I am delighted to feature this cozy crime novel, Death at the Village Christmas Fair by Debbie Young. It is published today by Boldwood Books on August 16th.
It’s been a busy year for Alice Carroll, with her Curiosity
Shop opening for business, and not one but two murders shaking things up in her
quaint Cotswold village. She’s looking forward to her first countryside
Christmas, complete with traditional Christmas Fair and Santa Run.
But her hopes for innocent festive fun are thwarted when one
of the Santa Runners steals something from her mum's knitting stall. His
festive outfit makes him hard to spot, until he's found fatally injured outside
the village hall with the stolen item.
Despite what the police say, Alice suspects there's more to
his murder than meets the eye. She's determined to solve the mystery -
including why, once more, a stranger thought something from her Curiosity Shop
was worth killing for.
With the help of her charming neighbour Robert Praed, can
Alice find the killer before the bells ring out this Christmas?
In this cozy crime mystery, I found myself googling Japanese netsuke which turned out to be some very interesting objects! Lif in the Cotswolds Curiosity Shop is a great foil for murder and intrigue. Alice is by now well established in her Cotswolds village and seems to have gathered together a range of friends and acquaintances who all add to the story. In the background is her very slow burn romance with Robert who is encouraging and supportive as she delves deeper into the local goings-on. He often acts as a brake to her enthusiasms and points out the best times for her to question the locals, based on their daily habits. I also like how the mysteries which Alice finds herself unravelling are introduced vis her life, not parachuted in as random external events. This makes her involvement all the more believable. There is a gentle humour in Alice's dealings with the other characters which adds to the enjoyment. I was also delighted to see that Alice's mother reappeared and hope to see more of her. Despite the setting of the Christmas Fair, the festive touches are applied with a light touch, making iy an ideal Autumn read.
In short: gentle sleuthing with a festive twist
About the Author
Debbie Young is the much-loved author of the Sophie Sayers
and St Brides cosy crime mysteries. She lives in a Cotswold village, where she
runs the local literary festival, and has worked at Westonbirt School, both of
which provide inspiration for her writing.
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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Thank you so much for your kind review. I hadn't consciously thought about some of the facets of the book you mention, such as the events arising naturally out of Alice's life, rather than just lobbing them in for the sake of the plot, but now I realise that's something I definitely do in my cosy mystery novels! Hoping to bring Alice's lovely mum Wendy back into book four before long - I have great fun with her. Sometimes I introduce what I think is going to be a very minor character, but they insist on becoming a major one!
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