I am delighted to feature this cozy crime novel, Death at the Village Chess Club by Debbie Young. Today is Publication Day!
With her Curiosity Shop open for business, Alice Carroll is
finally settling into life in the picturesque Cotswold village of Little Pride.
But then her old life comes knocking... Alice’s ex boyfriend, Steven, who
dumped her to travel the world, has run out of money and asks Alice to sell off
his collection of chess sets.
Alice decides to host a tournament to showcase the
boards, and her plan seems to be working. That is, until chess pieces begin to
mysteriously disappear. Andwhen a body is discovered outside the tournament,
Alice realises that the victim was a pawn in another, far more dangerous
game.
As the host of the event, Alice is eager to help the police investigate.
She doesn’t know why anyone would be interested in stealing random chess
pieces, let alone willing to kill for them, but she’s determined to find out.
Can she solve the case before someone else gets hurt?
Or will this be one gambit
too far for Alice?
My Thoughts
This is a delightful cozy crime read, set in an idyllic Cotswold village. Alice has settled in and decided to give her life as a shopkeeper of curiosities a go. In agreeing to sell the chess sets for her ex-partner, she does not realise that she is opening up a mystery and attracting the wrong sort of attention. This is a gentle tale with some likeable supporting characters. In the background is Robert, her millionaire next door neighbour. It leaves you wondering if romance could be in the air.
Alice is a resourceful and entertaining central character and the story goes at a good pace. There are several surprises along the way to keep you entertained. With Alice's new post as editor of the local newletter, she is able to tap into the village news and really feel like a member of the community. I also enjoyed the visit from Alice's mother as she eyed up all the men as possible partners for her daughter, to Alice's constrnation.
In short: an entertaining cozy crime mystery
About the Author
Debbie Young writes warm, witty, feel-good contemporary
fiction inspired by life in the English village where she lives with her
Scottish husband and their teenage daughter.
Her Sophie Sayers Village Mystery
series begins with "Best Murder in Show" and the first seven books
run the course of a calendar year in the life of a classic English Cotswold
village. Originally intended to be a seven-book series, further books will
follow, due to reader demand.
She also writes the romantic comedy mystery
series, Staffroom at St Bride's, set in the staffroom of an English girls'
boarding school. The series will eventually be six books long, running the
course of an academic year, and the first book is "Secrets at St
Bride's".
Her books were shortlisted in 2020 and 2021 for The Selfies
Award, given to the best self-published adult fiction in the UK.
She also
writes short stories and has published three themed collections, "Marry in
Haste", "Quick Change", and "Stocking Fillers", and
had stories included in many anthologies.
When she's not writing, she does other bookish things, such
as speaking or reading her work at literary events, such as Crimefest, the
leading international crime writing event, the Cheltenham Literature Festival
and the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, the event that she founded for
her local community.
She's a member of the Society of Authors and the UK
Ambassador for the Alliance of Independent Authors.
She loves reading,
bellringing, singing in the local choir, gardening, knitting, sketching and travelling
with her family in their camper van. Her many hobbies mean she is never short
of ideas for her gentle tales of rural life.
You can follow Debbie here: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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Book links
Thanks to Debbie Young, Boldwood Books and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
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