I have been a fan of Dorothy Cannell for a number of years. I remember reading my first book of hers and laughing at the title “How to Murder Your Mother-In-Law” and then scrambling to read the earlier books in the Ellie Haskell series. I lost track of her writing over the last few years, so when I was given the opportunity to read “Death at Dovecote Hatch” I was thrilled to find her once again.
I didn’t realize this book was the second in a series until I started reading it. There are many references to a murder at Mullings but the writer wisely did not give away the ending of the previous book. That will make it much easier for me to go back and read it and enjoy it. On the other hand, it was very easy to read the second book as a stand-alone book as Ms. Cannell fleshed her characters and their situations out very well in this story.
It is quite different from the Ellie Haskell series, but enjoyable in a completely different way. The story is set in the 1930’s in a smallish town in England. The class system is very much in evidence, from the Lord of the manor (Mullings) to the kitchen maids of Bogmire house.
Each of the characters stay true to type, with the exception of our sleuth Florence Norris. That is not to say that she doesn’t know her place and is happy with it, rather she is a trifle more educated than one might image (perhaps this is explained in the first book in the series.) She has a real knack of observation and putting two and two together. She has earned the trust and respect of local police Inspector who asks for her assistance in solving what may have been a crime.
The story is a quick read but is not a fast-paced story. The story reveals itself slowly through the dialog between the inhabitants of the town with a few side trips. As a reader, you get to hear the characters start to work out maybes and what ifs until they come across the truth. The ending certainly had clues throughout the book but wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, so I had some surprise at the end.
I liked the book and want to read the previous one and continue with the series. It is very different from what I expected but I love a good cozy English mystery (both in book form and via British television mystery series.) I recommend it to others who also enjoy the same.
I received a copy of this book from Severn House Publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
