An English Murder

by Louise Doughty

The most idyllic village in the prettiest of England's rural counties twitches in the grip of mystery when the Cowpers, an altogether respectable middle-aged couple, are discovered unbucolically dead on their kitchen floor. Their teenage daughter, meanwhile, has gone missing, and the local newspaper headline screams: "Where is Gemma?" The nasty event shocks the entire village, and stirs the ambitions of a young reporter who sees the double murder as a way to sell a big story to national papers.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, British Literature

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published June 5, 2001

About the author

Louise Doughty is a novelist, playwright and critic. She is the author of five novels; CRAZY PAVING, DANCE WITH ME, HONEY-DEW, FIRES IN THE DARK and STONE CRADLE, and one work of non-fiction A NOVEL IN A YEAR. She has also written five plays for radio. She has worked widely as a critic and broadcaster in the UK, where she lives, and was a judge for the 2008 Man Booker Prize for fiction.

Reviews

[Connie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

In rural Rutland county, villagers are shocked when Thomas and Edith Cowper were found dead and bloody at their home. But what happened to their teenage daughter, Gemma, who disappeared?

The "Rutland Record" is a weekly newspaper where Alison Akenside is the chief reporter. She receives a tip relating to the murder case, but her own ambitions become more important than good judgement.

The murderer is revealed when we are about 20% into the story, so the book is not a typical murder mystery. The story shows the family dynamics in two dysfunctional families--the Cowpers and the Akensides. Children are damaged from the psychological effects of growing up in a toxic environment. Charming Rutland county may look beautiful. . . but all is not well.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very surprising mystery. it seems like just a light, old-fashioned english village mystery. But it kind of isn't. It's an easy read, very understated. She PERFECTLY describes what it's like working at a weekly newspaper. She describes dysfunctional families (and aren't they all) with frightening accuracy without making the story creepy or disturbing. And then there is this murder, which is just very quiet. It's not gory — or quaint. It really isn't even ever solved; it just kind of .... ends. It leaves you feeling sort of thoughtful and contemplative, which is I guess the way you SHOULD feel after reading about a family tragedy. And she asks an interesting question (without asking the question in so many words): why do some children come out of difficult families without any problems, but others flip out?

[Chip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because the title was evocative of PD James and Agatha Christie, although I hadn't heard of the author. As the book unfolded I kept waiting for the plot reversals which define the best works in this genre... and waited right up until the very end. So this wasn't really a murder mystery after all. There is a murder, but it is part of the story's landscape. There is a missing person, who becomes a plot device, a means to an end, but not really a character. This is essentially a few weeks in the life of the narrator, where a few things happen, some choices are made, some good, a few not very good, and the psychological impact afterwards. There is a subplot unrelated to the murders which offers to illuminate the workings of the protagonist's soul and it would have worked... but it expected too much by way of assumption on the part of the reader. The story ends without the two threads resolving together, almost as if the author forgot she put it there. This chopped a star from my review and left me wishing I hadn't spent the time reading it in the first place. Not quite regret, but close enough to mention.

With all that out of the way, what drew me to the book (aside from the title) is the uniquely English style of writing. The word choices are different, the phrasing is different, the sense of humor is outstanding. There is a quote within the novel from Raymond Chandler that observes that while the Brits may not be the most outstanding writers, they are still outstanding writers (my paraphrase). It is true; while I can pick apart the failings of the plot, the overall execution was sound, there were a couple of funny moments, and I found myself reaching for the OED once. For a novel to spring a new word on me happens rarely these days and is enjoyed greatly (took me all the way back to grade school memories from decades ago!). I read this book in one sitting, and overall enjoyed it, even if it ended with a whimper instead of a bang...

[Raymond Rockwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

BIBLIOPHILE's review impresses. I liked reading this book better than I liked the book. It was
a comfortable read but a failure to launch.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an impuse buy. I've never heard of the author or the book but just grabbed it off the shelf anyway.

This is less of a "who dunnit" and more of a "how and why dunnit". The murder(s) in question are a middle aged couple who mainly keep to themselves and live a reclusive life centered around the dictates of the husband and father, Mr. Cowper. They have a teenage daughter Gemma who is now missing and the center of a search and rescue effort...or is it a manhunt? Alison is a small time news reporter for a local weekly and lives just down the road from the famly. She is financially strapped and finding a big story which she could sell to the Nationals would provide welcome relief. Between her job and the proximity of the murders, she takes a keen interest. Alison is mostly estranged from her own mother and father and has some limited contact with her brother. The book winds its way through the family life of both the Cowper's and Allison's family drawing some parallels and yet not causing Allison reflect too closely. .

The focus of this book is families. The family that looks "normal" down the street, what do you really know about them? How do events from your childhood shape the adult you are today? What are the dangers of trying to live through your children? Having your own hopes, dreams and expectations for them, that maybe they can't or don't want to live up to. There is a lot of exploration with no pat answers. The book is tension filled and engaging. I would highly recommend for people who like their mysteries with more of psychological bend.

[Kat Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a cozy English murder in this bucolic village. Atmospheric and creepy, but not suspenseful. It is dark and depressing. Hearts have already bled out in a town that dies a little each year.

[JeffBarber67 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel like Mitch Hedberg. All the words should be taken out of this novel and different words put in to make it better. Don't know where it went wrong, but changing them would be a start. All. The. Words.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about this book felt unfinished to me. I freely admit it may have to do with me reading it half-distractedly in this busy time. Anyway, the main character and the murderer were both odd ducks--hard to understand and sympathize with despite their weird and unpleasant family backgrounds.

[Carolyn Barnes · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much darker than I was anticipating, and zero characters to really root for.

[Evan Knott · Rating 2 out of 5]

The kind of book that makes you think, “I could be a writer too”

[Moirad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather pedestrian. Disappointing from this author.

[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not her best. A fairly mundane story and written with weird pacing.

[Mardi D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled between giving this 1 or 2 stars. It was just barely OK enough to get two stars and it gets that only because I was actually able to read the whole thing. I found that it seemed disjointed. Yes the story uses flashbacks but even during parts that weren't flashbacks it seemed disjointed. And some of the flashbacks droned on and on. And did we really need THREE pages of the novel that Miss Crabbe was writing, which had nothing to do with this story at all? I'm not even sure why Miss Crabbe was in the story at all. Sometimes there is just TOO MUCH INFORMATION!

The back cover says "Alison searches for inside information on the murder, hoping to sell a story to a national newspaper."--Not really, she was trying to find ways to write copy from the already available but mostly irrelevant info until later in the story someone drops a gem into her lap that she has no idea how to use. And the back cover also says "And soon Alison, like the rest of Nether Bowston, will discover what really went on behind the tightly drawn curtains of the Cowper home--and find out if Gemma is the victim of a madman...or something much worse." Well, by page 46 you will have the answer to that one. Then there was just too much droning between there and when you actually find out what happened to Gemma, and that was not really a surprise either. I won't be looking for more by this author.

[Kally Sheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though he wasn't leaning against her, she felt the weight of him, the purity of his love for her, the density of it - and she knew that to be loved that much was no longer bearable. - Pg. 46

"I'm not as green as I'm cabbage-looking" Miss Crabbe replied. - Pg. 66

"The English may not always be the best writers in the world, but they are incomparably the best dull writers. - Raymond Chandler, The simple Art of Murder" - Pg. 71

"The genesis of a moral dilemma lies not in the choice between right or wrong but in the recognition that choice itself is possible. - Hamlyn Wilkes, A Murderous Heart" - Pg. 199

We think of murder as this huge big thing, a thing too large for our ordinary minds to encompass. But I know now how mundane it is - how it can happen and mean almost nothing. Our bodies are so frail, our skin so thin. So much of life is so much tougher; wood, metal, rope. Our flesh is almost liquid, after all. - Pg. 223

Insects are much more resourceful than we are. They have so many ways of surviving. - Pg. 223

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read other books by Doughty and loved them. This one was written before those books and I found it to be lighter and simpler in tone and plot line. It is basically what the story says, an English murder in a very small village. The main character is a young woman who is the newspaper`s main reporter. She is a very ambitious woman with a dysfunctional family which has left her rather lonely. The main focus is not on who done it, but rather how this one event changes the life of the reporter.

[Celia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow beginning. It wasn't so much about the mystery but more about a small town reporter working on the story of the murder. There was also a weird section about her messed up family that was much more interesting than the main story but was never resolved then popped up at the end (again with no explanation or resolution).

[Linda Underwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great descriptions and observations. Much darker than it starts out. Really not a murder mystery but more an observation of disfunction in people and families.

Crime reporter in small English village starts out as an observer of a double murder of parents and the disappearance of their 17 year old daughter and then she slowly becomes involved.

C+

[Sandra]

This book starts of quickly and if full of dark humor throughout. It is superb with the ways it explains the messiness of real life and what kind of impact it leaves on people. It also presents the reader with how well people cope with unexpected events including, in this case the unexpected event was murder.

[George · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't find this novel overly interesting. Set in a small English countryside town, it is one of those mysteryless mysteries in that the plot reveals who did it. The story focuses on characters each of whom have flaws lending a rather sad air to the story.

[Paul White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not who was the most disturbed person, the killer, her parents, the journalist or her mother. And she told us whodunnit half way through. Not sure what i tought about it, though some very good writing.

[Elizabeth King · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this under the title Honey-Dew. I really disliked it. I didn’t like any of the characters or the situations they were in. I absolutely loved Apple Tree Yard by the same author but this one didn’t do it for me at all.

[Anne Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great page-turning quick read from this very reliable author. I liked the way the stories dove-tailed together and how people's inner lives are far more complicated than you can ever imagine. Fabulous ending too.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love these English mysteries.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, it started out strong but fizzled out in the end and went flat.

[Shirley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it was just my state of mind but could not get into this book. Kept getting lost in the changes of scenes and characters. Did not enjoy it.

[Mrs. Danvers · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. She can do (and has done) so much better.

[John Dolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though it lacks the psychological depth and slow-burn menace of Doughty's later works, it is nonetheless a good, short read. (Also titled 'Honey-Dew'.)

[MaryJeanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The writing is good, but the story is lousy. Two psychopaths in one little village, and the main character is utterly despicable.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good little read but since we know who did it I would have liked to know why.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty engrossing, but also quite dark. If you are looking for a happy ending or an uplifting book, don’t look here.