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Peril at End House by Agatha Christie
12th March 2023. While I make no secret of my love for Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries, each book I read makes me marvel even more at how original, creative and addictive her stories are. They’re set many decades ago, when values and standards varied from today, but the writing still feels contemporary in many ways, making them a joy to read. Peril at End House is set in the 1930s and features Poirot at his most arrogant, though Hastings manages to get a few shots in to deflate the Belgian’s ego. That said, Poirot also has the courage to admit he’s made a colossal mistake as he struggles to solve…
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Murder in a Welsh Town by Pippa McCaithie
5th March 2023. In the fourth book of this excellent series, Fabia Harvard and Matt Lambert have a murder on their doorstep when Ivor Gladwin, one of the actors in the town pantomime, is found dead. He took satisfaction in winding people up, which means plenty of suspects for his murder. And some of those suspects have problems of their own, which come to a head for one couple when a second person is murdered. It’s a complex case that overlaps with an undercover operation Lambert has not been informed about. With tensions running high, and one of the undercover officers in an affair with a suspect for Ivor Gladwin’s…
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E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton
28th February 2023. In her fifth outing in the series, private investigator Kinsey Millhone finds herself caught in an elaborate fraud. It starts with a mystery deposit of $5000 into her bank account, closely followed by her report into an insurance claim for a warehouse fire being replaced by a false account. The insurance company suspends her, leaving her angry and helpless. But not for long. With a little help from an employee at the insurance company and her usual dogged approach, she’s soon on the trail. Even the reappearance of her ex-husband doesn’t shift her focus as she strives to clear her name. And then someone from the family…
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Murder on the Farm by Jane Adams
21st February 2023. We’re back in Frantham for the seventh novel in the series. Rina, fresh from filming a new series for TV, returns home feeling weary but satisfied. She’s soon drawn into the murder of Ellen Tailor, a popular single mother who’s shot in her kitchen. Mac and his small team investigate, trying to make sense of the killing, struggling to find a motive. The secondary plot involving a former 2nd World War airfield, and events during the conflict, bring a retired historian into the investigation. Missing archives, his abrupt nature and his friendship to Ellen place him firmly under suspicion. The family of Ellen’s former husband, who never…
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A Room Full of Bones by Elly Griffiths
10th February 2023. The fourth novel in the Dr Ruth Galloway series starts with her at a local history museum for the opening of a coffin containing a medieval bishop. But instead of a ceremonial opening, she finds the museum’s curator dead on the floor. For Ruth, already doubting whether she’s a good mum for daughter Kate, it’s the start of a curious story concerning two deaths, drug smuggling and the return of historical artefacts to their country of origin. A new neighbour of Aboriginal descent adds a further mystical element to the story. When the museum’s owner also dies, DCI Harry Nelson suspects murder, though both victims seem to…
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Lord Edgeware Dies by Agatha Christie
6th February 2023. Poirot is called upon to unravel another complex murder, where the prime suspect has publicly talked of killing her husband. Yet she was in a different place when he was murdered. As Poirot and Inspector Japp of Scotland Yard investigate the murder, all is not as it seems. With contradicting evidence, questions that Poirot struggles to answer, and a long list of suspects, this is a story that continues to confound until the detective finally makes sense of all the disparate clues. Narrated by Captain Hastings, who is once again patronised and made fun of by his Belgian friend, it’s a cleverly plotted story with several twists…
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Mystery at the Old Mill by Clare Chase
15th January 2023. In the fourth book of the series, obituary writer Eve Mallow throws open the doors of her house at Christmas and meets Harry Tenant, the new occupier of the Old Mill. While charming on the outside, Harry closely guards his social life. After he’s killed in a fire that destroys his home, his double life comes to life, suggesting he’s the victim of murder. There are also strong hints that people in the village consulted him in his role as an Agony Aunt. When Eve’s asked to write his obituary, she has the opportunity to look into his murder and a list of suspects that keeps growing…
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D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
12th January 2023. I first read this novel in the 1990s. While I’ve long since forgotten the story I’m enjoying Sue Grafton’s series more this time around. The stories and characters stand the test of time with ease and the writing is superlative, drawing you in from the opening lines. This time it’s a shady character called Alvin, who wants Kinsey to deliver a cheque. Being a canny private eye, she’s suspicious, but she’s got to eat and pay the rent. When her retainer cheque bounces, she starts to uncover the truth about Alvin. He’s not who he says he is. He’s only recently come out of prison. And now…
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Murder in the Valleys by Pippa McCaithie
7th January 2023. Having loved the second book in the series, (check out my review of Murder at the Old Abbey here), I had to read the first, which introduces Fabia Havard, a former superintendent, and DCI Matt Lambert. When a young woman is brutally murdered and dumped in the river, Fabia’s the first to discover the body. Lambert and his team are soon on the way. It’s clear from the start that these two have unresolved issues. While Fabia may no longer be in the police, none of her instincts and experience has deserted her. She also knows many of the locals and potential suspects for the murder. As…
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An environmental health officer solving murders?
‘Kent Fisher is a wonderful creation and unique in crime literature.‘ Susan Corcoran, wrote this on 14th April 2018 when she reviewed No Bodies, the second Kent Fisher murder mystery. While I’d never considered him like this, I hope he joins a long list of amateur sleuths who’ve graced literature and TV screens. A quick glance at crime fiction novels reveals sleuths who are village gossips, ecologists, forensic archaeologists, taxi drivers, obituary writers, magicians, or retired people in a care home. TV crime has had local radio presenters, pensioners and gardeners solving murders. But let’s take a reality check for a moment. You wouldn’t pop into your local town hall…
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Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
2nd January 2023. Agatha Christie’s most famous book reveals her mastery of plot, character and setting. At the time it was written, I imagine the plot was ground breaking – a locked room murder with a difference. Hercule Poirot is on hand to investigate as the Orient Express is stopped by snowfall and left isolated on the tracks. As no one could have escaped, the murderer must still be on the train. With only observation, interviews of the witnesses and deduction, Poirot has to solve a seemingly insoluble puzzle. And he does it with style, pulling apart an elaborate plot that must have taken some creating. The directness to the…
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Moi? A cosy mystery author?
From the moment No Accident was released by a US publisher in 2016, I’ve refuted any claim that my novels are cosy mysteries. Why would I do this, you might ask? The cosy mystery genre offers a huge market within crime fiction. A simple search on Amazon will confirm this. Yet under this extensive umbrella, there are a significant number of single, elderly ladies solving murders in quaint villages, or on cruise ships, or in stately homes. Many of them bake cakes, arrange flowers or run bookshops. Many have cute dogs or cats. It’s all sweet, friendly and safe – even though people are being bumped off at an alarming…