The Wounded Snake
by Fay Sampson
Severn House

Severn House Publishers

Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 01 Jun 2019

I am reviewing a copy of The Wounded Snake through Severn House and Netgalley:

Hillary Masters and Veronica Taylor are friends who are eager to embark on their weekend long masterclass in crime writing at the evocative, fourteenth Century Morland Abbey, hoping to gain inspiration for their novels.

Dinah Halsgrove the Queen Of Crime Fiction is the guest of honor giving the opening talk but when Dinah unexpectedly falls ill later that evening, Hillary and Veronica can’t help but be suspicious. Has her mysterious illness been staged by the organisers, or does someone in their writing group have murderous intent? A series of sinister incidents draw Hilary and Veronica into a real-life murder mystery as gripping as any bestselling crime novel, but the biggest twist is yet to come. Can they separate fact from fiction to solve a deadly puzzle?

If you are looking for a great suspense read, full of intrigue then The Wounded Snake is just the book for you. The Wounded Snake is worthy of five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Somehow I had missed reading anything by Fay Sampson and as soon as I finished this one I checked with my local library. To my delight they had an e-copy of The Wounded Thorn (2015) and soon I will have read that one, too. Hilary and Veronica are a lovely change from the vast number of 20 and 30 something female protagonists in cozies these days. I love those mysteries, too but sometimes I enjoy spending a murder investigation with amateurs closer to my age and older. This duo fits the bill very nicely.
The ladies have arrived at Morland Abbey for a writer's weekend in order to fine tune their writing, get some fresh ideas and maybe even find a new setting or two. They are excited that a well known mystery writer will be part of the weekend course but are disappointed when she falls ill and is whisked away to hospital. Was it just a bug? or was she poisoned? As she hasn't become a corpse, attention again turns to the seminar. While searching the surrounding area for setting ideas Hilary and Veronica find a body! As if that isn't enough, another killing occurs, this time it's one of the seminar organizers. There's a lot of investigating to be done and time is of the essence. As a fan of Midsomer Murder and Agatha Christie, this was a perfect fit. It didn't disappoint me. I hope there will be another entry in this series.

A nice cosy mystery with well developed characters and an engaging and entertaining plot.
I liked the style of writing, the cast of characters and the plot.
The mystery is good, no plot hole, and it keep you guessing till the end.
I never read any book by Fay Sampson before and I look forward to reading other works by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Hugely enjoyable mystery from Fay Sampson. A crime writing weekend at the scenic and atmospheric 14th century Morland Abbey does not go according to plan for friends Hilary Masters and Veronica Taylor when a series of bizarre events unfolds and the crime becomes rather real when murder rears its ugly head. Well told and well plotted with credible characterisation and likeable protagonists, falls into the cosy genre but not, perhaps, as predictable as you may at first think. An entertaining read that I devoured in one sitting. Fans of this genre should be delighted with this.
This is book 2 in the West Country Mystery series (Book 1 being 'The Wounded Thorn' ) - worth noting is that on Amazon listings both books are listed, at time of writing, as being Book 1 in the series, annoying and potentially confusing for new readers of these very engaging books.

(Review to be published on Amazon)

Hilary and Veronica- two ladies of a certain age- went to the crime writing class expecting only to enjoy their time together and learn something- not find a body! Or to actually solve the mystery of who is upset with participants in their seminar. Sampson has created a nice setting in Morland Abbey and the surrounding village. Odd as it might sound, this is a fun one. I didn't read the first book but I was fine with this a standalone and I'm now looking forward to more. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers!

A multitude of prospective crime writers have gathered at Morland Abbey, a stunning 14th century edifice-turned-conference centre for a writing course, hoping the atmosphere and company will spark the creative flame. The highlight is Diana Morland, crime writer extraordinare – but after she gives her opening talk, she falls mysteriously ill.

Friends Hilary Masters and Veronica Taylor are suspicious, especially as someone was snooping around Morland’s room that afternoon. But when there is a shocking murder, it seems as if someone has decided to forego intellectual inspiration for their novel and try something more practical instead.

As ever, I like to dip my toe into the modern crime fiction genre every other book or so, and I rather liked the look of this one. It’s got the feel of a traditional setting, although there are significantly more attendees on the course that one might expect in a Golden Age version and it’s a very enjoyable, easy read.

Hilary – the entire novel is from her point of view – is good company, a well-constructed character. The retired ex-teacher works very well in this setting, not leaping in with mad theories, but taking an altogether more considered approach to solving the crime. It’s almost a shame that there is a need for her husband to show up to offer support, but it does feel natural, rather than being put across as if she needs a man’s help. What is a bit disappointing is a few chapters where Hilary becomes jealous of her husband and Veronica, for no real reason, a sub-plot that just fizzles into nothingness. The local geography and history is used well, to give a sense of place to the story, rather than just being set… somewhere.

The mystery is interesting, although a central part of “who could be doing all these things?” isn’t considered until quite late – again, maybe I’ve just read too many mysteries – and I’d have preferred the circle of suspects to have been a bit more developed. There is a big focus on a few characters for the opening investigation which is almost like putting a sign on them saying “Not The Murderer” – because the alternative is that one of the few is the murderer and it’s all a bit obvious. There is a clever solution here, but I did think the behaviour of one character in particular seemed rather extreme – there are much easier ways to achieve their goals.

So, a fun read – as I often say, I may well be back for more in the future.

This was my first introduction to Fay Sampson (who apparently has a list of titles to her name), and I think I've found a new series to add to my reading list.  The Wounded Snake appears to be book 2 in the West Country Mystery series), but it could easily be a stand-alone.  Some long-running series are difficult to pick up in the middle, but I didn't feel that I was missing vital information about the characters in this book.

Hilary and her friend Veronica head to Morland Abbey for a course on writing mysteries.  As a retired teacher, Hilary has plans for a historical setting whilst Veronica is leaning towards a romance.  Unfortunately, their weekend is disrupted when first the guest of honor is poisoned and then one of the course leaders ends up dead.

Hilary and Veronica--while older ladies with adult children--do not fall into the Miss Marple mold, and are soon on the case.  Interesting story and plot twists, and the setting was well-used.  Highly recommended for those looking for their next read.

A digital review copy was provided by NetGalley.

Well developed characters and a very strong sense of place make this an interesting read. Set in an abbey in Devon, friends Hilary and Veronica are on a crime writing weekend course. Unfortunately it appears a murderer is in attendance. The first night, the keynote speaker is poisoned, then the event organizers wife is murdered, and then one of the course participants is bashed on the head. Hilary and Veronica get caught up trying to solve the crimes.
Thanks to netgalley and Severn House for an advance ARC.

Hilary Masters and Veronica Taylor are off to Morland Abbey for an intensive weekend course in writing mystery novels. The keynote speaker is the grande dame of mystery fiction, Dinah Halsgrove. The weekend gets off to a rocky start when Halsgrove grows ill and then things go from bad to worse as a series of accidents and strange happenings draw budding authors Hilary and Veronica into an all to real murder investigation. The sense of place and the friendship between the two main characters is the best part of this cozy mystery