Jess Castle and the Eyeballs of Death

Jess Castle Investigation #1

by M.B. Vincent

Welcome to Castle Kidbury - a pretty town in a green West Country valley. It's home to all sorts of people, with all the stresses and joys of modern life, but with a town square and a proper butcher's. It also has, for our purposes, a rash of gory murders ...

 
Jess Castle is running away. Again. This time she's running back home, like she swore she never would.
 
Castle Kidbury, like all small towns, hums with gossip but now it's plagued with murder of the most gruesome kind. Jess instinctively believes that the hippyish cult camped out on the edge of town are not responsible for the spate of crucifixions that blights the pretty landscape. Her father, a respected judge, despairs of Jess as she infiltrates the cult and manages, not for the first time, to get herself arrested.
 
Rupert Lawson, a schooldays crush who's now a barrister, bails her out. Jess ropes in a reluctant Rupert as she gatecrashes the murder investigation of DS Eden. A by-the-book copper, Eden has to admit that intuitive, eccentric Jess has the nose of a detective.
 
As the gory murders pile up, there’s nothing to connect the victims. And yet, the clues are there if you look hard enough.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction

368 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2018

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book in a charity shop by its cover and intriguing title. Unfortunately this is a case of never judge a book by its cover. I can sum up my opinion in one word - disappointment.

Jess Castle or should I say Dr Jess Castle is a lecturer at Cambridge but has “run away” and returned home to Castle Kidbury, a market town in the West Country. However, she finds things have changed during her absence, her father the Judge is unwell and since her mother’s death a year ago there is a new housekeeper Bogna. As she struggles to come to terms with the changes at home a shocking murder occurs a ‘crucifixion’ of local man Keith Dike. Jess embraces the opportunity to use her academic skills to assist DS John Eden who is in charge of the case and to distract her from her bad dreams and her resentment towards her father’s change of character and the new housekeeper.

Certain elements of the story I liked how they were dealt with, such as Jess’ nightmares as the past creeps into her dreams; also the loss of her mother and how she resents the changes at home. I thought the mystery itself was interesting. I liked the characters of Jess and Rupert, Jess’ potential love interest but didn’t feel engaged in caring about them.

I found the use of bad language a little jarring and unnecessary. It is a struggle at times to like Jess’ friend Mary although there are explanations as to why she and Jess are such good friends. Their friendship makes me think of Cameron Diaz’ romantic comedies which I have always loathed.

DS Eden’s colleague Karen Knott is an incompetent police officer how on earth did she get through the entrance exam. She is not only an idiot but completely lacking in empathy or even basic common sense.

All the elements were there to make a really good mystery but it just doesn’t come together. You don’t care enough about the characters, and I also felt that the location wasn’t taken advantage of enough.

[Kayleigh | Welsh Book Fairy · Rating 4 out of 5]

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Jess Castle and the Eyeballs of Death
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Book 1 of 2 of the Jess Castle Investigation
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): M.B. Vincent
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Mystery/Humour
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 18th October 2018
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.5/5

"'I'm weighing up my options. In the meantime, the doc's keeping me healthy. Please don't worry, Jess.'
'When people say that,' said Jess, 'they don't care whether you worry or not. They just want you to stop talking about it.'"

Jess Castle finds herself back in the place she ran away from; home. Her home can be found in the picturesque little village of Castle Kidbury, which Jess thinks is the most boring place ever. Until there's a murder. And not only a murder; a crucifixion, something which, conveniently, taps into Jess's expertise. As she acts as the unofficial consultant to the methodical, ultimate follower of rules, DS Eden, Jess uncovers strange characters, gruesome motives, and a dangerous path to the truth.

M B Vincent is actually a married couple, which I find adorable for some reason, if I wanted to write a murder mystery with my partner it would inevitably end up having zombies in it somewhere. So I applaud them for sticking their heads together to come up with a tasteful, gripping plot, with the kind of character set you would want to meet in person.

Jess Castle and the Eyeballs of Death is a strange mixture of humour, mystery, a little grit, and some romance. It's perfect for comfy nights on the sofa, and I found solace in every genre combination thrown in.

Possibly except for the romance. The romance was a little hard to swallow; it didn't feel like Jess and Rupert developed feelings naturally, he was initially a side character who was mildly annoying until he seemed to blossom into this guy who had feelings for Jess and couldn't take his eyes off her. She still found him annoying, but ultimately, his feelings were reciprocated. It just seemed like such an unlikely romance, the author(s) didn't really delve into their background, their feelings weren't hinted at until they were convenient for the character development.

Regardless of the grisly murders being committed; the language is actually light, warm and genuinely funny. This book has been described as The Vicar of Dibley meets Midsomer Murders and I honestly couldn't describe it any better.

Although Jess seems to focus on cracking jokes, and teasing people relentlessly, she does come across as an insightful character, which is a great feat; too often authors forget that their characters have other personality traits other than funny when focusing on a comical protagonist. Jess describes herself as a "delicate weed" and I think that that is just the most apt description of the main character I could possibly have produced.

Overall, this novel was highly entertaining, with a bunch of quirky characters that enforced a fast paced, fun narrative. I'm unsure whether this book is a standalone or in a series, but I would definitely read a sequel.

Thank you to Net Galley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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[Delcene Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have no idea what I was thinking when I picked up a book titled Jess Castle and the Eyeballs of Death.

I must have been swayed by an effusive recommendation made by a Dymocks member of staff.

I’ll never listen to them again.

The book is as stupid as the title (surprisingly).

It’s a murder mystery set in a postcard perfect village in England somewhere.

Somewhere posh of course.

The hero of the story is a privileged woman (with a PhD in Pagan, Incan etc etc etc religious practices) who pops home to her father’s mansion and single handedly solves a spate of pagan ritual murders (she had a bit of help from a local Plod!).

All the victims had their eyes scooped out - hence the eyeballs of death reference.

The humour was rar rar tally ho pip pip ANNOYING.

I’m surprised I finished it.

It’s clear that in future I need adult supervision when I shop for books.

[Suzanne Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slightly disappointed with this book, easy reading, but lacked substance.
Slight twist at the end, but still felt the story was not really going anywhere.
I was more desperate to finish the book than excited.

[Sheila Howes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Easy read, but no substance.

[Agi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jess Castle finds herself back in a place she was steering clear of - home, in Castle Kidbury. She's just suddenly left her job at Cambridge and reluctantly came back. Her relationship with her father, the Judge, is not the most closest one, and she finds her hometown incredibly boring - that is, until there is a murder and a body of a local man is found. It doesn't look like a normal assassination, it looks more like crucifixion, which - very conveniently - is Jess's speciality, so she starts to act as the unofficial consultant to the local DS Eden. However, the body count increases, the more pagan symbols appear and everyone becomes a suspect. So Jess has not only to try to solve the murder but also try to refurbish her relationship with her father, and eventually decide what it is she wants to do with her life.

I really liked the small town atmosphere, this specific community spirit that the authors have captured in a great way. In Castle Kidbury everyone knows everyone and knows everything better - that is, until a murder happens. Or two. Or even more. There was a bunch of quirky, bouncy characters that I, unfortunately, felt unattached to. However, they were all really different and interesting and I think that more than often we have to take them with a pinch of salt.
It is written in a very detailed way, with attention to details, not only when it comes to describing the murder scenes. It was really easy to imagine the town and the characters and the authors have way with words. It was also incredibly well researched, with a solid historical and religious background. The banter between the characters was truly enjoyable, especially the witty and clever exchanges between Jess and DS Eden - they were quick, sharp and humorous, especially when they were interrupted by DC Knott.
I have no idea who and why could the be the assassin. The authors have done a great job pulling wool over our eyes, with complicating things, and making almost everyone in the book a suspect. However, I am not sure if I'm really satisfied with the ending, I think after being introduced to all the paganism, symbolism etc I was expecting a different ending. On the other hand, it was surprising, unexpected and twisty, so what's not to like, right?

However, this book confused me. It dragged on, and it simply couldn't keep me hooked. I skipped passages because they were not engaging. This story didn't work for me, didn't sit with me. I loved all the gory details, and the idea for the plot, but all the other things, the characters just made me feel confused, they were somehow not complete. I am disappointed with this, as I was sure that this book, written by MB Vincent, who's actually a married couple and one half of this couple belongs to my absolutely favourite authors, is going to be a real cracker for me. The romance aspect was a little askance, I'd say, and it didn't feel too natural and realistic, especially in this story. It seemed that Jess wanted it much more than the male character, that she somehow forced him to blossom into her. There was a little of will they/won't they but it was for sure not like all the others that I keep reading in my books, but it just felt underdeveloped and ragged.

Altogether, "Jess Castle and the Eyeballs of death" is a brilliant mixture of sharp humour, murder, mystery, gory details and also some romance. Regardless of the terrible murders, the story is told in a light and warm way, and I'd dare to call is a cosy murder. It was different, an unique read that was like a breath of fresh air and I'm really sorry it didn't work for me. However, I do hope there is more to come from this author(s).

Copy provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Noemi Proietti · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this novel there are murders, suspects, sacrificial rituals, and yet I found myself laughing page after page. It all starts the morning the protagonist, Jessica “Jess” Castle, goes back home to Castle Kidbury after suddenly leaving her academic job at Cambridge. She receives a cold welcoming by her father, the Judge, but their unhappy reunion is overshadowed by the discovery of the body of a local man. As the investigation begins, pagan symbols and rituals comes to light. To escape her strained and complicated relationship with her father and because of her knowledge and degrees in ancient history and mythology, Jess offers her help to the lead investigator, DS Eden, who, unwillingly, accepts it.

While the body count increases and everyone becomes a suspect, Jess has to face her relationship with her father, a possible love interest, and she has to decide what to do with her life.

JESS CASTLE AND THE EYEBALLS OF DEATH is such a fun and enjoyable read. I loved the small town atmosphere. Thanks to the author’s attention to details I could almost imagine it. Castle Kidbury is one of those idyllic towns where everyone knows everyone and their secrets and where nothing exciting ever happens, at least until someone goes on a murder spree. The town is inhabited by a cast of very colorful characters, from Richard and Dough, the quirky owners of the charity shop where Jess volunteers, to Bogna, her father’s housekeeper, from Patricia, the self-important mayor, to Mary, Jess’s outspoken and lively best friend. And I truly enjoyed the witty exchanges between Jess and DS Eden, often interrupted by the absurd interjections of DC Knott. There was so much humour that I almost forgot that they were investigating gruesome murders.

The story is so well-written and the characters so well-crafted that everyone seems a suspect and until the end I couldn’t figure out who the killer was. Everything is revealed with a surprising and twisty ending worth of an Agatha Christie novel. Engaging, sharp, and refreshing, JESS CASTLE AND THE EYEBALLS OF DEATH is a mystery novel that will keep you glued to the pages and I’d like to thank Jess Barratt and Simon & Schuster UK for providing me with an early copy of this charming and brilliant book.

[Hayley Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘DS Eden is a perfectly capable police officer who happens to find my expert opinion valuable, so put that in your tweed f***ing Victorian pipe and smoke it.’

Right from the start, I was intrigued. It seemed to be fast paced and energetic and despite it being about murders and eyeballs, it was god damn funny! Also, I love a good map at the start of a book, so you can really picture the layout of the village.

The protagonist was Jess Castle, sorry DR. Jess Castle, and she was lovable and relatable for me. Mainly because she eats everything in sight, looks scruffy most of the time and has an interest in murders and cults. However, apart from their foreign housekeeper Bogna, I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, and there were a LOT of characters!

It was about half way through that it got confusing with too many people. I lost all interest. Due to this, I stopped reading it as much and then I’d forget parts of the storyline too. It seemed to go on forever! I’m a massive Dan Brown fan so I thought the symbols and murder elements of the story would be interesting, but I just found it confusing unfortunately.

I wanted to like this, and some people might! But it wasn’t my cup of tea.

‘A4 sheets dotted around the walls suggested, in silly handwriting fonts, that those present do what they were presumably doing already: ‘be’, proposed one; ‘live’, ‘breathe’, ‘choose’, offered others.’

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This was a different 'who-done-it' to others I have read but I did enjoy it immensely.
I was frustrated with the main character, Jess, who didn't seem to want to 'build bridges' with her family and made no attempt to tell them what was going on with her life. She seemed to want to keep her life secret but still want accommodation, and love, from her Dad in particular.
The further I got into the book Jess 'came to life' and became a character that I could understand.
The crimes committed were intriguing, if sometimes a bit gory (obviously describned well in the book though), and I didn't pick the perpetrator until it was spelt out for me.
Jess's interest in one man in particular (or perhaps two??) was, I thought, indicative of how her relationship with her Dad had been - she seemed to hold back in letting the relevant person know how she was feeling.
The end of the book gave me hope that the next book will have Jess a much more 'open' character - already we know she's quirky and young and doesn't 'reveal' much of herself readily. A character who could be much more likeable after getting to know her more (my opinion) and I look forward to reading more of the 'Jess Castle' stories.
Thank you M B Vincent for introducing me to this character.
Cheers
Heather

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son bought me this,thinking I'd enjoy it. I did!
Jessica Guinevere Castle has abandoned her lecturing career at Cambridge and come home to Castle Kidbury with her tail between her legs. Her father is a judge, her mother has been dead for a year and a new woman has moved in to look after Jess' dad.
Not long after Jess returns home, a series of rather gruesome murders occur. There are several suspects, starting with a hippy who lives with his harem of women in a local field. The police seem to have few ideas and arrest several people who they have strong suspicions about.
Jess, whose field of expertise is ancient myths, legends and writing, becomes an unofficial consultant to the investigation. Eventually, she links all the clues, including vague memories from childhood that come back as a recurring bad dream and Jess manages to solve the current murders and also one from her childhood in Castle Kidbury.
The ending was slightly weak, especially after the laughter, tears and suspense of the bulk of the book. However, I'd like to read another Jess Castle book to see how her character develops.

[J Fearnley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jess has returned home to Castle Kidbury after handing in her notice and once again running away from something she finds difficult so proving her father right that she is incapable, she believes. When a pretty grisly murder is committed and the body is found with what might be a message in some kind of ancient writing or code it calls to Jess, this is after all her expertise and she inveigles herself into the investigation.
The murders mount up and Jess, along with Sergeant Eden, are not yet getting any closer to proving one of the various suspects as the killer.
Eden is following every step in the process in order to eliminate suspects and hopefully move forward with the investigation. Jess meanwhile flies by the seat of her pants in the pursuit of the truth. However, it comes very close to home when her good friend goes missing. Will Jess manage to work out what happened? Can she save her friend? Is this the same person who has committed the atrocious acts?
In a fine murder mystery that has some lighthearted elements this is an easy read with terrific characters and with a good murder mystery at its heart. One that I enjoyed.

3.5*

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Down on her luck woman returns to smallish hometown only to be involved in a series of unfortunate murders. Childhood pals converge to help the plot and family troubles emerge. All before a dalliance with a new romance and a reveal of the murderer, whom we all guessed within a chapter or two of meeting them.

I don’t want to be too hard on this read as there are some fun elements alongside the cosy criminess storyline but it needed to be edited down a 100 pages or so. Way too much detail on inconsequential characters and unnecessary scenes, in my opinion.
I’d be intrigued to see what follows for this husband and wife writing team. It’s been done before, ah hem Nikki French, and been a rootin’ tootin’ success so let’s not write these two off just yet.

[Marie McCallum · Rating 1 out of 5]

I mistakenly thought this book was a cozy mystery; unfortunately it was as far removed from cozy as possible. It was gory, gruesome and I couldn’t relate to any of the characters. The promiscuity in the cult and the foul language and promiscuity of Jess’ friend Mary was such a turn off that I stopped reading after a few chapters which is something I have very seldom done in my many decades of reading. The characters in the chapters I did read were annoying and I was thoroughly disappointed in this book.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the atmosphere; I like the humor; I even like the grisley murders (very Midsommerish) but I don't like the amateur sleuth. She's too all over the place. She whines about her family feeling entitled and then she acts entitled. This isn't someone who needs to worry about where her next meal is coming from, despite her hot and cold relationship with her father the judge. Room for character growth I suppose. This is after all the first in a series.

[Hannah Symonds · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like a fast paced story that has humour added in then this is the book for you. The plot is mysterious and the characters are all interesting and quirky. The book centres on Jess who returns to her home town after a mishap and she gets herself caught up in all sorts. There are lots of clues along the way and red herrings and the ending was fantastic.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Husband and wife team M B Vincent have written a good mystery here. I must admit to being really squidgy about eyes or eyeballs so it has taken me a while to get to this book.
The relationship between Jess, QC Rupert Lawson and DS Eden adds dimension to the story and the other characters are mostly the sort of people found in any community.

[Karen wadey · Rating 3 out of 5]

i found this book a litttle slow going, another reviewer said it was a cross between Agatha Christie and Peter Kay believe me it isn't. It's funny in places but a little far-fetched. And the ending was vey disappointing. This book should be renamed Jess Castle and the eyeballs of doom.

[Andrea Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seamless writing with good characters that are ripe for development. The plot was fed by all the underlying tensions that resonate in country living crime novels. All in all a very pleasant read.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun. Silly characters, silly plot but Fun.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this, a modern take on miss Marple.

[Corrine Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors are a bit racist (in a way I don't think they realise) but aside from that I enjoyed the book a lot. Likeable characters and an unpredictable solve.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining

[d m palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good a little convoluted about Jess and her life and murders

[Joy Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable cosy crime story. The plot works, it's amusing in places and is an easy read.

[Emmalucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. An episode of Midsomer Murders with a tinge of Christie!

[Vanessab · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a three and a half star book, for me. I enjoyed the light touch, the humour and the twists in the plot.

[Roger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second read but still not convinced. Very hard to read and keep up with. I think its a mind set thing. In my case I'm just too slow and have reread some sections which takes away from my enjoyment 😉

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great mystery, enjoyable and fun to read. I don't know how to classify it: it's not a cozy (too gruesome and the strong language), it's not a thriller (too soft) and this means it's something original and in a category of its own.
I liked the humour, lot of dark humour that make you laugh and make you think at the same time.
Jess is wonderful heroine and the cast of characters is likeable.
I loved the well researched historical and religious background, it was really interesting.
The mystery is good, keep you reading till the end and I never guessed who the culprit was.
I hope this is a series and there will be other instalments featuring this cast of characters.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for this ARC

[Charlotte Pawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Castle Kidbury is your usual small village where everyone knows everyone and your usual mix of eccentric characters. Jess has come home from Cambridge not sure if she has a job still or if she is welcome by her father. The first body is found crucified with eyes removed. The police are a bit lost with the religious significance. A carved old religion box is delivered, a pair of eyes enclosed leads Jess into the investigation as a consultant due to her expertise with old faith and beliefs. The characters of this village bring a lot of black humour to the story. You connect with Jess in her struggle to connect old secrets in the village with murder and her reconnections with home.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.