Bookshop owner Flora Steele and writer Jack Carrington fell in love solving mysteries. Now they’re taking their first steps as husband and wife… straight into their most perplexing case yet.
Sussex, 1958: A radiant Flora is being twirled across the dancefloor by her dashing new husband, Jack. It’s the perfect wedding in Abbeymead, until a mysterious stranger is found dead just outside the village.
But when Flora finds an envelope tucked into the man’s silver cigarette case, the address is key to discovering the poor chap’s name – Russell Farr. He isn’tknown to any of the villagers, so at first all signs point to a tragic accident. That is, until they discover Farr previously worked at the esteemed Cleve College, where Jack is now a writer-in-residence.
The college has made Jack feel uneasy ever since he learned his predecessor drowned in its lake, and now it appears a second suspicious death is connected to it. But who would want two mild-mannered academics dead?
Could it be Jocelyn, the ambitious young teacher with her sights set on the top? Joe, the sly porter living beyond his means? Or perhaps Maurice, the college dean who seems far more interested in power than educating students?
Just when it looks like no amount of studying will crack this case, a chance encounter brings Flora closer to the truth. But when Jack goes missing, it seems someone is determined to teach them both a lesson.
Can Flora and Jack outwit the killer before they graduate to becoming the next victims? Or will their first case as husband and wife be their last?
I'm delighted to be hosting the tour for Murder at Cleve College by Merryn Allingham today. Many thanks to Sarah Hardy and Bookouture for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel, received through Netgalley.
Murder at Cleve College is the ninth book in Merryn Allingham's Flora Steele series. Each novel features a standalone mystery but much of the enjoyment comes from seeing how the lives of the recurring characters has developed over time. Therefore, I would ideally recommend reading the previous books if possible.
There's a significant change here too, as, after much "will they or won't they" in the earlier stories, Flora finally marries Jack Carrington. Time will tell if the series is renamed the Flora Carrington Mysteries going forward! The wedding itself barely features, for just before the big day, death came once more to the supposedly peaceful village of Abbeymead – and of course, it's Flora and Jack who find the body of the man. He's clearly been hit by a large vehicle but was he the victim of a hit and run accident or murder? Married life, then, sets off on the same foot for our sleuthing pair, who, after a brief honeymoon, are inevitably drawn into investigating what happened to the unfortunate stranger. However, while their propensity for becoming embroiled in murder mysteries persists, there are other changes in their lives too.
Jack leaves Overlay House to move in to Flora's cottage and also starts working part-time as writer-in-residence at Cleve College. Meanwhile, Flora has employed Rose to cover some of her days at her beloved All's Well bookshop, meaning she has to find new ways to fill her time. The book is set in 1958 and although it was a period of societal upheaval, she is still now first and foremost a wife. I thought it was interesting that an announcement elsewhere heralds the suggestion that the couple may have choices to make about what they both want, in the face of popular expectation in the future. Even making a change to their living arrangements has certain residents of the village annoyed here, so it will be fascinating to see how these intertwined lives adapt going forwards.
Over the course of the series, Merryn Allingham has gradually broadened the setting, cleverly adding new establishments and therefore scope to the storyline. Cleve College was briefly introduced in
The Library Murders, when Jack was first offered his new position. It obviously appears far more prominently here but as Jack tries to find his feet, he becomes aware that he is being watched – and then learns that his predecessor came to a sad end. It's not just Cleve College which is important, however, and another building with a tragic past and gradually, Flora and Jack begin to suspect the two are lamentably connected.
The pair have a frustrating case on their hands, with suspicious deaths in the past and present to investigate, but it also proves to be highly dangerous for them both. This is a cosy crime novel and so of course, any murders aren't described in brutal detail and there's a warmth to proceedings too. However, one character is especially unpleasant, while others also give reason to become suspects too. and there is still a sense of tension engendered – particularly when it becomes clear that both Jack and Flora have become targets themselves...
Murder at Cleve College is an absorbing read throughout and another engaging addition to this thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery series. I look forward to discovering what intrigue lies ahead for the Carringtons next.
Murder at Cleve College is published by Bookouture; it can be purchased
here.
Follow the tour, details are below.
About the Author
Merryn Allingham 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. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
Comments
Post a Comment