This one’s a good old-fashioned British cosy mystery – similar, of course, but in some aspects also a little different from most American cozies. British country life IS something special!
Right on page one, we get confronted with a murder – at the Comedy Club in Bliss Bay, no less! Andy Cochran, the owner of the club, has been brutally stabbed with a pole during the night; on his cheek, traces of a yellow powder are found which are identified as pollen.
Two months later, Megan Fallon who’s just been dumped by her fiancé and lost her job, is coming home to Bliss Bay to organise her parents’ celebration of renewed marriage vows; she hasn’t been home in a long time because she wants to avoid her ex-husband and his new wife. And when she and her sister arrive at the diner outside town early in the morning, what should they find but another murdered man in his car! Victor Canning, 74, has been strangled – and the pollen on his cheek points to a connection with the other murder two months earlier.
The little village is all upside down now – which one of the peaceful inhabitants could be a murderer? That’s not the only thing that worries the townspeople, though; the old school building is going to be torn down and a new hypermarket will be built, which they aren’t keen on at all. Nevertheless, Megan decides to stay in town for a while and take care of her parents’ house while they go on a cruise – and of Cat, a very clever tabby whom they’ve adopted. The idyll is soon disturbed again, though, when a third murder happens! Now, Megan and her Uncle Des start investigating on their own in order to restore peace and quiet to Bliss Bay…
There’s a wonderfully strange contrast between the cosy country life and the series of murders that starts right on the first page; the people (apart from Megan’s ex and his wife) are all perfectly loveable – and yet, one of them has got to be a devious murderer! With a lot of warmth and sympathy, Sherri Bryan paints the picture of a sleepy little English village which is suddenly disturbed by unbelievable events. An enjoyable read from start to finish!
Roberta Franklin 