In this fourth mystery about Cambridge detective Arthur St. Just and his fiancée, writer Portia De’Ath, they have gone for a holiday to Cornwall to celebrate their engagement. Although they do not plan to get involved in local politics, they learn that the residents are upset about plans for development that will benefit local fishermen but possibly hurt tourism. When Lord Bodwally, a controversial figure who opposes the development, is murdered, St. Just is asked to help the local police investigate his death. Naturally, this disrupts the holiday but some of the fine dining they manage to squeeze in helps solve the crime.

This was a fun read and well-narrated. I went back and read the first three in the series subsequently but this can be read (or listened to) as a standalone, although I was most interested in this book because of the Cornwall setting.

Here is my review for book 2: https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2022/02/death-of-cozy-writer-by-g-m-malliet.html

Title: Death in Cornwall
Author: G.M. Malliet
Narrated by: Lorna Bennett
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Length: Approximately 11 hours and 03 minutes
Source: Review Copy from Netgalley. Thank-you!

Happy Mystery Monday! I have been in the mood for mysteries a lot recently. I was happy to review Death in Cornwall on audiobook from Netgalley. I found out once I started listening that this is book four of the St. Just Mystery series. It was fine to read as a stand-alone book, but I do want to now read the rest of the series!

DCI Arthur St. Just and Portia De’Ath decide to celebrate their engagement by visiting the small town of Maidsfell in Cornwall. The world has just opened up after being shut down for COVID. The people in the small town of Maidsfell are up in arms with each other as local fishermen want to build a spillway to help their business, but others are afraid it will ruin the view for tourists which also support the local economy. After a local aristocrat, Lord Bodwally is found murdered, St. Just and Portia are on the case to find the murderer. Did someone take the local political disagreement too far? Was it someone from Lord Bodwally’s past?

I enjoyed this audiobook. I love British mysteries and relished Lorna Bennett’s narration of the audiobook with her British accent. The book is set in beautiful Cornwall, which I’ve always wanted to visit. I related to the people of Maidsfell as I also live in a small community that has tourists in the summer. It’s a love / hate relationship with tourists and trying to make your local economy and community work. I also really liked how they kept referring to the “plague times.” I at first thought, why are they talking about the black death? Then I realized they were talking about the COVID-19 pandemic. The story had interesting twists using the pandemic as businesses try to reestablish themselves and go back to normal.

This was a traditional British mystery with some sly bits of humor thrown in. I laughed out loud as St. Just mused before the murder about how all of his vacations are always ruined because murder seems to follow him in his wake. The same thing used to always happen to poor Hercule Poirot. St. Just and Portia methodically work through the possible witnesses and killers as they unravel the mystery. I did not guess the ending and I greatly enjoyed the process of getting there. I also really loved all of the characters in the village and St. Just and Portia themselves. I especially love Portia’s last name of De’Ath. Ha! I will be looking up more mysteries by author G.M. Malliet.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* first book i have read of the series, easy to tell its a cozy mystery series but it wasnt a bad one, i would read the first 3 books if i found them

Half the police procedure of a Midsummer murder, half the charm of an Agatha Raisin.

This is not a first body on the first page book. It’s a very relaxed meander around this Cornish countryside, getting to know the people and places. There’s not a lot of suspense and if you didn’t know you were reading a traditional mystery you could think this novel was an exploration of a man’s slightly obsessive and insecure love for his new fiancé.

Eventually a body is found and the crime writer, Portia, on holiday with her detective inspector, St. Just, gets on with solving another crime. Tommy and Tuppence they are not, missing the witty byplay common to the originals. Maybe they are more like Harriet Vane if she’d married Mr. Parker instead of Lord Peter. They ask the right questions, and try hard to solve the crime, but there’s no zest, no chemistry between them, nor any reason for anybody to care about the dead guy.

Perhaps it’s the narrator’s choice for St Just’s voice, but the character comes across in this outing as rather arrogant, jealous, and sometimes petulant.

I do love the Cornish scenery though.

I listen to this book. The reader brought you to Cornwall. One felt that you were there living in Cornwall. The mystery aspect of the of the store had wonderful characters and twisting plot. It’s the first of this author and series that I have read. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio book.

This is the first book I've read from this author, and expected a cozy mystery along the lines of Agatha Christie.

DCI St Just and fiancé, Portia, are on a holiday to Cornwall. The opening was funny that they were lost on a back country road surrounded by sheep and herder (I've had a similar experience in Utah, on a motorcycle, and went through a herd of cows and a herd of sheep). Once in Cornwall they are drawn into the lives of the village people and the problems that impact them, and are caught up in murder.

The descriptions of Cornwall were lovely, and even though the town is dealing with modern-day type problems the author kept it quaint.

This is the 4th installment of St Just, and I liked the book enough that I will go back and read the first three.

This is one of the first books I've read that deals with the pandemic in the past tense. I found it interesting how the author handled the pandemic references and how it was also worked it into plot. Overall, this was a well paced "cozy mystery". The story and characters were unique, (though there were a few plot points and characters that were not credible for me) but that did not take away from the fun of the book. I also found the reader's performance enjoyable.

Death in Cornwall by GM Malliett
Narrated by Lorna Barrett
This is book four in a series and I have read the previous three books but it was at least ten years ago so I only recall that I liked them. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this one very much. The story itself was okay. What seriously annoyed me was the constant references to “the plague times,” meaning the pandemic and supposedly now it is over. Calling it the plague times made me think of the middle ages and nobody calls it that, not even in the UK.
Besides, I read this kind of mystery as escapism and I don’t want to be reminded of Covid every few pages.
The narration was fine, not outstanding.
I think I am done with this series.

Narration was so irritating I quit listening. I would however buy this in ebook form to read.

Premise and author are excellent.

Arthur St. Just and Portia De'Ath are my new favorite crime lit couple. True to his name, St. Just is a gentleman knight in a contemporary detective's clothing, dedicated to honor and, of course, justice. When he and his beloved fiancée, Portia, travel to Cornwall for a much-needed getaway, he's desperate to relax, paint the stunning scenery and solve zero crimes, while Portia works on her latest novel. But in true Agatha Christie tradition, the detective's holiday is interrupted by murder. Portia arrives at the aptly named Lord Bodwally's home to talk books, but discovers that he's been murdered.

As the local village is in an uproar over proposed development, Lord Bodwally was a bit of a shady character, and the town is full of secrets, the murder is the perfect puzzle for the visiting St. Just. The small local police force is grateful to have his help.

Death in Cornwall is the fourth book in the St. Just series.

As in Malliet's wonderful standalone, Weycombe, and her enjoyable Max Tudor series, her setting is a strong character, helping to drive the story. Cornwall truly comes alive in her words, and her complex characters reveal a dark side that gives the setting mysterious depth. I was riveted by the Maidens on the cliff, and their secrets.

I first read the previous St. Just novels beginning only a couple of years ago, and am so glad to have this new addition to the series. It's not a broadly humorous book, and is really rather sweet for a tale of murder. It feels like more of a traditional mystery than a cozy, with sharp flashes of wit.

This review is for the audiobook, so I want to comment on the narration. The pacing and reading speed were excellent, and the narrator's accent was appropriate for the story. There were times when I felt the narrator was acting just a bit too hard, giving many of the local characters comical accents. At those times I heard a real disconnect between the voice and the story. I know very little about audiobook production, but one imagines that it was an issue with direction rather than the voice actor. She's obviously good. The story just doesn't feel that comic. But don't let that stop you if you're an audiobook fan. I've listened to all of the other St. Just novels 2+ times, and this one is definitely worth a re-listen.

Thrilled that St. Just is back. I adore Portia being a part of St. Just's cases, and can't wait for the next in the series.

Death in Cornwall is the fourth book in G.M. Malliet's St. Just Mystery series. Although this is a series, the individual books can easily be read as stand alones as each has its own unique cast of characters. This story is set in post-pandemic Cornwall, England, as Arthur St. Just and his new fianceé Portia De'Ath are on holiday. As they explore the village and the surrounding area, St. Just and Portia discover that there is a dispute occurring within the area regarding usage and improvements to the area on the coastline as well as the varying opinions of the individuals residing in the area. As the dispute escalates, Lord Bodwally is discovered by St. Just and Portia dead from stab wounds.

The author has done a good job of developing the various characters as well as the plotline. I found the references to the restrictions that people had to endure during the pandemic, as well as the resulting business failures, brought in additional underlying tensions within the plotline that added an extra layer of realism to this story. I do feel that the story was a bit slow to build to the murder and then the investigation was riddled with multiple suspects with possible motives. The final outcome was a bit of a surprise as to the identity and motive of the culprit. I am, however, interested in seeing what the future holds for Arthur and Portia as they move forward in their lives.

The narration of this book was performed at a decent pace with good definition of voice between the various characters.

I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I’ve read the three previous books in G.M. Malliet’s St. Just series, as well as the entirety of the Max Tudor series. She writes great “cozy” mysteries, which is what I was looking for in this book. I really like her pacing, and the fact that no murder occurs for the first 30% of the book, while we become intimate with the eclectic cast of characters. However, this book had one glaring issue for me that prevented me from enjoying it.

The issue of Covid comes up regularly in this novel, with the characters universally referring to it as “the plague times.” After the fortieth or so reference to the plague times, and Covid real estate shortages and restaurant shut down issues (among other problems) being suggested as possible motive for murder, the charm of a cozy seaside mystery was entirely lost.

For some readers, this real world awareness and engagement with issues may enhance their reading experience. I prefer a comforting escapism in mystery novels, and this wasn’t it for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy and opportunity to read and review this work.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery set in an English seaside town. This was my first venture in the St. Just Mysteries, and I loved the dynamics between St. Just and his fiance Portia De'Ath. I couldn't figure out who killed Lord Bodwally which is one of the things I love about great cozy mysteries. The narration was also excellent for this story.

I received an audiobook by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thanks to Dreamscape and NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a tough one. I know that G.M. Malliet has won awards, so I was interested to try one of her books. Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn't started in the middle of a series, but I doubt it. This is the latest Arthur St. Just/Portia De'Ath (I see what you did there, G.M., and I do not like it) story. They are an engaged couple, very much in love; he's a cop and she is an academic who also writes mystery novels (hmm). They are on holiday in Cornwall, but of course it quickly becomes a busman's holiday.

Malliet does a nice job of fleshing out the atmosphere and sheer physical beauty of Cornwall, and also captures the townies' contempt for summer residents and weekenders accurately, IMO. However, for all that her main characters just want to relax on their vacation and not get involved in the local politics (some mumbo jumbo about the fishermen vs. the interloping summer people/people who haven't lived in the village for eons, it exists solely to create red herrings from what I can tell, and is needlessly complicated) they *attend a local civic meeting about the very political issues they profess not to want to get involved in, since they're only there for a week and usually reside in Cambridge.* Uhhh, OK.

What follows is a series of meanderings through the Cornish countryside as St. Just (NEVER called Arthur unless Portia is speaking to him, cringe) OF COURSE gets involved in what ends up as a double murder even though he is off his patch and really shouldn't be. And OF COURSE he's super worried about Portia's safety so you know well ahead of time that she will end up in some terrible peril, but she's so smart and gorgeous that she will extricate herself but also may need some help from her interfering husband.

There is a plot point that involves poisonous fish and their appearance in Cornish waters due to climate change that's cool and interesting. There is also some stuff about pagan worship that is only mildly derogatory. But it takes SO LONG to get to the part where it all wraps up, and even after we're there, it takes FOREVER to find out the motive for the killer. Maybe I was just over it and it made it feel like it took a long time. Red herrings abound.

Not helping was the poor narration by Lorna Bennett, who I hope was just overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of characters. It was impossible to discern one bit of dialogue from another. She uses the same voice for the male Det. Inspector of Maidsfell as she does for a female restauranteur in the same conversation. Keeping track was challenging at best.

I think it's fair to say that Ms. Malliet is not for me, and while I appreciate that she clearly researched the background of the story and the plot holds together, it was not an enjoyable ride for me. Several times, I got to the point where I wanted to quit, then felt bad about quitting a little cozy mystery. The fact that Covid-19 is a continuous plot feature, but is only referred to by that name one time (the rest of the time it's "during the Plague Time,") should have made my mind up for me.

Reviewing
Death In Cornwall
By G.M. Malliet

Welcome to Cornwall, desperately beautiful, perfectly quaint, and full of busy bodies who all seem to have something to hide. This cozy murder mystery is book four in Malliets St.Just Mystery series but does well as a stand-alone. Readers are kept guessing with hidden evidence, multiple suspects, and few Red herrings. While there’s not much character development there is a bit of romance and a few well place jokes to entertain and keep things light.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars for this entertaining but not gripping novel. PG rating.

The forth St. Just mystery is pretty standard cozy mystery fare, You don't need to read the preceding mysteries to understand the novel. The story itself has enough twists and turns and red herrings to keep it interesting. There are times where the local color was amusing, but also times where it felt overwrought. The narrator was also not a favorite and the male characters especially didn't work well for me and they came across as angry when it didn't fit the rest of the novel.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Although this is #4 in the series, I have not read any of the previous titles. Engaged couple Arthur St. Just and Portia De’Ath intend to take a relaxing vacation in Maidsfell, a quaint village by the sea in Cornwall. But a prominent local citizen is murdered, and St. Just, a detective, is compelled to assist in the investigation. As a criminologist and crime fiction author, De’Ath has much to offer to the investigation as well.

I enjoyed this audiobook. It was clever, with lots of witty quips and word play, and made me laugh out loud throughout the book. There were enough twists and turns to keep my interest, and there were a variety of interesting and eccentric characters population the village of Maidsfell. The narrator was great, bringing life to the characters.

If you’re looking for a good time mystery read, pick this one up!

This may not be a popular review, but honestly it is average at best for me. All the complaining about tourists felt like I was seeing the Cornwall Live Facebook page. The reason I asked to listen to this book was because I think Cornwall is such a beautiful place. However, this story does not intrigue me to read any of the other 3 in this series.

Death in Cornwall is the kind of mystery I love - set in the British countryside, DCI Arthur St. Just is looking forward to a well-earned holiday with his fiancée, Portia De'Ath. It starts out slow, giving the reader a chance to explore the village and meet the locals through St. Just and Portia's eyes. Of course, a murder occurs and St. John finds himself helping with the investigation.

The mystery itself is intriguing, and kept me guessing. As St. John investigates, we find that there are a lot of viable suspects among the villagers. I also enjoyed the splashes of humor throughout the book. If you enjoy a classic British mystery, Death in Cornwall is definitely for you!

While this is the fourth book in the series, I had no trouble jumping in at this point and enjoying the mystery and the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters of DCI Arthur St. Just and Portia De’Ath, and look forward to catching up on their previous mysteries.

I listened to the audiobook on this one. I enjoyed the narrator, there were a lot of characters over the course of the book and she did a good job keeping everyone straight.

Death in Cornwall AUDIO by GM Malliet is a police procedural despite the fact that Arthur St. Just is a police detective in another venue, not Maidsfell, Cornwall. St. Just and his fiancée, Portia De'Ath, are here for a week's holiday to celebrate their engagement. They come from Cambridge where St. Just is actually a police detective and Portia is a professor of Criminology and novelist. The first several days of their holiday were spent, eating, sleeping, and generally being tourists. It was an intriguing place with interesting people and things to see. Then as St. Just was dropping Portia off for a meeting with a local peer, they noticed his door was open. Upon checking, they discovered his body, covered in blood from knife wounds. After the police arrived, St. Just discovered her knew the local detective from an earlier time and is allowed into the investigation. Lord Bodwally was not a popular man, for many reasons, not the least of which was his stand on the current situation regarding fishermen who wanted to build a jetty to make it easier for them to unload, and second homers who wanted the view to be left alone. It was a hot local topic and everyone had a view.

This was a well-written mystery that kept me guessing even until the end when we knew the culprit. It is conservatively written, very British, and full of interesting characters as can only be found in a small town in Cornwall. They were curiously very inter-related, but not from the village, but from the past in London. There were multiple suspects and numerous red herrings, making it all very difficult to predict. There was some humor and some romance. St. Just is an excellent character, very upright and honorable and viewed himself as lucky to find love twice in his life (he was a widower). Portia was very bright and very enamored with St. Just and she trusted him beyond words. It was a lovely book. It had all the right parts.

Lorna Bennett, who was a good fit, although sometimes she made voices sound suspicious, which was probably part of her direction, as it was not consistent, provided the audio. She did a fine job keeping the voices distinct without resorting to clownery. Altogether, a good performance.

I was invited to listen to a free audio recoding of Death in Cornwall by Dreamscape Media, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #dreamscapemedia #gmmalliet #deathincornwall