A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor

By: Darci Hannah

Narrated by: Charlie Albers

It isn't how chef Bridget "Bunny" MacBride imagined her own cooking show unfolding. But, if preparing historic meals with a modern flair is what it takes to get her cooking on the air, she can deliver, even if her dinner guest is a ghost. For their first episode, the Food & Spirits team sets off to investigate Bramsford Manor, a historic house turned famously haunted hotel, in picturesque Hampshire, England. The sprawling estate is said to be home to the Mistletoe Bride, a young woman who died in the eighteenth century, the victim of a tragic accident on her Christmas wedding night.

Disliking spooks but loving food, Bunny leaves the spectral search to the pros and focuses on the feast, creating a traditional English holiday wedding dinner. It's a sumptuous meal she hopes will entice the ghostly Mistletoe Bride to take a seat and join them while the cameras roll. But Bunny's task is made more difficult when someone steals a boning knife from her custom kit. Alas, when the blade finally turns up again-in the chest of an all-too-human dinner guest-Bunny's woes only grow as she is named a lead suspect in the case! Now, with a haunted house full of living residents, staff, and crew, Bunny will need the help of Brett, Giff, and her clairvoyant Grandma Mac, to solve this murder before the manor gains another ghost!

©2024 Darci Hannah (P)2024 Tantor

5 stars

A Fatal Feast at Bramsford Manor is a well written story with engaging characters and a well written plot. I look forward to the next book.

Interesting premise, likable (but sometime obnoxious) characters, story ok

This was an unusual set up for a supernatural murder mystery that I found interesting. I have a strong preference for pleasant, likable characters, which this was full of. Unfortunately the narrator’s performance of one of the characters was so extra and obnoxious that every time that character was speaking I cringed a bit. I know the character was meant to be gay, but I found the performance way over the top.

I also like mysteries where you can reasonably guess at the culprit. I felt like here that was wildly difficult to do, if not impossible. However, I did end up liking how things resolved.

Interesting Plot

The setting is cool. The accents were cool. The overall plot is good. Some touching stuff too. I’m not into mediums or anything like that but it was pretty wholesome and entertaining.

Unique premise with great characters

I loved the food, spirits, and characters in this fantastic debut! Can’t wait to see what the crew will do next.

Intriguing story

I love the composition of the background story. However, the mystery portion felt disjointed at times, along with some shoehorned-in exposition.