Poison at the Village Show by Catherine Coles #Review #MarthaMillerMysteriesBook1 #CozyCrime

 

Today I am featuring a cozy crime novel by Catherine Coles, Poison at the Vicarage. The first of a brand new series, The Martha Miller Mysteries, it was published on March 17th by Boldwood Books.

With the war finally over the residents of Westleham village are trying to reclaim a sense of normality and the upcoming village show is proving to be a popular event!

Newcomer, Martha Miller, has high hopes for the village show. Since her husband Stan left for work one day and never returned, some of the villagers have treated Martha with suspicion – why would a good man like Stan simply up and leave? Was it something Martha did?

All Martha knows is that she’s hoping that she can win people over and hopefully they’ll but her delicious homemade plum gin, too and she’ll be able to make ends meet.

But as glasses of Martha’s gin are passed around, disaster strikes. Alice Warren, Chairwoman of the village show slumps to the ground after taking a sip. It’s clear she’s been poisoned!

Martha is shocked, but not surprised, when fingers of suspicion once again point her way. Determined to prove her innocence, Martha sets about trying to find the real culprit. But who would kill Alice and why?

Ably helped by the new vicar, Luke Walker, Martha quickly tries to get to the bottom of this mystery. But with the villagers closing ranks it quickly becomes apparent that the only person with a motive is Martha herself....

Will Luke and Martha discover who is behind the poisoning before it's too late?

My Thoughts

Although it is set in post Second World War England, some of the deprivations still linger on. Rationing is the most obvious. The story captures what it must have been like for Martha, scraping by after the disappearance of her husband. You get to see the attitudes of some of the villagers and what a determined character she is. Going at a gentle pace, it has the feel of a cozy crime and I can imagine that it would translate well onto the screen. It has that Sunday evening vibe going on!

    I enjoyed the contrast between Martha and her sister, Ruby, and you sense the genuine affection between them. There are several villagers who all seem to get mixed up in Martha's investigations, each with their own distinctive personality and of the time. Then of course, there is Luke, the handsome vicar, who becomes her partner in crime as they turn to sleuthing. I am sure there will be more to come from him in future books- well if Martha has her way!  With several red herrings and a daring denouement at the end, this is a great way to while away a weekend's reading

In short: A promising start to a new series.

About the Author

The daughter of a military father, Catherine was born in Germany and lived most of the first 14 years of her life abroad. She spent her school years devouring everything her school library had to offer! Catherine writes cosy mysteries that take place in the English countryside. Her extremely popular Tommy & Evelyn Christie mysteries are set in 1920s North Yorkshire. Catherine lives in northeast England with her two spoiled dogs who have no idea they are not human!

 You can follow Catherine here: Facebook   |  Twitter  |  Instagram

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Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Catherine Coles, Boldwood and Rachel of  Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

Check out the rest of the tour!