This book made the WSJ's best mysteries of 2025 list. Not my cup of cocoa, unfortunately. I speculate (mean-spiritedly) that its inclusion was a sort of diversity initiative: "We gotta include something from the "cozy" subgenre!" So my mediocre Goodreads rating is just my personal reaction: you might find it swell!
It is set in post-WWII Britain. The protagonist, Nora Breen, is an ex-nun who is trying to determine the fate of another nun gone astray from her convent, Frieda. Frieda's letters to Nora back at the nunnery suddenly stopped without notice. So Nora decides to check into Frieda's last known location, Gulls Nest, a semi-seedy lodge full of offbeat characters, either suspects or potential victims. Nora begins her surreptitious investigation, takes up a cigarette habit, builds an uneasy relationship with the local police detective, befriends a local seagull, … and pretty soon the body count starts to increase.
Maybe I should rethink my habit of simply picking up those WSJ best-of books at the local library? Naw, I might miss something good that's outside my comfort zone.
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