A Southwold Mystery

Rosie Gilchrist #3

by Suzette A. Hill

Rosy Gilchrist has been asked to accompany Lady Fawcett to visit Delia Dovedale, an old school friend in Suffolk and whom she hasn’t seen for years. Rather reluctantly Rosy agrees to be her companion on this reunion jaunt. But on arrival at their hostess’s house the two guests discover that things are far from normal, and find themselves plunged into a series of bizarre and sinister events.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Audiobook, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2015

About the author

Suzette A. Hill was born in Eastbourne, Sussex, in 1941. She is a graduate of Nottingham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Universities. Hill taught English literature all her professional life. At age sixty-four and retired, she tried her hand at a short story - just to see what writing fiction felt like, and to her surprise a quintet of humorous novels (Reverend Francis Oughterard series) was the result.

Reviews

[Adam Carson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This very light whodunnit is set where I grew up on the Suffolk coast, and as I was back visiting my parents for the weekend I thought it was worth a read.

3 stars is a bit of a push to be honest. Yes, it’s nice to hear the local landmarks and places I know well - but at times it feels like a bit of an exercise in cramming as many in as possible without the real depth of setting.

The story itself is just fine. I think the author was aiming at lots of people having different parts of the puzzle and the reader working it out - but that didn’t quite work for me and just made the book feel slightly disjointed with no real leads and characters all over the place not connecting.

It was an OK read while I was back in Suffolk, but I think it would of dragged had I read it anywhere else.

[Emma Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amusing and entertaining murder mystery, this time involving a flower festival and an ambitious business man hoping to gain a baronetcy. Unfortunately his past history in Paris during and after the War catches up with him, and leads him into increasingly dangerous practices.

[Briar · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so annoying that I had to abandon it at page 57 (end of chapter 4). All the characters are bland, and the ones who are (I assume) supposed to be funny are merely irritating. The language, characters and events don't feel authentic to the period the story's set in. And, to top it all off, the author writes as though there is a comma famine. The cover is vaguely attractive but that is the book's only redeeming feature. I didn't even bother to check in the back to see whodunit before tossing it aside.

[spotsoftime · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. This started well but faded fast. The amateur detectives came upon clues and did nothing with them, the police just did nothing and the two guilty men got as restless as I was and just confessed to random characters! Also an excessive lack of punctuation that would have had my class having to re-edit their work! I thought I’d found a new series but no. At least it was a quick and untaxing read!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a mystery set in Suffolk, 1955, with lots of characters chasing around in the beautiful countryside around Southwold. On the surface this is a genteel society, with its obsessions with gardening, flower festivals and tea rooms. The local gentry live in a large house, or are successful and only waiting for their knighthood. However, when Rosy Gilchrist accompanies her friend Lady Angela Fawcett for a visit to the latter’s old school friend’s country house, they discover that their hostess has come to an untimely and extremely dramatic end. Lady Delia Dovedale has left her son Hugh, butler Hawkins and two unlovely pugs, Bo and Peep, as she dies in mysterious circumstances. When Rosy and Lady Fawcett discover that their friends Felix, florist by royal appointment, and Cedric, Professor of geology were at the scene, they decide that staying on to find out more would be a good use of their time. Thus the scene is set for investigations set amid the beauties of Southwold, Dunwich and other towns as both the local police and the four friends try to work out what has been going on, and exactly why Delia died.

I think the great strength of this book is the marvellous characters that are described, each with their own preoccupations. Even though dead, we get a fulsome picture of Delia, and much about why she was targeted, or at least died so publicly. All of the characters are given a full description, even a secretary who uses her new lipstick when being interviewed by a hapless police officer; “rather jammy” is his verdict. Jennings is an enthusiastic young detective, who keeps being told to go through the telephone directories by his boss. Felix, meanwhile, is excessively proud of his royal warrant, and carefully constructs anecdotes of the Queen Mother on the chance of being able to impress an audience. He has some difficulties on one memorable night, however, and is placed in a quandary regarding a second body. There are eccentric locals, and Hawkins expresses his devotion to the family as befits an old retainer. Rosy, meanwhile, tries to put together the clues she seems to stumble on, including photos and notes of a rather specific nature. Lady Fawcett meanwhile maintains a certain level of panic about her absent daughter Amy, while worrying about suitable hats for each occasion. It is in a dramatic denouement that all is revealed, and the peaceful coast of Suffolk can return to its normal peaceful self.

This is a quiet comedy which depends on characters in all their individuality and dialogue which emphasises their eccentricity. The murders are dealt with in a suitably unusual way, and the plot is worked out in a convincing if not entirely usual way. I enjoyed the descriptions of the area, and the quiet alternative to a bustling London. There are some interesting set pieces, including a tea in the church hall which rations the food, and revelations which are made in unusual ways. Although this is the third novel which features some of the characters, it definitely works as a standalone novel. As a historical “cosy” murder mystery with added comedy it works well, and I particularly enjoyed the setting.

[Todayiamadaisy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A society matron is poisoned while giving out prizes at a flower show; a few days later, a publisher is found shot. On the case(s) are two reasonably competent local policemen who don't actually solve anything, and four friends from London, each travelling in pairs, who rarely talk to each other, each uncover separate parts of the mystery, who end by deciding never to reveal what they've found. Two of the friends are, I think, meant to be sort of charming comic relief, but they are instead quite irritating; the other two are sensible but boring. There's an interesting murder mystery buried deep in this book, but it's not well executed (pardon the pun). If it were a loaf of bread, I'd say it needed longer in the proving drawer.

[Kirsty Keddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bought in a bookshop in Southwold and made a simple, fun weekend read but certainly not a literary great, very flat characters and slightly confused and amateur plotting. Not sure the point of the busybody amateur sleuths witnessing all the key bits of evidence and working out the answer but then deciding not to mention it to the police . And why would a murderer stop to watch a WI talk with a gun in pocket before planning to head round the coast and shoot someone. Hmmm. But well done to the author who never wrote till 'picking up her pen on a whim at the age of 64'. Worse things have been published published.

[Sarah Hills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another amusing read from this author, no literary great but a good way to spend a few days.
The characters I am at last getting used to - there is very little flesh on their bones but I am learning a bit more about them as time goes by.
A good plot - some a bit unbelievable but isn't that what books are for?
It's set in post second world war in 1955 and the reasons for the murders are set back in those times.
I find it interesting to read about those times and enjoyed how the author described peoples nefarious dealings post war.
It's not a long book but enough to read in two days so just long enough to keep your interest throughout.

[Sally · Rating 1 out of 5]

Set in Southwold, murder has occurred who has done it! Well if you want to know just read the last 20 pages! I was under the impression Rosy Gilchrist would be our detective but in fact 6 people are trying to solve the murders. I found this book so chaotic, it was all over the place. The characters had no distinct features of personalities and were very hard to remember who was who. Will not bother to read another! I had picked it up when I was in southwold and read it there thinking it would be lovely to know the places written about but to be honest the descriptions were so poor I shouldn’t have bothered!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3.5, but I've been on a Donna Andrews binge & she's a lot to live up to in comic mysteries!
I enjoyed this more than the 2nd in the series, though it was very obvious who the villains were by half-way through. I do like that the amateurs don't feel it's their mission in life to solve murders, but stumble across solutions by accident almost.
The one thing that really irritated me was that the author and editor omitted commas when they were essential to nearly every sentence!

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my view this is a better-than-average 'English country house mystery', wherein guests arrive for a reunion only to find the hostess dead of poisoning. Rosie and Lady Fawcett stay to comfort the son of their late friend, and find themselves involved in investigating two murders. Kept me guessing until the end!

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great fun and reminded me of Southwold which is good. Some historical detail a bit off the mark, eg George Blake was not unmasked as a spy until 1961 - six years after the setting for this book. But a good read.

[Lucy Melville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not great quality but readable non the less. It's also set in Southwold and having been there the description of the town is pretty accurate. They don't so much solve murders as stumble into the answer!

[Toni Langley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the plot, the story and the murder, but the characters... I don't know. They seemed overly pompous and stiff, Felix was a needless drama queen and getting upset over very tiny matters, kind of annoying. Dragged the book down a bit to be honest

[Matthew Cobb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the characters with this murder mystery. There were good elements of humour at times. As for the plot, well it was okay. I'm still a little confused as to what happened in the past, bit overall this was good.

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred the first two mysteries in this series. I found this one rather boring.

[Vanessab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a witty well constructed read.

[Michelle Le Grand · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK if you are really stuck for a book to read.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it! What a fun book!

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Froth. And very disappointing to almost be able to guess the entire plot from the first 50 pages. However, it passed the time in a totally non-demanding way.

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointing read. Characters weak and indistinguishable. Dull and boring.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scrapes three stars.

[Jane Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. So cleverly written you can almost imagine yourself there.

Funny clever and a cosy read 📚

[Denise Bonham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice cosy crime with very
Interesting characters.
Set in the nineteen fifties.
Will read another one by this author.

[sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly bland , all happened in the last couple of chapters. Style of writing wasn't for me. Will probably make a better who done it for TV!

[kath Topley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant read. The characters weren't described in great detail but I did like Rosie, although Lady Fawcett I found to be rather tedious. I haven't read the other books in this series and had no idea this was the third! (I just read the blurb and liked the sound of it) I'm not massively intrigued to read the other 2 but if I come across them I may give them a try. I didn't actually guess who the murderer(s) were in full so that was a positive !

[Rose A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this a lot. Plot became obvious half way through but it was a cosy, enjoyable romp. I like the style.