Bookshop owner and amateur detective Flora Steele teams up with handsome crime writer Jack Carrington to unravel a curious murder in the village of Abbeymead!
Sussex, 1956: When Flora and her partner-in-crime-solving, Jack, arrive at the charming church of St Saviour’s the last thing they’re expecting to find is the curate, Lyle Beaumont, lifeless on the flagstone floor beneath the belltower, with a mysterious note in his hand.
Flora is dismayed to find the poor curate dead. But she can’t help being intrigued by the eclectic mix of bell ringers present at the old church – Mr Preece, the local butcher, Dilys Fuller, the busybody postmistress, and Stephen Henshall, a newcomer to the close-knit community. Any one of them could be the culprit – and Flora needs to act fast before someone gets away with murder…
When Flora and Jack begin their sleuthing, they quickly realise all is not what it seems with the victim, and the certainty of the dead man’s identity becomes the first twist in the investigation.
Just as they’re getting closer to the answer, the death of one of the suspects changes everything. As a series of unexplained accidents unfolds across the village, it seems no-one who was present at the church on the night of the curate’s demise is safe.
Has the bell tolled on Flora and Jack’s detective days? And will they work out the truth in time to save themselves?
A completely addictive cozy crime novel set in the fictional Sussex village of Abbeymead. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis!
I'm delighted to be sharing my review for the Murder at St Saviour's Books on Tour today. Many thanks to Merryn Allingham and Bookouture for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel, received through Netgalley.
How lovely it is to return to the Sussex village of Abbeymead for the fifth book in the Flora Steele series. However, as much as I enjoy each visit, it has to be said that it isn't the safest place to go, and despite its quaint charms, it isn't long before yet another murder is committed. This time the victim is the new curate, Lyle Beaumont who appears to have been invited to the belltower of St Saviour's church – and subsequently to his death.
Flora Steele and Jack Cunningham are among the first on the scene and so their joint instincts for sleuthing means they inevitably start investigating, despite the local police building a case of their own. There isn't really any reason for the pair to become involved but when one of her friends reminds her that murder is for the police to solve, she observes, "sometimes we get to hear things they don't." That's really the key to this reliably engaging series; we know that the murderer will be somebody in the relatively small cast of characters and the fun comes from following the clues to see if we can work it out before Flora and Jack.
It's certainly a twisty mystery this time; the victim turns out to be a man with plenty of secrets and there are a number of people who may have had reason to kill him – indeed, some even openly admit they are happy to see him dead. It's not as straightforward as things may first appear, however, and I enjoyed being led this way and that before the reveal, which wasn't entirely unexpected because the clues are there. That doesn't mean the culprit is obvious; the list of potential suspects is long and with several new faces in Abbeymead, Flora and Jack are kept busy trying to figure out the truth.
As the series progresses, it's as much a treat to follow the development of the recurring characters as it is to discover whodunnit – and why. Merryn Allingham perceptively captures the essence of a small village and both the sense of community that means people look out for one another and the gossipy, rather judgmental attitudes of locals resistant to change are described so well. The period details are excellent and the immersive authenticity of the series is particularly captivating in Murder at St Saviour's because events take place in the lead-up to Christmas.
The inclement weather and the gradual preparations for the big day are effectively woven into the plot which takes on a decidedly sinister tone at times. This is a cosy mystery and is packed with wit and warmth but there is still a murderer at large, and there are some bruising encounters, proving once more, that solving crimes can be a dangerous business.
The real highlight of this series, of course, is the relationship between Flora and Jack. It's such a pleasure to see the development of both characters as the series progresses and I love that their partnership so cleverly reflects the changing values of the times. They are products of a time when people were expected to conform but change is in the air, and the fiercely independent Flora epitomises that juxtaposition beautifully.
Murder at St Saviour's really is a delightfully engrossing seasonal mystery, I highly recommend it.
Murder at St Saviour's is published by Bookouture and can be purchased from Amazon UK and Amazon US. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Follow the Murder at St Saviour's Books on Tour, details are below.
Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband and one last cat, Bluebell. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
Thank you so much for a great review. You've pinpointed exactly what I hoped to achieve with the book!
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