The best mystery novels give readers more than one mystery to unravel, and Jess Kidd’s “Murder at Gulls Nest” is practically bursting with them from page 1.
In 1950s England, Nora Breen is an ex-nun who has recently left a Carmelite order after 30 years of service. It’s not immediately revealed why Nora has departed from the monastery; the question is left to simmer, allowing readers to observe Nora as she reacquaints herself with the “civilian” world.
Witty, intelligent, and willful, Nora savors “the lightness of her head and the novelty of all-round vision, without the wimple and veil.” Regarding her departure, all we’re given is her cryptic reflection: “What kind of fool throws up thirty years of dedication to solve a puzzle, albeit a troubling one?”
A Feast of Characters
Awkward and out of place, Nora nonetheless revels in small rediscoveries, such as the simple freedom to wink at a milkman, who smiles at her. She makes her way to a seaside boarding house named Gulls Nest, located in a fictional town called Gore-on-Sea.
Upon arrival, the housekeeper, Irene Rawlings, greets her with all the warmth of a prison warden. She turns out to be one of the worst cooks in England. The landlady, Helena Wells, is a refined woman in her 30s who behaves more like a stage actress than the manager of a threadbare boarding house.
The residents of Gulls Nest form a fascinating collection of eccentrics and mysterious characters. Stella Atkins, warm and friendly, appears normal at first glance. Her husband, Teddy, a caretaker at a nearby amusement park, is irritable and distant, perhaps traumatized by his wartime experiences. Bill Carter, a well-groomed bartender and retired Navy chef, collects curiosities from his travels. Professor Poppy, an aging former puppeteer rumored to be a disgraced aristocrat, is theatrically dressed and speaks with the flourish of a seasoned showman.
Then, there is Karel Jezek, the mysterious photographer who lives in the attic. His presence unsettles the other guests, though none will say why. The oddest resident, however, is Helena Wells’s 8-year-old daughter Dinah, a mute, theatrically dressed child. She perpetually hides in all sorts of nooks and crannies, and generally creeps everyone out.
Mysteries Upon Mysteries
Nora glosses over her past, telling the others she was simply a nurse. Then, she begins to subtly question the other boarders about her room’s prior occupant: Miss Frieda Brogan. The subject, however, is strangely off-limits. Most are reluctant to speak about the former guest at all.
Eventually, we learn that Frieda was Nora’s dear friend and fellow nun who had been forced to leave the order due to health issues. Nora had grown increasingly concerned over the tone of Frieda’s correspondence. Her letters hinted that she may have uncovered something dark and exciting at Gulls Nest. Then, the letters stopped altogether.
Nora is adamant that her friend would never just disappear without a word. The police won’t listen to her since there’s no proof of foul play. But before long, the situation escalates dramatically: A body is discovered. Only—it isn’t Frieda’s.
Truly Excellent
Historical fiction written in the present tense can be problematic, but Kidd’s immense talent enables readers to experience each moment of Nora’s investigation in a true Dickensian spirit-at-the-elbow way. Ironically, the prologue is actually told in the second person, a disorienting technique that proves surprisingly effective. Kidd drops the reader directly into a stone-lined pit to observe the moonlight-lit body of a woman in simple but exquisite Gothic detail.
The rest of the book alternates between rich passages of prose that are reminiscent of the best of Agatha Christie and intriguing dialogue that echoes Dorothy L. Sayers, all of which is told with expert efficiency. Nora’s thoughts, for example, describing the haggard and equally willful D.I. Rideout, are a delight to read:
“Rideout raises his eyebrow. Nora has to admit it is rakish, the eyebrow. She has always liked the rakish ones. If she winked back at him, he wouldn’t look away. Not that she’d try it, with the gravity of her current situation.”
The dialogue, especially the repartee between her and Rideout, who has “the crisp, clear vowels of a radio broadcaster,” is equally delightful. Rideout wants Nora to leave the investigation to the police, but her insightful, insistent questions and observations somehow manage to keep her in the loop.
“Well, then.” Rideout rises. “I have work to do, Miss Breen—if you’ve any further spanners to throw into the works?”
“At this moment, no.”
And when Rideout questions Nora, the author gives us yet another mystery to ponder: “You left your order to find this girl?”
Nora meets his eyes. “I left my order. Finding Frieda is another matter.”
“Murder at Gulls Nest” is the first book I’ve encountered in quite some time that was difficult to put down. You may easily find yourself wanting to return to it. It’s that good.
‘Murder at Gulls Nest’
By Jess Kidd
Atria Books: April 8, 2025
Hardcover, 336 pages
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