Framed in Cornwall

Rose Trevelyan #2

by Janie Bolitho

Dorothy Pengelly lived alone in her remote, dilapidated cottage with only her
pets as company. When her old friend, Rose Trevelyan calls round to visit and
finds Dorothy dead she is devastated. And when Rose learns that it wasn't a heart
attack but a case of suicide her suspicions are immediately roused. Dorothy
would never have killed herself – but would anyone have the motive to murder
her?

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

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

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

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. Main character is quite emotional at times. She is still dealing with loss of husband a few years earlier. She has a love-despise relationship with the local detective. Read in the author bio that she is deceased, rather young I think. Cozy. Cornwall sounds lovely when it’s not pouring rain.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this story, as usual the descriptions of Penzance, Newlyn and surrounding landscape and buildings is really comforting. There was even a diversion to Plymouth and the plot was one of the better ones, great little read.

[Denita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Rose Trevelyan series which I enjoyed. She has continued on with the characters from the first book which I was happy about as well as introducing new ones. Always a good read.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, especially as I recognised the Cornish places within the story. Will read more in the series.

I liked Rose the main character and how she is involved in solving the murder

[Eden Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit JetBlackDragonfly (The Man Who Read Too Much) at www.edenthompson.ca/blog

Framed In Cornwall is the second Cornwall mystery by Janie Bolitho, featuring tight pacing with a complex plot that focuses on character and buried secrets.

When Rose visits her elderly friend Dorothy on her secluded farm, she has no idea that she and Dorothy's adult son Martin will discover her dead on her kitchen floor. The cause was not medical, and unlikely she would commit suicide. It's unthinkable it was murder. Her son Martin lives in an abandoned caravan in the hills above the property, and has always been apart from society:
"It would have been nice to have a friend of his own, but where would he find one?"
He'll need help navigating his grief.
The farmer next door (nicknamed Jobber) is also stricken, as he has always loved Dorothy although she turned down his proposals. Her other son Peter and his wife Gwen never visited, and are only concerned with getting ahold of what they have coming to them, what they feel is already theirs - were they desperate enough to kill for it? Rose's friendship is integral to the family and naturally she steps in to help Martin. Inspector Jack Pearce is once again investigating other suspicious activity - an antiques dealer down from Bristol invited by Dorothy to look over some of her possessions, and a local church-going grocer whose sister has just died of cancer. The plot lines overlap and weave suspects into the mix. Meanwhile, Rose rediscovers her love of oil painting and, against my advice, halts her romantic relationship.

This mystery goes into personality and character in an insightful way. Martin is a loner who has difficulty with people, and losing his strong independent mother leaves him hanging. Good thing Jobber is there for stability, and he can count on Rose to help him decide what to do. Fred, the local grocer, also has a deep backstory - some of which the town gossips about already but will have an impact on discovering if Dorothy committed suicide. This is a layered puzzle of hidden secrets where Rose is not the dead centre - several stories revolve around her and the Cornwall area giving this a well rounded feel. There are no logical suspects and the mystery of what happened on that night continues right up to the very last pages. Very enjoyable.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 2nd book in this lovely cozy mystery series set in Cornwall. I couldn't put this book down, ideal to read in 1 sitting as not too long, great for a rainy afternoon with a cuppa and a blanket to snuggle under!

Rose's older friend Dorothy, is found dead, the police think it's suicide but Rose has other ideas and she sets out to prove someone murdered Dorothy. There are several suspects including the money grabbing daughter in law.

In her personal life, Rose is seeing James on an irregular basis, and still maintains her platonic friendship with Barry. She finds she needs to make a change to her life, it's been over 5 years since her husband died of Cancer and she feels that now it's the time to get back to her 1st love, painting.

I really enjoyed reading this book and have the 3rd ready to go.

[Sarah Hills · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series about Rose Trevelyan an amateur photographer and artist.
This book builds on the characters in the first book but adds much more flesh to their bones. The plot is a lot more interesting than the first book and it's good to have a few new characters as well as some from the first book.
A lovely easy read, short enough to do in a day with no bad language or awkward sex scenes to get in the way. Not so many descriptive passages in this book that were a bit too long for me in the first.
Well worth the read and I will be interested to see where our characters lead us to next.

[Charlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bolitho is a storyteller

This is a very nice cozy mystery set in Cornwall, but it is more than a simple mystery. Read the first book to get the backstory of Barry and Jack, the two men in love with Rose Trevelyan, a widowed artist who makes her living from photography. There’s much frustration here—Barry’s and Jack’s unrequited love, Rose having strayed from her love of painting, and the question whether Dorothy’s death was suicide or murder. Rose is certain it was murder, but her investigation provokes someone to make threatening calls to her. And there are so many stories here—every character has one. A good read, a good mystery.

[Chrissie Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Framed in Cornwall Book #2 in the Rose Trevelyan series by the late author Janie Bolitho was another fun and cozy mystery, a sweet whodunit that I very much enjoyed. I love how the author doesn't give aliases to the Cornwall towns...Newlyn is Newlyn as is Penance being itself also. I can relate to the stories so much more because we have visited and stayed in Cornwall a number of times. Anyone looking for a cozy mystery set in a beautiful spot in England with great characters as Rose, Jack, Barry, Laura will enjoy these stories immensely. Rose can be stubborn, weepy, scared or wanting for new adventures and she makes a terrific main character!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit I enjoy anything connected to Cornwall. I enjoyed the location descriptions of places I know like Newlyn and Penzance and like to work out the routes she explains around them. I can't say I like Rose, the main character much. Her husband died and she is dating and looking out for a new relationship, but she seems pretty selfish to me, although she puts it down to looking for her former life as an artist. The books, though are easy reading, and satisfying when she works out the "who-dun-it".

[Sara Eames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent murder mystery from the pen of Janie Bolitho - I am enjoying reading this series of books and, as yet, they have not disappointed (mind you, I've only read 2 so far). The characters are well-written and the plot moves at a steady pace. I enjoy following the relationships between characters and there is enough in each book to remind of what happened before so that each one can be read as a stand-alone story if so desired. More please :)

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Rose Trevelyan classic. Rose's friend Dorothy is found dead by her Son and when the police arrive they announce that she had committed suicide. As usual Rose will not leave it alone and decides to find out for herself just who did ( if anyone) kill her friend. In the frame for the murder are two life long friends, her simple son, her awful daughter-in-law and two suspicious men who have been seen at the house.
Not my favourite of her books, but very enjoyable.

[Julie Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous cosy but intense mystery story set within Cornwall to which this statement from another read is so true: ‘Cornwall and crime — a winning combination. The reader is transported to one of the country’s most beautiful counties to enjoy a Miss Marple type detective story.’. So many sneaky twists and turns you just want to keep on reading to find out what really happens - good and bad parts of the characters lives.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd say this is a light read. Although I didn't guess the twist, it did strongly seem to want you to suspect one character ( which it certainly wasn't ). I was expecting there to be more about Cornwall in the setting. There was very little mention if anything that could only be Cornish , it could have been set in any seaside / harbour town.
I'm not sure I'd reach for another book by this author.

[Stef · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Rose Trevelyan" Series works for me - I find the main character very believable, and she's no pea brain believing that she is better at investigating crimes than the professionals. It's more that - things - happen to her.
I also want to see how the relationships with/stories of some of the other characters will develop - so yes, I'm in for another one!

[Andrea Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another easy read about Cornwall and murder. The author gives you some insight into each character without divulging all their secrets. Rose is still going through the grieving process and this latest death shakes her but not as much as the idea that she would have committed suicide so she needs the truth to help her move on.

[Jill Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was pretty good. A bit ham fisted in a few areas. I love Cornwall and will read anything set there so that helps.
But honestly, I just don’t care for Rose. She’s rude, wishy washy about her relationships, and she gets away with so much and is forgiven by several people because she’s pretty. She’s nicer to her female friends so I’d probably like her IRL but not really in the books.

[Natalie Durr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read

I enjoyed both Ms Bolitho's books - so many who-dunnits are very similiar in their plots. These two books have a very interesting main character and the other characters are also a bit different and rather quaint. Not living in England, I loved her descriptions of Penzance and the weather! A pleasant read.

[Manuela Parke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just could not put these books down, so real take you to Cornwall in every book . Rose and all the others come over so real , so enjoyable to read. Looking forward to read other books by this author , so sad to find she has passed away, great loss to her family and us readers.

[Sarah Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

So we follow the life of Rose going her day to day business, when her friend dies. She's not convinced it was suicide and pushes to find out the truth. She's moving on from the death of her husband David and gets introduced to new art friends where new relationships will start.

[Sarah Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the setting of this book in Cornwall and the story itself was quite interesting. I struggled to like the main character though and thought the writing was clumsy and hard to follow in places.
Overall, worth the read though.

[Kim Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great characters, beautiful & simple descriptions of life in Cornwall, plus a mystery to be solved with some unexpected outcomes. I really enjoy reading this author’s books and I was sad to learn Jane Bolitho passed away in 2002.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

(first read)
6/10
Think I preferred this to the last one, still a bit strange though when you have a random person solving the crimes because the police are incompetent
There were a lot of stupid decisions in this one though which annoyed me a bit

[Wendy Hearder-moan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice cozy mystery. Rose’s character is more fully developed, but the men in her life seem stereotyped. Maybe it’s just her perception of them—no one can match her late husband. The plot is interesting enough. Minor spoiler alert: I was glad to see Martin and Gwen get what each deserved.

[JoyceCharbonneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Find am tired

of Character Rose. She evolved into someone I can not like. The writing is good, the plot challenging, BUT self involved , main character spoils any enjoyment of books!

[David Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second of Janie Bolitho’s (RIP) ‘Rose Trevelyan’ series, and equally as enjoyable as the first. It’s such a sad fact that the Author died of breast cancer at the young age of 52, in 2002. She’s an Author to be proud of!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

true

I Believe what Jack called Rose was the right word for Rose in this book because that’s how she was acting, not a nice word to call us women..just my opinion. The mystery is very good

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy enjoyable read .

[Janey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another interesting story with a mystery to solve and lovely characters, set in beautiful scenery.

[Eleanor Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

An okay read but not that exciting.