Tag Archives: cosy mystery

#BookReview ‘Murder at the Country Club’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

Murder at the Country Club by Helena Dixon begins as hotelier and amateur detective Kitty Underhay has been invited to the luxurious Torbay Country Club with her fiance Captain Matthew Bryant. The afternoon is going beautifully until their host is found dead with an arrow in his back. Ninth in the 1930s murdery mystery series featuring Miss Kitty Underhay, there are a lot of suspects for this crime. Possibly Sir William Winspear’s younger glamorous wife, or his put-upon sister, or his disgruntled younger brother, or the glamorous brother and sister dancers. Then there’s a second death. Someone is found dead in a swimming pool and the possibilities become even more entangled as questionable alibis and dodgy motivations are shaken.
Kitty and Matt are called in by Inspector Greville to help with the investigation. Why did the victim ask Matt for help. Who are the mysterious Russian brother and sister dancers. Does Lettice Winspear really love her much older, wealthy, husband. Was Sir William planning to change his will. And is Lettice having an affair. Is the most obvious suspect really the murderer, or the least obvious?
I have enjoyed all the Kitty Underhay books. They are entertaining, give opportunities for problem solving and are read quickly. Ongoing storylines make the next book seem enticing. As Kitty and Matt’s wedding approaches, decisions must be taken about the running of the Dolphin Hotel, where the newly-marrieds will live, and how Kitty’s grandmother can continue to help in the hotel’s management. The ever-present threat of criminal mastermind Esther Hammett means the next Kitty story, Murder on Board, promises a resolution to one of the longest-running threats in the series.

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:-
‘Death comes to Marlow’ by Robert Thorogood #2MARLOWMURDERCLUB
‘A Cornish Recipe for Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #5NOSEYPARKER
‘Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener’ by MC Beaton #3AGATHARAISIN

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8K6 via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘Death Comes to Marlow’ by Robert Thorogood #cosycrime

9 Replies

An ingenious closed room murder mystery is at the heart of Death Comes to Marlow, second in the Marlow Murder Club cosy crime series by Robert Thorogood. And no, although I had my suspicions about the murderer, I simply couldn’t work out how the crime was done. The friendship between the three ladies that we saw in the first book in the series, The Marlow Murder Club, is now firmly established. Crossword setter Judith Potts still goes for naked dips in the River Thames, vicar’s wife Becks is still quiet and afraid of offending anyone, and brash Suzie now has a regular spot as presenter on the local radio station. But each still has secrets and their own peculiar sensitivities, all of which figure in the solving of this crime. Sir Peter Bailey, a bigwig in Marlow, is getting married. Out of the blue, he telephones to invite Judith to the pre-wedding party. Judith, who has never met Sir Peter, is immediately on the alert that something is not right. He fears for his life and she suspects he wants her there as a witness to murder. So of course she takes her two friends with her. When there is an almighty crash of glass breaking, Sir Peter is found dead beneath an enormous wooden cabinet full of scientific equipment. Judith is immediately convinced it is murder, not an accident.
The twists and turns of this crime, the tangling of witness statements and the – decidedly inadmissible – tactics employed by the murder club enable Detective Sergeant Tanika Malik to piece together the truth. The three women are a formidable team, each bringing their own strengths to the problem-solving process. Judith looks for patterns, disruption to those patterns and glaring omissions in the vein of Sherlock Holmes’s ‘the curious incident of the dog in the night-time’, ie the dog that did not bark. Becks is attuned to social niceties, emotions and relationships. Suzie is pragmatic, with clarity she sees the nuts and bolts of the unappealing, the unattractive, and the low-life.
All the suspects have alibis. The key to the locked room was found in the victim’s pocket. There is a family feud, a missing will, secretive telephone calls and a resentful former wife. Tanika has been demoted from her acting detective role when her boss returns from sick leave and, although she believes Judith, Becks and Suzie when they shout murder, her boss doesn’t. So although the three ladies are free to snoop around and ask awkward questions, they do so without police back-up. There are plenty of red herrings, perhaps too many actually, and a secret being kept by Becks is ultimately shared.
Very clever, very entertaining. I gobbled it up.

Here are my reviews of other books in this series:-
THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB #1MARLOWMURDERCLUB
THE QUEEN OF POISONS #3MARLOWMURDERCLUB
MURDER ON THE MARLOW BELLE #4MARLOWMURDERCLUB

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR OF JUDITH POTTS #5MARLOWMURDERCLUB

… and my reviews of the Death in Paradise series:-
A MEDITATION ON MURDER #1DEATHINPARADISE
THE KILLING OF POLLY CARTER #2DEATHINPARADISE

If you like this, try:-
‘Agatha Raisin and the Walkers of Dembley’ by MC Beaton #4AGATHARAISIN
‘Murder in the Snow’ by Verity Bright #4LADYELEANORSWIFT
‘Murder on the Dance Floor’ by Helena Dixon #4MISSUNDERHAY

And if you’d like to share a link, try:
#BookReview DEATH COMES TO MARLOW by Robert Thorogood https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8FM via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘Death down the Aisle’ by Verity Bright @BrightVerity #cosymystery #crime

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Death down the Aisle is the most complicated plot so far in this wonderful series by Verity Bright. More red herrings, more danger, more mystery and more humour. I had my suspicions about the murderer and was only partly correct. First of all, the aisle in question is not the scene of Lady Eleanor Swift’s own wedding to a certain detective chief inspector. Instead Ellie is due to be bridesmaid at the wedding of her friends Constance and Peregrine, but with a lawsuit and a dead body in the week prior to the service, the wedding is in doubt.
The groom, Lord Peregrine Davenport, is being sued for breach of promise by a young woman he was once engaged to. In order to settle the claim he must sell the family estate. Now this first fiancé Daisy is dead, Constance doesn’t know she exists and both families are in uproar. The first few chapters move quite slowly, setting up the inter-linking stories. But as soon as the bride’s father is attacked on the golf course, the speed picks up and it is a race to the end. A variety of people are set to benefit from Daisy’s death including the bride, groom and their relatives. Eleanor’s policeman beau, Hugh Seldon, sensitive to the delicate emotions of the female witnesses he must question and not wanting to cause undue distress, asks her to accompany him to the interviews. Of course Ellie jumps at the chance. She is drawn into more serious investigations, leading her and ever-present multi-talented butler Clifford to the dodgy end of town. This highlights a serious theme about poverty, post-war building and unemployment after the Great War.
A sub-plot involving the Women’s Institute’s planned petition demanding women be admitted to the police force comes into its own towards the end. Seldon is struggling to manage two cases at once and the determination, bravery and cleverness of the WI members is key in the final fight scene. And of course Ellie’s determination to catch the murderer without thought to her own safety makes a point about female officers.
Once I start reading one of these books, I don’t want to stop until the end. They are addictive, thanks to the wonderful combination of characters. If you’re new to them, please start at book one to fully appreciate the long-running story arcs.

If you like this, try:-
‘Murder at Catmmando Mountain’ by Anna Celeste Burke #1GEORGIESHAW
‘A Cornish Recipe for Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #5NOSEYPARKER
‘Murder at the Wedding’ by Helena Dixon #7MISSUNDERHAY

And if you’d like to share a link:
#BookReview DEATH DOWN THE AISLE by Verity Bright @BrightVerity https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8qv via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘The French for Murder’ by Verity Bright @BrightVerity #cosymystery #crime

12 Replies

A glamorous movie set and an even more glamorous it-crowd are not what Lady Eleanor Swift expects to find in the South of France. But from day one of their holiday at an exclusive rented villa, amateur detective Ellie and her butler sidekick find themselves embroiled in murder once again. The French for Murder by Verity Bright includes a new cast of glamorous Americans, mysterious Frenchmen and the gorgeous Mediterranean coast. The tenth book in the 1920s cosy mystery series revolves around a film about Napoleon being shot at a nearby chateau, a dead body in Ellie’s wine cellar, a deliciously flamboyant police detective and a variety of arrogant, talented, partying movie stars, artists and hangers-on. But although the villas – and the casino at Monte Carlo – are top notch luxury, there is something rotten beneath the beauty.
The murder is hushed up by the local mayor who fears damage done to the reputation of the Côte d’Azur as a budding movie location. If the truth about murder gets out, the new American tourists will holiday elsewhere. So Ellie agrees to gather clues. But after successive all-night parties involving over-the-top extravagance, alcohol and illegal substances, and beachfront sunbathing soirees with the briefest of swimwear, she is at a loss. Love, jealousy, betrayal, blackmail, money; can Ellie discover the real reason for the death of the leading man before the murderer kills again. Does the answer lay with the cast of Napoleon or is that too obvious. The two most suspicious people clearly have something to hide but lack an obvious motivation for murder and everyone else, being actors, are talented dissemblers.
The French for Murder is another delicious helping of the talented detecting duo. Ellie and Clifford are as indefatigable, brave and curious as ever, Ellie’s gowns and beach attire are impressively glamorous and the descriptions of Mrs Trottman’s pastries made me feel hungry. And as always, in each book in the series we learn more information about the backgrounds of Eleanor and Clifford.
Excellent, again.

If you like this, try:-
‘The Marlow Murder Club’ by Robert Thorogood #1MARLOWMURDERCLUB
‘A Cornish Seaside Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #6NOSEYPARKER
‘The Secret Detective Agency’ by Helena Dixon #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

And if you’d like to share a link:
#BookReview THE FRENCH FOR MURDER by Verity Bright @BrightVerity https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8pL via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘A Cornish Seaside Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

11 Replies

I charged through A Cornish Seaside Murder by Fiona Leitch, finishing it in two afternoons. After reading some difficult emotional novels, this was like drinking a long glass of water on a hot day. Familiarity helps. This is the sixth in the Nosey Parker cosy mystery series. The story starts and ends during events at Penstowan’s Merrymaid Week celebrating the legend of the Penstowan Siren, the seaside village’s very own mermaid. Part-time caterer Jodie Parker is now an auxiliary detective sergeant reporting to her partner DCI Nathan Withers. When a fisherman is found dead, and the church’s mermaid statue disappears, the police are at a loss to explain what is happening. The mystery is somehow connected with the village’s fishing businesses, the boats are now spending more time taking tourists on sightseeing trips than fishing. As always Jodie either directly knows the people involved, went to school with their sister or knows someone who knows them. Nathan, as the Liverpudlian outsider, is alternately a humorous or serious foil for Jodie’s quick wit. Awkward questions are asked as always by Jodie’s mother Shirley and daughter Daisy, making Jodie stop rushing around and reconsider her assumptions.
The first theory is that one fisherman is invading the territory of another or illegally fishing in protected waters. Then smuggling is considered, for centuries isolated Cornish beaches have been the secret locations for smugglers and wreckers. Or perhaps it is drugs. The plot moves quickly and there are a lot of theories and suspects. Meanwhile Jodie and Nathan are getting more serious, Daisy is growing up and becoming more independent, and Shirley has an admirer.
A quick, light-hearted read, well-written with good character progression from book to book. Jodie is a heart-warming character, straight-talking, sometimes impulsive, who is juggling life as a single mother while holding down two jobs. Perhaps something will have to give?

Here are my reviews of the other books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER #4NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER #7NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CASTLE MURDER #8NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Marlow Murder Club’ by Robert Thorogood #1MARLOWMURDERCLUB
‘Murder in the Belltower’ by Helena Dixon #5MISSUNDERHAY
‘A Death in the Dales’ by Frances Brody #7KATESHACKLETON

And if you’d like to share a link:
#BookReview A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8eF via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘The Marlow Murder Club’ by Robert Thorogood #cosycrime

10 Replies

I’m very late coming to The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood, spurred on by wanting to read the books before watching the television series. I’ve loved Agatha Christie books since I was young and this is full of the same spirit; the puzzle of the unravelling a mystery, set within a small community with a limited geographical area, with death but not violence. Curiosity, nosiness, imagination, determination and knowing when to break the rules.Three women are brought together accidentally, randomly, by murder. Three murders in quiet, respectable, boring Marlow where nothing ever happens. The three victims seem unconnected. Suitably, seventy-seven year old Judith Potts who asks the awkward questions is a crossword setter, a professional puzzler who invents exactly the kind of cryptic clues I don’t understand.
Until the first murder happens at a house on the opposite side of the river from Judith’s waterside home, she has been living a quiet, almost hermit-like, minding her own business. She has earned a reputation as an eccentric. It all starts one summer night when Judith strips naked and steps into the Thames for a nighttime swim. She hears a gunshot and finds her friend Stefan Dunwoody shot dead. Detective Sergeant Tanika Malik, Judith quickly decides, is asking the wrong questions and too slowly. Judith’s first suspect is local auctioneer Elliot Howard but he has an alibi; he was at choir practice when Stefan died. Not believing anything she is told, Judith goes to the church to make enquiries where she finds a woman hiding in a cupboard. It is Becks Starling, the shy wife of the vicar, professional housewife and mother, incredibly tidy and drinks only tea. It’s difficult to think of two people more dissimilar in nature than Becks and whisky-drinking, naked-swimming, Judith.
When there’s a second murder in a bungalow on a suburban street in Marlow, Judith meets her third co-investigator. Iqbal Kassam was a taxi driver who worked the night shift and slept during the day. His dream was to own a boat on the river. So why has he been shot in the head? Judith, suspecting the two murders are linked, packs a flask of tea and a packet of beetroot sandwiches and sets out to be nosy. She meets dog-walker Suzie Harris who is walking Iqbal’s Dobermann, Emma.
And so the investigative trio is formed and the story is mainly told by these three women and Tanika Malik. This is a funny, clever novel which pays tribute to the type of small town community which exists across the country. It also shines a light on the roles of women in modern society, the misconceptions about their abilities, assumptions made based on personal appearance, and the bullying and crime that goes on in even the most idyllic-looking streets.
I’m hooked. Next is Death comes to Marlow.

Here are my reviews of other books in this series:-
DEATH COMES TO MARLOW #2MARLOWMURDERCLUB
THE QUEEN OF POISONS #3MARLOWMURDERCLUB
MURDER ON THE MARLOW BELLE #4MARLOWMURDERCLUB

THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR OF JUDITH POTTS #5MARLOWMURDERCLUB

… and my reviews of the Death in Paradise series:-
A MEDITATION ON MURDER #1DEATHINPARADISE
THE KILLING OF POLLY CARTER #2DEATHINPARADISE

If you like this, try:-
‘Death at the Dance’ by Verity Bright #2LADYELEANORSWIFT
‘The Mystery of Three Quarters’ by Sophie Hannah #3POIROT
‘Magpie Murders’ by Anthony Horowitz #1SUSANRYELAND

And if you’d like to share a link to THIS post, try:
#BookReview THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB by Robert Thorogood https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8b0 via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘A Cornish Christmas Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

6 Replies

Christmas was long gone when I started to read A Cornish Christmas Murder by Fiona Leitch but it didn’t matter. Although this is a murder tale starting three days before Christmas, the festive season is a background theme rather than being key to the story. Fourth in the Nosey Parker cosy crime series featuring ex-Metropolitan Police caterer Jodie, this is a closed room mystery in a snowbound country hotel high on Bodmin Moor. Jodie, mum Shirley, daughter Daisy and friend Debbie have got a last-minute catering job at Kingseat Abbey, a country mansion being renovated into a hotel. A charitable foundation, run by a millionaire with a notorious bad boy reputation, has hired the hotel as venue for a Christmas party for local children. The party is a success but after the departure of the children, the weather turns nasty. Jodie and friends are snowbound with the hotel’s owner and staff plus the millionaire, his son and charity manager. They are soon joined by people lost in the snow; four Japanese girls whose car is in a ditch, and a mysterious couple who are rather vague about who they are. While Jodie rustles up food for the group, hotel manager Lily – who grew up in Penstowan with Jodie – attempts to find beds for the unexpected guests in the partially-redecorated hotel. Next morning, one of the group is found dead in a locked bedroom.
The police are informed but, because of the snow, are unable to get to the remote hotel. Jodie’s boyfriend DCI Nathan Withers, stuck in Penstowan, reminds her that the murderer is most likely still in the house and urges her not to start investigating. Of course she ignores his advice. While Daisy proves herself to have inherited her grandfather’s sharp eye for clues, Jodie tries to keep all the guests in the house without frightening them. But the hours pass without the police arriving.
This is a great locked room mystery in a house with a sinister history, a hidden priest hole and secret passages, and the brooding silence of the snow-covered moors around them.
Despite there being too many toilet jokes – I don’t remember noticing them in the earlier books – this is an easy read with enough laughs and unpredictable elements to keep me guessing until near the end. Oh, and there are some tempting Christmas recipes at the end.
The baking theme continues in book five, A Cornish Recipe for Murder, to be reviewed here soon.

Here are my reviews of other books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER #6NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER #7NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CASTLE MURDER #8NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Secrets of Gaslight Lane’ by MRC Kasasian #4GOWERDETECTIVE
‘Murder at the Country Club’ by Helena Dixon #9MissUnderhay
‘A Death in Valencia’ by Jason Webster #2MAXCAMARA

And if you’d like to share a link:
#BookReview A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7Yf via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘Murder in the Snow’ by Verity Bright @BrightVerity #cosymystery #crime

19 Replies

Christmas is coming to Henley Hall and Lady Eleanor Swift is hosting a party for the entire village. Gifts, food and drink, games and a cross-country fun run around the grounds of the Hall. When one runner fails to finish the course, Eleanor’s Christmas turns into another detective adventure. Murder in the Snow by Verity Bright is fourth in this fun atmospheric series. When Conrad Canning, coalman to the Hall, dies at the snowy finish line, Eleanor suspects foul play but Detective Chief Inspector Seldon believes it was a heart attack. Until traces of digitalis are discovered. This has uncomfortable connotations for Eleanor and her loyal butler Clifford as it mirrors the unexplained death of Eleanor’s Uncle Byron. Each book features the core characters with the addition of new faces for each murder mystery, but which will be suspects, witnesses, victim and villain. Some resentments are not forgotten with the passage of time, but burn brighter.
The food is sumptuous, as are the homemade alcohol beverages. But this time, both are examined for evidence of cause of death. As Christmas approaches New Year, the beautiful house is covered in snow and the village is cut off from the outside. Clifford deems it dangerous to drive the Rolls along the country lanes having previously ended up in a ditch, and Seldon is stranded in a pub. In pursuit of more evidence, Eleanor and Clifford set off across country wearing snow shoes.
The continuation of Eleanor’s romantic entanglements continues slowly in this story, one step at a time, glances are exchanged and there is some gentle teasing. Like the truth about Uncle Byron, Eleanor’s pursuit of love is a subject developed a little further in each book. I also love the asides about Eleanor’s previous life, exploring routes for travel companies in exotic countries, travelling alone and having all sorts of adventures. Such as her wonderful reply to a retired seaman who caustically refers to what he assumes is Eleanor’s sheltered and privileged life, ‘Ever been halfway over a mountain range with the snow and night closing in, with no prospect of food or shelter and not another human being within a hundred square miles?’
I whizz through these books. They’re such a relaxing read, a great escape from the world outside and a glimpse into the glamorous country house life in the 1920s. With murder thrown in.

If you like this, try:-
‘Murder Under her Skin’ by Stephen Spotswood #2PENTECOST&PARKER
‘Or The Bull Kills You’ by Jason Webster #1MAXCAMARA
‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ by Stuart Turton

And if you’d like to share a link:
#BookReview MURDER IN THE SNOW by Verity Bright @BrightVerity https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-701 via @SandraDanby

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

#BookReview ‘The Cornish Village Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

10 Replies

The Cornish Village Murder by Fiona Leitch is the second Nosey Parker cosy mystery and the first I’ve read, in fact I read it when it was originally called A Brush with Death. Jodie Parker, ex-Metropolitan police officer, and newly single mum has returned home to Cornwall. It’s the week of Penstowan’s inaugural arts festival and Jodie, no longer working for the police, is doing the catering. The festival’s main attraction is painter Duncan Stovall, famous for his Penstowan series of sea paintings. This is a story with instant fizz. Written in the first person, Jodie’s, I loved the sly sometimes saucy asides that pull you straight into the jokes, the personalities and the action. If it were an item of food on a menu catered by Jodie, this book would be a mash-up of a Cornish saffron bun slathered with butter and clotted cream, a mug of steaming tea and a glass of scrumpy. Cornwall is a part of the book’s DNA, not just the dialect of the Penstowan residents or the food but the wonderful descriptions of coastal scenery that make you want to get into the car and head south on the M5.
When a visiting author is found dead at the bottom of the cliffs Jodie can’t resist sticking her nose in and asking questions, much to the annoyance of DCI Nathan Withers and the irritation of Jodie’s daughter Daisy and mum Shirley.
This is a silky read, one of the best of its genre I’ve read. A brilliant community of family, friends and townspeople, a beautiful seaside setting, with a witty detective, plotted on two levels. The foundation is Jodie’s life settling into the town of her childhood, a triangular-shaped romantic entanglement, and her burgeoning new catering business. Overlaying this is the case in which she becomes entangled; the art world, not just the creation of art but the finance, promotion, sales and investment.
I particularly enjoyed the joshing with childhood friends Debbie and Tony, including lots of cultural references from the Eighties that are lightly handled without huge signposts saying ‘laugh here’.
Read it and chuckle.

Here are my reviews of other books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER #4NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER #6NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER #7NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CASTLE MURDER #8NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘Magpie Murders’ by Anthony Horowitz #1SUSANRYELAND
‘A Deadly Discovery’ by JC Kenney #4ALLIE COBB
‘Tea for Two at the Little Cornish Kitchen’ by Jane Linfoot #2LITTLECORNISHKITCHEN

And if you’d like to share a link:
#BookReview THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p5gEM4-5lq via @SandraDanby

#BookReview ‘A Deadly Discovery’ by JC Kenney #cosycrime #crime

1 Reply

Needing a change one day, as I sometimes crave a calming walk in the green countryside, I picked up cosy mystery A Deadly Discovery by JC Kenney. Knowing the book was fourth in a series, I didn’t know what to expect. Literary agent Allie Cobb lives in Rushing Creek, Indiana where her life revolves around her clients, their manuscripts, taking her cat Ursi for a walk, family and friends. Having previously investigated local murders, and being injured in the process, before this book starts Allie had promised her nearest and dearest that she would drop her private investigating. But when a body turns up in the local woods, everyone wonders if it could be a girl who disappeared twenty ago. As Allie asks questions around town, tensions with the police department arise with suspicions of clues missed at the time of the original disappearance.
This is a different style of whodunnit in that the story is firmly anchored and clues processed in the head of detective Allie. This is a tell-don’t-show style that sinks us into Allie’s daily life and concerns, the reader must unravel the clues from the seemingly ordinary. Of course this is a mystery story so clues, and red herrings, can be anywhere.
Diving into a series mid-way has its benefits and issues. I’m sure I missed lots of references to characters and past stories that would help my reading of Allie’s detecting and understanding of Rushing Creek. From page one a lot of names and relationships are introduced, featured in the previous novels, that I struggled to remember. A character cast at the beginning would help.
Kenney has created a believable small-town world at Rushing Creek where lives, secrets, resentments and loves have been entwined since birth. It reminded me of Charlotte Hinger’s Lottie Albright genealogical mystery series, set in another American small town. When everyone knows everyone else, secrets are not simply embarrassing or shameful. They can be deadly.
An easy, gentle read without a confusing tangle of multiple suspects. I guessed the murderer well before Allie’s big reveal scene, which owed much to the trend of Poirot. I finished it feeling curiously unattached from the people involved, perhaps because Allie dominates the story so thoroughly.

If you like this, try:-
‘Deadly Descent’ by Charlotte Hinger #1LOTTIEALBRIGHT
‘Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death’ by MC Beaton #1AGATHARAISIN
‘Murder at Catmmando Mountain’ by Anna Celeste Burke #1GEORGIESHAW

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview A DEADLY DISCOVERY by JC Kenney https://wp.me/p5gEM4-5lg via @SandraDanby

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SANDRA DANBY'S BOOK REVIEWS

Sharing thoughts on the books I read, new authors, favourite authors, classics re-visisted

Tag Archives: cosy mystery

#BookReview ‘Murder at the Country Club’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

#BookReview ‘Death Comes to Marlow’ by Robert Thorogood #cosycrime

#BookReview ‘Death down the Aisle’ by Verity Bright @BrightVerity #cosymystery #crime

#BookReview ‘The French for Murder’ by Verity Bright @BrightVerity #cosymystery #crime

#BookReview ‘A Cornish Seaside Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

#BookReview ‘The Marlow Murder Club’ by Robert Thorogood #cosycrime

#BookReview ‘A Cornish Christmas Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

#BookReview ‘Murder in the Snow’ by Verity Bright @BrightVerity #cosymystery #crime

#BookReview ‘The Cornish Village Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

#BookReview ‘A Deadly Discovery’ by JC Kenney #cosycrime #crime

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