Blood in the Cotswolds

I wish that I could give this book three and a half stars because I really did think it was better than just three which I tend to think of as just "listenable." I did enjoy this novel, but at the same time, I was never compelled to find more time to listen. I even listened to other books while I finished this one.

The reader did a good job of differentiating characters as she read, although the men tended to all sound similarly gruff. Her voice was pleasant, and she helped move the story along.

If you are looking for a cozy English country mystery, then this novel stands a good chance of satisfying you. If you are looking for an exciting listen, look elsewhere. The pace of this novel is very sedate. I chose it looking for something to listen to after I fell in love with the single Stella Whitelaw novel Audible has. This novel was not as entertaining as that one, but it still provided a nice diversion.

Thea Osborne is a historian and house-sitter whose current job takes her to the village of Temple Guiting. Her boyfriend, senior policeman Phil Hollis, joins her for the weekend but while there slips a disc in his back and has to stay on longer to recuperate. He is therefore present when a large tree is uprooted and a skeleton is uncovered. The bones turn out to be relatively recent and a full-blown murder investigation ensues, though Hollis is on sick leave and has to sit painfully on the sidelines while the official investigation is carried out.

My primary reason for selecting this book was fond memories of staying in the Cotswolds several times and in that respect I was not disappointed. The story's village setting is depicted exactly as I imagined where any crime is relatively gentle and the suspect pool consists of a handful of characters who share complicated family connections and long histories and everyone is very civilised. Even when one of the suspects holds one of the protagonists at gunpoint it's all done in quite a gentlemanly way and it never feels like anyone is in much actual danger of getting hurt. To take one's mind off the criminal element there's a pet snake, snippets of Templar history and an English version of a hot summer.

Thea Osborne is quite a strong female character, especially as her civil libertarian leanings are at odds with her boyfriend's job and she doesn't automatically fall into a nursemaid role when Hollis is injured but Hollis is a bit wet. Having experienced the same back injury myself I can appreciate that the author has captured his pain and frustration well but there is a limit to how interesting someone else's ailments can be and, for me anyway, that limit was reached before the end of this book.

Although it was a pleasant tale it wasn't terribly original but if you're a fan of Misdomer Murders I think you'd probably enjoy this book. Lennon's narration is understated, suiting the tone of the writing.