British Murder by Leslie Meier contains two previously published Lucy Stone Mysteries. They can be read as standalones for those new to the series. I have read every Lucy Stone Mystery book. I find them all enjoyable to read and highly entertaining. English Tea Murder and British Manor Murder to contain good writing and the stories moved along at a fast clip. The characters remind me of everyday people. Lucy and her family could be my neighbors or relatives and I like that. The two mysteries were different from each other. The whodunit is British Manor Murder involved more than just a dead body. I liked that there were various elements to it. I enjoyed following the clues and identifying the killer. English Tea Murder had a light mystery. It is more about Lucy’s adventures on the trip. I wish there had more mystery in this one (Less complaining and catching up with an old friend). Leslie Meier has an easy breezy style of writing that makes her stories a pleasure to read. It was also nice to revisit Lucy, her family, and friends. While I love Tinker’s Cove, it was nice to visit a different locale with Lucy. Tinker’s Cove really does not need another dead body (the town is bound to get a bad reputation). The only thing I did not like was how whiny Lucy was at the beginning of British Manor Murder. It did not fit with Lucy’s personality. British Manor Murder contains two lighthearted cozy mysteries that has Lucy donning her sleuthing cap to solve two crimes in jolly old England. ( )

This book is an omnibus featuring two earlier Lucy Stone mysteries set in England.

English Tea Murder: Lucy Stone and some of her friends join a tour group from Winchester College to England. While still in the air, the tour leader dies of an allergic reaction. A doctor on board the plane who is a member of the group is unable to save the man in time. Lucy and her friends begin to notice some strange things. One member of the group attempts suicide; Lucy's friend Pam is barely spared when pushed in front of traffic. Could the members of the group be involved in a conspiracy? If so, what possible reason could they have had to murder a well-beloved professor? The mystery element in this book is fairly light. The book is mostly an account of a visit to England with a few misadventures along the way. While I enjoyed the sights and sounds of England, I was a bit disappointed that there was not a more clear-cut murder in this one.

British Manor Murder: Lucy's grandson moved to Alaska with her son and his wife. She mopes because she missed seeing the lad. Her friend Sue asks Lucy to accompany her to England for a hat show at Moreton Manor. They expected more grandeur, but find the manor itself serves as a tourist attraction while the family lives in a secondary house. As they wander in the maze, they find a corpse. They discover things are not quite they seem at the manor with cheap reproductions replacing valuable art pieces. Some inconsistency exists between the earlier installment with a British setting and this one. In English Tea Murder Pam, faced with a maze, states the key is to turn to the left since designers know most people will turn right. In this one, Pam can't figure out which way to go and turns right, getting them lost in the maze. It seems either Pam or Lucy would remember this and automatically go left.

I received the omnibus as an electronic advance copy through NetGalley with expectations of an honest review. ( )

amateur-sleuth, murder, England, cozy-mystery, angst, depression, family-dynamics, friendship,

There are two novellas with British themes that appear to be a rebranding of previous publications.
ENGLISH TEA MURDER ***stars
As a travelogue of London and the area it was very nice, but as a cozy mystery not so much. It seemed like the first death was a medical misadventure but turned out to be murder. Lacked any real investigation and the characters were disappointing.
BRITISH MANOR MURDER***stars
This is apparently four years after the first in this book. Lucy is in a depression and doesn't want to hear her friends suggestions of her being in need of professional help. She does reluctantly agree to go with friend Sue to visit an acquaintance who has a mansion in England. Excellent word pictures of people and scenery, but the whole business of the British family's personal problems is rather mundane and makes it seem as if the steam has gone out of a series I used to enjoy.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. ( )

Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone series, set in Tinker Cove, Maine, is one of my very favorite cozy series. When I new one comes out, I eagerly read it almost right away. As a result, I was thrilled to see a copy of this new book on Net Galley.

Alas, while it's a new publication, it's not really new, but just a collection of two previously-released Lucy Stone mysteries, namely English Tea Murder, which was #17 in the series, and British Manor Murder, which was #23 in the series.

When I read both, I loved them. Even though I prefer the books set in Tinker Cove, occasionally it's nice to see a much-loved character venture out.

People who haven't read either of these two earlier Lucy Stone books will appreciate having her two British mysteries in one book. I rarely, if ever, re-read mysteries and so was disappointed in this instance, as these are good installments in the Lucy Stone series but not new installments.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.) ( )