Genre Fiction
![Lori Rader-Day - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B00GCWJ5BK.jpg)
Death at Greenway: A Novel
"Irresistible... a Golden Age homage, an elegantly constructed mystery that on every page reinforces the message that everyone counts." –New York Times Book Review
From the award-winning author of The Day I Died and The Lucky One, a captivating suspense novel about nurses during World War II who come to Agatha Christie's holiday estate to care for evacuated children, but when a body is discovered nearby, the idyllic setting becomes host to a deadly mystery.
Bridey Kelly has come to Greenway House-the beloved holiday home of Agatha Christie-in disgrace. A terrible mistake at St. Prisca's Hospital in London has led to her dismissal as a nurse trainee, and her only chance for redemption is a position in the countryside caring for children evacuated to safety from the Blitz.
Greenway is a beautiful home full of riddles: wondrous curios not to be touched, restrictions on rooms not to be entered, and a generous library, filled with books about murder. The biggest mystery might be the other nurse, Gigi, who is like no one Bridey has ever met. Chasing ten young children through the winding paths of the estate grounds might have soothed Bridey's anxieties and grief-if Greenway were not situated so near the English Channel and the rising aggressions of the war.
When a body washes ashore near the estate, Bridey is horrified to realize this is not a victim of war, but of a brutal killing. As the local villagers look among themselves, Bridey and Gigi discover they each harbor dangerous secrets about what has led them to Greenway. With a mystery writer's home as their unsettling backdrop, the young women must unravel the truth before their safe haven becomes a place of death . . .
From the award-winning author of The Day I Died and The Lucky One, a captivating suspense novel about nurses during World War II who come to Agatha Christie's holiday estate to care for evacuated children, but when a body is discovered nearby, the idyllic setting becomes host to a deadly mystery.
Bridey Kelly has come to Greenway House-the beloved holiday home of Agatha Christie-in disgrace. A terrible mistake at St. Prisca's Hospital in London has led to her dismissal as a nurse trainee, and her only chance for redemption is a position in the countryside caring for children evacuated to safety from the Blitz.
Greenway is a beautiful home full of riddles: wondrous curios not to be touched, restrictions on rooms not to be entered, and a generous library, filled with books about murder. The biggest mystery might be the other nurse, Gigi, who is like no one Bridey has ever met. Chasing ten young children through the winding paths of the estate grounds might have soothed Bridey's anxieties and grief-if Greenway were not situated so near the English Channel and the rising aggressions of the war.
When a body washes ashore near the estate, Bridey is horrified to realize this is not a victim of war, but of a brutal killing. As the local villagers look among themselves, Bridey and Gigi discover they each harbor dangerous secrets about what has led them to Greenway. With a mystery writer's home as their unsettling backdrop, the young women must unravel the truth before their safe haven becomes a place of death . . .
Editorial Reviews
"Irresistible... a Golden Age homage, an elegantly constructed mystery that on every page reinforces the message that everyone counts." -- New York Times Book Review
"Richly nuanced mystery . . . Rader-Day nicely evokes the isolation and dislocations of people in WWII Britain while revealing her characters' complexities. Despite the many allusions to Christie's life and work, she eschews an artificially neat conclusion. Fans of both Christie and Rader-Day will relish this." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Death at Greenway
"Two strangers with secrets, ten little children evacuated from London, and a stay at Agatha Christie's country house make for a deliciously compelling mystery. With its flawed, complex heroine, haunting evocation of wartime England, and a series of plot twists and breathtaking reveals, Rader-Day's newest is a triumph." -- Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope series
"A gorgeous evocation of World War II England, a moving investigation of love and hope under trial, a twisty murder mystery that would have satisfied Dame Agatha herself-all proof that Lori Rader-Day's gifts translate to all eras. What a delicious book."
-- Louis Bayard, author of The Pale Blue Eye and Courting Mr. Lincoln
"Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day is an immersive, expansive WWII tale of murder and revenge. Set at Agatha Christie's real-life country home, disgraced nurse-in-training, Bridey Kelly, is tasked to help care for a group of children seeking safety from war-torn London. Still, danger is everywhere and with unseen evil lurking, Bridey has to navigate a mysterious web of lies. Well-crafted and multi-layered, Death at Greenway is a vivid portrait of a woman trying to outrun her past in hopes of finding her place in a broken world."
-- Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of This is How I Lied
"Death at Greenway is a book Lori Rader-Day was born to write. The characters are deeply moving, the suspense and World War II research are impeccable. The language, as is always the case with Rader-Day, is beautiful, but in Greenway, she shows her suppleness: her pitch-perfect dialogue brings England in the Blitz to life." -- Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of Dead Land, on Death at Greenway
"A wonderfully atmospheric, beautifully written and entirely credible evocation of wartime Britain." -- Ann Cleeves, internationally bestselling author of the Shetland and Vera series, on Death at Greenway
"Richly nuanced mystery . . . Rader-Day nicely evokes the isolation and dislocations of people in WWII Britain while revealing her characters' complexities. Despite the many allusions to Christie's life and work, she eschews an artificially neat conclusion. Fans of both Christie and Rader-Day will relish this." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Death at Greenway
"Two strangers with secrets, ten little children evacuated from London, and a stay at Agatha Christie's country house make for a deliciously compelling mystery. With its flawed, complex heroine, haunting evocation of wartime England, and a series of plot twists and breathtaking reveals, Rader-Day's newest is a triumph." -- Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope series
"A gorgeous evocation of World War II England, a moving investigation of love and hope under trial, a twisty murder mystery that would have satisfied Dame Agatha herself-all proof that Lori Rader-Day's gifts translate to all eras. What a delicious book."
-- Louis Bayard, author of The Pale Blue Eye and Courting Mr. Lincoln
"Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day is an immersive, expansive WWII tale of murder and revenge. Set at Agatha Christie's real-life country home, disgraced nurse-in-training, Bridey Kelly, is tasked to help care for a group of children seeking safety from war-torn London. Still, danger is everywhere and with unseen evil lurking, Bridey has to navigate a mysterious web of lies. Well-crafted and multi-layered, Death at Greenway is a vivid portrait of a woman trying to outrun her past in hopes of finding her place in a broken world."
-- Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of This is How I Lied
"Death at Greenway is a book Lori Rader-Day was born to write. The characters are deeply moving, the suspense and World War II research are impeccable. The language, as is always the case with Rader-Day, is beautiful, but in Greenway, she shows her suppleness: her pitch-perfect dialogue brings England in the Blitz to life." -- Sara Paretsky, New York Times bestselling author of Dead Land, on Death at Greenway
"A wonderfully atmospheric, beautifully written and entirely credible evocation of wartime Britain." -- Ann Cleeves, internationally bestselling author of the Shetland and Vera series, on Death at Greenway
Readers Top Reviews
She Treads Softly
Death at Greenway by Lori Rader-Day is a highly recommended historical novel. In 1941, after a mistake at a hospital, nurse trainee Bridget (Bridey) Kelly has been compelled to take a position with the Arbuthnots to care for 10 young evacuated children who are being sent to Greenway House in Devon which also happens to be Agatha Christie’s holiday estate. The other nurse who says her name is also Bridget (Gigi) Kelly arrives late and appears to take her position lightly and with indifference. At the estate are just the staff, who make the rules clear over what rooms are available for their use. Gigi may leave most of the work to Bridey, but her upbeat attitude and high spirits helps Bridey deal with her self-doubt and sadness over the loss of her family. When a body is found in the river, and Bridey recognizes him from other encounters, she keeps this just between herself and Gigi. The focus of the novel is Bridey caring for the children and her growth and maturation. The discovery of a body adds a touch of mystery, but the novel is more a character study of people, especially Bridey, handling the circumstances they have to deal with during WWII. So this is really is not a mystery or novel of suspense, but it is a well-written period piece that focuses on the characters and the setting during WWII. The connection to Agatha Christie is really incidental and she only appears twice in the novel. Rader-Day is an excellent writer and her talent and abilities are on full display here. She did her research and in the author's notes at the end she informs the readers of the history she followed and where she took a few liberties. Death at Greenway does evoke the atmosphere of uncertainty and fear and follows historical facts. The novel is evenly paced, with interesting, although not shocking, revelations. This novel shines as historical fiction for those who enjoy novels set during WWII and appreciate well conceived, realistic characters. Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins
Jess Lourey
The characters and the story came to life for me, so much so that I missed them when I wasn't reading. The Agatha Christie references and the impeccable research were icing on the cake.
