#BookReview ‘James’ by Percival Everett #historical #slavery #HuckleberryFinn

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James by Percival Everett is a road trip, a meandering journey of a slave, Jim, as he flees persecution, afraid of being separated from his wife and daughter. As he travels, Jim sees a different world, a world where slaves are not always treated as chattels belonging to white men. Percival EverettA re-telling of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, James is Jim’s own story. It is wry, sometimes funny, sometimes violent, sometimes poignant. In 1861, when Jim hears he is about to be sold far away from his family, he runs from the town of Hannibal, Missouri and hides on nearby Jackson Island while he decides what to do next. He doesn’t expect to be found so quickly but found he is, by white teenager Huckleberry Finn who has run away from his violent father. And so, familiar from Twain’s novel, they begin a trip down the dangerous Mississippi River, hoping to find the Free States. They encounter friends, foes, tricksters, drunks, runaway slaves, and slaves who are happy to be enslaved. And then they are told there is a war between the North and the South, a war about the end of slavery.
Everett turns on its head the perception of the slave as uneducated, oppressed, a victim. When together, the slaves speak as their true selves, about emotions, love, politics, the natural world, everything that is life. But when with white people the slaves speak a dialect expected by the massas, speech that demonstrates their lack of education, ignorance, subservience, simple-mindedness. Everything the whites assume and expect. But Jim can read and write, he is well-read. In a fever-dream he is visited by the authors of books he has read; Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke. There are some twists; a slave who is so pale-skinned he can pass unnoticed amongst the white folk; a band of minstrels who don blackface to sing badly-composed slave songs; slaves who will betray a runaway to their white masters.
The winding circular structure to the story mirrors their geographical journey, putting Jim in the path of danger many times. Along the way, Everett examines the nature of morality, the hypocrisy of white masters who beat their slaves in the week and go to church on Sunday, the kindness of some strangers, the hatred of others.
James is a fascinating re-telling of a classic novel, at times uncomfortable, lacerating in its irony and punishment of the white owners. A novel I am glad to have read though I can’t honestly say it was enjoyable.

If you like this, try:-
‘My Name is Yip’ by Paddy Crewe
‘A Thousand Moons’ by Sebastian Barry
‘The Last Runaway’ by Tracy Chevalier

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COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Verity Bright

#BookReview ‘The Other Gwyn Girl’ by @NicolaCornick #historical

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I loved The Other Gwyn Girl by Nicola Cornick. More specifically, I loved the character of Rose, sister of the more famous Nell Gwyn. Cornick has written a wonderful timeslip novel piecing together the story of the real Rose Gwyn from scarce historical documents and combining it with a modern story mirroring the major themes. Love, celebrity, betrayal, royalty, loyalty and jewellery. Nicola CornickIn 1671, famed royal mistress Nell Gwyn has come a long way from selling oranges. Her older sister however is not so lucky in love. Rose Cassells, nee Gwyn, is in prison for the third time in her life; the first time for stealing a loaf of bread, the second as a debtor. Her third imprisonment is for treason; entangled by her highwayman husband into joining a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. The plot fails. Rose is caught and imprisoned in the infamous Marshalsea prison.
The present day story is about another pair of sisters. Jess Yates, sister of TV reality star Tavy, is newly single again after separating from her boyfriend who is now in prison for fraud. Jess needs a clean break while she works out what to do with her life. She accepts Tavy’s offer of moving to Fortune Hall as housekeeper. Tavy bought this rundown mansion as the setting for her new reality television series. Longing for peace and quiet, Jess steps into a whirlwind of celebrity life. Tavy is filming a new episode and is surrounded by cameramen and hangers-on. Her team includes loyal assistant Ed and physic Francesca, Jess and Tavy’s mother Una, and Tavy’s model boyfriend Hunter. Whilst Tavy broadcasts on social media the smallest intimate details of her life at Fortune Hall where she pretends to live – she dislikes the house, regrets buying it and is away from home as often as possible – librarian and archivist Jess retreats to the house’s dusty old library. Like Nell and Rose, Jess and Tavy are personality opposites.
Connections between the two storylines seem miles apart at the beginning, though some parallels become clear quite quickly, which presents even more possibilities and increases the tension. There are satisfying flirtations and hints of romance, handsome heroes, dastardly villains and at the centre of it all, two impressive mansions.
The spine of the 17th century strand is historical truth. The two Gwyn sisters, unalike in character but bonded by blood and shared childhood, raised by a drunken widowed mother in poverty. The theft of the Crown Jewels in a plot organised by Sir Thomas Blood with the help of thief John Cassells. Blood is later mysteriously pardoned by King Charles II, lover of Nell Gwyn. John Cassells disappears. Little is known of Rose Gwyn and Cornick has used this vacuum to create a page-turning mystery with satisfying tension, betrayals, rescues, love, sacrifices and murder. The historical setting is fascinating and Cornick writes sensitively about grief, loss and regret, but also about the things women had to do at that time to survive.
The ending is surprising, satisfying, with the correct element of mystery and the receiving of just desserts. This is a wonderful read about, for me, an unfamiliar period of history.

Read my reviews of these other novels by Nicola Cornick:-
THE FORGOTTEN SISTER
THE LAST DAUGHTER
THE WINTER GARDEN

If you like this, try:-
‘The Wicked Cometh’ by Laura Carlin
‘Disobedient’ by Elizabeth Fremantle
‘The Photographer’s Wife’ by Suzanne Joinson

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#BookReview THE OTHER GWYN GIRL by @NicolaCornick https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-81n via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Percival Everett

#BookReview ‘The Chase’ by Ava Glass #thriller

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Wow I loved this book, devoured it in three long reading sessions. The Chase by Ava Glass is a classy, non-stop thriller of a chase through London at night. Ava GlassNewish spy Emma Makepeace (not her real name) has been charged with finding a man wanted by the Russians and taking him to a safe place. Her only problems are that Michael Primalov doesn’t want to go with her; London is jam-packed with CCTV cameras; the Russians are ace at hacking cameras; and somehow the men chasing them are second guessing her decisions. Emma’s boss Ripley gives her three rules; no tech, move fast, stay dark. And then he disappears. Emma and Michael are on their own.
Interleaved with chapters about Emma and Michael running, their sparring and arguing becoming less rough-edged as they mould into a team, helping each other to survive, are chapters about Emma’s early life and spy training. This works well as an introduction to Emma, this is the first book of a series, and those who work around her.
There is no one else who can help them and Emma’s escape route is full of risks and unknowns. All she has to rely on are her own bravery, training, wit and risk-taking. Paediatric cancer specialist Michael turns out to be something of a surprise
This is an awkward review to write without giving away the plot. Think of all those adjectives you can that relate to tension, and apply to this book. Unbearable. Nail-biting. Non-stop. Top-speed. Gut-churning. Thrilling. Frightening. An escapist thrill of a read, this is the first in the Alias Emma series, I’ll soon be reading the second The Traitor.

If you like this, try:-
‘Panic Room’ by Robert Goddard
‘Munich Wolf’ by Rory Clements
‘The Farm’ by Tom Rob Smith

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#BookReview THE CHASE by Ava Glass https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-811 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Nicola Cornick

#BookReview ‘Angel with Two Faces’ by @nicolaupsonbook #JosephineTey #crime #mystery

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Angel with Two Faces by Nicola Upson is second in the 1930s crime series featuring real-life author Josephine Tey. I admit to finding the first, An Expert in Murder, a slow start but I’m glad that I gave the series a second chance. Angel with Two Faces ticks so many ‘mystery’ boxes. The unexplained death of a handsome man. A beautiful setting on a Cornish estate. A community bound by complex relationships going back generations. Secrets, love, lies, jealousy and tragedy. Nicola UpsonNovelist Josephine Tey arrives in Cornwall to stay at the Loe Estate, childhood home of her friend Detective Inspector Archie Penrose. Inspired by the beauty of the lake and the coastline, Josephine hopes to start work on a new crime novel. But the disappearance of an estate worker means Archie is called to investigate and Josephine, despite her best intentions, finds herself curious about the hidden secrets in this seemingly idyllic place. When the missing man is discovered drowned and his death is recorded as an accident, Archie is unsure and asks Josephine for subtle help. As she chats to locals, she finds herself welcomed by some and ignored by others. The variety of snubs, memories, answers and contradictions form an impenetrable knot leaving her feeling guilty at being an outsider with a story she is unable to unravel. Meanwhile the community nurses its grief by continuing with daily life, including the staging of a play in an open air cliff-top theatre. But when another man dies, the original verdict of accidental drowning is questioned.
Like the first novel, I found myself confused at times by the number of characters, the complex truth and lies told that are impossible to differentiate. There are familiar characters from the first novel which bring continuity. Archie’s cousins, the theatrical costumiers Ronnie and Lettice, add a touch of glamour. It felt good to learn more of Archie’s early years and family history, I hope a future novel gives the same treatment to Josephine.
Like all good mysteries, the possible answer to the problem came upon me slowly. But when the truth was revealed, my guess was only partly correct. A satisfying, page-turning mystery with emotional depth, Angel with Two Faces is about the long-term nature of friendships and family relationships, young love, grown in a rural situation throughout times of war, struggle and tragedy. Not one of the characters living on the Loe Estate is untouched by what happens in Angel with Two Faces.

Read my review of these other novels by Nicola Upson:-
AN EXPERT IN MURDER #1JOSEPHINETEY
STANLEY AND ELSIE

And here’s my review of BRAT FARRAR by the real-life author Josephine Tey.

If you like this, try:-
‘The Silver Bone’ by Andrey Kurkov #1KyivMysteries
‘The Guest List’ by Lucy Foley
‘A Death in Valencia’ by Jason Webster #2MaxCamara

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview ANGEL WITH TWO FACES by @nicolaupsonbook https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-82b via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Ava Glass

#BookReview ‘A Necessary Evil’ by Abir Mukherjee @radiomukhers #crime #historical #India

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After thoroughly enjoying A Rising Man, first in the Wyndham & Banerjee Raj-era Indian crime series by Scottish author Abir Mukherjee, I couldn’t wait to read the next. A Necessary Evil doesn’t disappoint. Abir MukherjeeMukherjee has a wonderful way with words that make you smile but also put you straight into the place and time of his setting. Within five pages I’d already smiled three times, starting with the opening line, ‘It’s not often you see a man with a diamond in his beard.’ Other favourites include, ‘If the prince wanted to talk to me, it at least saved me from hanging around eavesdropping like an Indian mother on the night of her son’s wedding’ and ‘The man was bald, bespectacled and nervous – like a librarian lost in a dangerous part of town.’
When Captain Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Surendranath (aka Surrender-not) Banerjee accompany His Serene Highness the Crown Prince Adhir Singh Sai of Sambalpore to important government talks at Government House in Calcutta, they do not expect to witness a murder. The small but fabulously wealthy kingdom is thrown into uncertainty at a critical time; the Viceroy is inviting twenty local maharajas to join the new Chamber of Princes, as a sop to Indian demands for Home Rule. Adi’s younger brother, playboy Punit, is now heir to the throne and their father, the Maharaja of Sambalpore, is ageing.
Wyndham suspects the clues to Adi’s killer are based in his homeland and not in Calcutta. As a schoolmate of Adi at Harrow, Surrender-not is invited to the state funeral in Sambalpore and so Wyndham goes along too, ‘on holiday.’ Limited by the Raj’s absence of authority to investigate in the state of Orissa, language difficulties and the inability to speak to women living in purdah in the palace’s zenana, nevertheless Wyndham stubbornly continues to seek the truth. They encounter a maelstrom of politics, religion, ambition, secrets and jealousy with power at the heart.
Mukherjee writes atmospherically of this period towards the end of the Raj, juxtaposing the arrogant authoritarian but sometimes well-meaning nature of the Raj towards the Indians with that of the maharajas towards their subjects. It is a complicated time. The wealth on display is as glittering as the poverty is dirty. There is law and order, tradition and community. But scratch the surface to find cruelty, rivalry, envy and ambition; everywhere.
This is a fast-paced read with the two central characters catapulted into a dangerous political arena in a strange city where they have no back-up and no friends. Everyone comes under suspicion, except each other. Banerjee quite often adds a hand of restraint on Wyndham’s arm as he is about to go dashing off into the fray, whereas Wyndham adds words of encouragement and motivation when Banerjee’s self-confidence is wavering. They make a brilliant pairing.
A Necessary Evil is an exciting sequel to A Rising Man, faster-paced and more intricate. This series is now up and running. Next in the series is Smoke and Ashes.

Here are my reviews of two other books in the Wyndham & Banerjee series:-
A RISING MAN #1WYNDHAM&BANERJEE
SMOKE AND ASHES #3WYNDHAM&BANERJEE

If you like this, try:-
‘Murder at the Dolphin Hotel’ by Helena Dixon #1MissUnderhay
‘The Guest List’ by Lucy Foley
‘A Death in Valencia’ by Jason Webster #2MaxCamara

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview A NECESSARY EVIL by Abir Mukherjee @radiomukhers https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7Zz via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Nicola Upson

#BookReview ‘The Seaside Murders’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #WW2

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The Seaside Murders is second in ‘The Secret Detective Agency’ series by Helena Dixon and has all the benefits of coming after the introductory story. A more dynamic plot, key characters established, interesting newcomers, danger, bravery and surprises. Helena DixonThe first book The Secret Detective Agency took place at Arthur Cilentro’s home in Devon so it is helpful to see detectives Jane Treen, Arthur and his manservant Benson sent to investigate a mysterious death only yards from Jane’s childhood home in Kent. A body has been found on the beach at Ashbourne, the circumstances of death are unknown and there is a strange tattoo on the victim’s arm. Jane’s boss the Brigadier suspects a connection with local looting, theft and black marketeering. We learn more about Jane, making her character more empathetic and less spiky, especially when her actress mother Elsa unexpectedly arrives. Annoying as Elsa is, she acts as a catalyst for the relationship of the investigative trio, making them more of a team.
The parallel investigations get off to a tricky start. There is an unmotivated inspector and an annoying government inspector. Although Jane grew up in Ashbourne, she finds many incomers due to the war. Land girls working on farms, Italian prisoners of war at a local camp, a rich landowner and magistrate plus a recently arrived schoolmistress, an artist and new managers at the village pub.
The deceased is identified as an Italian prisoner, one of a government experiment using approved POWs to help beleaguered farmers produce enough food to feed the population. Antonio Russo and his friend Matteo Gambini, who both grew up on farms in Italy, are imprisoned at the local POW camp and adjudged safe to work alongside land girls on a local farm. Now one of them is dead.
Overall I enjoyed this more than the first. Firstly, there was less smoking by Jane and more gentle interaction and less confrontation between Jane and Arthur. I also confess to being very curious about Benson and am looking forward to learning more about his background. There’s an interesting hint about his previous work with Arthur, so fingers crossed.
This is a new take on the usual wartime setting and I’m curious to see what happens in the third book.

Here’s my review of the first in this new series:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

And my reviews of Helena Dixon’s Kitty Underhay 1930s cosy mystery series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY 
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY

If you like this, try:-
‘A Very English Murder’ by Verity Bright #1LadyEleanorSwift
‘The Various Haunts of Men’ by Susan Hill #1SimonSerrailler
‘Fortune Favours the Dead’ by Stephen Spotswood #1Pentecost&Parker

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SEASIDE MURDERS by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-85u via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Abir Mukherjee

#BookReview ‘The Women’ by Kristin Hannah #historicalfiction #VietnamWar

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The Women is the first novel by Kristin Hannah that I’ve read and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I read it in two days! What an emotional ride, a curious but powerful mixture of wealthy west-coast California 1960s living and ‘in country’ action in the Vietnam War. Kristin HannahPart-romance, part-war story, part-feminist history, The Women is about Frankie McGrath, 21-year old nursing student from a privileged California family, who follows her older brother Finley to Vietnam where he is fighting. Inspired by her father’s heroes’ wall honouring the sacrifices made by their family in the service of their country, Frankie wants to make a difference too. Full of enthusiasm she ships out to Vietnam wearing her smart naval uniform, including girdle and stockings, and a bag containing her work fatigues, pyjamas and a pale blue summer dress recommended by her mother for days off. Her first day, ill from drinking unclean water, she lays on the cot in her ‘hooch’ wishing she’d stayed at home. When she meets her room-mates, Ethel and Barb, they’ve just come off shift, are exhausted, covered in blood and unworried about stripping off in front of her.
This book is not just Frankie’s story but that of Ethel and Barb and all the other women who served in the Vietnam War. Unrecognised, ignored and discounted, except by their hospital colleagues and the men whose lives they saved, these heroic women sacrifice everything. Part One is set in Vietnam as Frankie gains experience, learning how to nurse in a war zone, working in indescribable conditions, long hours, filth, blood and bombs. She falls in love for the first time, sees friends finish their tour of duty and return home, and transforms from a ‘turtle’ to a highly-respected surgical nurse.
Part Two is perhaps even more shocking. Frankie returns home as the anti-war feeling in America is gaining a voice. Spat at and ignored as she arrives at the airport, she returns home to Coronado Island to find her mother still living her country-club life while her father is in denial about Frankie’s war service. Adjustment to ordinary life is difficult and when she does reach out for help, Frankie is rejected by the veterans’ support services because she isn’t a Vietnam vet. Repeatedly told ‘there were no women there,’ Frankie falls between the gaps. She finds a nursing job but soon finds her war experience counts for nothing; she is designated a beginner, on probation and put on the night shift.
This is both a difficult novel to read and also compelling. Frankie is a warm-hearted character, determined and loyal. She gives her heart fully. Because, according to official and popular conception at the time, there were no women in Vietnam, she is unable to get a diagnosis of PTSD. So she stumbles and falters towards help, a heartbreaking path to read.
A powerful story of a horrific time in America’s recent history, The Women shines a light on the role of women in wartime. An immersive, often brutal read, there are also moments of beauty, love and most of all friendship. These women are still in my thoughts.

If you like this, try:-
‘The Warm Hands of Ghosts’ by Katherine Arden 
‘My Name is Yip’ by Paddy Crewe
‘The Pull of the Stars’ by Emma Donoghue

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE WOMEN by Kristin Hannah https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-800 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Helena Dixon

#BookReview ‘The Serpent’s Mark’ by SW Perry @swperry_history #historical #crime

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Second in the Elizabethan Jackdaw Mysteries series by SW Perry, The Serpent’s Mark is a satisfyingly twisty story involving medical malpractice, religious fanatics, complicated espionage and a likeable pair of heroes. SW PerryThe story takes off from page one with many entangled knots that aren’t smoothed out into separate strands until the end of the book. Disgraced physician Dr Nicholas Shelby and apothecary-publican Bianca Merton are catapulted into an international conspiracy where chance plays as big a part as spycraft. The contrasting wealth and poverty in London in 1591 is real on every page, death or imprisonment can strike without warning and the poor are manipulated at the whims of the academics and the rich.
When Italian-born Bianca visits the Sirena di Venezia, a newly arrived ship from Italy, she is planning to encourage the crew to visit her inn where they will receive a warm welcome in their own language. On board she is surprised to find her cousin, Captain Bruno Barrani, a bit of a dandy who is trading rice. After Bruno is attacked and suffers a nasty head wound, Bianca nurses him at the Jackdaw inn where he is visited daily by members of his crew. Meanwhile Nicholas is in Gloucestershire, engaged by Robert Cecil to investigate the dodgy medical practices of a Swiss doctor, Professor Arcampora, who slimily refers to himself in the third person. Cecil is concerned that Arcampora, who has been engaged to treat a family member who suffers from the falling sickness, is a charlatan. Nicholas is acquainted with the family having fought alongside Sir William Havington and his son-in-law Sir Joshua Wylde in the wars in Holland. It is Joshua’s son, Samuel, who is ill. William is recently deceased and it his widow Lady Mercy who told her cousin Robert of her concern for Samuel. There are a lot of family twists to get your head around, who is related to who, who knew who when and what they did when they were younger.
This is a convoluted plot, impossible to predict, with some rather nasty medical procedures described. Sixteenth century medicine was not for the faint-hearted. Nicholas, called before the College of Physicians to answer charges of disreputable conduct and proficiency [featured in the first book, The Angel’s Mark] finds himself drawn to practical surgery and treatment that takes effect quickly rather than the approved medical procedures involving humours and astrology.
At the heart of the story is the continuing tension between the Protestant and Catholic faiths, full of dislike and suspicion which often tips quickly into violence. The tension builds as the separate paths followed by Nicholas and Bianca begin to mysteriously converge. Have they uncovered different plots or are they in some unseen way connected. Both are in danger, both must second-guess the other’s next move at pain of violence and possibly murder. How well do they really know each other, trust each other? And when will Nicholas be ready to put aside the grief for his dead wife and child, and recognise the chance of new love.
Bianca is an easy character to like, sharp-witted, resourceful, unbowed and brave when threatened. And it’s difficult not to cheer on Nicholas, kind-hearted, moral, brave but shy.
A page-turner. I’m looking forward to the next in the series, The Saracen’s Mark.

Here’s my review of the first book in the series:-
THE ANGEL’S MARK #1JACKDAWMYSTERIES

If you like this, try:-
‘A Traveller at the Gates of Wisdom’ by John Boyne
‘Glorious Exploits’ by Ferdia Lennon
‘Winter Pilgrims’ by Toby Clements #1Kingmaker

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SERPENT’S MARK by SW Perry @swperry_history https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-80C via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Kristin Hannah

#BookReview ‘Murder in the Belltower’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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I stayed up way too late to finish reading Murder in the Belltower by Helena Dixon, fifth in the Miss Underhay 1930s cosy mystery series. The plot is a reminder that this novel is set in 1933, six years before the outbreak of World War Two. Like Murder at Enderley Hall, second in the series, Murder in the Belltower continues the theme of espionage and the theft of military secrets. Helena DixonIt is Christmas and Kitty and Matt, now officially girlfriend and boyfriend, have been invited to spend the season at Enderley Hall with Kitty’s aunt, uncle and cousin Lucy. In need of a quiet break, after startling revelations about her mother’s disappearance in the Great War, the couple long to spend time together to become closer acquainted. But at the last minute Matt is given a top secret assignment, which must be kept secret from Kitty too, to observe the house guests at Enderley Hall and watch out for dastardly intentions. No specifics are given and he’s at a bit of a loss what to look for.
There are familiar characters and many new ones. The house guests include Count Vanderstrafen and his sister, a coolly elegant brother and sister from Austria; an American couple, Mr and Mrs Cornwell, who seem devoted and travel the world wherever his work takes him; Lord Medford’s cousin Hattie who over-confidently considers herself a poet, singer and artist; and botanist Simon Frobisher who is using Lord Medford’s library to research his new book. Locals attend the celebratory meals and church services including the vicar and a variety of village ladies. There is discontent in the village, the new vicar is not popular and there is competition amongst the ladies which has led to name-calling and nasty gossip. There are familiar faces too including Kitty’s brave and intrepid maid Alice, Lucy’s dog Muffy (who has a key role to play) and stern-faced butler Mr Harmon (who frowns every time he sees Kitty climb on the back of Matt’s motorbike). It is quite a list of suspects when a lady is found dead, there are clues but nothing makes sense. Some guests seem the guilty sort, others far too nice to be a murderer. And all the time there are Christmas festivities, food and party games.
Kitty, whose common sense and clarity of vision often makes inspired leaps to identify the truth of a case before anyone else, is distracted. In the last book, Murder on the Dance Floor, she discovered some unwelcome truths about her mother’s last movements. Try as she might to be festive, she cannot forget the strange circumstances of Elowed Underhay’s death. Kitty’s investigation switches to a new phase as she places an advertisement in a local newspaper, asking for witnesses of her mother’s last days. She’s also irritated that Matt seems to be hiding something from her and jealous that he clearly once knew Juliet Vanderstrafen very well.
When the body of parish clerk Miss Plenderleith is found, at first an accident is assumed. Then a vagrant is blamed, and then a thief. Kitty, of course, knows instinctively that none of these answers is correct.
An excellent country house murder with sinister between-the-wars espionage in the background, lightened by the delicious flirting between Kitty and Matt. We never really get to know the truth of Matt’s assignment and I’m sure the espionage theme will feature again in future books, adding a welcome tougher edge to the storyline.
Very good.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY 
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘A Death in the Dales’ by Frances Brody #7KateShackleton
‘The Red Monarch’ by Bella Ellis #3BronteMysteries
‘Elizabeth is Missing’ by Emma Healey

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7GO via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- SW Perry

Great Opening Paragraph 138… ‘Anna Karenina’ #amreading #FirstPara

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“All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Leo TolstoyFrom ‘Anna Karenina’ by Leo Tolstoy

Try one of these #FirstParas & discover a new author:-
‘Beloved’ by Toni Morrison
‘The Cement Garden’ by Ian McEwan
‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’ by Carson McCullers 

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#FirstPara ‘Anna Karenina’ by Leo Tolstoy #books #amreading https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7gl via @SandraDanby