Rules of Murder (A Drew Farthering Mystery)

It seems unfair to compare Julianna Deering's "Rules of Murder" to Agatha Christie. Christie was a master at writing mystery; Deering is doing her best, and as everyone knows, it's a lot harder than it looks.

I noted three aspects to "Rules of Murder": the mystery, the romance, and the spiritual.

The mystery: I don't want to say too much for fear of spoiling the story. I mean, you read a mystery to figure it out, right? So no spoilers. That said, I thought Deering's clues obvious, her solution convoluted, and the culprit's motivation the worst possible one an author can fall back on. Seriously.

The romance: Now, I've read her Chastelayne trilogy (written under the name DeAnna Julie Dodson), so I know Deering can excel at this. But sadly, the romantic aspects of "Rules for Murder" don't quite work for me. Let me explain why. For a romance to work, the reader has to not only want to see the hero and his interest get together, she also has to wish she had someone like that in her life. In other words, the reader has to fall in love with the romantic hero. That's just how it is. With Drew Farthering, there was one moment when he almost evoked my sympathy. Almost. He comes home from vacation, it all hits at once, and you almost feel sorry for him. But then the moment passes, and he's back to being this flat character that nothing seems to touch. It also helps if the reader can identify with the female lead, and I could never identify with Madeline. Somewhere in listing "the rules," one of Deering's characters mention that one rule is to never make the detective the killer (a rule Christie herself breaks), and since Deering is breaking her "rules" all over the place, Madeline was a definite possibility. She shows up and people start dying. To me, she's more of a murder suspect than a romantic interest. Plus, I never felt any chemistry between her and Drew. There was never that, "Oh, just kiss her already!" moment. It was more like, "These two are moving way too fast when people are dropping dead all over the place."

The spiritual: In a Christian novel, the standard rule for the industry seems to be that someone has to either get saved or rededicate his life to Christ. As if, if Deering didn't jam Christianity into "Rules for Murder," Bethany House wouldn't have published it. Oh, it's not as forced as in some Harlequin Inspirational novels I've read. I'll give Deering that. But neither is it a necessary part of the story. As an example: In Deering's Chastelayne series, Phillip Chastelayne has some serious personal issues and must resolve his relationship with God in order to resolve the story. But in "Rules for Murder," this is a side issue. Drew doesn't have to get saved to figure out whodunit. Oh, Deering has him pray for wisdom in solving the crime, and that's fine. And she isn't heavy-handed with it either, which is good. The story may still appeal to the non-Christian mystery fan as well as the Christian. It just doesn't feel like it belongs.

Will you like this story? Maybe. I like Deering's writing style, so I liked reading it. I didn't get involved enough with any of the characters to purchase the sequels, but I suppose if I ever see them in the library, I might take them out, just to see if she does any better with the next two.

Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering is a 1930's set murder mystery, first in the Drew Farthering Mystery series, published by Bethany House.

English gentleman Drew Farthering and his faithful friend Nick love mysteries, but they are the sort of fellows who read them, not solve them. Until, that is, they return to the estate Drew shares with his mother and stepfather, only to find a houseful of guests--and the man sleeping in Drew's own bedchamber is reputed to be his mother's lover. Drew is enraged, and the only thing that can cheer him is the arrival of his stepfather's American niece, Madeline. They enjoy one another's company at his mother's party the next evening, until they stumble upon the corpse of his mother's lover on the grounds.

Drew and Nick are quick to help the local police. They know the "Rules of Murder": that is, a good author should never include secret passages, easily-identifiable foreign suspects, or other tricks of convenience. The mystery before Drew, Nick, and Madeline, however, seems to break every rule. Meanwhile, red herrings and blackmail come to light, as the murders keep occurring. And they're far too close to Drew for comfort.

As is evident from the cover, the story is a nostalgic homage to Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie, yet maintains a voice all its own. It's a mystery, not a suspense, and while a romantic thread is certainly in the book, the journey of Drew and Madeline's romance is not paramount. The mystery is what matters most, and it's a doozy. The story is clean, to boot--there's no problem sharing this with teens.

Meanwhile, Drew realizes his relationship with God isn't what it should be, and he takes the first steps of faith.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rules of Murder.

This book was provided by Bethany House for this review. A positive review was neither promised nor expected.

What a good mystery involving smart and charming amateur sleuths. I was immediately drawn into Drew’s world. Mystery, with a number of suspects and romance on the side — Well played. Full review is at my website.

Drew and Nick jokingly referred over and over to the ten commandments for murder as set forth by Father Knox in his mystery novels. They were avid mystery readers and saw themselves as detectives. The challenge was trying to find the murderer who seemingly was totally unaware of the rules of murder. One of those books where the reader starts to wonder if everyone is going to get killed before anyone can figure out who is doing the deeds, the story takes a number of interesting twists. I thought I had it figured out two or three times only to discover that the clues were taking me in the wrong direction. I enjoyed the faith element, the clean romance, and the action.

This is book one in the Drew Farthering mystery series. What a great read! I used to love Nancy Drew books as a kid and this is sort of like a more exciting, grown-up version of that. The plot was enticing and it keeps you guessing until the end. I cannot wait to read the next one!

Everything about this book exudes fine manners, elegant British taste and proper gentlemanly ways. SO DREAMY.

Rules of Murder has some good twists and turns along the way, definitely adding spice to an already intriguing murder mystery. I'm definitely hooked! Would love to read more of the series. Plus, I do so want to see a certain relationship fully blossom in the following novels... here's hoping!

This is a book with MANY CHARACTERS. Lots of names to keep up with, but enjoyable nonetheless. All the more characters to cherish -- even the villains are fascinating.

Cons? Minimal. I will say there is some slight mature content - adults having affairs and whatnot, but I didn't take this too offensively because it was described with tact.

Overall? BEAUTIFUL!

his is the first book I've read of this Author, and I've been meaning to get to this one for quite some time. My only regret is that I didn't get to it sooner. Now I will have to catch up on all her other Drew Farthering books. *sigh* My book budget only goes so far. *double sigh*

This story started of a little slow for me as all the charcaters and setting get establishied, but this might have been a side effect of my misguided attempt to read while also refereeing two five year old boys at play. Once the first body is discovered though - boy did things get interesting. I did not want to put the book down until I hit THE END. I think what I enjoyed most was the humor sprinkled into the story. It offset the grim business of murder and increasing body count just right. I loved the fact that no sooner did Drew's sidekick mention a rule for writing a good mystery novel (as per a Father Knox, who is supposed to be an expert on this subject) that that particular rule was broken. This made me laugh out loud a couple of times.

I really enjoyed this book and any Agatha Cristie fan is likely to enjoy it as well.I am particularly grateful that I was gifted this book, by the Author, with no obligation to post a review.

Ronald Arbuthnott Knox, a Catholic Priest, came up with 10 Commandments for Detective Novelists, and Julianna Deering set out to write a book that broke all of the rules. Set in the 1930s, "Rules of Murder" is about an English gentleman and a beautiful American girl who work together to solve a murder mystery. Drew Farthering comes home just in time for a party and murder. A guest is murdered and his mother is found dead in her bedroom. Are the deaths connected? Was it murder-suicide? Drew and his new American acquaintance, Madeline Parker, start their own investigation when Drew doesn't believe the local law enforcement is doing enough to solve the questions Drew has about the crimes. They soon discover that no one is who they claim to be and everyone is a suspect.

If you love Agatha Christie, you'll love Deering's plot, characters and perfect timing. She may break all of the rules of mystery writing according to Father Knox, but she will have you on the edge of your seat until the end. And you'll never believe who did it....

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author as the winner of a contest on her blog. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Yes, I know, shame on me. I have a tendency to read the end of a mystery and then challenge myself to figure the story out from there. This author created enough twists that I had no clue how it would turn out to be the actual killer. I consider that to be the handiwork of a fabulous novelist, because I enjoyed the whole story, complete with extremely likable main characters and that lovely British accent and atmosphere. The romance was tastefully done, which surprised me because it took place in such a needfully short period of time. Other reviews have given the process of the story. I'm just including my response. I want more novels from this excellent, intelligent author.

Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering is the first book in the Drew Farthering Mystery Series.
The first few chapters of this book were super slow and I was disappointed. I didn't think the story line would ever pick up, and then it did! I loved this book! The characters are likable, and the romance is there but I was not too interested in that part of the story. I love mysteries and this was a fun murder mystery to figure out. The author throws in so many loop holes that my mind was running all over the place trying to solve the case. The setting is beautifully done, 1930s England, in a mansion where mystery hides behind every corner. I couldn't put this book down, I felt like I was right there with the characters. The ending is good, not disappointing, not too predictable.

I will be looking for more books by Julianna Deering in the future!

"I received this book from CFBA for free in exchange for an honest review"