The Coniston Case

Persimmon Brown #3

by Rebecca Tope

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, Persimmon "Simmy" Brown's flower shop near Lake Windermere receives a string of anonymous delivery orders. But each one causes their recipient great distress, and Simmy suspects that the messages they contain mask a sinister intent. Then one of the recipients disappears….

As if that isn't enough, Simmy's friend Kathy turns up, on the trail of her wayward daughter Joanna, who has grown unhealthily close to her university tutor. When Kathy attempts to reason with her daughter she finds that Joanna's older lover may be even more menacing than she had imagined. With both Kathy and Joanna in peril, Simmy and her friends find themselves caught up in a web of deception, blackmail, and murder.

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

381 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2014

About the author

Rebecca Tope is best known as the author of over twenty crime novels. She has also recently produced the e-book entitled 'The Indifference of Tumbleweed'. She has every intention of continuing with the murder stories, as well as a variety of other kinds of fiction.

She has experienced many different kinds of work in her time - running antenatal classes, counselling troubled couples and being an office girl for an undertaker, for example. There were also several years monitoring the output of dairy cows, as well as every sort of task associated with book publishing. In 1992, she founded Praxis Books, a small British press.

She lives surrounded by trees she has planted herself, tending her own sheep.

Reviews

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read of Tope's Lake District series, the others being part of the Cotswold series.

I liked the mystery; it kept me going and I preferred the characters in this book, compared to the ones in the Cotswold mysteries.

I plan on reading more of Ben, Simmy and Melanie.

[Cassie Graham · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this a lot, given the location. But apart from rather a lot of detail about which roads people used to get from A to B, I didn’t really feel I was in the Lake District especially. Perhaps that was me expecting too much.
What I did find, having not read other books in the series, was that I spent several chapters wondering who Ben was – wrongly guessing at first that he might be Melanie’s brother.
I was also puzzled by the lecture (delivered as conversation) about climate change. It seemed like padding. As did, later on, nine pages on Ben getting up, having breakfast, and doing some Latin homework. With the reader being left to find their own translation of some of the Latin lines.
The mystery was intriguing enough. And the ways the characters handled things were realistic. No quick-thinking heroes, knowing instinctively what to do in a crisis. But it felt a bit muddled at the end, eg one character being ready to help the killer escape one minute, and horrified towards him the next. And the main character, Simmy, being suddenly suspicious of someone else, even after we've been told who the killer is.
And I’m still not sure why the kidnapper acted as he did: what threat did ordinary folk pose to him?
Other reviewers suggest this wasn’t the best in the series, though, so I’ll give one of the others a go.

[Barbara · Rating 1 out of 5]

A good holiday read. I found it rather far-fetched and 'twee', but had to finish it. Don't think I will read any more Rebecca Tope.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the third book in the Lake District series rather silly. Simmy Brown runs a florist shop and it's coming on Valentine's day. You'd think she'd be happy for the business, but she does little but complain.

The trouble starts when she keeps getting anonymous orders to send flowers to people who don't know who sent them and end up distressed. One man commits suicide and he's connected to another man who ends up murdered. SO instead of not taking anonymous orders, she continues to deliver and cause issues. All the while she's reporting to the police about the orders. It made little or no sense. I would think the police would have better things to do.

Then an old friend Kathy comes to visit because she's concerned about her college aged daughter being involved in something shady with her professor, a guy named Baz. When Kathy goes missing, and the reader knows she's been kidnapped, Simmy acts like it's no biggie. I sure would hate to have her as a friend. It just all seems chaotic.

The whole book was all over the place in terms of who killed whom and what Baz was really doing. Throw in that the DI gets stabbed, and it's a big mess.

I give it a two because I still like Ben and Simmy's assistant. However, Simmy is getting on my last nerve. Her mother's no better. Talk about thoughtless people, they're two of a kind.

There's one more book left in the series. I sure hope it's better than this one.

[Amy Gillings · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it. It’s a good story line with a few twists and turns. It’s easy to get to know Simmy, the flower shop owner, and you grow to love her. But the book does mention ‘what happened at Christmas’ a lot, so I’m assuming there was another book I was supposed to read before this?
Anyway, there’s three of them, Simmy, Melanie and Ben. That are working out what happened. It does get very repetitive going over the events. Sometimes I felt it wasn’t necessary. Not only did Simmy have to tell Melanie, she also had to repeat it to Ben, then to the police officer then to her parents and any random visitor she seemed to have. Then when ever there was a new piece of information, instead of just relaying that, she had to go through the whole story again. It was a bit tedious.
Time seems to stand still in this book aswell, maybe they have longer days than in real life.
I found myself excited towards the end. As the drama started to pick up (I can’t really explain as I’d spoil it for you) but the actual ending, I still can’t decide how I feel about it.
I felt like I knew why the person had been murdered. Then it turns out to be a completely different, insignificant reason. And it all gets a bit muddled up in what I assume was supposed to be the climax of the story.
I still found it to be an enjoyable read never the less. And if I was in a bookshop and saw another book by Rebecca Tope, I’d probably buy it :) .

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is the third in a series set in the Lake District. In this story, the main character, Persimmon or ‘Simmy’ for short, is a florist trying to build her business having relocated to The Lakes following the breakdown of her marriage. Her shop is in Windermere, and her parents have guest house just down the road. She has already been involved in two episodes which involved her in a murder and does not want to become involved in any more. She receives several anonymous flower orders to be sent to people in the Coniston area, which all appear to be sent maliciously. One of her deliveries is to a house where a man is subsequently murdered, so she is involved again. This book contains lots of angst about the sending of flowers, complaints from the people involved in the anonymous flower orders, discussions of who could be the murderer and lengthy commentaries on climate change. This fills lots of pages, until the murderer shows up in chapter 21.

[Mary Pimbblet · Rating 2 out of 5]

The earlier books in this series had implausible plots, but this one is just weird, there's a bizarre rant against current scientific consensus on climate change, completely unnecessary inclusion of Latin translation homework, and two separate plots that both make no real sense.
Its all just a bit silly and while the crimes are solved there isn't really much resolution at the end.

[Patrick Carroll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Straightforward murder/mystery which in a series means the main character becomes a bit of a "disaster magnet"! This was fine however throwing in some climate change scepticism motive was a rather blatant attempt at being topical and eroded my opinion of the author.

[Hilary Mccarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy to read cozy thriller.
A little unbelievable at times but not the kind if book to make this a problem.
Haven't read the books before this but could still follow and enjoy the story unfolding.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started fairly well but degenerated into an annoying and at times confused story line yet had to finish it , unrealistic and unsatisfying end

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely excellent 3rd book in this murder mystery book which is really well worth a read. If I could have given it more stars I would have. I stayed up most of the night reading this..

Once again the case is set in The Lake District and centres around Persimmon Petals with Simmy at its centre, Ben, Melanie and DI Moxon. Someone is sending flowers for not so nice reasons, around Simmy's bus causing distress to their recipients. Karen, Simmys friend from Worcester turns up looking for jet daughter, supposedly on a field trip from Uni. 2 murders occur, are they be linked?

[LISA S T Grave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I have read the first two books I this series so was very pleased with this and have now just downloaded the 4th.

I live in the lakes, in Ambleside, Windermere worked in Coniston and Hawkshead so I know of all the places Rebecca is talking about. This makes it even more enjoyable for me.

Thank you very much for another lake District Mystery.

[Peter Moyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Persimmon (Simmy)Brown finds running a florist in the Lake District has dangerous connotations. A friend visits her in order to look for a wayward daughter and all hell breaks loose. This is a series of which this is the 3rd so although I understand the need to reiterate the backstory for those just dipping in I do worry when that backstory keeps appearing. I liked it though and the characters have a certain honesty

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a strange one this and took me a while to get into it with the characters feeling like a cast of thousands. It was hard to see where it was going and why. As usual with Rebecca Tope's books the mystery wasn't solved until the last few pages seeming as if it's all in a rush. Personally I would prefer a more gradual explanation of the how and why.

[Laura Aston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book definitely improved as I read it. I started it having read none of the previous books which left me very confused to begin with. However this did get easier as I went through. The characters were interesting, however the reason for the murder was very minor, and I bit rushed towards the end.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had the promise to be a good book, sadly I felt it just never got going!

I read a lot of books in this genre, sadly i have ready much better. some of the characters were annoying, and it was a bit jumpy about. Sadly it was a bit like groundhog day being stuck on valentines day for the whole story.

[Julie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grew read it made me feel right back home

I grew up in the a Lakes so these books have a big attraction for me. Its easy to picture the locations. They plot as interested and kept me engaged.

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good

[Kevin Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far too many characters and very soppy

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another entertaining read from Rebecca Trope. Lots of fun with well drawn characters peppering the story adding light and shade to the mystery.

[Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great. The Lakes setting is well described but the behaviour of the main character is just not believable.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series

[CELIA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confused and rambling.

[Steph Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the third instalment of the Lakeland mysteries. Again another easy read, and I enjoyed seeing how the central characters continued to develop.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rebecca Tope does another anarcho-write with a muddled cosy crime novel that is twee, repetitive and thoroughly enjoyable. Flower arrangements, clues, secrets, bit of murder, great stuff.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third in the series and is getting better. I think because I have gotten to know the characters more and understand them better.
A nice mystery and I had no clue who was the murderer

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice easy read.

[Barry Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story and the narration was very good. Poor Simmy certainly seems to attract trouble. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

[Susan Ledbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

I have Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book reminded of the places I have been to whilst visiting the Lake District

[ruthfarrer · Rating 3 out of 5]

good holiday read but rather light