Member Review

Despite this book being a more recent addition to my shelf, I read it before some of the others because of two reasons. The first is that it is a very small book in comparison to all the others I have and the second is that I have now got used to the pace of the book's sense of humour and knew for a fact that I would enjoy it.
By the time I reached this installment, I have a decent understanding of the workings of the people involved in the town, but even without that depth, this book can still be a fun read. I know it seems a little callous to term a murder mystery as a 'fun read' but the assorted cast and the dialogues can give it just that sort of distinction. In this tale, there are a lot of random events being described to us, and they seem liked fractured pictures of something that cannot become a coherent whole.It does all fit int together towards the end, I did not even suspect the possibility of what might actually have conspired while at the same time, it did not seem like a very unreasonable explanation. That is something that I am starting to realize ( five books into the series) seems like a trademark of either the author or the character of Inspector Purbright. In the beginning, the regular functioning of the town is described, with the additional point of a strange missive being sent out to crucial local people. Its presence is followed quite a while later by a body and a strange circumstance. The conversations between the people was as usual a highlight and Lucy Teatime, the enigmatic person from the previous book seems to have liked the place enough to have set down her very mysterious roots.

For anyone who has the time to take a leisurely stroll through Flaxborough and chuckle at the dry humour that will not make its presence very obviously known, I would recommend definitely giving it a try.