The joyous crowd applauds as the happy couple strides down the aisle. This Cotswolds country wedding has everything – friends and family, beautiful flowers and… murder?
When Julia Bird’s ex-husband Peter and his lovely partner Christopher decide to get married in Berrywick, Julia is delighted – after all, who doesn’t love a country wedding? Little does Julia know that normally calm and collected Christopher will turn into a full-on Groomzilla – and that by the end of the night, someone will end up dead.
The morning after the big day, the jolly nuptial mood turns grim when Julia discovers the lifeless body of the caterer, Desmond. Someone locked him in the cold truck and the poor man froze to death. Now looking for a murderer, all eyes are on Christopher who, mid-tantrum, had publicly threatened to kill him. Convinced that Christopher is innocent, Julia vows to find the real culprit.
Julia soon discovers Desmond had a long list of enemies as she races against the clock to clear Christopher’s name. Could his death be the work of the respected wedding planner who was heard exchanging choice words with the victim? Or perhaps it was his wife – ‘til death do them part – who didn’t shed a single tear at his funeral?
But just when Julia thinks she’s cracked the case, her prime suspect is found dead with a knife in their back. Can Julia find the murderer before they strike again?
An utterly gripping, charming cosy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Julia took a pancake topped with a grilled prawn. It was warm and spicy, with a hint of lime, and she had to restrain herself from falling on the tray and tossing the delicious morsels into her mouth like smarties.
The Buttered Scone operated as a kind of vortex, drawing in all Berrywick’s information– gossip, if you prefer the term– at improbable speed. It paid to be a little careful, as any information you let slip would be pulled in and just as rapidly disseminated, and before you knew it, your own careless comment or whispered confidence would be all over the village.
Hayley looked around the tearoom, which was a known gossip mill, constantly absorbing and releasing local intel, almost as if it was an organism breathing in and out.
Julia waved to Flo and made the international sign for the bill– a squiggling hand movement, fingers and thumb pressed together, as if she was signing a bill with a pen. In a few years’ time, would they all be making a swipe gesture, Julia wondered.
My Review:
This was a fun and pleasurable yet compelling read that kept me engaged and casting multiple “who done it” theories throughout perusal. Julia is a knowable and authentic character and her creators keep adding a few more quirky layers to their cast of villagers while also softening Julia’s edges. The writing is easy to follow and engaging with a clever and well-plotted murder mystery that was essentially unsolvable until the last few chapters. I have enjoyed each installment of this amusing series and am already looking forward to the next.
About the Authors
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Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with their husbands, children, dogs, and cats.