Murder at St Saviour’s
By Merryn Allingham
What it’s about?
Bookshop owner and amateur detective Flora Steele teams up with handsome crime writer Jack Carrington to unravel a curious murder in the village of Abbeymead!
Sussex, 1956: When Flora and her partner-in-crime-solving, Jack, arrive at the charming church of St Saviour’s the last thing they’re expecting to find is the curate, Lyle Beaumont, lifeless on the flagstone floor beneath the belltower, with a mysterious note in his hand.
Flora is dismayed to find the poor curate dead. But she can’t help being intrigued by the eclectic mix of bell ringers present at the old church – Mr Preece, the local butcher, Dilys Fuller, the busybody postmistress, and Stephen Henshall, a newcomer to the close-knit community. Any one of them could be the culprit – and Flora needs to act fast before someone gets away with murder…
When Flora and Jack begin their sleuthing, they quickly realise all is not what it seems with the victim, and the certainty of the dead man’s identity becomes the first twist in the investigation.
Just as they’re getting closer to the answer, the death of one of the suspects changes everything. As a series of unexplained accidents unfolds across the village, it seems no-one who was present at the church on the night of the curate’s demise is safe.
Has the bell tolled on Flora and Jack’s detective days? And will they work out the truth in time to save themselves?
What I think:
This series has definitely become an auto-read for me. Murder at St Saviour’s is the fifth book in the Flora Steele Mystery Series and I have enjoyed every single one.
This mystery is multi-layered and had me guessing all the way along. The hints are all there, but I still couldn’t quite pin it down, so it made for a very satisfying ending.
Allingham has created a whole world in Abbeymead so you get to know the recurring characters as well as protagonists Flora and Jack.
This mystery has a little bit of everything, and Flora and Jack have to work hard to piece everything together.
The new curate is found dead at the bottom of the bell tower and the police believe he was pushed. Suspicion falls on village newcomer, Stephen Henshall, a businessman who has some secrets of his own.
It’s hard to say too much without spoiling the mystery, but Flora and Jack’s investigations mean they are asking too many questions if the wrong people and find themselves in danger.
Flora and Jack’s relationship continues to develop as they move from friendship to romance. With both of them struggling to commit – Flora has her own business to think about, and Jack still seems somewhat reluctant to completely immerse himself in village life – the village is desperately waiting for wedding bells.
This ends with a real cliffhanger and Flora’s own family mystery – the fate of her parents. I, for one, will definitely be reading the next book to find out what happens next.
About the author:
Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband and one last cat, Bluebell. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
Merryn taught university literature for many years, and it took a while to pluck up the courage to begin writing herself. Bringing the past to life is a passion and her historical fiction includes Regency romances, wartime sagas and timeslip novels, all of which have a mystery at their heart. As the books have grown darker, it was only a matter of time before she plunged into crime with a cosy crime series set in rural Sussex against the fascinating backdrop of the 1950s.
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband and one last cat, Bluebell. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
https://merrynallingham.com/
https://www.facebook.com/MerrynWrites
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Want to buy the book? Use the link below:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0B5YPLCJBsocial
Thank you to Bookoutre for my gifted digital copy of Murder at St Saviour’s and inviting me to be part of this compelling blog tour.
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