Sukey Reynolds, a civil scene of crime photographer who is working for the police,is called to Bussell Manor to investigate a break in and the theft of several expensive pieces of art. Apparently burglaries in expensive,”arty “houses are a bit of an epidemic in the Cotswolds. The main suspect however seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth while his two partners in crime are found murdered. And then there is also the case of mistaken identity which puts Sukey’s life in danger, This is a cross between a “cosy”and a classic mystery and it works up to a point. But then international criminal gangs,dark mafiosi style characters,hitmen…. make their appearance and it loses some of its charm and credibility (e.g. DI Jim Castle,Sukey’s boyfriend freely discusses the case with Sukey(a civilian)in front of her son Fergus,there is somewhere a Miami Vice environment …). It didn’t feel right. I have another Sukey Reynolds book on my TBR list and perhaps there is a little bit less incongruence…

Newfoundland. A small town is confronted with the murder of a young loner and an attempted suicide of a young teenager. Sergeant Winston Wildflower and his(small)team have to solve this murder while he also has to take care of a B&B that he,his wife and their baby are starting up.

Well,I know this is supposed to be a cosy/cozy but this one definitely didn’t work for me. The mystery is hardly a mystery at all and the showdown is more than a bit of a let down.So what is left is endless talk about babies,their burbs,their noises and their diapers,detailed lunches(apparently Sergeant Winston finds time to go home for lunch notwithstanding the murder case),walks with the dog,tea/coffee breaks with goodies,shopping lists for a dinner party,the elaborated preparation of this menu and a detailed testimony of the tender love between husband and wife(and their baby).As this constitutes about 80% of the story it is hardly a mystery.

That said,I liked the characters(the sergeant and his team are well developed and very likeable )but I don’t think I belong to the targeted audience…

Melissa Craig,a successful crime novelist, is asked to finish the late Leonora Jewell her final book. Leonora died rather unexpectedly after a nasty fall in her cottage. As Melissa is trying to get as much information as she can in order to accomplish her task successfully, she encounters some discrepancies in different stories ,some things that do not match and all of a sudden poor Leonora’s death is perhaps not so straightforward after all…

This is a blend between a cozy/cosy read and a typical English village murder. But it works,it doesn’t sound too simplistic, the characters are not overly “vaudeville”and people do more than drink tea and have a chat with the vicar.

And then,an English(Cotswolds I think) village in the winter is always a bit of a winner.