Book Description:
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?
A completely addictive cozy crime novel set in the fictional Sussex village of Abbeymead. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis!
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Murder At St Saviour's' by Merryn Allingham.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Merryn Allingham, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 21st November 2022.
This is the fifth book I have read by this author. It is also the fifth book in the 'Flora Steele Mystery' series. I have previously read 'The Bookshop Murder' which is the first book in the series, 'Murder At The Pier' which is the second book in the series, 'Murder At Primrose Cottage' which is the third book in the series and 'Murder At The Priory Hotel' which is the fourth book in this series and all of them I highly recommend, although this can be read as a standalone.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis for this series stated that this series is 'A delightful cozy crime novel, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis!' I am a huge fan of all three of those authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Merryn and if this is half as good as 'The Bookshop Murder', 'Murder On The Pier', 'Murder At Primrose Cottage' and 'Murder At The Priory Hotel' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 32 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Sussex, England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited and holidayed in Sussex on many occasions including this year and next year again so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Flora Steele ad Jack Carrington. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
Another fantastic success by Merryn!!! Absolutely devoured this book in one sitting!!
This book was extremely well written and I do believe alot of research went into it as everything linked correctly in with the era it was set in which was 1955. It is a real bug bear for me when I read a historical novel and the author hasn't done their research and gets basic information mixed up so well done Merryn!! It was very well written and I found the synopsis and the cover fitted the storyline perfectly, The descriptions were great and it really felt as if I was in the storyline along with Flora and Jack.
Well I must say this is yet another explosive book in an absolutely addictive series!!! The storyline was very interesting and very fast paced. I absolutely love the fact that the main characters (Flora) owns a Bookshop and Jack is an author. I always look forward to meeting them and am gutted to come to the end of each book as they have become like friends to me. There is just something about a book where there is a lot of emphasis on books for me and this book was packed with them!! I really enjoyed that it was set in the past and the storyline really suited that. It really is a nice cozy mystery that will keep you guessing throughout. At no point did I suspect who was doing what or why so another huge well done there Merryn!!! I have read many a mystery and find that I am working out the killer/perp quicker every time and there's nothing worse than working out who did what when your need even half way through a book. I loved that this book is based in Sussex as the atmosphere suit the book perfectly. Not only is this a suspense and action filled mystery but there was just the right amount of quirkiness, laughter and attitude to give it a nice mix!!! One of the most addictive series I've ever read!!! Looking forward to the next adventure!!
LOVE, LOVE, ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK AND SERIES!!!! 😍 😘 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ WELL DONE MERRYN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! DID I MENTION I LOVED IT???!!!!!
A fun, addictive, unputdownable cozy crime mystery. Clear your schedules as you won't be able to put this book down!
Although this is the fifth book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I am thoroughly invested in the characters and really enjoyed meeting Flora and Jack again both with their fantastic and quirky personality!!! This pair have become like family/friends to me and I always look forward to meeting them again. I have loved watching their relationship develop throughout this series and always look forward to seeing where it goes. In fact all of the characters had their own individual personalities which worked really well with each other. I am definitely looking forward to meeting Flora and Jack again and some more of the villagers. Some of the characters I was glad to see the back of but what fun would there be if we got along with them all. A perfect mix of strong and realistic characters to make an addictive storyline.
Congratulations Merryn on yet an absolutely fantastic book in an absolutely epic series!! I am really looking forward to see what Flora and Jack get up to next!!! Here's to your next success 🥂
Overall a page turning, perfect mix of mystery, crime, suspense and quirkiness which kept me turning the pages late at night!! An explosive addition to an addictive series!!!
Genres covered in this novel include Cozy Animal Mystery, Suspense, Mystery, Thriller, Cozy Culinary Mystery, Crime Thriller, Cozy Crafts & Hobbies Mystery, Police Procedural, Murder Mystery, Cozy Mystery and Crime Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Helena Dixon, Agatha Christie, Faith Martin, Joy Ellis, Verity Bright, Clare Chase, Dee MacDonald, Fliss Chester and anyone looking for a historic cosy mystery!!
273 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon, free on kindle unlimited and £7.99 on paperback (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio:
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.
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