Friday 7 July 2017

Book Review - Death Plays A Part by Vivian Conroy

Amazon UK
Title: Death Plays a Part
Author: Vivian Conroy
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: HQ Digital
Publication Date: 7th July 2017
Rating: 4 Stars


With high tide comes murder…
When her beloved London theatre closes for renovations, costume maker Guinevere is excited to start a job at Cornisea castle, a centuries-old keep on a small tidal island off the coast of Cornwall. Imagine a whole summer full of stories of hidden treasures, fab food and long walks with her perky dachshund Dolly.

But when a reenactment of a medieval trial in the castle dungeons ends in real-life murder, and accusations threaten the castle's future, Guinevere and Dolly dig deep into the island community's best-kept secrets to unmask the killer and save their Cornish summer.

An incredibly tightly written closed door mystery that I didn't have the first clue how to solve. Luckily for the detective on the island of Cornisea, Guinevere happened to be working in the castle for the summer, but is normally found in a theatre, often working on murder mysteries, so has a good idea how to try to solve them. 

Of course when Guinevere accepted the job in the castle the last thing she was expecting was a dead body on the first night,  during a rehearsal for a historical reenactment, where most of the islanders were present.  Given the set up of the murder, it was very hard to see past the obvious suspect, but yet Guinevere and Oliver between them try to prove the innocent suspect's innocence. 

Unlike in some cosy mysteries, this seemed a lot less bumbling along, and instead had two reasonably intelligent characters thinking aspects of the case through logically and in an informed way. They also seemed to have the ear of the inspector running the case, which seemed odd but useful. 

Guinevere doesn't go anywhere without her faithful dog Dolly, who is adorable. I loved Dolly' interactions with other dogs. 

Cornisea Island is a lovely setting for a series, and I am intrigued to see where this series is going to proceed next. 

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 


1 comment:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...