After thirty years in a convent, Nora Breen has thrown off her habit. Her fellow sister Frieda has gone missing and it’s up to Nora to find her. Nora’s only clue is that Frieda was last seen at Gulls Nest boarding house. So she travels down to the seaside town of Gore-on-Sea, takes a room and settles in to watch and listen. Over dubious – and sometimes downright inedible – dinners, Nora gathers evidence about the other lodgers. At long last, she has found an outlet for her powers of observation and, well, nosiness.

When one of the lodgers is found dead, Nora decides she must find the murderer. Not least because she suspects the victim knew Frieda. Could solving this mystery help her to understand what has happened to her friend?

‘Murder At Gulls Nest’ was a delightful surprise, skillfully written, and beautifully narrated. Siobhán McSweeney’s narration was a joy to listen to. The story is too realistic to be Cozy Mystery but it’s neither melodramatic nor overly focussed on the mystery. It’s really a story about a woman taking back her life. 

Set on the coast of Kent in 1954, it kicks off a murder mystery series around an unusual and engaging amateur sleuth. Nora Breen is an Irishwoman who took holy orders in her teens and has spent the last thirty years in the mostly silent, prayerful seclusion of a Carmelite order in rural Yorkshire. The book opens with Nora leaving her life as Sister Agnes behind and making her way in the world. She starts by taking up residence at Gulls Nest, a slightly run-down boarding house in a seaside town on the Kent coat. She is there to find out what happened to another former sister whose regular letters to Nora ceased unexpectedly and without explanation. 

One of the things I liked about the book is that, although Nora is looking for her friend, who she believes has disappeared, she has also chosen to leave her order and won’t be going back. Seeing Nora, a woman no longer young but still strong and capable, pursuing her goal to enter the world was a pleasure.

Nora is a wonderfully rounded character. Her personality dominates the book. Her insatiable curiosity nosiness, her quick temper, her refusal to accept constraints imposed on her and her empathy for and insight into the people around her.

Nora does not share the reason for her stay at Gulls Nest with the other guests. She is just getting to know them when one of them is found dead. Nora believes the guest was murdered and sets about finding out by whom.

I loved how real the people in the book felt. The dialogue was spot on, especially the exchanges between Nora and the formidable housekeeper. The people were eccentric but not unbelievably so. Nora was magnificent. I loved her fierce rage at the mistreatment of others and her refusal to be bullied by the men she meets. I also loved the kindness and empathy she showed when dealing with the strange, voluntarily mute, little girl who wanders through the guest house, seeing everything and saying nothing. 

The period setting was well drawn The plot was engaging and I completely failed to work out who the killer was. 

I recommend the audiobook version of ‘Murder At Gulls Nest‘. Siobhán McSweeney’s narration perfectly captured the mood of the novel and the voices of the characters. 

I’m hooked on this series now. I’ll pre-order the second book ‘Murder At The Spirit Lounge‘, scheduled for 2026, as soon as it becomes available.

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Here’s Jess Kidd introducing ‘Murder At Gulls Nest’