Elizabeth Blake (1)

The town of Kirkbymoorside has a lot of sweaty people.

Sometimes they’re sick, sometimes they’re stressed, and sometimes they’re just too hot – but these people are damp. Droplets of sweat on upper lips, foreheads, under collars – lots of droplets.

Regardless, and in spite of an amateur detective who is arrogant and pushy, this is a fairly entertaining cozy mystery. Once one accepts the idea that the Jane Austen Society seems to run the town, and once one gets used to the point of view abruptly jumping from one character to another every once in a while (not too often), one will find oneself happy to read to the end, where one will be quite surprised by the identify of the killer.

Erin Coleridge, bookstore owner, sometimes-writer (although that fact seems to slide out of the picture), and newly self-appointed sleuth, is on the case after a member of the community is murdered, and while she is decidedly more attractive in her yoga pants than Agatha Raisin ever was, her abrupt style does bring Agatha to mind. Regardless, I – sorry – One – kept reading, more out of interest in whodunit than out of engagement with Ms. Coleridge. I didn’t guess the killer – not even close. Neither did Erin, until the evidence smacked her upside the head.

Three stars for this book: It’s flawed, but I didn’t hate it, and didn’t have to struggle to read it. If you are a Jane Austen fan you’ll enjoy the frequent Austen quotes, and if you are a British contemporary cozy mystery fan, this is your book.… (lisätietoja)

Erin Coleridge’s used bookstore in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England is a meeting place for the villagers and, in particular, for the local Jane Austen Society. At the Society’s monthly meeting, matters come to a head between the old guard and its young turks. After the meeting breaks for tea, persuasion gives way to murder—with extreme prejudice—when president Sylvia Pemberthy falls dead to the floor. Poisoned? Presumably…but by whom? And was Sylvia the only target?

Handsome—but shy—Detective Inspector Peter Hadley and charismatic Sergeant Rashid Jarral arrive at the scene. The long suspect list includes Sylvia’s lover Kurt Becker and his tightly wound wife Suzanne. Or, perhaps, the killer was Sylvia’s own cuckolded husband, Jerome. Among the many Society members who may have had her in their sights is dashing Jonathan Alder, who was heard having a royal battle of words with the late president the night before.

Then, when Jonathan Alder narrowly avoids becoming the next victim, Farnsworth (the town’s “cat lady”) persuades a seriously time-crunched Erin to help DI Hadley. But the killer is more devious than anyone imagines.

This was a fun and quick mystery. I got no more and no less than I went into it expecting.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*… (lisätietoja)

Erin Coleridge is the classic cozy sleuth with a flirtation with a sexy detective, quirky friends, and a nosy attitude that creates her involvement in every murder she stumbles upon. The story is set against a backdrop of a literary society which is one of the several connections to literature that's prevalent throughout the story. The tone has been influenced by the love of Jane Austen, literature, the classics, and reading. The writing is stunning through the vivid descriptions Blake uses to set her scenes such as describing Winnifred through the gifts that Nature cruelly denied her and Jonathan Adler who Nature capriciously bestowed those gifts upon. Jonathan Adler is the classic seductive and charming gentlemen - who Erin can't help but be drawn to - and who receives high praise even in his description. The scene of him walking down the hall is compared to Moses parting the Red Sea at his will and how every woman fell under his spell "like enchanted fairy tale princesses." These are just two examples of the essence that genuinely reflects a classic literary style that's seen in Blake's writing. Even the names fit the world of Jane Austen with Farnsworth, Prudence Pettibone - fervent and competitive about Austen knowledge -, Carolyn Hardacre and her husband Owen, Hetty Miller, Jonathan Adler, Barry Wolf - the victim -, and Winnifred Hogsworthy.

Erin and her boyfriend have a delicate dance as he's a detective and she - as a sleuth - tends to be nosy in murderous affairs. This tends to create a conflict between them that goes further than his moody standoffish nature at times. Other characters include Sergeant Rashid Jarral who as Hemming's easygoing partner creates an opposite to him. While Hemming is described as the classic moody and intense love interest, his partner is described as being good-natured and trusting. The mystery sends Erin on a hunt for a killer among them with the help of her friend Farnsworth and the Jane Austen Society. The twists and turns create a mystery that is addicting with Death & Sensibility delivering the perfect treat for book lovers.… (lisätietoja)