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Weycombe
Living in the wealthy gated village of Weycombe with her titled English husband is a fantasy come true for American Jillian White. But the murder of a local estate agent mars the pretty surface of her life and home. Worried about a killer on the loose, Jill tries to piece together clues hidden in the many versions of truth she hears from her suspicious neighbors. But as she plunges deep into the investigation, her own suspicions grow into a warped web of lies and treachery.
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First published October 8, 2017
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About the author
G.M. Malliet
48 books695 followersG.M. Malliet is the author of three mystery series; a dozen or more short stories published in The Strand, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine; and WEYCOMBE, a standalone suspense novel.
Her Agatha Award-winning Death of a Cozy Writer (2008), the first installment of the DCI St. Just mysteries, was named one of the ten best novels of the year by Kirkus Reviews. Subsequent Max Tudor novels were Agatha finalists.
Her Agatha Award-winning Death of a Cozy Writer (2008), the first installment of the DCI St. Just mysteries, was named one of the ten best novels of the year by Kirkus Reviews. Subsequent Max Tudor novels were Agatha finalists.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
October 16, 2017
EXCERPT: What happened to Anna could so easily have been an accident. She could have been running flat out on her chubby legs, minding her own business, when some solicitor speeding by on his way to his office in Walton-on-Thames, anonymous in his ventilated helmet and ubiquitous black bike shorts, pushed her off the path, sending her rolling downhill and breaking her neck. That time of year, the path could be slick with wet fallen leaves. She might simply have slipped and fallen on her head.
That is certainly how it could have happened. Except that of course she was murdered, dead before her body came to rest at the edge of the river.
THE BLURB: Weycombe is the chocolate-box village of everyone’s dreams. For American Jillian White, a gated life of pleasure and comfort with her titled English husband was a fantasy come true.
But the murder of a local estate agent mars the village’s so-pretty surface. Are people actually dying to live in Weycombe? Jill investigates, piecing together clues along the snaking paths and winding lanes of her adopted village. She knows truth has many versions, depending on who is doing the telling. And that few can be trusted in Weycombe, where nothing is as perfect as it seems.
MY THOUGHTS: After reading the synopsis, I thought I was in for a cosy Agatha Christie like read. But it seems G.M. Malliet is very clever. She has written a chameleon of a novel. To start with, she uses her acerbic wit to paint a portrait of life in an English village. Even at slightly over half way, I made the following comment- "This is so not about murder. It is an amusing, sometimes laugh out loud hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, slightly bitchy poke at life in an English village. The murder is merely the vehicle."
Yes, I was well and truly sucked in. For, almost without me noticing, the story turned in on itself in the second half and became something far more sinister. This was definitely not Christie!
This is a book that I read with a smile on my face, especially at the end. Although I picked up the odd hiccup with continuity, this was an uncorrected ARC and so I would expect these minor imperfections to have been corrected before Weycombe is unleashed on the public.
All in all, a very enjoyable read that kept my interest from the first page to the last. I have added all this authors other works to my reading list.
Thank you to Midnight Ink via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Weycombe for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com.
That is certainly how it could have happened. Except that of course she was murdered, dead before her body came to rest at the edge of the river.
THE BLURB: Weycombe is the chocolate-box village of everyone’s dreams. For American Jillian White, a gated life of pleasure and comfort with her titled English husband was a fantasy come true.
But the murder of a local estate agent mars the village’s so-pretty surface. Are people actually dying to live in Weycombe? Jill investigates, piecing together clues along the snaking paths and winding lanes of her adopted village. She knows truth has many versions, depending on who is doing the telling. And that few can be trusted in Weycombe, where nothing is as perfect as it seems.
MY THOUGHTS: After reading the synopsis, I thought I was in for a cosy Agatha Christie like read. But it seems G.M. Malliet is very clever. She has written a chameleon of a novel. To start with, she uses her acerbic wit to paint a portrait of life in an English village. Even at slightly over half way, I made the following comment- "This is so not about murder. It is an amusing, sometimes laugh out loud hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, slightly bitchy poke at life in an English village. The murder is merely the vehicle."
Yes, I was well and truly sucked in. For, almost without me noticing, the story turned in on itself in the second half and became something far more sinister. This was definitely not Christie!
This is a book that I read with a smile on my face, especially at the end. Although I picked up the odd hiccup with continuity, this was an uncorrected ARC and so I would expect these minor imperfections to have been corrected before Weycombe is unleashed on the public.
All in all, a very enjoyable read that kept my interest from the first page to the last. I have added all this authors other works to my reading list.
Thank you to Midnight Ink via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Weycombe for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com.
September 4, 2017
I like G.M. Malliet’s series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Arthur St. Just and Sergeant Garwin Fear, and I absolutely adore her other series featuring Anglican priest Max Tudor, who left MI5 to become a vicar. Therefore, I naturally couldn’t wait to read Malliet’s newest book, Weycombe.
The eponymous Weycombe is an idyllic English village, the posh home of American Jillian White; she’s in a crumbling marriage with a handsome, once-charming aristocrat. Out of work for nine months, Jillian has plenty of time to poke into the murder of her next-door neighbor, the gorgeous, Rubenesque estate agent (real-estate agent for you Americans) Anna Monroe. Married to an invalid, Anna had a wandering eye and a great many secrets — one of which has clearly come home to roost.
Malliet had me from the first page. I didn’t think I could possibly like this book more than the ones with Father Max, but I was so very wrong. Jillian turns out to be clever and irreverent, and the suspenseful ending hit me in the solar plexus. This is, by far, my favorite book by Mailliet. Which is very, very high praise, indeed!
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Midnight Ink in exchange for an honest review.
The eponymous Weycombe is an idyllic English village, the posh home of American Jillian White; she’s in a crumbling marriage with a handsome, once-charming aristocrat. Out of work for nine months, Jillian has plenty of time to poke into the murder of her next-door neighbor, the gorgeous, Rubenesque estate agent (real-estate agent for you Americans) Anna Monroe. Married to an invalid, Anna had a wandering eye and a great many secrets — one of which has clearly come home to roost.
Malliet had me from the first page. I didn’t think I could possibly like this book more than the ones with Father Max, but I was so very wrong. Jillian turns out to be clever and irreverent, and the suspenseful ending hit me in the solar plexus. This is, by far, my favorite book by Mailliet. Which is very, very high praise, indeed!
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Midnight Ink in exchange for an honest review.
September 9, 2024
Initially this novel resonated with me, so I continued reading despite doubts about the narrator, who seemed tiresome and arrogant and the whole setup seemed a bit farfetched. I mean, who would interfere with a police investigation without the necessary qualifications and being the one who found the body? Not very plausible in my opinion. And then there is a lot of back story, wellwritten though it is, it still seems over the top and sometimes comes across as judgemental and condescending.
But as the plot unfolded, I really got enough and just ploughed on to finish it. I think the author should spend her talents on more recommendable written projects.
But as the plot unfolded, I really got enough and just ploughed on to finish it. I think the author should spend her talents on more recommendable written projects.
December 22, 2017
This is a crime story with a unlikeable and unreliable narrator. If that is what the author set out to create, she's done a good job. I didn't take to the narrator from the word go and disliked her more - and her feeling of smug smartness, as she is not nearly so smart as she'd like to think.
An American woman who has no job and resents her wealthy and titled husband - why? - lives in a gated enclave in an English village. I'd have bought a horse and taken up showjumping, or taken a degree. She goes to a gym, drinks and sulks about not writing, rather than write. This underachiever finds a book club friend dead on the road. Once official investigations are under way, the American deliberately sets out to be an amateur sleuth for her own amusement and perhaps gain.
The twist didn't surprise me and maybe we should read the book for culture clash and irony rather than for a crime story. Some chapters are bogged down with several pages in which nothing happens. I have not previously read anything by this author but I understand she normally writes police procedurals. Maybe she wrote this as a contract-breaking book. Of course, every reader is different, so some readers will enjoy this read more than I did.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
An American woman who has no job and resents her wealthy and titled husband - why? - lives in a gated enclave in an English village. I'd have bought a horse and taken up showjumping, or taken a degree. She goes to a gym, drinks and sulks about not writing, rather than write. This underachiever finds a book club friend dead on the road. Once official investigations are under way, the American deliberately sets out to be an amateur sleuth for her own amusement and perhaps gain.
The twist didn't surprise me and maybe we should read the book for culture clash and irony rather than for a crime story. Some chapters are bogged down with several pages in which nothing happens. I have not previously read anything by this author but I understand she normally writes police procedurals. Maybe she wrote this as a contract-breaking book. Of course, every reader is different, so some readers will enjoy this read more than I did.
I downloaded an ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
June 3, 2020
I have heard such glowing praise for this author, that I was expecting to like this book more than I did. The cover and the blurb were very enticing, but I found that they were both somewhat misleading.
I expected an Agatha Christie type mystery set in an idyllic location - what I got was a modern "Big Little Lies" type novel complete with status snobbery, infidelity, and back-stabbing.
The book's beginning held great promise with a body found near a riverbank. From there it evolved into a one woman's investigations into the murder of her neighbour.However... she digresses so much off topic that I almost forgot at times about the murder she was supposedly investigating. She intends to write a book about the murder and investigation with the hopes that it will revive her career.
The setting was ideal and picturesque. The murder victim was an unlikable woman who garnered little sympathy.
This novel was written using a single narrator. The sleuth, our narrator/protagonist, Jillian White, came across as shallow, judgemental, and condescending. When I should have felt sorry for her (when she was treated badly by her husband), all I could think was that she deserved it.
I did enjoy some of the humour within the book, though at times I found it held a nasty edge.
I had feared that this would be a 2 star read for me, but then at about 80% through the book, it really picked up with more attention given to the murder and the causes behind it. The last few chapters brought my score up to 3 stars.
I liked the writing, so would read another book by this author to see what all the fuss was about. However, I cannot heartily recommend "Weycombe" as a must-read.
I expected an Agatha Christie type mystery set in an idyllic location - what I got was a modern "Big Little Lies" type novel complete with status snobbery, infidelity, and back-stabbing.
The book's beginning held great promise with a body found near a riverbank. From there it evolved into a one woman's investigations into the murder of her neighbour.However... she digresses so much off topic that I almost forgot at times about the murder she was supposedly investigating. She intends to write a book about the murder and investigation with the hopes that it will revive her career.
The setting was ideal and picturesque. The murder victim was an unlikable woman who garnered little sympathy.
This novel was written using a single narrator. The sleuth, our narrator/protagonist, Jillian White, came across as shallow, judgemental, and condescending. When I should have felt sorry for her (when she was treated badly by her husband), all I could think was that she deserved it.
I did enjoy some of the humour within the book, though at times I found it held a nasty edge.
I had feared that this would be a 2 star read for me, but then at about 80% through the book, it really picked up with more attention given to the murder and the causes behind it. The last few chapters brought my score up to 3 stars.
I liked the writing, so would read another book by this author to see what all the fuss was about. However, I cannot heartily recommend "Weycombe" as a must-read.
June 4, 2017
This book's blurb drew me in right away. From the start, I was interested in reading about a small community that looks perfect on the outside but, in truth, harbors dark secrets. Weycombe also started out great. The murder was front and center, and the main character established herself as a natural detective.
Unfortunately, I disliked the narrator almost immediately. I think the book was meant to be funny, but the narrator was so snarky, judgmental, and ill-tempered that I wished she'd been the one to be murdered at the start of the book.
Additionally, the book spent so much time on backstories that it hardly moved forward. There was no sense of danger and no exciting moments or suspense. I gave up reading about 50% of the way in.
Unfortunately, I disliked the narrator almost immediately. I think the book was meant to be funny, but the narrator was so snarky, judgmental, and ill-tempered that I wished she'd been the one to be murdered at the start of the book.
Additionally, the book spent so much time on backstories that it hardly moved forward. There was no sense of danger and no exciting moments or suspense. I gave up reading about 50% of the way in.
September 25, 2017
I would like to thank Netgalley and Midnight Ink for an advance copy of Weycombe, a stand alone novel set in the fictional village of Weycombe in the Home Counties.
Jillian White, unemployed and unhappily married, is out walking when she stumbles across the body of her neighbour, Anna Monroe. With her husband on her back about finding a job, not easy for an American in London, she decides to conduct her own investigation into Anna's death with the vague thought of writing a book.
I enjoyed Weycombe. At first I was doubtful about it and thought about not finishing it as it is obvious from the start that the first person narrative does not hide an unreliable narrator and the novel is all about Jill, her emotions, experiences and history rather than the investigation I expected. I'm a bit unreliable narratored out but the novel soon took hold of me and I became fascinated with Jill and the secrets she uncovered.
I like the slow drip of information, Jill's reactions to it and the conclusions the reader draws from it. It is cleverly done although the net result is fairly obvious long before the conclusion with just the detail to be explained.
I wasn't so keen on the writing style. Although Jill is American and her language reflects this there are a fair few Americanisms in the mouths of the very British inhabitants of Weycombe which strike a jarring note. I also found some of her comments on the British clichéd and a bit strange. I did, however, enjoy the picture of the insular, privileged gated community of Weycombe Court with its petty jealousies and rivalries.
Jill is an unusual character. At first she is an unhappy woman, bored and probably depressed, and her investigation seems like a hobby or something to do but with no real reason behind it. Gradually as her past and her previous interactions with Anna and her neighbours are fleshed out you begin to realise that there is much more to her than first appears.
Weycombe is a good read which I can recommend.
Jillian White, unemployed and unhappily married, is out walking when she stumbles across the body of her neighbour, Anna Monroe. With her husband on her back about finding a job, not easy for an American in London, she decides to conduct her own investigation into Anna's death with the vague thought of writing a book.
I enjoyed Weycombe. At first I was doubtful about it and thought about not finishing it as it is obvious from the start that the first person narrative does not hide an unreliable narrator and the novel is all about Jill, her emotions, experiences and history rather than the investigation I expected. I'm a bit unreliable narratored out but the novel soon took hold of me and I became fascinated with Jill and the secrets she uncovered.
I like the slow drip of information, Jill's reactions to it and the conclusions the reader draws from it. It is cleverly done although the net result is fairly obvious long before the conclusion with just the detail to be explained.
I wasn't so keen on the writing style. Although Jill is American and her language reflects this there are a fair few Americanisms in the mouths of the very British inhabitants of Weycombe which strike a jarring note. I also found some of her comments on the British clichéd and a bit strange. I did, however, enjoy the picture of the insular, privileged gated community of Weycombe Court with its petty jealousies and rivalries.
Jill is an unusual character. At first she is an unhappy woman, bored and probably depressed, and her investigation seems like a hobby or something to do but with no real reason behind it. Gradually as her past and her previous interactions with Anna and her neighbours are fleshed out you begin to realise that there is much more to her than first appears.
Weycombe is a good read which I can recommend.
December 28, 2017
Jillian is an American living in a charming English village with her husband Will, a minor aristocrat. Taking her morning walk one day, she comes upon the dead body of their neighbor, Anna. Murder most foul. Jillian, who has recently lost her job at the BBC and has time on her hands, decides to help the police solve the crime.
This novel won't work for everyone. It moves at a somewhat sluggish pace and Jill is frankly unlikeable. But as she conducts her investigation and interviews various people in the village, layers of secrets and lies start to reveal themselves and I found myself drawn in. Even though I figured out pretty early on who did the dirty deed, I really enjoyed picking up on all the meticulously placed clues that tied everything together at the end. Minor spoiler:
A note about the audio book: one thing that I found unintentionally entertaining was listening to the narrator struggle - largely unsuccessfully - to conceal her Irish brogue and speak like an American, using a bizarre speech pattern that I suspect she learned from studying the Pink Ladies in "Grease." Several times in the novel the importance of accents in establishing one's place in society is discussed; and at one point British actors who had used bad American accents in films were mocked.
This novel won't work for everyone. It moves at a somewhat sluggish pace and Jill is frankly unlikeable. But as she conducts her investigation and interviews various people in the village, layers of secrets and lies start to reveal themselves and I found myself drawn in. Even though I figured out pretty early on who did the dirty deed, I really enjoyed picking up on all the meticulously placed clues that tied everything together at the end. Minor spoiler:
A note about the audio book: one thing that I found unintentionally entertaining was listening to the narrator struggle - largely unsuccessfully - to conceal her Irish brogue and speak like an American, using a bizarre speech pattern that I suspect she learned from studying the Pink Ladies in "Grease." Several times in the novel the importance of accents in establishing one's place in society is discussed; and at one point British actors who had used bad American accents in films were mocked.
October 8, 2017
The first thing I should probably say about Weycombe is this: if you've read other books by G.M. Malliet (as I have), do not read this one expecting more of the same. This is not a cozy mystery. It's a diabolical little treat told in the first person by the very snarky Jillian White.
Jillian is highly intelligent, highly observant, and always very aware of her status as an outsider. UK readers will be able to see how Americans view their country, and American readers will be able to benefit from her descriptions of life in the UK. Although Jillian and I have the same opinion about a few things (some facts about life in the UK and housecleaning come to mind), I'm not sure we'd be best buddies even if my occasional snarky periods coincided with hers. But being friends with the main character really isn't the point of the book.
Jillian's voice kept me under her spell throughout the book. Malliet has written a masterful character study. I can't pinpoint exactly when I began to get my first glimmerings of what might actually be going on in Weycombe, but I know it made me smile. What if.....? No, I am not going to tell you any more. I can't talk about the plot without giving important points away. All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and if you're the type of reader who doesn't mind a rather acid character or when an author wants to try something different, chances are you might enjoy it every bit as much as I did. I hope you do!
Jillian is highly intelligent, highly observant, and always very aware of her status as an outsider. UK readers will be able to see how Americans view their country, and American readers will be able to benefit from her descriptions of life in the UK. Although Jillian and I have the same opinion about a few things (some facts about life in the UK and housecleaning come to mind), I'm not sure we'd be best buddies even if my occasional snarky periods coincided with hers. But being friends with the main character really isn't the point of the book.
Jillian's voice kept me under her spell throughout the book. Malliet has written a masterful character study. I can't pinpoint exactly when I began to get my first glimmerings of what might actually be going on in Weycombe, but I know it made me smile. What if.....? No, I am not going to tell you any more. I can't talk about the plot without giving important points away. All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and if you're the type of reader who doesn't mind a rather acid character or when an author wants to try something different, chances are you might enjoy it every bit as much as I did. I hope you do!
October 7, 2017
I love thrillers, I love crime-solving stories and I absolutely adore mysteries. «Weycombe» was all of that plus a huge family drama that started to unravel throughout the book. It had all the elements to be an amazing story and maybe some of you found it rather great.
I had only ONE BIG ISSUE - the timing of when certain facts were told to us.
We read the story as it is told to us by Jillian White, a woman from the neighbourhood. An American woman married to a upper-class British men, Will. They live in a perfect neighbourhood, in a perfect house, but as we know there are always troubles in paradise.
What I found odd was a mix of present and past events. At one point Jillian would be talking about Ann’s murder and her thoughts about it, or maybe trying to get more information from her neighbours to solve the case, and then suddenly she would be remembering certain facts from the past that would take up pages and pages of text in between the events that are happening right now.
I can’t say that it wasn’t interesting, it just wasn’t structured well enough and maybe a few cuts here and there would have made the book more perceptible to absorb all the information that was thrown at us.
I had only ONE BIG ISSUE - the timing of when certain facts were told to us.
We read the story as it is told to us by Jillian White, a woman from the neighbourhood. An American woman married to a upper-class British men, Will. They live in a perfect neighbourhood, in a perfect house, but as we know there are always troubles in paradise.
What I found odd was a mix of present and past events. At one point Jillian would be talking about Ann’s murder and her thoughts about it, or maybe trying to get more information from her neighbours to solve the case, and then suddenly she would be remembering certain facts from the past that would take up pages and pages of text in between the events that are happening right now.
I can’t say that it wasn’t interesting, it just wasn’t structured well enough and maybe a few cuts here and there would have made the book more perceptible to absorb all the information that was thrown at us.
March 29, 2021
American Jillian White has relocated to England and lives n the wealthy village of Weycombe with her titled husband. From the outside, everything is picture-perfect, but looks can be deceiving. Jill's world is turned upside-down when a local resident is murdered and Jill becomes involved in the investigation.
I have read a couple of this author's cozy mysteries and really enjoyed them. I wasn't sure what to expect from this standalone suspense novel, but I enjoyed it beyond my expectations. This book and her Max Tudor mysteries are equally well-written, but "Weycombe" is a true thriller as opposed to a clever cozy. The main character and English setting of "Weycombe" grabbed my attention from the very beginning and never left go. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next and was completely surprised by the twists and turns the book took. I don't want to give away any of the surprises, but I truly enjoyed this thriller, which stands out from the pack from many of the recent books in this genre I have read.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Midnight Ink. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Midnight Ink
I have read a couple of this author's cozy mysteries and really enjoyed them. I wasn't sure what to expect from this standalone suspense novel, but I enjoyed it beyond my expectations. This book and her Max Tudor mysteries are equally well-written, but "Weycombe" is a true thriller as opposed to a clever cozy. The main character and English setting of "Weycombe" grabbed my attention from the very beginning and never left go. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next and was completely surprised by the twists and turns the book took. I don't want to give away any of the surprises, but I truly enjoyed this thriller, which stands out from the pack from many of the recent books in this genre I have read.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Midnight Ink. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Midnight Ink
October 7, 2017
All should be perfect in the chocolate box pretty village of Weycombe where transplanted American, Jillian White, lives with her titled husband in an upscale gated community. There are cracks though, both in the marriage and the village. Jillian was "made redundant" (a kind euphemism for laid-off) nine months earlier from her job at the BBC, and her marriage to Will White is falling apart. But when Jillian discovers the dead body of Anna Monroe, local real estate agent and femme fatale, on a walking path next to the river, all the pettiness, secrets and evil in Weycombe begin to rise to the surface of this tranquil pond. Anna has always wanted to write a novel, so she begins to investigate the murder on her own, with an eye to using the case as a basis. There are consequences for everyone involved.
It's a challenge to review Weycombe without giving anything away. I have enjoyed Malliet's previous books, but this stand-alone novel is entirely different. I was immediately captured by Jillian's acid voice: she is not someone that I would like, but I wanted to listen to what she had to say. It's not often that I can't put down a book, but I stayed up late just to find out what came next. I began to get the feeling early on that Jillian was a far from reliable narrator, but the extent of her unreliability was stunning. The twists and turns in the plotting kept me intrigued until the end. I highly recommend Weycombe for fans of psychological suspense with a dark edge.
Thanks to Midnight Ink and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions above are my own.
RATING- 5 Stars
It's a challenge to review Weycombe without giving anything away. I have enjoyed Malliet's previous books, but this stand-alone novel is entirely different. I was immediately captured by Jillian's acid voice: she is not someone that I would like, but I wanted to listen to what she had to say. It's not often that I can't put down a book, but I stayed up late just to find out what came next. I began to get the feeling early on that Jillian was a far from reliable narrator, but the extent of her unreliability was stunning. The twists and turns in the plotting kept me intrigued until the end. I highly recommend Weycombe for fans of psychological suspense with a dark edge.
Thanks to Midnight Ink and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions above are my own.
RATING- 5 Stars
September 19, 2017
Originally posted @ https://lipsyy.wordpress.com
I was completely in the mood for a nice cozy mystery in a luxurious setting when I picked up this book last weekend, and I got it in spades.
Weycombe is a place where people dream of living; a beautiful, idyllic village running along the river Thames where houses can only be afforded by the mega rich. It’s also a place where everybody knows everybody’s business, and if they don’t, they do their best to find out! This turns out to be a bit of a problem when one of the villagers, the incomparable Anna is found lying dead in her brand new running shoes. Village gossip has just been kicked up a notch.
Our protagonist is Jillian, an American, the forever ‘outsider’, who is in a failing, loveless marriage and out of work. Jillian is the one who discovers the body, and needing something to occupy her, she takes it upon herself to find out as much as she can about Anna’s secretive life, and the mystery of her death.
I really enjoyed this book, but it won’t be for everyone. It’s quite a traditional, ‘old school’ type mystery that unfolds very slowly. At first, I enjoyed the slow pace of it – perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon – but at some points I did drift away from the story and wished there was more to keep me focused.
Weycombe is a good whodunnit. The large cast of characters are interesting, and all have different secrets and flaws. It kept me guessing just enough, but it was a bit of a struggle to get to the end to be honest.
The main thing I loved was the setting. I’m intrigued by the dynamics and social politics of village life, which always works great for a murky mystery.
The main thing that didn’t work for me, however, was Jillian. I could relate to parts of her character, but I never fully warmed to her. And I thought the link between her being unhappy (and not having much going on in life at that moment) and her deciding to investigate a murder was a bit of a stretch. Her background of working in media seemed to be the author’s reason behind her thinking she was qualified to act detective. Hmm. I know that regular folk sticking their noses into an investigation is a common thing in mysteries, but it didn’t feel very genuine on this occasion.
Overall, Weycombe is a classic murder mystery with lots of intrigue. If you’re looking for a gentle whodunnit to while away the weekend, give it a try!
I was completely in the mood for a nice cozy mystery in a luxurious setting when I picked up this book last weekend, and I got it in spades.
Weycombe is a place where people dream of living; a beautiful, idyllic village running along the river Thames where houses can only be afforded by the mega rich. It’s also a place where everybody knows everybody’s business, and if they don’t, they do their best to find out! This turns out to be a bit of a problem when one of the villagers, the incomparable Anna is found lying dead in her brand new running shoes. Village gossip has just been kicked up a notch.
Our protagonist is Jillian, an American, the forever ‘outsider’, who is in a failing, loveless marriage and out of work. Jillian is the one who discovers the body, and needing something to occupy her, she takes it upon herself to find out as much as she can about Anna’s secretive life, and the mystery of her death.
I really enjoyed this book, but it won’t be for everyone. It’s quite a traditional, ‘old school’ type mystery that unfolds very slowly. At first, I enjoyed the slow pace of it – perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon – but at some points I did drift away from the story and wished there was more to keep me focused.
Weycombe is a good whodunnit. The large cast of characters are interesting, and all have different secrets and flaws. It kept me guessing just enough, but it was a bit of a struggle to get to the end to be honest.
The main thing I loved was the setting. I’m intrigued by the dynamics and social politics of village life, which always works great for a murky mystery.
The main thing that didn’t work for me, however, was Jillian. I could relate to parts of her character, but I never fully warmed to her. And I thought the link between her being unhappy (and not having much going on in life at that moment) and her deciding to investigate a murder was a bit of a stretch. Her background of working in media seemed to be the author’s reason behind her thinking she was qualified to act detective. Hmm. I know that regular folk sticking their noses into an investigation is a common thing in mysteries, but it didn’t feel very genuine on this occasion.
Overall, Weycombe is a classic murder mystery with lots of intrigue. If you’re looking for a gentle whodunnit to while away the weekend, give it a try!
June 24, 2018
There are plausible mysteries, there are mysteries where I am willing to suspend belief for a good story, then there are mysteries like this book. Ridiculous.
August 27, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley and Midnight Ink for an arc of this novel.
I think I've read every book G. M. Malliet has written, she is a real favorite of mine. When I saw this one was located in an English village and read in the descriptions all the comparisons to Agatha Christie I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately it was a big disappointment and the only comparisons made to Agatha Christie were the main character thinking she was following in the sleuthing footsteps of that great author. She was not!
Jillian White is the main character and the narrator of the story. She is an American who has lived in England for ten years and fell in love with and married a member of the British aristocracy - but of a rather minor sort so don't go getting all starry eyed over that connection. Jill finds the body of a woman, actually her next door neighbor, from the exclusive gated community in which they both live in the village of Weycombe. So far things seemed to be going well with the reading until all the unsettled atmosphere and dark psychological attitude began to intrude. The problem was that our main character was just not a nice person and she was carrying a ton of emotional baggage which she seemed almost content to hold on to. After reading almost half of the book I took notice of some rather unusual phrasing I was picking up on so decided to keep notes. Hmm, what I had was a roadmap to the guilty person. I kept on reading to the end because I wanted to see how Malliet would present the completion of the story.
This novel is one where it would be very easy to tell too much about the story and end up spoiling it for anyone who hasn't read the book. I don't want to do that so I'm just going to repeat that I was very disappointed. I didn't find anything that was good enough to compensate for the main character and the overall plotting.
I think I've read every book G. M. Malliet has written, she is a real favorite of mine. When I saw this one was located in an English village and read in the descriptions all the comparisons to Agatha Christie I was looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately it was a big disappointment and the only comparisons made to Agatha Christie were the main character thinking she was following in the sleuthing footsteps of that great author. She was not!
Jillian White is the main character and the narrator of the story. She is an American who has lived in England for ten years and fell in love with and married a member of the British aristocracy - but of a rather minor sort so don't go getting all starry eyed over that connection. Jill finds the body of a woman, actually her next door neighbor, from the exclusive gated community in which they both live in the village of Weycombe. So far things seemed to be going well with the reading until all the unsettled atmosphere and dark psychological attitude began to intrude. The problem was that our main character was just not a nice person and she was carrying a ton of emotional baggage which she seemed almost content to hold on to. After reading almost half of the book I took notice of some rather unusual phrasing I was picking up on so decided to keep notes. Hmm, what I had was a roadmap to the guilty person. I kept on reading to the end because I wanted to see how Malliet would present the completion of the story.
This novel is one where it would be very easy to tell too much about the story and end up spoiling it for anyone who hasn't read the book. I don't want to do that so I'm just going to repeat that I was very disappointed. I didn't find anything that was good enough to compensate for the main character and the overall plotting.
June 17, 2017
Thanks to Midnight Ink and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a great book! Not what I expected from G.M. Malliet based on her past books, this is not a cozy mystery in any way. Weycombe is a fast moving suspenseful murder mystery with a twisted ending.
Jillian White is an American married to an English peer named Will, living in a beautiful house in a small village in England. The books begins with Jillian finding the body of her neighbor Anna, a married estate agent who was rumored to have had several affairs. Jillian was laid off from the BBC, where she worked on a program about true crime. She decides to use her knowledge to help the police solve the murder.
Jillian is an interesting character. Malliet explores her from all angles, so the reader really gets to know her. The other characters are also well drawn and very interesting, especially the murder victim, Anna.
The plot is very well done. It draws you in, and the book is nearly impossible to put down.
I highly recommend this book!
What a great book! Not what I expected from G.M. Malliet based on her past books, this is not a cozy mystery in any way. Weycombe is a fast moving suspenseful murder mystery with a twisted ending.
Jillian White is an American married to an English peer named Will, living in a beautiful house in a small village in England. The books begins with Jillian finding the body of her neighbor Anna, a married estate agent who was rumored to have had several affairs. Jillian was laid off from the BBC, where she worked on a program about true crime. She decides to use her knowledge to help the police solve the murder.
Jillian is an interesting character. Malliet explores her from all angles, so the reader really gets to know her. The other characters are also well drawn and very interesting, especially the murder victim, Anna.
The plot is very well done. It draws you in, and the book is nearly impossible to put down.
I highly recommend this book!
January 2, 2018
I got this as an audiobook - my rating for the audio would be 2 stars. The author makes a point of telling us numerous times that the main character/narrator is an US American. Since this is stressed - they should have picked a reader who could at least do a passable US accent. For instance, she said things like "shedule" instead of "skedule", she said "Anner" instead of "Anna" - but only sometimes, "yawgurt" instead of "yogurt", "weekEND" instead of "WEEKend", etc. - it was very distracting.
October 15, 2017
First published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
Weycombe, a new standalone suspense novel by G. M. Malliet from Midnight Ink was released 8th Oct. The author, who has written the well loved Max Tudor series about an MI5 agent turned village vicar, is a dependable 'writerly' writer, technically adept with plotting, dialogue and action. Her books are readable and very enjoyable. I have really enjoyed both the Max Tudor cozies and her St. Just series, a period cozy series.
This book is emphatically not written in the same comfortable mold as her other books. Whilst her other books have had (for me) laugh out loud moments, this one was full of sharply funny moments, quite a few of which surprised me into laughter, sometimes uncomfortable. Written in first person, the narration is wickedly sarcastic to a razor's edge.
Narrated from the viewpoint of an outsider, the story often lampoons (or laments) the cultural disorientation that arises from being an expat American living in England, and married to an upper class scion of the minor nobility.
The murder of the local estate agent has the village in an uproar. Anna, the victim, is found by the narrator on a nearby walking path. Jillian White's, the narrator's, interactions with the investigation and her decision to investigate on her own provide point and counterpoint to her interactions with her wealthy friends and neighbors.
I read and review mostly high fantasy and cozy mysteries. I enjoyed this novel very much and sometimes an ascerbic wit-filled slightly gritty mystery is exactly perfect for clearing the palate and resetting my reading taste-buds for the next cat cozy or dragon filled high fantasy.
It is worth noting that the author has earmarked 10% of the royalties from her published for Weycombe to hurricane relief, a worthy cause. For this reason, I will also be buying a copy of this book, despite having recieved an e-ARC gratis from the publisher for review purposes.
Five stars. Enjoyable and surprisingly witty.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
Weycombe, a new standalone suspense novel by G. M. Malliet from Midnight Ink was released 8th Oct. The author, who has written the well loved Max Tudor series about an MI5 agent turned village vicar, is a dependable 'writerly' writer, technically adept with plotting, dialogue and action. Her books are readable and very enjoyable. I have really enjoyed both the Max Tudor cozies and her St. Just series, a period cozy series.
This book is emphatically not written in the same comfortable mold as her other books. Whilst her other books have had (for me) laugh out loud moments, this one was full of sharply funny moments, quite a few of which surprised me into laughter, sometimes uncomfortable. Written in first person, the narration is wickedly sarcastic to a razor's edge.
Narrated from the viewpoint of an outsider, the story often lampoons (or laments) the cultural disorientation that arises from being an expat American living in England, and married to an upper class scion of the minor nobility.
The murder of the local estate agent has the village in an uproar. Anna, the victim, is found by the narrator on a nearby walking path. Jillian White's, the narrator's, interactions with the investigation and her decision to investigate on her own provide point and counterpoint to her interactions with her wealthy friends and neighbors.
I read and review mostly high fantasy and cozy mysteries. I enjoyed this novel very much and sometimes an ascerbic wit-filled slightly gritty mystery is exactly perfect for clearing the palate and resetting my reading taste-buds for the next cat cozy or dragon filled high fantasy.
It is worth noting that the author has earmarked 10% of the royalties from her published for Weycombe to hurricane relief, a worthy cause. For this reason, I will also be buying a copy of this book, despite having recieved an e-ARC gratis from the publisher for review purposes.
A note from the author: My book WEYCOMBE comes out October 8. I am donating 10% of the royalties I receive from my publisher on this standalone suspense novel, up to $5000, to @RedCrossHouston relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
Five stars. Enjoyable and surprisingly witty.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
October 19, 2017
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
This the first book I've read by Malliet and I had high hopes with comparisons from various readers to Agatha Christie.
I got about 100 pages into the book and had to put it down. It's too much like Girl on the Train but without the excitement. And too many things I can't get past, the biggest being a narrator who's a total jerk. An American expat in England who uses far too many English phrases, yet detests the town she lives in and what her life has become after marrying a privileged aristocrat. It's like being forced to listen to the drunk girl at the party who just lost her job and her boyfriend and is totally depressed but turns to passive aggressive sarcasm as a crutch. From the way she describes herself she sound like someone I wouldn't want to live with or date either - a wreck inside and out - but most importantly Self-Centered and rude, but not in a funny or fun way.
The other unbearable aspect of this book is the number of side-stories she tells. At first I thought tis meandering would lead to relevant information about the crime, but you find out they're just side stories that highlight her hate of the town and herself. A woman died. Her husband has a staggering disability. Her step-son is a shattered soul. Yet the narrator spends more time whining about herself and being mean about the victim.
Perhaps Malliet was making an attempt at a realistic flawed person. Trying to capture the unreliable narrator. But it doesn't work. It sucks and it's difficult to read because it's just mean. No thanks.
I gave it two stars because it was written well, just the content and meandering that I couldn't bear.
This the first book I've read by Malliet and I had high hopes with comparisons from various readers to Agatha Christie.
I got about 100 pages into the book and had to put it down. It's too much like Girl on the Train but without the excitement. And too many things I can't get past, the biggest being a narrator who's a total jerk. An American expat in England who uses far too many English phrases, yet detests the town she lives in and what her life has become after marrying a privileged aristocrat. It's like being forced to listen to the drunk girl at the party who just lost her job and her boyfriend and is totally depressed but turns to passive aggressive sarcasm as a crutch. From the way she describes herself she sound like someone I wouldn't want to live with or date either - a wreck inside and out - but most importantly Self-Centered and rude, but not in a funny or fun way.
The other unbearable aspect of this book is the number of side-stories she tells. At first I thought tis meandering would lead to relevant information about the crime, but you find out they're just side stories that highlight her hate of the town and herself. A woman died. Her husband has a staggering disability. Her step-son is a shattered soul. Yet the narrator spends more time whining about herself and being mean about the victim.
Perhaps Malliet was making an attempt at a realistic flawed person. Trying to capture the unreliable narrator. But it doesn't work. It sucks and it's difficult to read because it's just mean. No thanks.
I gave it two stars because it was written well, just the content and meandering that I couldn't bear.
October 12, 2017
3.75 stars
Atmospheric suspense novel threaded through with an intelligent and bitchy narrator. Jill, the main character, is an expatriate American married to a British artisto and living in the pretentious storybook village of Weycombe. Jill's marriage to Will is sliding into dissolution after she is laid off from a BBC media job. Everyone's lives change when Jill and Will's neighbor Anna, a compelling but unlikable woman, is found murdered. Jill, who worked on a crime tv series, is soon enmeshed in the investigation.
I have enjoyed this author's other books. This one is in a different vein -- still with humor, but more barbed. There are few likable inhabitants in the village or in Jill's past life. And everyone has a secret to keep. Nice narrative pace with frequent wickedly funny asides.
I was provided an ARC via Net Galley in return for my honest review.
Atmospheric suspense novel threaded through with an intelligent and bitchy narrator. Jill, the main character, is an expatriate American married to a British artisto and living in the pretentious storybook village of Weycombe. Jill's marriage to Will is sliding into dissolution after she is laid off from a BBC media job. Everyone's lives change when Jill and Will's neighbor Anna, a compelling but unlikable woman, is found murdered. Jill, who worked on a crime tv series, is soon enmeshed in the investigation.
I have enjoyed this author's other books. This one is in a different vein -- still with humor, but more barbed. There are few likable inhabitants in the village or in Jill's past life. And everyone has a secret to keep. Nice narrative pace with frequent wickedly funny asides.
I was provided an ARC via Net Galley in return for my honest review.
August 8, 2019
Zzzzzzzz, oops. Hello! A great book for insomnia! I tried! I really did! I’m not one to not finish a book, but this was bringing me to tears in the boredom department! Maybe if I was drawn to the characters I would have tried harder. Why waste my life on this when there are so many other books to read!
November 12, 2017
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. The upscale English village of Weycombe has many people who might have wished realtor Anna Monroe dead. This psychological novel starts out as a whodunnit and then becomes much more complex. Going to read her other mysteries.
October 3, 2017
Wow! I almost threw in the towel after getting about a third of the way in... I'm glad I stuck with it!
I liked Malliet's St Just trilogy, and I LOVE her Max Tudor series. "Weycombe" seems to be a departure, and it had been a while since I'd read one of her books but the voice didn't really sound like her. But the story picked up speed and became very, very clever.
An American married to a titled Brit is an intriguing plotline. I identified with Jillian - she is also unemployed and she has ties to both Kansas and Maine. She is a very sharp and smart - and at times witty - character.
What I think knocks this novel down a star for me is that it was all over the place with backstories. In one part Jillian is meeting Will's mother for the first time and then pretty seamlessly she and Will are at a "celebration of life" for Anna - the woman whose body Jillian discovers right at the beginning of the book.
However, I'm torn between giving it 3 or 4 stars ... that ending comes out of nowhere and blows everything out of the water. It was my favorite part ... and all loose ends are tied together (or are they??). If you think the pacing of this book is slow, just keep right on plodding. Your patience will be rewarded. I am expecting this book to receive high praise. Keep them coming, G. M. Malliet - I will keep on reading you!
Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc.
I liked Malliet's St Just trilogy, and I LOVE her Max Tudor series. "Weycombe" seems to be a departure, and it had been a while since I'd read one of her books but the voice didn't really sound like her. But the story picked up speed and became very, very clever.
An American married to a titled Brit is an intriguing plotline. I identified with Jillian - she is also unemployed and she has ties to both Kansas and Maine. She is a very sharp and smart - and at times witty - character.
What I think knocks this novel down a star for me is that it was all over the place with backstories. In one part Jillian is meeting Will's mother for the first time and then pretty seamlessly she and Will are at a "celebration of life" for Anna - the woman whose body Jillian discovers right at the beginning of the book.
However, I'm torn between giving it 3 or 4 stars ... that ending comes out of nowhere and blows everything out of the water. It was my favorite part ... and all loose ends are tied together (or are they??). If you think the pacing of this book is slow, just keep right on plodding. Your patience will be rewarded. I am expecting this book to receive high praise. Keep them coming, G. M. Malliet - I will keep on reading you!
Thank you, Netgalley, for this arc.
October 9, 2017
I had not read Mallet before so this was a real treat of an introduction. The narrator of this tightly written thriller is Jillian, an American resident in the UK who isn't the most likable person but who is definitely one determined and intelligent woman. When a neighbor is found dead in her gated community, Jillian, who's got too much time on her hands, decides to poke around. Surprise, the village has a lot of secrets. It's always hard to review this sort of novel without spoilers so suffice it to say that this one will keep you guessing. The fish out of water aspects of Jillian (as well as her attitude) add to the positives. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
October 12, 2017
Confused then Amazed
Just buy the book, read it. Then you will understand! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!!!!! I was a bit thrown by the tone of writing but then it dawned on me what was happening. I thought it a clever novel and well written. I do however prefer The authors previous novels.
Just buy the book, read it. Then you will understand! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SPOILERS FOLLOW!!!!!!! I was a bit thrown by the tone of writing but then it dawned on me what was happening. I thought it a clever novel and well written. I do however prefer The authors previous novels.
September 27, 2017
A posh gated community is shocked when Anna, realtor and village femme fatale, is found dead by another resident. This begins like any other cozy mystery...
September 21, 2017
Actual rating 3.5 stars
I've read G.M. Mailliet's other series which are on the cozy side. This is not that book. What starts out as a murder investigation in an English village gradually turns much darker. The main character, Jill, is a curious woman with a lot of time on her hands, but as she conducts her investigation, she becomes less and less reliable as a narrator. I had guessed the outcome and felt that the ending could have been a bit stronger. Overall, I thought Weycombe was an entertaining suspense novel.
I received an advance copy from NetGalley.
I've read G.M. Mailliet's other series which are on the cozy side. This is not that book. What starts out as a murder investigation in an English village gradually turns much darker. The main character, Jill, is a curious woman with a lot of time on her hands, but as she conducts her investigation, she becomes less and less reliable as a narrator. I had guessed the outcome and felt that the ending could have been a bit stronger. Overall, I thought Weycombe was an entertaining suspense novel.
I received an advance copy from NetGalley.
August 12, 2017
Title: Weycombe - A Novel of Suspense
Author: G. M. Malliet
Publisher: Midnight Inc.
Published: 10-8-2017
Pages: 384
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub-Genre: Murder, Fiction, British Police Procedural, Women Sleuth
ISBN: 9780737542
Reviewed For NetGalley and Midnight Inc.
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 4 Stars
One would think living in the gated community in the affluent village of Weycombe would have residents feeling safe a secure, but that feeling is shattered the morning Jillian White finds the body of her neighbor, a local real estate agent, Anna Monroe laying half in the water of the river during her morning walk. Jill searches for the killer to rid the community of the cloud of suspicion and mistrust. The more she finds the more it seems the killer is closer than she thinks.
The main character Jillian White is unusual in that she doesn't have the perfect life and is trying to figure out how to save her 10 year marriage and whether she even wants to. She is not little miss sunshine. An American transplant that has made Britain her new home. Her titled husband is a Lord, but has a drinking problem. They both have flaws one can identify with. English politeness breaks a time or two. The ending will stand you on your ear and leave you stunned.
The story starts a little slow and Jill's American colloquialisms seem to baffle the local constabulary, but it does pick up. It was a much darker mystery that I was expecting ( I was expecting a light English cozy) and was not my favorite read because of that I did not fin it as enjoyable as someone who likes that type of mystery.
My rating of "Weycombe" is 4 out of 5 stars.
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738754269/...
B&N Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weyc...
Books-A-Million Link: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Weycom...
Google Play Link: Not Available
Indigo Link: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/...
GoodReads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Kobo Link: Not Available
The Reading Room Link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
https://twitter.com/DelAnne531/status...
Author: G. M. Malliet
Publisher: Midnight Inc.
Published: 10-8-2017
Pages: 384
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub-Genre: Murder, Fiction, British Police Procedural, Women Sleuth
ISBN: 9780737542
Reviewed For NetGalley and Midnight Inc.
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 4 Stars
One would think living in the gated community in the affluent village of Weycombe would have residents feeling safe a secure, but that feeling is shattered the morning Jillian White finds the body of her neighbor, a local real estate agent, Anna Monroe laying half in the water of the river during her morning walk. Jill searches for the killer to rid the community of the cloud of suspicion and mistrust. The more she finds the more it seems the killer is closer than she thinks.
The main character Jillian White is unusual in that she doesn't have the perfect life and is trying to figure out how to save her 10 year marriage and whether she even wants to. She is not little miss sunshine. An American transplant that has made Britain her new home. Her titled husband is a Lord, but has a drinking problem. They both have flaws one can identify with. English politeness breaks a time or two. The ending will stand you on your ear and leave you stunned.
The story starts a little slow and Jill's American colloquialisms seem to baffle the local constabulary, but it does pick up. It was a much darker mystery that I was expecting ( I was expecting a light English cozy) and was not my favorite read because of that I did not fin it as enjoyable as someone who likes that type of mystery.
My rating of "Weycombe" is 4 out of 5 stars.
Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0738754269/...
B&N Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/weyc...
Books-A-Million Link: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Weycom...
Google Play Link: Not Available
Indigo Link: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/...
GoodReads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Kobo Link: Not Available
The Reading Room Link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
https://twitter.com/DelAnne531/status...
June 20, 2017
I got this from NetGalley. Weycombe is a seemingly perfect English village/community. When one of the most prominent residents is murdered, Jillian, the narrator of the book, who also was the one to discover the body, decides to dig around and investigate. This doesn't have great reviews on Goodreads, but I enjoyed it. At first I loved Jillian, who was perfectly snarky and kind of reminded me of myself in her eye-rolling judgment of everything, and she came out with some really amusing phrases and descriptions. Then she started to get more unreliable, and I felt less affinity with her as the book went on. I liked the book in the end, although I kind of anticipated some of the twists at the end.
September 2, 2017
Thanks to Midnight Ink and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to preview and review this book.
I'm a newcomer to G.M. Malliet's writing and I was pleasantly surprised with this whodunnit, it was a real page turner for me. The main Character, Jill, on finding Anna murdered, draws you in with her narrative as the American wife of well to do Will living in the tight knit village of Weycombe. Jill's character is well rounded and likeable. Through Jill, who fancies herself as an amateur sleuth, we meet the other villagers and get to know the murder victim, Anna.
If you enjoy a murder mystery or psychological thriller with a dash of humour added throughout, this is thoroughly enjoyable read.
I'm a newcomer to G.M. Malliet's writing and I was pleasantly surprised with this whodunnit, it was a real page turner for me. The main Character, Jill, on finding Anna murdered, draws you in with her narrative as the American wife of well to do Will living in the tight knit village of Weycombe. Jill's character is well rounded and likeable. Through Jill, who fancies herself as an amateur sleuth, we meet the other villagers and get to know the murder victim, Anna.
If you enjoy a murder mystery or psychological thriller with a dash of humour added throughout, this is thoroughly enjoyable read.
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