yours told you your mother was dead?’ He nodded” p. 76
Death Drops in for the Holidays
Sheriff Merry Folger and, particularly her husband Peter, share the spotlight with newly-made detective, Howie Seitz. When the first death is reported, Merry gives the case to Howie and steps in to tag team with him when the Secretary of State’s party start throwing their status around and then the second death is discovered soon after with too much coincidence for them not to think the deaths are connected.
Like a tried and true detective mystery, Merry and Howie interview the witnesses, sift evidence, catch some discrepancies or out and out lies and go back to the group of witnesses and suspects to edge steadily closer to the truth. There were almost as many motives and opportunities as characters.
Francine Mathews made the characters and their situations, even the unlikeable characters, personable so I was able to connect with the story. I liked how there were several surprises in the plot twists, but also in some characters that I didn’t necessarily like in the beginning. The big money moment had me flipping pages rapidly hoping Merry and Howie would figure it out in time and the denouement brought it to a satisfactory end.
Strolling Away Satisfied
And, so, my first venture into the Merry Folger series was filled with layered, complex characters, a well-drawn Nantucket holiday time backdrop rich in local culture and tradition, seated in a clear-eyed contemporary Covid environment down to the protocol, worries and loss attached to the pandemic, a solid murder mystery plot and good detective work building steadily to a smashing finish. Easy, entertaining, and engaging from cover to cover. Do yourself a solid and get it on Santa’s list.
I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley and a finished copy via Soho Crime to read in exchange for an honest review.
My full review will post at Austenprose on Dec 19th.
First Sentence from Prologue: Plague Winter
“It was sleeting and nearly dark when the woman reached the overgrown turnoff to the house.”
Meet the Players
The Covid 19 pandemic shut down has just lifted and people are returning to their traditions including the new president who came to Nantucket for his holiday and now insists his new Secretary of State show she’s big on family togetherness and comfortable in her role so Janet McKay and her entourage including husband Ron, his son, Ansel, and her assistant, Micheline, land on Nantucket with gritted smiles and forced togetherness with this career woman prepared to show a good face as a family woman come home for the holidays. Ron will help, but Ance’s oddities have her a little nervous. Ominously, she thinks:
“A few days of cheer. Of family and relaxation. She would have to survive them somehow.” p. 15
At the same time, Hollywood A list action star, Chris Candler and his gorgeous daughter, Winter, arrive on Nantucket to join wealthy backer, Vic Sonnenfield and his wife, Carly who is making a police procedural series starring Chris, and the newly arrived Marni LeGuin with her dresser, Theo. Chris’ wife recently committed suicide and he hopes this trip will help Winter because he can tell that even with the therapy for her eating disorder, something else has her troubled. Undercurrents are already flowing viciously as the players eye their nearest and dearest as well as the rest of the actors and staff.
“And not to fret. If Vic tries anything in the night, I’ll kill him, shall I?” Marni’s stomach swooped to her knees. What did Theo know?” p. 22
Not far away a reclusive bird enthusiast, photographer, and Instagram influencer is living on a derelict property biding her time photographing the local fauna while seeming to be waiting for something to happen.
Festive Stroll and VIP Visitors Intersect
“Every third person in the crowd—and there were about ten thousand people in town jockeying for the best viewing spots—was dressed in ways bizarre or wonderful. The color and noise and exuberance were thrilling after the cheerless quarantine holidays, and Merry was grinning helplessly…The Town Crier hailed the boat, Santa waved, horns blared, the drum corps drummed. Merry and Peter and John whooped along with everyone else” p. 70-71
Ansel and Winter, meeting and hitting it off, sharing burdens and therapy, were a bright spot in the murky landscape of murder that appeared about halfway into the book after all the character intros and murder plot set up occurred in a montage of shifting points of view.
“Ansel swallowed. ‘I don’t know why I said that. It may not even be true. My dad’s lied to me a lot.’ ‘My dad doesn’t,’ she said simply. ‘That’s why I love him. But yours told you your mother was dead?’ He nodded” p. 76
Death Drops in for the Holidays
Sheriff Merry Folger and, particularly her husband Peter, share the spotlight with newly-made detective, Howie Seitz. When the first death is reported, Merry gives the case to Howie and steps in to tag team with him when the Secretary of State’s party start throwing their status around and then the second death is discovered soon after with too much coincidence for them not to think the deaths are connected.
Like a tried and true detective mystery, Merry and Howie interview the witnesses, sift evidence, catch some discrepancies or out and out lies and go back to the group of witnesses and suspects to edge steadily closer to the truth. There were almost as many motives and opportunities as characters.
Francine Mathews made the characters and their situations, even the unlikeable characters, personable so I was able to connect with the story. I liked how there were several surprises in the plot twists, but also in some characters that I didn’t necessarily like in the beginning. The big money moment had me flipping pages rapidly hoping Merry and Howie would figure it out in time and the denouement brought it to a satisfactory end.
Strolling Away Satisfied
And, so, my first venture into the Merry Folger series was filled with layered, complex characters, a well-drawn Nantucket holiday time backdrop rich in local culture and tradition, seated in a clear-eyed contemporary Covid environment down to the protocol, worries and loss attached to the pandemic, a solid murder mystery plot and good detective work building steadily to a smashing finish. Easy, entertaining, and engaging from cover to cover. Do yourself a solid and get it on Santa’s list.
I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley and a finished copy via Soho Crime to read in exchange for an honest review.
My full review will post at Austenprose on Dec 19th.
October 28, 2022
I so needed the respite this taut mystery gave me, set during the first Winter Stroll on Nantucket post-COVID.
Mathews knows how to write characters you love or loathe, narratives that grip, and mysteries you can't figure out no matter how many clever clues are revealed.
I loved Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger, her confident manner in dealing with the U.S. Secretary of State visiting the island, and a bunch of Hollywooders filming there. My fav duo, however, are the Secretary's colorful stepson, Ansel, and a well-known actor's beautiful daughter, Winter, who become close as the complicated mystery is unraveled.
This is Book 7 in the beloved Merry Folger series, my first and definitely not my last! I'd love to see Book 8 include further adventures of the young duo as Merry deals with the next Nantucket mystery that brings the island alive. Highly recommended!
Mathews knows how to write characters you love or loathe, narratives that grip, and mysteries you can't figure out no matter how many clever clues are revealed.
I loved Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger, her confident manner in dealing with the U.S. Secretary of State visiting the island, and a bunch of Hollywooders filming there. My fav duo, however, are the Secretary's colorful stepson, Ansel, and a well-known actor's beautiful daughter, Winter, who become close as the complicated mystery is unraveled.
This is Book 7 in the beloved Merry Folger series, my first and definitely not my last! I'd love to see Book 8 include further adventures of the young duo as Merry deals with the next Nantucket mystery that brings the island alive. Highly recommended!
November 24, 2022
Death on a Winter Stroll by Francine Mathews has all the ingredients for a great mystery. This is the seventh book in A Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery Book Series. The book contains politics, Hollywood and of course murder.
The main protagonists are Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger and her sidekick Detective Howie Seitz. The plot is of course a murder mystery involving a woman, artist Blyth Fitzpatrick, who has come back to Nantucket, no one knows she is there except her estranged son, Ansel, finds her. She is an artist who because she is dying has come back just to be defiant against her ex-husband, The house she came back to had actually been in her family, but her ex decided to take it from her in their divorce and let it go into ruin. When she is murdered, the suspects include her ex and son.
A lead actress who along with her fellow actors are on Nantucket to film a tv show. Lots of people could want her dead and it is up to Chief Merry and Howie to find the murderer. There are a lot of tourists there as it is the time of year for the Winter Stroll, a time before the holidays that is very popular on Nantucket where the streets are festive in preparation for the holidays.
When the husband of the producer of the tv series goes missing and found murdered, Merry and Howie now have to figure out the connection of the three dead people. Two of them were killed in the same manner, shot with a shotgun. It becomes apparent that the people involved are good at keeping secrets.
This is a character driven novel, in that the reader learns about all the Hollywood people, the US Secretary of State, who is the wife of the ex-husband of one of the victims. They each have their own story to tell. Some readers may object to the language in the book, I did not think it was enough to deter me from reading the book. It is a part of life, people swear. There are a few triggers that may offend or upset some readers. Those being drug abuse, eating disorders, suicide.
That said, I really enjoyed this book. I had had trouble getting the book on my Kindle but once I did, I had to read it. I love a good murder mystery, I liked most of the characters and it was a pretty fast read. I think if you are a fan of Francine Mathews, then you really need to read this installment. This is the first I have actually read by this author so I will definitely be reading more.
I give it 5 stars!
I received a copy of the book for review purposes.
December 12, 2022
Nantucket, Massachusetts has a yearly tradition called Winter Stroll. It’s kind of the start to their Christmas season. There’s even a parade that welcomes in Santa! It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year! This year, however, two people are found murdered during Winter Stroll. Police Chief Merry Folger and Detective Howie Seitz try to piece together the events of the previous few days to find the murderer. It’s proving difficult, though, with the Secretary of State visiting and a movie production crew shooting a movie in town.
It has been a while since I’ve read a great murder mystery, so I was super excited to read this book. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I had some ideas on how it might play out, but it kept me guessing until the end. Ms. Mathews’ writing sucked me in and kept me turning pages.
I liked the character development in this book. Ms. Mathews did a good job making each character unique and authentic. Each character has a unique voice and has strengths and weaknesses, which allows him or her to feel more realistic. One thing I struggled with was keeping track so many characters.
Ms. Mathews skillfully described and detailed the setting of the story in Nantucket, Massachusetts. I felt as if I were there, walking the streets during the Winter Stroll celebration. I could feel the brisk cold and the excitement in the air.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Death on a Winter Stroll! It was the perfect winter, read by the fire, cuddled in my Minky book. It’s rated R, recommended for 18 years old and up, and I gave it 4/5 stars. You may read my full review on my book blog: thereadathon.com.
It has been a while since I’ve read a great murder mystery, so I was super excited to read this book. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! I had some ideas on how it might play out, but it kept me guessing until the end. Ms. Mathews’ writing sucked me in and kept me turning pages.
I liked the character development in this book. Ms. Mathews did a good job making each character unique and authentic. Each character has a unique voice and has strengths and weaknesses, which allows him or her to feel more realistic. One thing I struggled with was keeping track so many characters.
Ms. Mathews skillfully described and detailed the setting of the story in Nantucket, Massachusetts. I felt as if I were there, walking the streets during the Winter Stroll celebration. I could feel the brisk cold and the excitement in the air.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Death on a Winter Stroll! It was the perfect winter, read by the fire, cuddled in my Minky book. It’s rated R, recommended for 18 years old and up, and I gave it 4/5 stars. You may read my full review on my book blog: thereadathon.com.
January 28, 2023
Discovering a new author with a string of books in a series is a treat for me; if I'm drawn in, I know I have weeks of good reading ahead of me. Francine Mathews, former CIA analyst and prolific author, has now written seven mysteries in this Nantucket series featuring Merry Folger, now the police chief in Nantucket. This novel builds around the Christmas Stroll, a long tradition on the island, and tourists and islanders alike emerging from the pandemic.
Washington politicians and Hollywood actors and film makers find themselves thrown together with two murders; privilege and money offer little protection as Folger and her team investigate. The reader has been introduced to the intrigue and bitterness, secrets and addiction, of the rather large group assembled to film, housed on a private estate, and the Secretary of State and her family looking for a weekend getaway. A plausible suspect eluded me until the author clued me in, a few characters I was cheering on, and a satisfying ending to a well written book.
Washington politicians and Hollywood actors and film makers find themselves thrown together with two murders; privilege and money offer little protection as Folger and her team investigate. The reader has been introduced to the intrigue and bitterness, secrets and addiction, of the rather large group assembled to film, housed on a private estate, and the Secretary of State and her family looking for a weekend getaway. A plausible suspect eluded me until the author clued me in, a few characters I was cheering on, and a satisfying ending to a well written book.
October 18, 2022
Another great episode in the Merry Folger series. I am glad to see that Merry is able to delegate a little, but I wanted more scenes with Peter and friends. Maybe in the next book I will get my wish. Because I will absolutely read the next book.
February 5, 2023
Great first read of this author. Will definitely read the others in the series. Beautiful setting of Nantucket with great mystery writing
December 27, 2022
Lots of interesting characters (almost too many), a lovely setting at Christmas time in Nantucket, two similar murders, but who had a motive to kill both of the victims? Good inclusion of the Covid pandemic.
January 21, 2024
This was a new to me author and I discovered that this book is part of the Merry Folger Nantucket series. Merry Folger is the police chief of Nantucket and the local residents are excited that the annual Christmas Stroll is returning after Covid. Merry is busy with the event which draws a big crowd including the Secretary of State. There is also a big tv production crew in town. Within each group, there are some secrets going around but everything is relatively calm until a dead body shows up. Merry begins the investigation and then another dead body appears. The two seem related- but how. Merry and Detective Seitz rush to find the killer and make sure the Stroll goes on.
November 17, 2022
Politics, celebrity and murder overshadow the festive atmosphere on Nantucket in this latest book in the Merry Folger mystery series. Nantucket is hosting its first annual Winter Stroll post COVID. Among those on the island for the festivities are the U.S. Secretary of State, her brash and imposing husband and his troubled son, who the Secretary considers an embarrassment to her public image. There is also the cast and crew of a TV series that is filming on the island and who are staying at the multi-million-dollar compound of a somewhat reclusive tech developer.
Chief of Police Merry Folger and Detective Howie Seitz don’t know what to think when the body of a photographer, dead from a shotgun wound, is found behind a dilapidated and thought to be abandoned house near a wildlife refuge. Perhaps the death might be the result of an accidental shooting by a hunter. But when a second body with a shotgun wound is found in the refuge, Folger and Seitz know they are dealing with a double homicide. As Merry and Howie investigate the murders, they realize there must be a connection between both the Secretary’s family and the people involved in the film production. They just need the evidence to tie the two murders together and find the killer before they can get off the island.
Mathews is a very descriptive writer. The atmospherically drawn island itself, complete with cobbled streets and lit Christmas tree on a boat in the harbor, is as much a character in the book as the interesting and complex people who inhabit it. Like a locked room mystery, but set on the beautiful island of Nantucket, the reader is challenged to discover the motive and murderer from amongst the locals and visitors there for the Winter Stroll. I would highly recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers. I would like to thank the publishers Soho Press, Inc./Penguin Random House and Goodreads for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Politics, celebrity and murder overshadow the festive atmosphere on Nantucket in this latest book in the Merry Folger mystery series. Nantucket is hosting its first annual Winter Stroll post COVID. Among those on the island for the festivities are the U.S. Secretary of State, her brash and imposing husband and his troubled son, who the Secretary considers an embarrassment to her public image. There is also the cast and crew of a TV series that is filming on the island and who are staying at the multi-million-dollar compound of a somewhat reclusive tech developer.
Chief of Police Merry Folger and Detective Howie Seitz don’t know what to think when the body of a photographer, dead from a shotgun wound, is found behind a dilapidated and thought to be abandoned house near a wildlife refuge. Perhaps the death might be the result of an accidental shooting by a hunter. But when a second body with a shotgun wound is found in the refuge, Folger and Seitz know they are dealing with a double homicide. As Merry and Howie investigate the murders, they realize there must be a connection between both the Secretary’s family and the people involved in the film production. They just need the evidence to tie the two murders together and find the killer before they can get off the island.
Mathews is a very descriptive writer. The atmospherically drawn island itself, complete with cobbled streets and lit Christmas tree on a boat in the harbor, is as much a character in the book as the interesting and complex people who inhabit it. Like a locked room mystery, but set on the beautiful island of Nantucket, the reader is challenged to discover the motive and murderer from amongst the locals and visitors there for the Winter Stroll. I would highly recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers. I would like to thank the publishers Soho Press, Inc./Penguin Random House and Goodreads for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Chief of Police Merry Folger and Detective Howie Seitz don’t know what to think when the body of a photographer, dead from a shotgun wound, is found behind a dilapidated and thought to be abandoned house near a wildlife refuge. Perhaps the death might be the result of an accidental shooting by a hunter. But when a second body with a shotgun wound is found in the refuge, Folger and Seitz know they are dealing with a double homicide. As Merry and Howie investigate the murders, they realize there must be a connection between both the Secretary’s family and the people involved in the film production. They just need the evidence to tie the two murders together and find the killer before they can get off the island.
Mathews is a very descriptive writer. The atmospherically drawn island itself, complete with cobbled streets and lit Christmas tree on a boat in the harbor, is as much a character in the book as the interesting and complex people who inhabit it. Like a locked room mystery, but set on the beautiful island of Nantucket, the reader is challenged to discover the motive and murderer from amongst the locals and visitors there for the Winter Stroll. I would highly recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers. I would like to thank the publishers Soho Press, Inc./Penguin Random House and Goodreads for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Politics, celebrity and murder overshadow the festive atmosphere on Nantucket in this latest book in the Merry Folger mystery series. Nantucket is hosting its first annual Winter Stroll post COVID. Among those on the island for the festivities are the U.S. Secretary of State, her brash and imposing husband and his troubled son, who the Secretary considers an embarrassment to her public image. There is also the cast and crew of a TV series that is filming on the island and who are staying at the multi-million-dollar compound of a somewhat reclusive tech developer.
Chief of Police Merry Folger and Detective Howie Seitz don’t know what to think when the body of a photographer, dead from a shotgun wound, is found behind a dilapidated and thought to be abandoned house near a wildlife refuge. Perhaps the death might be the result of an accidental shooting by a hunter. But when a second body with a shotgun wound is found in the refuge, Folger and Seitz know they are dealing with a double homicide. As Merry and Howie investigate the murders, they realize there must be a connection between both the Secretary’s family and the people involved in the film production. They just need the evidence to tie the two murders together and find the killer before they can get off the island.
Mathews is a very descriptive writer. The atmospherically drawn island itself, complete with cobbled streets and lit Christmas tree on a boat in the harbor, is as much a character in the book as the interesting and complex people who inhabit it. Like a locked room mystery, but set on the beautiful island of Nantucket, the reader is challenged to discover the motive and murderer from amongst the locals and visitors there for the Winter Stroll. I would highly recommend this book to my friends and fellow readers. I would like to thank the publishers Soho Press, Inc./Penguin Random House and Goodreads for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 18, 2022
The Nantucket Stroll sounds like a lovely holiday tradition. Setting this mystery at the time of the 2021 Stroll, just after the President’s own traditional visit with his family, the first visit and first ‘regular’ Stroll as everyone hopes the worst of COVID has passed grounds the mystery into the here and and the now.
(No, the President, whose identity is screamingly obvious – and also quite real as he and his family did visit Nantucket for the 2021 Stroll and do have a family tradition of attending – is not an actual part of this story. But the Secretary of State, who is very much and very obviously fictional – certainly does.)
After the President and his Secret Service detail leave the island, Police Chief Folger faces not one but two invasions. There’s the Secretary of State, her husband, his restless, shiftless adult child of a son, the Secretary’s security detail, her staff, her childhood on the island and her husband’s big ego and bad memories of the place.
Pretending that they are on the island for a happy family vacation is just a bit of a stretch.
Then there’s the even bigger incursion from Hollywood filming a direct-to-streaming TV series on the sprawling estate of THE local tech billionaire. Between the director, the co-stars, the producer and chief financial backer and all the other members of the cast and crew – not to mention their egos and outsized personalities, the horde at the property known as Ingrid’s Gift is even bigger than the gang that SecState brought home with her.
Not that all is exactly well in either of the invading “armies” but their problems are not Merry’s problem – at least not until the first dead body turns up, with links to more of the visitors in both parties than could possibly be explained by the long arm of coincidence.
Which Police Chief Folger, being a very good cop, does not believe in. At all.
Escape Rating A+: In spite of its small-town setting, Death on a Winter Stroll is not a cozy mystery, even though it’s a setup that could easily lend itself to one. But Merry Folger isn’t a cozy sort of person – and I like her a lot for that – and the murders she has to solve, at least in this outing – are far, far from cozy. Not so much the murders themselves – as cozies manage to cozy up all sorts of ways that people shuffle off this mortal buffalo. But the motives for these murders and the slime that is revealed in their investigation are simply not the stuff of which cozies are made.
But if you like your murder mysteries seasoned with the nitty-gritty of real life and real people – even really disgusting people – Death on a Winter Stroll is absolutely excellent. And Merry Folger is a terrific avatar for competence porn. She’s very human – not superhuman – but she’s extremely good at her job and not afraid to display it – especially to people who think she’s less-than because she’s relatively young, because she’s a woman, because she’s a small-town police chief and not a big city cop or federal agent – or just because they’re assholes used to throwing around their power and privilege.
Death on a Winter Stroll turned out to be a one-sitting read for me, I sunk right into it and didn’t emerge until I was done three hours later. I was completely absorbed in the mystery, the setting and the characters, and didn’t feel like I was missing anything at all, in spite of this book being book SEVEN in an ongoing series that began with Death in the Off-Season. Whether it’s because this is the first post-pandemic book in the series, or whether the author is just that good at keeping things self-contained, I got what I needed about Merry’s past – including the loss of her grandfather to the pandemic – without having read the previous books.
Howsomever, I enjoyed this so damn much that I am planning to get them all. This series has all the hallmarks of an excellent comfort read, and I need more of those. Doesn’t everyone these days?
In addition to liking Merry as a character, and being able to identify with her in all sorts of wonderful ways, I appreciated the way that the mystery in this story worked, and that it dealt with real, important and ugly issues without either sensationalizing them or trivializing them.
One of the things that also made this story work for me is that the red herrings were more than tasty. There was one character who started out in a hole – or at least a whole lot of suspicion – and couldn’t seem to stop digging himself deeper. It would have been an easy solution to make him the murderer – or to have the cops attempt to pin it on him. The actual solution was much more devious and it was great the way the investigation didn’t fall into the trap of zeroing in on the obvious suspect first.
There was both compassion and redemption for a lot of the people who got caught up in the mess. None of the solutions were easy, most of them included a lot of pain and either past or present trauma. But the characters felt real, Merry and her family, friends and colleagues most of all.
In short, I loved this mystery, am so, so glad that I joined this tour and was introduced to this author, and can’t wait until I have the chance to dive into the rest of the series. And I’m utterly gobsmacked that the author also writes the Jane Austen Mysteries as Stephanie Barron. I think I hear my virtually towering TBR pile piling up another turret!
Originally published at Reading Reality
(No, the President, whose identity is screamingly obvious – and also quite real as he and his family did visit Nantucket for the 2021 Stroll and do have a family tradition of attending – is not an actual part of this story. But the Secretary of State, who is very much and very obviously fictional – certainly does.)
After the President and his Secret Service detail leave the island, Police Chief Folger faces not one but two invasions. There’s the Secretary of State, her husband, his restless, shiftless adult child of a son, the Secretary’s security detail, her staff, her childhood on the island and her husband’s big ego and bad memories of the place.
Pretending that they are on the island for a happy family vacation is just a bit of a stretch.
Then there’s the even bigger incursion from Hollywood filming a direct-to-streaming TV series on the sprawling estate of THE local tech billionaire. Between the director, the co-stars, the producer and chief financial backer and all the other members of the cast and crew – not to mention their egos and outsized personalities, the horde at the property known as Ingrid’s Gift is even bigger than the gang that SecState brought home with her.
Not that all is exactly well in either of the invading “armies” but their problems are not Merry’s problem – at least not until the first dead body turns up, with links to more of the visitors in both parties than could possibly be explained by the long arm of coincidence.
Which Police Chief Folger, being a very good cop, does not believe in. At all.
Escape Rating A+: In spite of its small-town setting, Death on a Winter Stroll is not a cozy mystery, even though it’s a setup that could easily lend itself to one. But Merry Folger isn’t a cozy sort of person – and I like her a lot for that – and the murders she has to solve, at least in this outing – are far, far from cozy. Not so much the murders themselves – as cozies manage to cozy up all sorts of ways that people shuffle off this mortal buffalo. But the motives for these murders and the slime that is revealed in their investigation are simply not the stuff of which cozies are made.
But if you like your murder mysteries seasoned with the nitty-gritty of real life and real people – even really disgusting people – Death on a Winter Stroll is absolutely excellent. And Merry Folger is a terrific avatar for competence porn. She’s very human – not superhuman – but she’s extremely good at her job and not afraid to display it – especially to people who think she’s less-than because she’s relatively young, because she’s a woman, because she’s a small-town police chief and not a big city cop or federal agent – or just because they’re assholes used to throwing around their power and privilege.
Death on a Winter Stroll turned out to be a one-sitting read for me, I sunk right into it and didn’t emerge until I was done three hours later. I was completely absorbed in the mystery, the setting and the characters, and didn’t feel like I was missing anything at all, in spite of this book being book SEVEN in an ongoing series that began with Death in the Off-Season. Whether it’s because this is the first post-pandemic book in the series, or whether the author is just that good at keeping things self-contained, I got what I needed about Merry’s past – including the loss of her grandfather to the pandemic – without having read the previous books.
Howsomever, I enjoyed this so damn much that I am planning to get them all. This series has all the hallmarks of an excellent comfort read, and I need more of those. Doesn’t everyone these days?
In addition to liking Merry as a character, and being able to identify with her in all sorts of wonderful ways, I appreciated the way that the mystery in this story worked, and that it dealt with real, important and ugly issues without either sensationalizing them or trivializing them.
One of the things that also made this story work for me is that the red herrings were more than tasty. There was one character who started out in a hole – or at least a whole lot of suspicion – and couldn’t seem to stop digging himself deeper. It would have been an easy solution to make him the murderer – or to have the cops attempt to pin it on him. The actual solution was much more devious and it was great the way the investigation didn’t fall into the trap of zeroing in on the obvious suspect first.
There was both compassion and redemption for a lot of the people who got caught up in the mess. None of the solutions were easy, most of them included a lot of pain and either past or present trauma. But the characters felt real, Merry and her family, friends and colleagues most of all.
In short, I loved this mystery, am so, so glad that I joined this tour and was introduced to this author, and can’t wait until I have the chance to dive into the rest of the series. And I’m utterly gobsmacked that the author also writes the Jane Austen Mysteries as Stephanie Barron. I think I hear my virtually towering TBR pile piling up another turret!
Originally published at Reading Reality
April 7, 2023
The first 120 pages or so were too slow for me. Too much setting up the back story and there were way too many characters to keep track of. But I determined to stick with it. It got better once the first body dropped. Picked up for a bit but I was underwhelmed by the climax. I was attracted to the book because of its location on Nantucket. And Nantucket as a character was wonderful. I think the author should have gone more in-depth with fewer characters.
November 27, 2022
🎄Death on a Winter Stroll 🪦
A Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery Book 7
✒️ Francine Mathews
https://www.facebook.com/francinemathews Release Date 11/01/2022
Publisher Soho Crime
➪ https://a.co/d/ckdSonh
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
No-nonsense Nantucket detective Merry Folger grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and two murders as the island is overtaken by Hollywood stars and DC suits.
Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket’s favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island’s spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.
The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary’s troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land, where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.
Now, it’s up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?
This latest installment in critically acclaimed author Francine Mathews’s Merry Folger series is an immersive escape to festive Nantucket, a poignant exploration of grief as a result of parental absence, and a delicious new mystery to keep you guessing.
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
Can the removal of a villain justify any else wrongdoing …
I confess I had some doubts when I was offered this book to read, I am a historical romance reader first and historical mystery reader second, so a contemporary mystery is no usually on my menu.
Plus this book being the seventh, when reading a mystery series with returning characters, I do like to have some background to hold on them.
So I opened this book with aplenty of questions even before digging into the murder investigation.
So first be prepared for the wide range of characters from the series’s name heroine and her team to the filming crew and then the politician visitors.
In all, it was absolutely what I expected, first the murder only occurs after the first third of the book, and the title’s character is starred like any of the other protagonists, so not knowing much about Merry Folger did not really matter. The few insights offered along the pages were enough to satisfy my curiosity.
As with so many voices, I was quite entertained at following the various relationships unravel, at some friendship coming to fruition or being strengthened, old secrets being aired while threats are launched with masks falling revealing the villains behind them.
The investigation, once all the suspects, their schedules and reasons to want the victims ill, is rather quickly wrapped as the unmasking of the culprit is rapidly done, but it is the marks this affair will put on the lives of people left behind that had me wondering about the future for some of them.
4.5 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 none
I have been granted an advance copy by the author and Austenprose, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CleWwh...
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A Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery Book 7
✒️ Francine Mathews
https://www.facebook.com/francinemathews Release Date 11/01/2022
Publisher Soho Crime
➪ https://a.co/d/ckdSonh
𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯
No-nonsense Nantucket detective Merry Folger grapples with the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and two murders as the island is overtaken by Hollywood stars and DC suits.
Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger is acutely conscious of the stress COVID-19 has placed on the community she loves. Although the island has proved a refuge for many during the pandemic, the cost to Nantucket has been high. Merry hopes that the Christmas Stroll, one of Nantucket’s favorite traditions, in which Main Street is transformed into a winter wonderland, will lift the island’s spirits. But the arrival of a large-scale TV production, and the Secretary of State and her family, complicates matters significantly.
The TV shoot is plagued with problems from within, as a shady, power-hungry producer clashes with strong-willed actors. Across Nantucket, the Secretary’s troubled stepson keeps shaking off his security detail to visit a dilapidated house near conservation land, where an intriguing recluse guards secrets of her own. With all parties overly conscious of spending too much time in the public eye and secrets swirling around both camps, it is difficult to parse what behavior is suspicious or not—until the bodies turn up.
Now, it’s up to Merry and Detective Howie Seitz to find a connection between two seemingly unconnected murders and catch the killer. But when everyone has a motive, and half of the suspects are politicians and actors, how can Merry and Howie tell fact from fiction?
This latest installment in critically acclaimed author Francine Mathews’s Merry Folger series is an immersive escape to festive Nantucket, a poignant exploration of grief as a result of parental absence, and a delicious new mystery to keep you guessing.
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
Can the removal of a villain justify any else wrongdoing …
I confess I had some doubts when I was offered this book to read, I am a historical romance reader first and historical mystery reader second, so a contemporary mystery is no usually on my menu.
Plus this book being the seventh, when reading a mystery series with returning characters, I do like to have some background to hold on them.
So I opened this book with aplenty of questions even before digging into the murder investigation.
So first be prepared for the wide range of characters from the series’s name heroine and her team to the filming crew and then the politician visitors.
In all, it was absolutely what I expected, first the murder only occurs after the first third of the book, and the title’s character is starred like any of the other protagonists, so not knowing much about Merry Folger did not really matter. The few insights offered along the pages were enough to satisfy my curiosity.
As with so many voices, I was quite entertained at following the various relationships unravel, at some friendship coming to fruition or being strengthened, old secrets being aired while threats are launched with masks falling revealing the villains behind them.
The investigation, once all the suspects, their schedules and reasons to want the victims ill, is rather quickly wrapped as the unmasking of the culprit is rapidly done, but it is the marks this affair will put on the lives of people left behind that had me wondering about the future for some of them.
4.5 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 none
I have been granted an advance copy by the author and Austenprose, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CleWwh...
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?stor...
#bookstagram #mystery #coaymystery #romancebookblog #romancebookblogger #bookblog #romanceauthor #bookblogger #2022read #bookstagrammer #bookreview #romancebookreviewer #arcreader #francinemathews #romancestagram #readersofinstagram
October 23, 2022
Confession: this is the first book I’ve read in Mathews’ Merry Folger series, and I very much regret not being up to date. (Something I plan to rectify). What a great read – it reminded me of Jane Haddam’s books, without some of the sardonic edge that Haddam brought to her work. Set on Nantucket, the setting is spectacular, and it’s obviously born of a personal love and knowledge of the area. She describes the social strata of a resort perfectly – the workers who serve the very wealthy who frequent Nantucket exist in a different social sphere. Merry, a native, is a “townie” who grew up on Nantucket and has long family roots on the island. They are there when the dust of the tourist season clears, and the gap between townie and summer visitor is often vast.
The book opens as Nantucket is about to celebrate the “Winter Stroll,” a Christmas event that brings thousands of visitors. The island is crowded with out of towners including the Secretary of State as well as a television crew filming a new prestige streaming show; the actors and the crew are staying at the vast home of a software billionaire. The Secretary of State has arrived with her husband and stepson, a recovering addict named Ansel. The film crew includes two very well known stars; the male star brings his somewhat troubled daughter Winter. Both Winter and Ansel are very carefully monitored by their families, but they still find ways to escape their watchers, and they meet for the first time in a coffee shop in town.
I will say that readers should exert some patience through the first couple chapters, as Mathews takes some time assembling her array of characters and there are many of them. I promise you that sticking with the story will be amply rewarded. Winter and Ansel turn out to be the main focus. They are both fumbling their way back to health (Winter suffers from bulimia) and they find a fundamental mutual understanding. Despite their youth, they are full, rich, fully realized characters.
Two deaths occur, one obvious and one not at all obvious, and the police, led by Merry, must figure out the link between the two seemingly unconnected deaths. The characters and the setting deepen the story. Nantucket is very much front and center, and there’s another major character who is squatting in an abandoned house and works as a photographer. The descriptions of the native birds – and the way the woman feeds them (you must read it!) – make the book more interesting, more specific and more compelling.
Matthews captures the feel of a busy event, the exhaustion of the police chief who has seen the President off the island only to welcome famous Hollywood stars and the Secretary of State, and who must deal with their many problems including deaths that are connected to each group. This is a wonderful read in the best sense of the word. The pages flowed through my fingers almost faster than I could turn them, so captivated was I by Mathews’ depiction of Nantucket, the characters, and the twisty mystery at the center of the book. This book really sparkles.
The book opens as Nantucket is about to celebrate the “Winter Stroll,” a Christmas event that brings thousands of visitors. The island is crowded with out of towners including the Secretary of State as well as a television crew filming a new prestige streaming show; the actors and the crew are staying at the vast home of a software billionaire. The Secretary of State has arrived with her husband and stepson, a recovering addict named Ansel. The film crew includes two very well known stars; the male star brings his somewhat troubled daughter Winter. Both Winter and Ansel are very carefully monitored by their families, but they still find ways to escape their watchers, and they meet for the first time in a coffee shop in town.
I will say that readers should exert some patience through the first couple chapters, as Mathews takes some time assembling her array of characters and there are many of them. I promise you that sticking with the story will be amply rewarded. Winter and Ansel turn out to be the main focus. They are both fumbling their way back to health (Winter suffers from bulimia) and they find a fundamental mutual understanding. Despite their youth, they are full, rich, fully realized characters.
Two deaths occur, one obvious and one not at all obvious, and the police, led by Merry, must figure out the link between the two seemingly unconnected deaths. The characters and the setting deepen the story. Nantucket is very much front and center, and there’s another major character who is squatting in an abandoned house and works as a photographer. The descriptions of the native birds – and the way the woman feeds them (you must read it!) – make the book more interesting, more specific and more compelling.
Matthews captures the feel of a busy event, the exhaustion of the police chief who has seen the President off the island only to welcome famous Hollywood stars and the Secretary of State, and who must deal with their many problems including deaths that are connected to each group. This is a wonderful read in the best sense of the word. The pages flowed through my fingers almost faster than I could turn them, so captivated was I by Mathews’ depiction of Nantucket, the characters, and the twisty mystery at the center of the book. This book really sparkles.
December 16, 2022
What is the last book you read that kept you up too late? Death on a Winter Stroll is a gripping story that definitely kept me up too late on a work night. I was so immersed in the story; I couldn’t put it down until I finished.
Nantucket has a beloved traditional Christmas Stroll. Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger has her hands full with the community coming back for the stroll after the COVID-19 pandemic and also the Secretary of State visiting during this time. There is also a new show being filmed at a Nantucket estate as well. When first one and then two murder victims appear that were killed with the same type of weapon, Chief Folger and new Detective Howie Seitz are on the case. How are the two cases related and who has the motive to want two very different people dead?
The start of this novel had a great build-up. All of the characters were introduced and their various reasons for being on Nantucket. Nantucket itself was vividly described and may now be on my list of places I would love to visit at Christmas. The two characters I found myself intrigued with were Ansel McKay and Winter Candler. Ansel’s stepmother is the Secretary of State. He is a troubled young man that has just gone through rehab and is trying to find his path forward in life. He is able to slip off on his own to finally meet his biological mother. He also meets Winter Candler. Her father is a famous star filming his come back on the island. Winter is struggling with her mother’s suicide and her own eating disorder. She is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. The two young people bond and have a great relationship. I liked that two lonely people were able to make a great connection.
I enjoyed the mystery, and I wasn’t sure myself who the murderer was until the very end. I kept thinking I knew the answer, but I was wrong. I love when I can’t figure out the killer, but that it all does make sense once you know who it is.
Death on a Winter Stroll is the 7th book of the Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery series. This is the first one I have read in the series. It worked as a standalone novel, but I do wonder about the history of Merry Folger and want to read more in the series. I love the Being a Jane Austen mysteries series written by Francine Matthews under the pen name Stephanie Barron.
Review Copy from Soho Crime as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2022...
Nantucket has a beloved traditional Christmas Stroll. Nantucket Police Chief Meredith Folger has her hands full with the community coming back for the stroll after the COVID-19 pandemic and also the Secretary of State visiting during this time. There is also a new show being filmed at a Nantucket estate as well. When first one and then two murder victims appear that were killed with the same type of weapon, Chief Folger and new Detective Howie Seitz are on the case. How are the two cases related and who has the motive to want two very different people dead?
The start of this novel had a great build-up. All of the characters were introduced and their various reasons for being on Nantucket. Nantucket itself was vividly described and may now be on my list of places I would love to visit at Christmas. The two characters I found myself intrigued with were Ansel McKay and Winter Candler. Ansel’s stepmother is the Secretary of State. He is a troubled young man that has just gone through rehab and is trying to find his path forward in life. He is able to slip off on his own to finally meet his biological mother. He also meets Winter Candler. Her father is a famous star filming his come back on the island. Winter is struggling with her mother’s suicide and her own eating disorder. She is trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life. The two young people bond and have a great relationship. I liked that two lonely people were able to make a great connection.
I enjoyed the mystery, and I wasn’t sure myself who the murderer was until the very end. I kept thinking I knew the answer, but I was wrong. I love when I can’t figure out the killer, but that it all does make sense once you know who it is.
Death on a Winter Stroll is the 7th book of the Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery series. This is the first one I have read in the series. It worked as a standalone novel, but I do wonder about the history of Merry Folger and want to read more in the series. I love the Being a Jane Austen mysteries series written by Francine Matthews under the pen name Stephanie Barron.
Review Copy from Soho Crime as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
This review was first posted on my blog at: https://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2022...
November 29, 2022
The latest offering in “A Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery" series, “Death on a Winter Stroll” is a multi-layered intrigue. Bestselling author Francine Mathews ramps up the tension from page one, introducing a large and diverse cast of Hollywood elite, Washington DC power players, and some seemingly lost souls. One murder on posh, historic, and curious Nantucket is unexpected, but two on the isolated island seems as unprecedented as the COVID-19 pandemic the world has only emerged from.
The clues seemed perplexing red herrings, and as Sheriff Merry Folger and new detective Howie Seitz uncover the evidence, I tried to decipher the mystery alongside them.
“She picked up her phone and called a number she memorized years ago, to the summer house of a long-lost friend, who had lived with her grandmother on Hulbert Avenue each July and August. A woman who would never take her calls if they popped up on her secure cellphone—but who might just pick up a landline. Because only people she trusted knew how to call it.”
While some whodunnits often are told through one limited viewpoint, “Death on a Winter Stroll” is seen through many lenses. Of course, I had my favorite characters, ever hopeful they weren’t “the” bad actors, so to speak.
“‘Here I was resenting your spa day,’ she exulted, ‘and all the time you were thinking of me.’
‘I have loved none but you. For you alone I think and plan,’ he proclaimed. ‘Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” Wentworth’s letter. Like you, Poppet, a classic.’” —movie star Marni LeGuin and her dresser, Theo Patel
Yet the more I discovered the intricacies of each character, the less I knew who to trust. Even when the surprising killer was exposed, the inspired and authentic character arcs endured to the satisfying ending.
“His parents wanted him to get a degree; he wanted to paint. The pandemic had made it easy to avoid going back to college, all that remote learning. He realized he’d been acting like Mary Alice: hiding in plain sight, concentrating on what he could see. She used a lens to hyperfocus; he used a brush. Both of them missed what went on outside their careful frames. That felt safe to Ansel. But it wasn’t a life.”
The bold and sophisticated plot of “Death on a Winter Stroll” is skillfully executed—a perfect mystery to settle in with a warm cuppa during the holiday season or the coming winter. As a longtime fan of all Francine Mathews' aka Stephanie Barron's world-building research and deft writing, I expected nothing less.
The clues seemed perplexing red herrings, and as Sheriff Merry Folger and new detective Howie Seitz uncover the evidence, I tried to decipher the mystery alongside them.
“She picked up her phone and called a number she memorized years ago, to the summer house of a long-lost friend, who had lived with her grandmother on Hulbert Avenue each July and August. A woman who would never take her calls if they popped up on her secure cellphone—but who might just pick up a landline. Because only people she trusted knew how to call it.”
While some whodunnits often are told through one limited viewpoint, “Death on a Winter Stroll” is seen through many lenses. Of course, I had my favorite characters, ever hopeful they weren’t “the” bad actors, so to speak.
“‘Here I was resenting your spa day,’ she exulted, ‘and all the time you were thinking of me.’
‘I have loved none but you. For you alone I think and plan,’ he proclaimed. ‘Jane Austen’s “Persuasion” Wentworth’s letter. Like you, Poppet, a classic.’” —movie star Marni LeGuin and her dresser, Theo Patel
Yet the more I discovered the intricacies of each character, the less I knew who to trust. Even when the surprising killer was exposed, the inspired and authentic character arcs endured to the satisfying ending.
“His parents wanted him to get a degree; he wanted to paint. The pandemic had made it easy to avoid going back to college, all that remote learning. He realized he’d been acting like Mary Alice: hiding in plain sight, concentrating on what he could see. She used a lens to hyperfocus; he used a brush. Both of them missed what went on outside their careful frames. That felt safe to Ansel. But it wasn’t a life.”
The bold and sophisticated plot of “Death on a Winter Stroll” is skillfully executed—a perfect mystery to settle in with a warm cuppa during the holiday season or the coming winter. As a longtime fan of all Francine Mathews' aka Stephanie Barron's world-building research and deft writing, I expected nothing less.
Want to read
December 2, 2022Christmas, murder, politics, and Hollywood combine in this contemporary mystery from bestselling author Francine Mathews.
After reading Jane and the Year Without a Summer from the Jane Austen Mystery series (published under the pen name Stephanie Barron), I became a big fan of Francine Mathews.
So even though I don’t read much contemporary detective fiction (except for cozy and romance), I wanted to try Death on a Winter Stroll. It’s book seven in the Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery Series, but it works as a standalone.
Thankfully, the book was a pleasant surprise. While I don’t read the genre regularly, I frequently watch mystery series – from the cozy to the gritty. I love a good intelligent mystery to solve!
This book felt like one of those shows. It has the grit and small-town feel of shows like Broadchurch or Mare of Easttown with numerous suspects. The book also has a fascinating protagonist, detective Merry Folger. There is a hint of romance too.
And with the added appeal of actors, filmmakers, and politicians as characters (and suspects), not to mention Christmas in Nantucket, it’s hard not to enjoy this fast-paced holiday read!
The characters are fleshed out, the prose from Mathews engaging, and the mystery compelling.
Now, I must warn there is some strong language in this book, and it does live in the real pandemic world, so if you’re looking for a complete escape, be aware.
Overall, Death on a Winter Stroll is an exciting, thrilling page-turner full of captivating characters and an intriguing mystery perfect for Christmas.
Content Note: The book is a contemporary read with some strong language, innuendo, and murders – although not graphically depicted. Trigger warnings: A character realistically deals with an eating disorder. And there are descriptions of assault and harassment.
ADAPTATION RECOMMENDATION:
Death on a Winter Stroll would work amazingly as one season of a TV series about the no-nonsense detective, Merry Folger, solving cases. I know I’d watch it!
(Disclosure: I received a free copy from the publisher and Austenprose PR via NetGalley. This book review is my honest opinion.)
After reading Jane and the Year Without a Summer from the Jane Austen Mystery series (published under the pen name Stephanie Barron), I became a big fan of Francine Mathews.
So even though I don’t read much contemporary detective fiction (except for cozy and romance), I wanted to try Death on a Winter Stroll. It’s book seven in the Merry Folger Nantucket Mystery Series, but it works as a standalone.
Thankfully, the book was a pleasant surprise. While I don’t read the genre regularly, I frequently watch mystery series – from the cozy to the gritty. I love a good intelligent mystery to solve!
This book felt like one of those shows. It has the grit and small-town feel of shows like Broadchurch or Mare of Easttown with numerous suspects. The book also has a fascinating protagonist, detective Merry Folger. There is a hint of romance too.
And with the added appeal of actors, filmmakers, and politicians as characters (and suspects), not to mention Christmas in Nantucket, it’s hard not to enjoy this fast-paced holiday read!
The characters are fleshed out, the prose from Mathews engaging, and the mystery compelling.
Now, I must warn there is some strong language in this book, and it does live in the real pandemic world, so if you’re looking for a complete escape, be aware.
Overall, Death on a Winter Stroll is an exciting, thrilling page-turner full of captivating characters and an intriguing mystery perfect for Christmas.
Content Note: The book is a contemporary read with some strong language, innuendo, and murders – although not graphically depicted. Trigger warnings: A character realistically deals with an eating disorder. And there are descriptions of assault and harassment.
ADAPTATION RECOMMENDATION:
Death on a Winter Stroll would work amazingly as one season of a TV series about the no-nonsense detective, Merry Folger, solving cases. I know I’d watch it!
(Disclosure: I received a free copy from the publisher and Austenprose PR via NetGalley. This book review is my honest opinion.)
November 13, 2022
I enjoyed Death on a Winter Stroll by Francine Mathews- my first murder mystery in a post-pandemic Nantucket where Covid-19’s presence is still felt.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion
This is a book in a series featuring no-nonsense detective Merry Folger but I found not having read the other books in the series made no difference in my enjoyment of the book or understanding of Merry and her colleagues' characters.
A range of murder suspects descend on Nantucket for the Christmas stroll including powerful politicians, controlling fathers, Hollywood producers happy to abuse their power, rich tech people, actors, and their young grown-up children. Merry has to navigate carefully to find out who the murderer is while dealing with her own grief. I liked Merry- sensible and patient and her sidekick Howie and their need to balance investigating the murder and not to upset powerful was interesting with bonus points for having a tortured backstory.
The author makes Nantucket a character in its own right with her beautiful description of the environment, the joy of the Christmas Stroll but also the inequalities between the rich visitors and the not well-off permanent residents of the area.
The plot paces along with plenty of motives and revelations. I initially found myself disliking many of the characters, but the author's writing shows them as deeply flawed but human. Despite the deaths and some of the dark themes, the book ends with hope for a few of the characters.
But it is the description of the new and strange world we find ourselves in post covid that particularly caught my interest and it was refreshing to read a book that didn’t dwell on this but didn’t ignore it either.
Content warning
References to alcohol and drug addiction, suicide, sexual assault
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion
This is a book in a series featuring no-nonsense detective Merry Folger but I found not having read the other books in the series made no difference in my enjoyment of the book or understanding of Merry and her colleagues' characters.
A range of murder suspects descend on Nantucket for the Christmas stroll including powerful politicians, controlling fathers, Hollywood producers happy to abuse their power, rich tech people, actors, and their young grown-up children. Merry has to navigate carefully to find out who the murderer is while dealing with her own grief. I liked Merry- sensible and patient and her sidekick Howie and their need to balance investigating the murder and not to upset powerful was interesting with bonus points for having a tortured backstory.
The author makes Nantucket a character in its own right with her beautiful description of the environment, the joy of the Christmas Stroll but also the inequalities between the rich visitors and the not well-off permanent residents of the area.
The plot paces along with plenty of motives and revelations. I initially found myself disliking many of the characters, but the author's writing shows them as deeply flawed but human. Despite the deaths and some of the dark themes, the book ends with hope for a few of the characters.
But it is the description of the new and strange world we find ourselves in post covid that particularly caught my interest and it was refreshing to read a book that didn’t dwell on this but didn’t ignore it either.
Content warning
References to alcohol and drug addiction, suicide, sexual assault
January 3, 2023
SPOILER ALERT
Chief of Police Merry Folger must contend with the Christmas Stroll that brings thousands to Nantucket and this year at the same time the visit of the Secretary of State, Janet Brimhold McKay and her family, and a film crew for a movie being made on the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge.
When the body of Mary Alice Fillmore is found at an abandoned cottage, that is falling down, it is revealed that she if the mother of Ansel, whose father, Ron McKay, is now married to the Secretary of State. She had had a drug problem, and he had agreed to pay for rehab if she agreed to not see her son again. He has hated her and out of spite is letting the cottage fall down. She recovered and became a nationally recognized photographer for National Geographic. Now she is on Nantucket to film birds for a book. While she is taking pictures, she takes one of a person who should not be where he is.
Then Vic Sonnenfeld, the producer of the series is killed. The stars and some crew members are staying at the estate, Ingrid's Gift, of Mike Struna, a tech millionaire who has always loved Carly Sonnenfeld, the director of the film, and wife of Vic. The star of the film, Chris Candler has a daughter, Winter, who is recovering from bulimia. Sonnenfeld is a predator and was hitting on Winter. She is trying to stay away from him and meets Ansel. They begin to meet his mother periodically. Mike kills Vic and Mary Alice because she saw him at the dock near Vic's murder. She did not, however, realize what she had seen.
The suspects seem endless but Merry does figure it out in the end.
Chief of Police Merry Folger must contend with the Christmas Stroll that brings thousands to Nantucket and this year at the same time the visit of the Secretary of State, Janet Brimhold McKay and her family, and a film crew for a movie being made on the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge.
When the body of Mary Alice Fillmore is found at an abandoned cottage, that is falling down, it is revealed that she if the mother of Ansel, whose father, Ron McKay, is now married to the Secretary of State. She had had a drug problem, and he had agreed to pay for rehab if she agreed to not see her son again. He has hated her and out of spite is letting the cottage fall down. She recovered and became a nationally recognized photographer for National Geographic. Now she is on Nantucket to film birds for a book. While she is taking pictures, she takes one of a person who should not be where he is.
Then Vic Sonnenfeld, the producer of the series is killed. The stars and some crew members are staying at the estate, Ingrid's Gift, of Mike Struna, a tech millionaire who has always loved Carly Sonnenfeld, the director of the film, and wife of Vic. The star of the film, Chris Candler has a daughter, Winter, who is recovering from bulimia. Sonnenfeld is a predator and was hitting on Winter. She is trying to stay away from him and meets Ansel. They begin to meet his mother periodically. Mike kills Vic and Mary Alice because she saw him at the dock near Vic's murder. She did not, however, realize what she had seen.
The suspects seem endless but Merry does figure it out in the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2022
It’s the first week of December and the residents of Nantucket are braced for the tourist onslaught that is the Christmas Stroll, three days of festivities centered on Santa’s arrival by boat to the island and the lighting of the town’s Christmas tree. Nantucket’s new police chief, Meredith (Merry) Folger, is readying herself more than most for this season that promises to be “a royal pain in the ass.” Royalty of a sort does show up, with Nantucket hosting a nameless but aviator-sunglasses-wearing U.S. President. But the man who carries a cup of Joe (!) in one hand and a dog-leash in the other is a temporary focus, as we move to two other high-energy households: the U.S. Secretary of State, dragging along her reluctant and wayward stepson, Ansel; and a famous, handsome actor with a film crew and his also-not-thrilled daughter, Winter.
As Winter and Ansel start a tentative romance, their rich-kid obliviousness is tested when a murder gatecrashes Stroll. Finding out who killed the woman in question takes all of Merry’s skills as she navigates the visitors’ bodyguards, testy relationships, and their Very Important Work. Readers, who have a bird’s eye view of most goings on, will cheer for Merry as she cuts through the thickets to bring justice to the victim.
This fast-moving mystery packs in a lot, but never too much, and will work for fans of coming-of-age stories, police procedurals, and romance.—Henrietta Verma
For more reviews of new crime fiction, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, First Clue: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/First...
As Winter and Ansel start a tentative romance, their rich-kid obliviousness is tested when a murder gatecrashes Stroll. Finding out who killed the woman in question takes all of Merry’s skills as she navigates the visitors’ bodyguards, testy relationships, and their Very Important Work. Readers, who have a bird’s eye view of most goings on, will cheer for Merry as she cuts through the thickets to bring justice to the victim.
This fast-moving mystery packs in a lot, but never too much, and will work for fans of coming-of-age stories, police procedurals, and romance.—Henrietta Verma
For more reviews of new crime fiction, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, First Clue: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/First...
November 19, 2022
This was my first book by Francine Mathews and going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The mystery was compelling with plenty of twists and turns and multiple suspects. The setting was unique in that it all takes place on the small island of Nantucket at Christmas time.
While I found the mystery interesting, I just couldn’t get past all the swearing. I can handle a little bit of mild swearing, but I don’t enjoy reading the “F” word frequently. If you don’t mind this, you might like this book. It was also difficult to like many of the characters. You have the two most unlikable groups of people: politicians and Hollywood people. The only bright spots for me were Winter, the daughter of an actor and Ansel, the stepson of the Secretary of State.
The plot basically revolves around two seemingly unrelated murders, both taking place during the busy holiday season on the island. One of the victims is a truly unlikable dirty old man and Hollywood mogul who abuses his power. There are many who might have wanted him dead and the author does a fantastic job setting up the suspects and motivations. The killer was actually a surprise.
While it wasn’t quite my cup of tea, other mystery readers might enjoy this. There are some adult themes in this book that might be triggering for some readers including drug abuse, parental abandonment, eating disorders, sexual abuse, and mentions of suicide. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.
While I found the mystery interesting, I just couldn’t get past all the swearing. I can handle a little bit of mild swearing, but I don’t enjoy reading the “F” word frequently. If you don’t mind this, you might like this book. It was also difficult to like many of the characters. You have the two most unlikable groups of people: politicians and Hollywood people. The only bright spots for me were Winter, the daughter of an actor and Ansel, the stepson of the Secretary of State.
The plot basically revolves around two seemingly unrelated murders, both taking place during the busy holiday season on the island. One of the victims is a truly unlikable dirty old man and Hollywood mogul who abuses his power. There are many who might have wanted him dead and the author does a fantastic job setting up the suspects and motivations. The killer was actually a surprise.
While it wasn’t quite my cup of tea, other mystery readers might enjoy this. There are some adult themes in this book that might be triggering for some readers including drug abuse, parental abandonment, eating disorders, sexual abuse, and mentions of suicide. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.
June 30, 2023
Back when I started reading mysteries to find out why my mother liked them so much, I figured out that there were cozy mysteries and hardboiled mysteries. My mother liked cozies, in which someone you really wanted to be dead is the victim. In the hardboiled, an innocent is killed. There's always a bit of overlap, and Mathews I find overlaps more on the hardboiled side. I was sorry about one of her victims. Structurally, the book set itself up for the majority of it, and unravelled only at the very end, which kept me guessing. It also contained the cruelty of CoVid and other deaths that were not murders. I liked the line "He'd reached the point in grieving her where he could remember the good more often than the bad": spot on. I was astonished at the tradition of "Primitive Firearm" hunting, with muzzle-loaders using gunpowder. What could possibly go wrong! But the best was the perspective of the birdwatcher (are there really whip-poor-wills on the island?) and the scenes with birds were memorable, that of photographing the gannets nothing short of thrilling. "They appeared at 8:37, a great cloud winging in from the east with the sunlight gilding their feathers. The air was filled with high-pitched cries as they circled a hundred yards above Great Point Rip, searching the seas all around her for schools of fish. She pivoted to follow the birds' flight with her camera's eye, resetting her f-stops and snapping the powerful wing thrusts, until the first gannet glimpsed prey and, folding its wings back along its body, torpedoed into the water."
January 14, 2023
This is more of a 3.5 or a 3.66 stars, rounded up. Once the action got going, it was a page turner. But it took for-ev-ERR to actually get to the ACTION!
The first third to nearly the first half of the book is all about introducing characters. The first group is the secretary of state, her husband, his son, and her staff. They are all on Nantucket for a family weekend during Nantucket's Christmas Stroll. The secretary's husband is wound pretty tight.
The second group is a film crew, cast, and production staff from Hollywood on the island to film for a streaming series. The director is married to a man who is drunk with power, enjoys manipulating people, and is the poster man for the women of the "Me Too" movement.
Finally, there is the Nantucket police, now headed by Chief Meredith, "Merry" Folger. Previous books in the series have documented how she moved up from Detective under her father's guidance as Chief (and her grandfather as retired Chief) to gaining this position herself.
Eventually, the author gets around the purpose of the book: one person shows up dead, and not long after that, a second one is found too. Once the mystery begins, this is a top-notch book. However, this author needs to find a way to introduce characters and their storylines faster so she can get to the point.
Recommend
The first third to nearly the first half of the book is all about introducing characters. The first group is the secretary of state, her husband, his son, and her staff. They are all on Nantucket for a family weekend during Nantucket's Christmas Stroll. The secretary's husband is wound pretty tight.
The second group is a film crew, cast, and production staff from Hollywood on the island to film for a streaming series. The director is married to a man who is drunk with power, enjoys manipulating people, and is the poster man for the women of the "Me Too" movement.
Finally, there is the Nantucket police, now headed by Chief Meredith, "Merry" Folger. Previous books in the series have documented how she moved up from Detective under her father's guidance as Chief (and her grandfather as retired Chief) to gaining this position herself.
Eventually, the author gets around the purpose of the book: one person shows up dead, and not long after that, a second one is found too. Once the mystery begins, this is a top-notch book. However, this author needs to find a way to introduce characters and their storylines faster so she can get to the point.
Recommend
December 30, 2022
Winter Stroll is a beloved holiday tradition on Nantucket, but after the strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, Police Chief Merry Folger is acutely aware of both the promise and stress this holiday can bring to an isolated island. This year, Merry is trying to manage the expectations of locals, keep an eye on a Hollywood contingency that has newly arrived, keep track of senior US politicians, and now get to the bottom of mysterious deaths that seems connected to everyone on the island.
This was the perfect read for cold winter weather! I was worried at first that the large number of characters and points of view would confuse me, especially as I haven’t read any of the author’s works previously, but I found it didn’t take long to follow the storyline or the various people and their motivations. Without having ever visited Nantucket, I felt a strong sense of place as the author described the many locations throughout the story. Mathews did an excellent job creating empathetic characters and a mystery that I needed to figure out as quickly as possible!
Thank you to NetGalley, Austen Prose PR, Soho Press, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book!
This was the perfect read for cold winter weather! I was worried at first that the large number of characters and points of view would confuse me, especially as I haven’t read any of the author’s works previously, but I found it didn’t take long to follow the storyline or the various people and their motivations. Without having ever visited Nantucket, I felt a strong sense of place as the author described the many locations throughout the story. Mathews did an excellent job creating empathetic characters and a mystery that I needed to figure out as quickly as possible!
Thank you to NetGalley, Austen Prose PR, Soho Press, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book!
July 21, 2023
I love this series and was delighted when I saw this at the library. A new Merry Folger mystery! Yay!
But... some of the virtues of the other books in the series are here - mainly the atmospheric writing about Nantucket, and a twisty murder mystery, plus some interesting characters - but I found a couple of weaknesses. One is that this felt dashed off and insufficiently edited. I hate when a book neglects logic in the details - for instance, the detectives greet a couple of persons of interest in the murder at the security gate of the posh estate, then in the next paragraph, the same detectives set the same couple in the main house For the First Time! Say, what? It takes me out of the flow of the book as I'm trying to check back, see if I missed anything, etc. It's particularly galling in a mystery, where flow and a well organized presentation of details that may turn out to be important are crucial. But my bigger beef with the book is that there simply isn't enough of Merry Folger and her family and friends and workmates. They're working the case, but they really aren't engaged in the main story, in fact, they just hang out at the edges. So, disappointing...
But... some of the virtues of the other books in the series are here - mainly the atmospheric writing about Nantucket, and a twisty murder mystery, plus some interesting characters - but I found a couple of weaknesses. One is that this felt dashed off and insufficiently edited. I hate when a book neglects logic in the details - for instance, the detectives greet a couple of persons of interest in the murder at the security gate of the posh estate, then in the next paragraph, the same detectives set the same couple in the main house For the First Time! Say, what? It takes me out of the flow of the book as I'm trying to check back, see if I missed anything, etc. It's particularly galling in a mystery, where flow and a well organized presentation of details that may turn out to be important are crucial. But my bigger beef with the book is that there simply isn't enough of Merry Folger and her family and friends and workmates. They're working the case, but they really aren't engaged in the main story, in fact, they just hang out at the edges. So, disappointing...
December 27, 2023
It was set during the Christmas season, and I read it during the Christmas season, so there's "that." Nantucket has become an island of festivals: books, wine, daffodils and the infamous Christmas stroll to support local businesses during the off season. Hollywood comes to Nantucket, and the storyline hurts from it. Disaffected youth suffering from poor parenting mixed with West Coast ego types and dump it on a cold island out in the Atlantic. Merry Folger as the fairly new Chief of Police seems to take a back seat in this one, and I'm not sure if that's a plus or minus. The charming grandpa is gone, a victim of Covid, and her father is practically non-existent. I did learn one thing, and in the acknowledgements, the author states this is based on fact, and that's how to get a bird to land on your hand to acquire bird food. It involves glove training and staying very still for extended periods. I have since seen some videos online, and apparently this method does work. As for the book? I thought it held promise--seasonally read, the island minus the tourism cluster, but I wasn't all that engaged.
November 22, 2022
Death on a Winter's Stroll is a multi-layered mystery set in Nantucket. There are many players and points of view which adds to the twists and turns in the story.
There are so many seemingly unrelated characters that somehow come together to create this intriguing mystery.
I will admit, initially I was lost. The story didn't give much away. However, once the layers started to reveal themselves, I was sucked into the mystery and found myself trying to figure it out. There were clues, but they weren't obvious. It was thoroughly well done.
It is hard to describe the different angles and different suspects. Some fit in my narrative I was creating and some didn't but that was what made it a good read. I am impressed with our detective and with the story in general. The story is set right after Thanksgiving as Nantucket invites Christmas.
The only caveat that I will inform followers about is several instances of the "f-bomb" for those who are sensitive to language.
I received an early copy through the publisher and this is my honest review.
There are so many seemingly unrelated characters that somehow come together to create this intriguing mystery.
I will admit, initially I was lost. The story didn't give much away. However, once the layers started to reveal themselves, I was sucked into the mystery and found myself trying to figure it out. There were clues, but they weren't obvious. It was thoroughly well done.
It is hard to describe the different angles and different suspects. Some fit in my narrative I was creating and some didn't but that was what made it a good read. I am impressed with our detective and with the story in general. The story is set right after Thanksgiving as Nantucket invites Christmas.
The only caveat that I will inform followers about is several instances of the "f-bomb" for those who are sensitive to language.
I received an early copy through the publisher and this is my honest review.
November 19, 2023
Death on a Winter Stroll by Francine Mathews is book 7 of the Merry Folger mystery series set on contemporary Nantucket Island. Merry Folger is the third-generation police chief on Nantucket, held in high esteem by islanders for her dedication and competent crime-solving.
Christmas holiday season on Nantucket begins with the giant Christmas tree lighting on Friday after Thanksgiving, kicks into high gear with the Winter Stroll on the first weekend of December: streets decorated with twinkling lights, Santa arrives (by boat!), craft fairs, special performances, shopping galore.
Alas, this year Merry can't relax and enjoy the holiday spirit. The Secretary of State is in town, so is a big TV shoot. Each group has relationship conflicts and secrets; plenty for Merry and detective Howie Seitz to sift through to evaluate means, opportunity and motive. They don't even know about the woman hiding in a dilapidated house. Are the murders related? How? Will Merry find out in time to save the next victim? Hope this enjoyable series continues.
Christmas holiday season on Nantucket begins with the giant Christmas tree lighting on Friday after Thanksgiving, kicks into high gear with the Winter Stroll on the first weekend of December: streets decorated with twinkling lights, Santa arrives (by boat!), craft fairs, special performances, shopping galore.
Alas, this year Merry can't relax and enjoy the holiday spirit. The Secretary of State is in town, so is a big TV shoot. Each group has relationship conflicts and secrets; plenty for Merry and detective Howie Seitz to sift through to evaluate means, opportunity and motive. They don't even know about the woman hiding in a dilapidated house. Are the murders related? How? Will Merry find out in time to save the next victim? Hope this enjoyable series continues.
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