Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Murder On The Hour - A Review





Murder On The Hour cover.jpg



A Review


I read the book. I  liked the book. I do not get the title.


Regardless, this lovely Welsh murder mystery held my interest both as we visited the various shops in Lianelen and walked about the outlying country that lay alongside the River Conwy in North Wales. But even the beautiful territory in which the author set her book could not stop the murder of Catrin Bellis. And it would take the combined instincts and detective work of Penny and Victoria (owners of the local spa), Evelyn (the former  postmistress), and DCI Gareth Davies, to discover the guilty party.


To add complexity and interest to the story, Antiques Cymru (the Welsh version of The Antiques Roadshow) was coming to town. The mixture of tapestries, tea sets, furniture, and other oddities recovered from attics and barns in the area would provide some of the clues and excitement that added to the local mystery. But in the end it would take ah, but that would be giving away the story.  


Michael was an annoying distraction to both Penny and to the reader. His presence added little to the story and wasted the time of whoever met him.  It is time to let him go.


The first couple of chapters were a slow go - but once the murder occurred and time could be spent in tracking down the culprit, the book’s pace picked up quite nicely. The last night of reading was a long one as I made my way to through the final chapters to find out the truth.  As the book draws to a close, the author does a nice job of walking us back to the beginnings of WWI to provide the historical backdrop of the crime. A tale which might have served as the basis for another mystery as well.


The author hints that there will be more mysteries for Penny and her friends - I, for one, hope they come soon.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

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