Overdue Reviews - No One Needs to Know + Empty Nest

Goodreads:  No One Needs to Know by Kevin O'Brien

Blurb: A SECRET WORTH KILLING FOR…In July 1970, actress Elaina Styles was slain in her rented Seattle mansion along with her husband and their son’s nanny. When the baby’s remains were found buried in a shallow grave close to a hippie commune, police moved in—only to find all its members already dead in a grisly mass suicide.

AGAIN…
Now, decades later, a film about the murders is shooting at the mansion. On-set caterer Laurie Trotter ignores gossip that the production is cursed. But then people start dying…

AND AGAIN…
As Laurie digs deep into what happened all those years ago, the truth emerges more twisted than any whispered rumor, as a legacy of brutal vengeance reaches its terrifying climax…

My Thoughts:  Oh I wanted to love this one - or at least enjoy it.  Unfortunately, this one did just not end up working for me.  Laurie was a reasonably likable character but there were so many conspiracies and cults and pretty much all the main characters had someone who was trying to kill them.   I read another book recently that had kind of the same thing going on but while that was a fun roller coaster of a read this one just kind of dragged on with things just getting worse and worse for the main characters.  The villain from Laurie's past was in particularly unbelievable since he didn't seem particularly bright or particularly charismatic but seemingly he was a master criminal with followers willing to literally set themselves on fire at his order.  I finally hit the point where I just couldn't read anymore.  DNF'd at 54%

Goodreads:  Empty Nest (Birds of a Feather Mystery #2) by Marty Wingate

Blurb: Manager of a tourist center in a quaint British village, Julia Lanchester finds herself with more ideas than time. Her boss is the Earl Fotheringill himself, but apart from him, she doesn’t mix well with the aristocracy. Unfortunately, toxic mold forces her from her cottage and into one of the earl’s countless spare rooms at the Hall. She tries to get a handle on her overload of work, while she finds herself arguing with dinner guests, chaffing at the sudden interest the earl’s son has in running the estate, and missing her new beau, Michael Sedgwick. 

Her life goes from bad to sinister when Julia discovers poisoned sparrowhawks on the expansive estate grounds. And soon after, she finds one of the Hall’s visitors murdered—felled by the same poison. While simultaneously both spooked and angry, she still can’t keep herself from snooping, and dragging Michael along into her investigation. But will she find the culprit before her own wings are clipped?

My Thoughrs:  This was a fun cozy with lots of bits of keeping an English estate running (and finanically viable) in modern day, a sprinkling of birding, and of course a murder.  After mold is found in her cottage Julia has taken up residence in the Hall with the Earl of Fotheringill.  Her new circumstances blur the line between work and her personal life and put her front and center when a dead body is discovered.   The mystery was an interesting one with lots of unlikable potential suspects and more than a few red herrings. As well, there some progress in Julia's personal life both romantically and with her family.  It was lovely to see a bit of character growth but it didn't overshadow the mystery itself.  This was an entertaining read if you're in the mood for a light British cozy.  While it is the second in the series I don't think you'd have to many issues starting here.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)