MURDER AT PELLHURST POND (Stella and Lyndy Mystery #8) by Clara McKenna will be released on October 27, 2026, by Kensington.
A hot air balloon lands near Morrington Hall, bringing with it intrigue and murder. It also leads to Stella and Lyndy Lyndhurst befriending their neighbor and hot air balloon enthusiast, Quentin Lockyear. While visiting the estate of Quentin’s father-in-law to look at his stable of horses, Stella and Lyndy discover the body of a young woman floating in the pond. The woman is not a local, and there are questions concerning how she died and why her body wound up in the pond. While Quentin’s focus is on getting balloonists and auto enthusiasts to invest in his company, Stella and Lyndy focus on acquiring the horses and solving the murder. The deeper they dig, the more crimes they uncover.
MURDER AT PELLHURST POND was an interesting read. There were plenty of suspects, several twists, and a unique aspect with the hot air balloons. The identity of the killer kept me guessing. Unfortunately, Lady Atherly remains unbearable, and her constant harassment of Stella and the lack of an heir takes away from the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.