High Marks for Murder: A Bellehaven House Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Rebecca Kent (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (June 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425222047
• ISBN-13: 978-0425222041
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #821,380 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars high marks for murder, June 21, 2008

By 

Sarah Banks "sarahlen1980" (Madison, MS) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: High Marks for Murder: A Bellehaven House Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

"High Marks for Murder" is written by Rebecca Kent (a.k.a. Kate Kingsbury) who also writes the Pennyfoot Hotel mysteries. While I never enjoyed the Kingsbury series, I will definitely be reading the second book of this new series, the Bellehaven House Mysteries. The lead character, Meredith, has many layers that we have yet to see. She obviously has some sort of past, but not much is given away in this first book.

I loved the setting of an Edwardian girls school in the midst of the suffrage movement. Many of the secondary characters, teachers & servants, had strong opinions on women's suffrage. The secondary characters alone could actually make the book. I was also excited that the book had a supernatural twist when the ghost of the murder victim visits Meredith. Apparently, Meredith has a knack for seeing ghosts, & this idea seems to be the premise for future books.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars High Marks, August 26, 2008

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: High Marks for Murder: A Bellehaven House Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

When the gardener at Bellehaven Finishing School finds the body of Home Management teacher Kathleen Duncan, the police and headmistress Meredith Llewellyn initially think it was a tragic accident. But Meredith soon discovers that the tree limb that hit Kathleen on the head did not accidentally fall off the tree - it was sawed off and Meredith thinks it may have been used as a murder weapon. The police still say it was an accident so Meredith decides to investigate Kathleen's death without their help. But she won't be alone - Kathleen's ghost is eager to help her.

"High Marks for Murder" is the delightful first mystery in the new Bellehaven House cozy mystery series. Author Rebecca Kent previously wrote two cozy mystery series under the name Kate Kingsbury and this book is as good as any of the Kingsbury books. The mystery is set in England in 1905 and Meredith will reminder readers of a typical Kingsbury heroine - a feminist who struggles to conform to the times. Kent does a good job of capturing that period of time, especially with the students and the maids who aren't as willing as their elders to give in to the constrictions of that time. The book is filled with great characters including Meredith and her fellow teachers Felicity and Essie; Tom, the elderly gardener; Mrs. Wilkins the cook; and maids Grace and Olivia. The ghost of Kathleen added a nice supernatural atmosphere to the book that I really enjoyed and I also liked the gentle sense of humor throughout the book. The mystery elements were well done, although I felt a bit let down when the killer was revealed. I also didn't care for the romance that is hinted at between Kathleen and Stuart Hamilton, owner of Bellehaven, but perhaps it will grow on me in further books.

"High Marks for Murder" is a good cozy mystery and I look forward to reading more in this series.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars very atmospheric paranormal amateur sleuth historical, June 3, 2008

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: High Marks for Murder: A Bellehaven House Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

In 1965 in the remote English village of Grickling Green in the Cotswolds, the suffragette movement has caught the interest of the ladies enrolled in Bellehaven Finishing School. The Headmistress Meredith Llewellyn is in St. Edmunds' church when she sees an evanescent image that coalesces into a female ghost. She becomes worried because home management teacher Kathleen Duncan is not attending the services and she never misses them.

When she leaves the church, Tom the gardener is visibly upset and takes Meredith and the other instructors to the body of Kathleen. Besides the corpse is a broken branch that was sawed off. It has blood on it so Meredith knows that her friend was murdered. As Kathleen keeps appearing Meredith vows to find her killer, but she does not understand the clues the ghost is presenting to her. Unless she can interpret what Kathleen is communicating to her when the ghost points at flowers, the killer will remain free.

This is a very atmospheric paranormal amateur sleuth historical mystery. The school building, the storms, and the darkness surrounding Bellehaven contribute a gothic feel to Rebecca Kent's fine tale. Meredith is a strong willed person who in some ways a futuristic anachronism as she ignores the rules of society that insist she find a wealthy husband. She is the only one who sees the apparition so her staff insists she is overwrought and imagining things. Readers will give high marks to Ms. Kent for an interesting creative whodunit.

Harriet Klausner