Dangerous Deceits

by Cherith Baldry

When Thomas Coates, Vicar of St Paul’s, Ellingwood, disappears from his vestry minutes before the Sunday morning service, subsequently to be found dead on the North Downs, reluctant amateur detective Gawaine St Clair is called in to investigate.


Gawaine and his companions assemble a list of suspects: Frank Reed, whose wife Ruth was refused Communion by Fr Thomas because she has been divorced; John Bretton who had clashed with Fr Thomas over his chaplaincy of the local prep school; Stella Bretton and Andrew Danby who have been breaking their marital vows together; Henry Hartley, Church Treasurer, who appears to have more money than he should have; Richard Coates, Fr Thomas’s brother, who inherits shares that give him control of the family business.

Further complications arise when it is discovered that the local doctor’s receptionist is hopelessly infatuated with the doctor. Could her suicide be connected to Fr Thomas’s murder? What is the significance of Fr Thomas’s missing pectoral cross? And who else had a role to play in the crime?

232 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2018

About the author

Cherith Baldry is one of three writers who write the bestselling YA series WARRIORS under the pen name Erin Hunter. She is also one of several authors who has written under the collective pen name Adam Blade.

Reviews

[Beata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dangerous Deceits is an entertaining and easy read for fans of amateur sleuths and a murder or two committed in a small community, with a number of suspects who have reasons to kill. Gawaine St Clair, with a little help from is friend, David Powers, undertakes a difficult task to find a murderer in a village of Ellingwood, which "is a hotbed of illicit passions". The plethora of suspects is a warranty that Gewaine will get a headache or two, albeit, being a getleman, will never admit it. Nice twists and turns kept my interest till the end.

*Many thanks to Cherith Baldry, Troubador Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*

[Dana-Adriana B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot is set in a small town where the Vicar is found dead. As usual there are more than one suspect and detective Gawaine St Clair is going to solve the mystery. I really enjoyed the characters.
Thank you Netgalley for this nice book.

[Elite Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the combination of Gawaine St Clair and David Powers.

I was really looking forward to this book as I read Brutal Terminations and loved it.

This time Gawaine St Clair, a strange young man who does not appear to have any employment, is beginning to build a reputation as an amateur detective. When Father Thomas Coates disappears from the vestry minutes before the Sunday service at St Paul’s Church, Ellingwood and is then discovered dead on the nearby North Downs, Gawaine’s surrogate and forbidding aunt, Christabel demands his assistance. She is the Vicar Warden of the parish and is determined to discover the murderer with Gawaine’s help.

Gawaine, although reluctant to be drawn into the investigation is unable to stand up to his overbearing aunt and arrives in Ellingwood post haste. Fortunately for him, his friend and opposite, David Powers, who works hard in the advertising business, agrees to help.

The charm of this book, despite the sinister happenings, is the way that the author describes all the various suspects, of which there are many. Father Thomas, in his short time as Vicar, has managed to upset many of his parishioners, including a divorcee who has been refused communion, a Head Teacher whose pupils have been encouraged to give away all their possessions, a Treasurer who has just returned from a Caribbean holiday etc. etc. Interwoven with all these local suspects, various affairs and obsessions are going on within the community despite it being, on the surface a typical small and affluent Surrey village. Added to this, Father Thomas' brother and sister have gained valuable shares as a result of this death, are they somehow involved?

Gawaine, as usual, manages to discover the guilty party and at a gathering of the Ellingwood Parish Council names the guilty party in a Hercule Poirot kind of way.

I did not think the plot of this story was as good as the previous book and was quite disappointed at the reason why the murder was committed, however, I thoroughly enjoyed the way the author depicts the petty jealousies and snobbery of a small but affluent village. Some of the characters are a delight to read about.

I look forward to more stories involving Gawaine and David.


Dexter


Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

[Alyson Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whodunit featuring reluctant amateur detective Gawaine St Clair. This case concerns the disappearance of Thomas Coates, the vicar of St. Paul's in Ellingwood where Gawaine's surrogate aunt Christabel lives and acts as churchwarden. When Thomas is later found dead on the North Downs Gawaine is summoned to look into the murder, and together with his friend David Powers he attempts an informal investigation alongside that of the police. In the small village he finds many secrets and petty motives for wanting rid of the very strict Father Thomas but are any of them strong enough to warrant a murder? The book is nicely written and plods along well enough but I didn't feel a connection with the detectives or get much of an insight into their characters, and the twist at the end where the crime is solved felt a little implausible. Still it was a good way to pass a couple of hours and recommended for those who like a nice gentle mystery story.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.
I have always had a bit of a fascination with stories revolving around the church and religion, their practices, doctrines and extremes.
Thomas Coates, the strict, temporary Vicar of Sr. Paul's, Ellingwood, is found murdered on the North Downs. Gawaine St. Clair is an amateur detective called in to investigate by Christabel, one of the church wardens. In the very little time the Vicar had spent in Ellingwood, he had made quite a few enemies. Gawaine and his friend David had their work cut out for them.
It was a very entertaining read and fast paced. I would not have guessed who, in fact, murdered the Vicar, and neither will you!!!

[Nicole LoPiccolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book this was, the murder of the Vicar before the service starts the investigation. And the suspects just line up. I absolutely loved this WHO done it.
and the reasons they are suspected. And the twists and turns. Definitely recommending this book!