A Vivien Brandt Mystery: Book 1
Publication Date: June 14, 2024
Vivien Brandt (forty-something editor, librarian, and future interior designer extraordinaire) has spent decades dreaming about a life in England, and thanks to her marriage to second husband Geoffrey, her dreams are finally coming true. She and her cat Sydney (who is considerably less excited about leaving the warmth of California) are the newest inhabitants of a cosy South Yorkshire village.
But as Vivien meets the locals – including the vicar, a charismatic politician, and a pair of troubled teenagers – she finds she still has a lot to learn about her new home. Especially after she discovers a body in it.
Now she must work with her neighbor Hayley and a somewhat mistrustful police inspector to uncover the village’s secrets and find a killer. Preferably, before the killer finds her.
Because it seems when the chips (crisps?) are down, the only common language between America and Britain… is murder.
Vivien Brandt loves all things British—especially her new husband, Geoffrey. She’d always dreamed of living in England and had visited often. On one of her many trips across the pond, Vivien fell, quite literally, into Geoffrey’s arms. A relationship ensued, and now they are happily wed, moved to the small, tight-knit village of Nether Chatby, and settling into newlywed life. As Vivien seeks to befriend the locals and fit into village life, things just don’t quite go as she thought they would in Gianetta Murray’s Moved to Murder.
Vivien doesn’t wait for life to come to her—she goes to it, open to the myriad possibilities she’d always dreamed would be hers living in England. She eagerly meets her neighbors and begins part-time work at a local library until she can start her interior design business.
The village locals seem equally enthralled by this zany American who loves pop culture and often makes references to TV shows, music, and books. She befriends many of the area’s young people, including Sebastian Bonner, a loner and son of the local MP. When Sebastian is discovered shot in Vivien and Geoffrey’s home, Vivien feels compelled to don her best Jessica Fletcher persona and seek out the murderer.
Through a series of encounters, gathering clues all the while, Vivien thinks she’s discovered the villain, but unfortunately, not until after a second murder takes place in this sleepy little village. The question remains: Will Vivien successfully relay her deductions to the constabulary before the murderer turns their sights on her?
Moved to Murder is cleverly written with lots of fun interjections of appropriate British terms for American ones Vivien automatically recalls and tries to mentally correct. Gianetta Murray does an excellent job of dropping subtle yet timely clues to solving the murder, all while painting a vivid portrait of life in a small English village complete with unique and quirky personalities. When the murderer’s identity is astonishingly revealed, it comes as a surprise to the reader but not to Vivien, whose sleuthing skills have even bested local authorities.
A winsome yet entertaining British whodunnit, Moved to Murder’s charming American sleuth puts an intriguing and winsome spin on the search for a murderer amidst life in a delightfully typical English village.
Like her protagonist, Gianetta is California-raised and moved to England twenty years ago after marrying her British husband. She has worked as a technical writer, knowledge manager, and librarian in both countries and is currently owned by two cats who are unimpressed by her accomplishments but willing to tolerate her in return for food.
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