Killed in Cornwall

Rose Trevelyan #6

by Janie Bolitho

Despite being busy with a new exhibition, artist Rose Trevelyan is always there to offer her friends support if they need her; lately, it seems as though everyone has a problem to share. There’s Doreen who is worried about how her neighbour, Nathan Brown, is coping after his mother’s death; Eva who is suspicious about her boyfriend’s whereabouts; and Barry, who is concerned about his new employee. On top of that, Rose’s star pupil Joyce is fretting about her teenage daughter and her friends. Meanwhile, Rose’s sometime boyfriend DI Jack Pearce is investigating a series of burglaries and a spate of vicious attacks on young women in the area. As secrets get shared and the crimes become more serious, should Rose betray her friends’ confidences or will Jack just accuse her of interfering? Killed in Cornwall is an intriguing and emotional mystery set against the beautiful Cornish countryside.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, British Literature, Cozy

204 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2002

About the author

Aka Jodie Sinclair.

Born in Falmouth, Cornwall, Janie Bolitho enjoyed a variety of careers - psychiatric nurse, debt collector, working for a tour operator, a book-maker's clerk - before becoming a full time writer. She died of breast cancer in 2002.

Reviews

[Sarah Staddon-Phillips · Rating 1 out of 5]

A tame story. Most of the book was filled with unnecessary description and old fashioned waffle. I couldn't identify with the characters. I had to keep reminding myself they were in their 40's and 50's as their dialogue and actions were described in a way that made me feel they were in their 90's. Occasionally they would behave in a way that appeared totally out of the character that was being portrayed leading to a very disjointed read. I kept waiting for a gripping story to get going, it didnt happen.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy this series set in Cornwall in a picturesque seaside town. The main character is an artist and someone everyone chooses to share their information. This gets Rose involved in investigating murder and mayhem, which frustrates her detective inspector, on again-off again, love interest. The series has everything I enjoy in cozy mysteries!

[Rosemary Orme · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vicarious trip around west Cornwall. Like putting on fluffy socks- comfy and undemanding. A well plotted thriller. This is the second one I've come across and I shall probably seek out the remaining four.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now read all seven books of this Janie Bolitho mystery series. As always a really good old fashioned story with likeable characters that I have grown fond of throughout the various satisfying plots, set in the landscape of Cornwall.

[Rosemary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series improves with each instalment.

In Western Cornwall, young women are being attacked, raped and in one case, murdered. Artist Rose is, of course, connected to at least one of them, and soon she is investigating, despite her friends Barry and Laura and her on/off lover DI Jack Pearce telling her to keep out of it.

As ever there are several suspects - a jobbing gardener who has moved to Cornwall to escape his past, a teacher who had to leave his job and move after an unfounded accusation of sexual impropriety, a troubled man who has lived all his life under the thumb of his controlling mother, who has just died.....

Meanwhile Rose's own mother is taken ill. Rose is distraught.

I always enjoy the supporting cast in these novels - they are much more sympathetic characters than Rose. Doreen, who has had to become a cleaner when her husband Cyril is made redundant from the tin mine, Laura, wife of fisherman Trevor, and Barry, gift shop owner and unrequited admirer of Rose. I still find it hard to see how Rose attracts so many men when she is so cranky (yet another one appears in this book, though not for long). Poor Jack is forever in her bad books, and often for no discernible reason - but he keeps coming back for more. Rose continues to withhold relevant information from him just because she can, which seems to me quite juvenile behavior from someone (a 50 year old woman) to whom everyone constantly refers as 'sensible', 'wise', 'empathetic', etc.

The descriptions of Cornwall are very vivid and really bring the area to life - you can tell that the author knew her locations very well.

The things that have irritated me in the previous books are, unfortunately, still here - (i) Rose inevitably puts herself into totally unavoidable danger and has to be rescued by Jack, and (ii) the denoument is unconvincing and relies almost completely on the perpetrator admitting the crimes.

Nevertheless, I feel invested in this series now, and there must be a reason why I have continued to read them! There's only one left, and I feel quite sad about that. I'll miss Doreen, Cyril, Laura, Trevor and Barry - not quite so sure about Rose!

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good book from the Cornwall series. This is book 6 and I loved it. Rose Trevelyan, a painter, photographer lives in the village of Newlyn. She always seems to get mixed up in the cases that her boyfriend DI Jack Pearce is involved in. Rose can't help it, she's a likeable, approachable lady who is always there to listen in a friends hour of need and subsequently to Jacks frustration ends up in danger.
There have been a series of break-ins, two rapes (one leading to murder) and an attempted rape. There are three main rape suspects, but only one is guilty of the rape cases and it's somebody who nobody would ever suspect (except Rose). As usual I did not guess who the guilty parties were, which is fabulous.
I love the way the author describes the local beauty spots and it always brings back lots of happy holiday memories every time I read one of her books.

I feel as though I know the usual characters really well, Barry the good friend who wishes it was a bit more, Laura her best friend and wife of a fisherman and Doreen, who just loves a good old gossip.
If you have never read any of these books, then give them a go. I am sure you will love the characters as much as I do. The only thing that frustrates me is the relationship between Jack and Rose I just wish they would get together on a more permanent basis!

[Patricia Bruce · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slow beginning...

I found book 6 very tedious, the length the writer goes into to describe the sky, the sea, the colours etc, yes it's nice to get a picture in ones mind, but for some reason this books description went on and on.
I think it mentioned more that once that the drive at Rose's house was a long one.
I did start getting bored and had to refer to the flyleaf as I'd forgotten what the story was.
At this, I was ready to bin it.
Also, I can't remember in earlier books mentioning that Rose was a smoker, what was the point in that? It didnt lend anything to
the story at all.
As there's only one more book to read I'll give it a shot just to see if this book, no 6 was just a 'blip'.

[Sarah Hills · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 6th book in the series and one of the better ones. However I felt that there were far too many long pages of descriptive test which weren't necessary. Yes some text to put things into perspective but not the amount in the book.
However this had one of the better plots in the series and I have enjoyed reading the book. They as ever are fairly short so easy to read in a day.
No horrid violence, bad language or offensive sex scenes which makes the books an easy read.
I enjoyed the characters and settings as ever in the book and I am sad that the author has died before we get a conclusion to Rose and Jacks' love life.

[Charlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rose’s curiosity gets her in trouble. Again.

Rose’s profession may be artist, but she is also part investigator and part counselor. And that counseling part too often brings her information that piques her curiosity. And when it leads to her asking too many questions, she upsets her sometimes-boyfriend policeman. A small town makes it too easy to know everyone and their business and dating a policeman adds to the information Rose gathers. Both burglaries and rapes cause Rose to ponder and consider those she knows and those she meets. As always when Bolitho narrates, there is more than one story her—some pertinent, others not, but all are interesting.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The penultimate read in this seven Book Series ..

Another enjoyable story .. you've really gotten to know the main characters by now and like spending time with them in their gorgeous Cornish coastal town ..

Plenty of personal life in this one as the 'will they, won't they' duo manage to solve yet more crimes in their inimitable ways .. Jack, investigating using Police procedure, whilst Rose picks up useful information through her contacts in the community ..

Will start the final book next ..

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 6th book in the series, which, a little formulaic is still worth a read if you like cozy mystery type books.

Rose is, once again, drawn into a murder investigation when she learns that someone is attacking local girls, and eventually 1 is murdered. When 1 of the girls just happens to be a relative of someone she knows, she's got to get involved, much to Jack's annoyance!

I do enjoy reading these mysteries, easy to read in an evening.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle story set in a beautiful place.
1st book I've read by this author. I will read more but I'm not 'hungry' for the next one.
Occasionally I was a bit confused about who was who. Think this is book 2 of 3. Maybe if I'd read them in order this wouldn't have been the case, but each book is a stand alone tale so you don't need to read them on order.

[Emma Whale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bounces back and forth between lots of different characters, which was confusing to begin with. I liked how there was small, insignificant everyday life stories, with the dark attacks in between.
The author was obviously quite good with relatable tension as i quickly chose to stop reading it in the evenings!

[Kim Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sadly, this is the last book for me to read by Janie Bolitho as I have read all of her other books. I enjoyed reading this series of books about Rose Trevelyan set in Cornwall. I read the last book in this series out of order (before I knew it was a series). So sad that Janie Bolitho passed away in 2002. She was a talented woman.

[Sarah Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts with a rape of a young girl. She is the friend of the daughter of one of her art students. There are another 2 attacks with the last girl being killed. As well as these attacks Jack is dealing with a spate of burglaries. As usual Rose’s observations help Jack with both mysteries.

[Karen wadey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but was a bit confused by the amount of characters. I had worked out the ending by about two thirds through so it wasn't a surprise. Will look for more from this author as it was an easy read and the desriptive scenery of Cornwall is such a pleasure.

[Hilary Mccarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable , easy to read book .
Well crafted and a good plot .
A little predictable perhaps but this doesn't really detract from the charm of the book .
The main characters are believable and likeable (although I can't understand why Rose is so snappy with Jack)
A good crime thriller .

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first couple of chapters felt as though I was talking to my neighbours, the interaction between the characters were very true to life. The plot had twists and turns. Loved it so much now looking for the others in the series

[Robert Burgon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems to be one in a series of 7 books set in Cornwall and featuring DI Jack Pearce and his on/off girlfriend Rose, who seems to like detecting. Not too challenging a read and some nice references to places in the county and use of Cornish dialect.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book better than Plotted in Cornwall as the main characters were a little more lifelike and there was more depth to the plot. Still a ‘cosy’ whodunnit though - I read it on a wet and windy afternoon with a mug of hot choccy and a packet of Hob Nobs.

[Della · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this book 4 stars for coziness but my rating of 3 stars is for the actual story line. It is more of a passive aggressive mystery and suspense up until chapter 14 when it became a bit more tense.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant read with some interesting twists though mostly predictable, didn’t spoil the story however. A mix of crime and romance, family relationships and human nature observations. Enjoyed it enough to try the next in the series.

[Margaret Eaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant enough read but as said in a previous comment too much emphasis on scernery etc. More of an advert for Cornwall with a bit of a very predictable mystery thrown in. Skip read lots of it, I know what Cornwall is like didn't need all those details.

[Rolayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent read

[Meinwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very light read.

[RhiannaH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book set in Cornwall. Reading the book when you're actually in the places being described adds to the whole reading experience.

[Cathy Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok. Run of the mill plot. Nice scenery. The characters drink a lot. Made me want to go back to Cornwall and drink a lot too.

[Elka · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's something compelling about this series, even though objectively the mystery could be better.

[Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, very obvious plot

[Trudy Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didnt grip me and felt like it was far too much of a kitchen sink gossipy village crime in the miss marple style.