The second of the Kitt Hartley Yorkshire mysteries, this ‘down south’ blogger is happy to be aboard the blog tour for the latest story.
There’s something inordinately comforting in reacquainting yourself with characters you ‘met’ in a previous story. For one thing you feel like you already know them and are keen to further your ‘friendship’ with them. I was pleased to meet Kitt and Evie again but also delighted when Grace showed up! She was one of my favourite characters from Murder by the Minster. And I remember speculating as to how the dynamic between Kitt and Inspector Halloran might be developed. And boy, it HAS developed. ;) I’ll say no more. Best you read the book.
Kitt remains as feisty as ever, smart, perceptive and assertive. She needs to be for when a bookish crime is committed and people she is close to are involved there is pressure to unravel the strands of this fascinating mystery. However she shows a softer side in this story. There may be a good reason for that but I’ll not do spoilers. Best friend Evie, still recovering from the trauma of book one finds herself taking the initiative as the pair seek to bring the perpetrators to justice.
It’s cosy crime with many light moments and a smattering of romance, some unexpected. In some ways it’s like Enid Blyton for grown ups. But don’t be fooled for it IS most definitely a crime story and some nasty things happen and there are dead bodies popping up. But inasmuch as portions of the story line are cosy the bulk of the plot wouldn’t be out of place in a series like Line of Duty.
Kitt’s standing as librarian and bibliophile are never far from the surface as she compares situations with books she has read and given that it is a crime and detection tale both Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes get a mention. Her logic and cool head guide her towards a solving of the crime.
There is a consistency in the narrative style which is most necessary to render a series credible and the characters are sustained and also developed. I think there is a risk when writing a series of books that the characters remain static almost with nothing new for the reader to discover. Development is necessary to keep that spark going no matter how subtle those developments are. There’s an attention to detail that endures throughout the story and whilst it is possibly an advantage to have read the first book it is no detriment if you haven’t.
This is developing into an entertaining series. Already I’m wondering what’s going to happen in the next one! Not in terms of the crime, no, I’m sure that will be subtle, puzzling and involved, but what’s ahead for our trio of ladies!
My thanks to Ella Patel last Quercus books for copy of this tale and the opportunity to take part in the social media blast.
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