Amateur sleuth Violet Brewster wants to embrace the quiet village life, but a decades-old mystery threatens to disrupt the peace of her new hometown...
Ex-journalist Violet Brewster is keen to make a good first impression in her new community, having just moved to the small village of Merrywell. When Violet hears about the mystery of Helen Slingsby, who disappeared from the village forty years earlier, she decides to help uncover what happened. But despite Violet's best efforts, she can find no trace of the missing woman.
As Violet talks to the other residents, it becomes apparent that something sinister is lurking beneath the village's idyllic exterior.
When a villager is found dead in their home, Violet becomes convinced that the murder is connected to Helen. Did Helen ever really leave Merrywell? Who in the village is hiding something? And can Violet finally solve this forty-year-old mystery before someone else gets hurt?
An utterly gripping and page-turning English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Clare Chase, Frances Evesham and Betty Rowlands.
Readers LOVE Jane Bettany!
'I loved this book from beginning to end and cannot wait to read more from Jane Bettany.' NetGalley reviewer,
'Just superb. Well written and so easy to read. Characters were well drawn and I just can't tell you how good the end was. Brilliant!' NetGalley Reviewer,
'Jane does it again with another gripping read. I read this one in 24 hours and had me engrossed from page 1.' NetGalley Reviewer,
'I was hooked from page one... completely loved the storyline.' NetGalley Reviewer,
An entertaining cosy mystery set in Derbyshire
Murder in Merrywell is an entertaining cosy mystery, and the first in a new series by Jane Bettany, author of the wonderful D.I. Isabel Blood series.
While the cover image rather confusingly depicts the village of Castle Combe in Wiltshire, Murder in Merrywell is actually set in an eponymous fictional town in Derbyshire, somewhere in the vicinity of real life Rowsley.
Recently-divorced former journalist Violet Brewster has only weeks ago relocated from London to Merrywell, and is engaged by the local parish council to make a short video depicting the history of the village and the memories of local residents. Before long, Violet stumbles upon a 40-year-old mystery, the sudden disappearance of local woman Helen Slingsby in 1982. Violet's interest in the matter certainly stirs up some ill-feeling, as she receives more than one anonymous message imploring her to stop asking questions.
When an elderly resident of the village, who had recently given Violet an interview for her film, is found murdered in her cottage, it becomes apparent that someone is willing to kill to protect a long-held secret. Can Violet solve the mysteries - old and new - and finish her film, before she becomes the next victim?
Jane Bettany establishes an evocative Derbyshire setting, which is why the Cotswolds image on the cover of the book seemed jarring. The characters are varied and interesting, from Violet herself to the supporting cast of local residents, who range from helpful to pompous to downright interfering. The narrative achieves a convincing cosy-mystery style, somewhat of a departure from Bettany's darker Isabel Blood police procedural series. As readers of cosy mysteries expect, the underlying mystery plot is balanced with light humour, village life and the prospect of future romance between Violet and widowed joiner Matthew Collis.
I'd highly recommend Murder in Merrywell to lovers of cosy mysteries and evocative rural village settings.
My thanks to the author, Jane Bettany, publisher HQ, HQ Digital and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.
Sarah, 11/08/2023
