I listened to Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd on Audible in December on the recommendation of a friend and very much enjoyed it. It introduces amateur detective Nora Breen, a recently de-robed nun, who has left her order shortly after World War Two to find out what happened to her friend, former novice Frieda.

When Frieda left the religious order she stayed at a boarding house called Gulls Nest, in a seaside resort on the Kent coast. She wrote, one might say, religiously, to Nora back in the convent, until she suddenly stopped, after saying in a letter to Nora that something fishy was going on between the residents. Nora knows Frieda wouldn’t have just stopped writing for no reason and it is what pushes Nora to leave her life’s work and go to Kent to see if she can find out what’s happened to her friend.

Staying at Gulls Nest herself, she begins to interview the residents, gets to know the priest next door (who has a large collection of rabbits), and finds that she is a little sweet on the local policeman. Nora doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone and, like a dog with a bone, gets to the bottom of what’s been going on.

This was a delightful listen. Nora makes a great detective and Kidd conjures up the post-war era beautifully. A very enjoyable read.