Weycombe

Weycombe, a new standalone suspense novel by G. M. Malliet from Midnight Ink was released 8th Oct.  The author, who has written the well loved Max Tudor series about an MI5 agent turned village vicar, is a dependable 'writerly' writer, technically adept with plotting, dialogue and action.  Her books are readable and very enjoyable.  I have really enjoyed both the Max Tudor cozies and her St. Just series, a period cozy series.

This book is emphatically not written in the same comfortable mold as her other books.  Whilst her other books have had (for me) laugh out loud moments, this one was full of sharply funny moments, quite a few of which surprised me into laughter, sometimes uncomfortable. Written in first person, the narration is wickedly sarcastic almost to a razor's edge.

Narrated from the viewpoint of an outsider, the story often lampoons (or laments) the cultural disorientation that arises from being an expat American living in England, and married to an upper class scion of the minor nobility.

The murder of the local estate agent has the village in an uproar.  Anna, the victim, is found by the narrator on a nearby walking path. Jillian White's, the narrator's, interactions with the investigation and her decision to investigate on her own provide point and counterpoint to her interactions with her wealthy friends and neighbors.

I read and review mostly high fantasy and cozy mysteries.  I enjoyed this novel very much and sometimes an ascerbic wit-filled slightly gritty mystery is exactly perfect for clearing the palate and resetting my reading taste-buds for the next cat cozy or dragon filled high fantasy.

It is worth noting that the author has earmarked 10% of the royalties from her sales for Weycombe to hurricane relief, a worthy cause. For this reason, I will also be buying a copy of this book, despite having recieved an e-ARC gratis from the publisher for review purposes.

A note from the author: My book WEYCOMBE comes out October 8. I am donating 10% of the royalties I receive from my publisher on this standalone suspense novel, up to $5000, to @RedCrossHouston relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Five stars.  Enjoyable and surprisingly witty.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.