The Troutbeck Testimony

Persimmon Brown #4

by Rebecca Tope

A huge funeral for Windermere’s popular resident, Barbara Dodge, is taking place and florist Persimmon ‘Simmy’ Brown and her new assistant, Bonnie Lawson are busy compiling wreaths in preparation. There’s word of a series of sinister dognappings occurring in nearby Troutbeck and whilst taking a walk up Wansfell Pike, Simmy and her father, Russell, stumble on a dog, strangled to death – it’s not long before Simmy reluctantly finds herself caught up in a murder investigation...

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Detective, Cozy Mystery

319 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2015

About the author

Rebecca Tope is best known as the author of over twenty crime novels. She has also recently produced the e-book entitled 'The Indifference of Tumbleweed'. She has every intention of continuing with the murder stories, as well as a variety of other kinds of fiction.

She has experienced many different kinds of work in her time - running antenatal classes, counselling troubled couples and being an office girl for an undertaker, for example. There were also several years monitoring the output of dairy cows, as well as every sort of task associated with book publishing. In 1992, she founded Praxis Books, a small British press.

She lives surrounded by trees she has planted herself, tending her own sheep.

Reviews

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one, I do think this was one of the best so far in this series. It was twisty and I just didn’t guess who was doing what and the ending surprised me completely. Although these books are slow burners they are really good.

[Squeak2017 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I picked up this book as I didn't like the previous novels in this series, chiefly due to the obnoxious main character. The minor characters were unpleasant and untrustworthy, except the police officer who was painted as ineffectual and lacking any masculinity. The novel sagged horribly in the middle when all we got was introspection, chatting, flower arranging for a funeral and endless, endless repetition. It was as if the author recapped every time she sat down to write again. A good editor would have dealt with that but it would have left only a flimsy mystery which was wrapped around mistaken identity and speculation. The notion that someone making an evil threat could shortly after turn into a chum was risible.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all engaging, ridiculous plot and not the slightest bit scary! I won't be bothering with any more in this series!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4 in the series is back up to the standard of the first two, and was an enjoyable mystery set in familiar locations in the Lakes. One of the great joys of this series is knowing the places, which are literally just dozen or so miles from where I live. That sense of intimacy with a place, the familiarity with the characteristics of the people in the book, makes for such an enjoyable read.

[Stephen Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed this series of books. Sadly this one had a poor middle and seemed to loose its way (perhaps a bit of filler to reach the page number expected).

All this said it was a good story line and with some twists and turns along the way. All the more enjoyable because I recognise the a landmarks and area.

[Rob Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much like the second book in the series, this suffers from a lot of talk and little progression in the murder mystery.
New character developments help to add the ongoing plotlines of the series and one departure feels abrupt, here's hoping they return in a later book in one form or another.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am enjoying this series from this author. The setting is the Lake District in northwest England. It reads as a beautiful and mysterious area and is a perfect setting for these murder mysteries. Simmy Brown is a florist who finds herself unwittingly involved in murder and mystery. These are intriguing mysteries with credible characters and satisfying solutions.

[Julie Stephenson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preferred other novels on this series

[Janette · Rating 1 out of 5]

The main character was so unlikeable - whingeing and negative and judgemental. The author tried to keep readers up to date with events earlier in the series but this was so repetitive it felt like she had forgotten she had already done so a couple of chapters previously. I had looked forward to a gentle mystery set in a beautiful part of the country and was left completely underwhelmed and disappointed.

[Jean Walton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I prefer Ms Tope's Cotswold series to the Lake District one. I think the main character is strange - stranger than all the other characters, e.g., thinking that the policeman was single and madly in love with her, thinking that a teenage boy is a better detective than a fully trained policeman and that it is ok to employ an anorexic girl and let her live on two muesli bars a day!!!!

[Andrea Osborn-Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read any books by this author before, but I found it to be a good read. It had a clever plot, pretty settings, good characterisation and it was somewhat whimsical which I liked. I recommend this book and I plan to read more by this author.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Best one of the series so far

[Facemaker01 · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a cosy mystery a la Midsomer Murders, The Lake District Mysteries are quite good.
However, I am not relating to Persimmon Brown very much in this book. Her antipathy to DI Moxon is annoying and I am at a loss as to why she thinks he is interested in her. She is quite shallow regarding his appearance, not taking into account his protection in the previous books where she was thrown over a bridge. Yet she seems attracted to Ninian who doesn't seem responsible at all.
I know she is grieving still over the loss of her baby, yet she gets annoyed over any form of responsibility for another human being.
These books seem quite verbose in descriptions of the activities around the flower shop and subsequent journey. I guess its about setting the scene. The 'friends' all seem to be a bit short and curt with one another and there's no real camradrie amongst any of them.
I concur with other reviewers re their reaction to Simmy Brown as a main character.
There are currently 9 published books in the series, which I will continue to read.

[Book Monitor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book in a charity shop in the lake district as I was staying in Troutbeck on holiday. I liked that I had been to the places mentioned. I understand this is the 4th in a series and I hadn't read the others but I felt it stood up ok as a stand alone as although there are references to the earlier events they are not directly connected.
I found the book an ok read. The challenge for me is that the main character is just irritating. Both she and her father seem to jump to unwarranted conclusions on the flimsiest of evidence and at times bordering on discriminatory prejudice. Whilst this in itself isn't unrealistic combined with her constant inner monologue about getting things done on time for the funeral or wedding, and who she can trust it all felt unconvincing and her connection to the murder and dognapping seemed remote and lacked any credibility. For me it was a bit of a slog and I was left feeling disappointed. I have read other books by this author that I have really enjoyed so it might just be this is not the series for me.

[Laura (Reading is a Doing Word) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up while on holiday in the Lake District. I had read the previous three but had no real memory of them - perhaps a warning sign.
The setting and descriptions of the Lake District are enjoyable but I found the main character unlikeable and her relationships with supporting characters somewhat annoying and unbelievable.
There wasn't much mystery solving, rather Simmy speculates about her employee's lives and worries about her father. Her interactions with so-called friends and family were bordering on objectionable and I didn't really warm to any of them. I can see that this is intended as part of a longer series and the efforts are directed to establishing long standing characters but I would have enjoyed more mystery solving. In the end the confusion and solution were quite far-fetched. I don't think I'll bother with any more in this series.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gentle read this one. Now I've not read the previous books, but there is enough suggestion in the narrative to pencil in previous experiences; but I enjoyed this book without needing to have read the previous ones.

Like I said, gentle read. There is much doggy goodness, flowershops, bright lad, bright lass from troubled background, and various other village characters to add flavour to the soup. Obviously, it's a murder mystery, so it would be foolish to say too much about the plot. However, having seen my wife do flower arrangements, I was very impressed at the speed of manufacture of Simmy Brown's floral constructions, as well as her driving skills around the Lake District.

This is absolutely not a gruesome Jo Nesbo, nor a tortuous Rankin, so can be read quietly and calmly on a sofa in Sussex in a few hours. Perfect holiday pasttime.

[Leeanne McHarg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another intriguing mystery from Rebecca Tope, The Troutbeck Testimony continues the story of Simmy Brown and her sidekicks, Ben and Melanie, with the addition of a new character — the waif-like Bonnie. Bonnie arrives with plenty of emotional baggage, but by the end of the story, she proves to have a lot to offer their little investigative team.

This mystery has a lot of moving parts, sometimes almost too many. There were moments when it was hard to keep track of where the story was heading, but eventually, everything comes together — and the identity of the killer is a genuine surprise, someone who wasn’t even on the radar.

I’ll definitely keep going with this Lake District series, not just because I like to see things through, but because I want to find out how Simmy and her friends’ stories unfold.

[Adele · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s hard to reconcile that this book was penned by the same author as the Cotswold mysteries which as examples of the cozy sub genre of crime fiction I typically enjoy. Sadly, and by comparison this is a very poor relation not even redeemable by being set in my more favoured location. The writing felt amateurish, dull and repetitive. The plot was thin and as a result not very engaging. And to cap it off in a cast of generally insipid characters I just really disliked Simmy. Everything about the way she thinks, talks and acts came across as cold and just incredibly irritating. So, having read and reviewed I’m quickly moving on to something hopefully much better.

[Mary Pimbblet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an improvement on some of the earlier books in the series, the plot is still completely unlikely, but less so than some of the other books.
The Cumbrian background is still the main draw to read these books. The plot and characters are easily forgettable.
I'm starting to get really creeped out by the main character's friendship with a teenage boy, it just seems to be more and more unnatural as these books progress. Her way of running a business is so terrible it's almost painful to read.
I've still got a few more of this series to read, but I'm only really continuing with the series because I hate giving books away unread.

[Sharon Gallup · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book is good for those who like gentle reading . i found it very hard to stay focused on the story as it didn't have the substance to keep me intrigued . it was slow moving and i lacked excitement with the story. it took me a few days to as i got bored quickly so had to come back off and on. it wasn't till the last chapter that i finally understood what the mystery and murders was all about. i have read a lot of the COTSWOLD MYSTERY SERIES and found them good but i just couldn't get into the LAKE DISTRICT SERIES.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good enough cozy, I suppose. A florist in a small town is caught up in murder, dognapping, and various family dramas, including her own.
Maybe I would have gotten more out of this if I was familiar with the series, but I just didn't feel as engaged as I normally do with a small-town England murder mystery. I didn't actually like any of the characters. The idea of a florist is an interesting one, as she would naturally find her way into most of life's important events, but it didn't work for me.

[Rose Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't realize this wasn't the first book in the series so that is a part of my rating of 2 stars. I didn't know the background of some of the characters. I like cozy mystery series where the setting or the main character's job provides interesting details into their way of life (like a tea or yarn shop). In this book, Simmy, a florist, hardly talks about her floral arrangements or types of flowers. The mystery of the murder was adequately developed. I don't think I'll read any more of the series as the characters were annoying.

[Helen Birkbeck · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the main character's honesty about her negative feelings and the setting, though it wasn't described that much. Some of the relationships seemed unlikely and there was quite a bit of repetition about certain characters; personally I didn't like the total acceptance of casual, uncommitted sexual relationships just for the sake of it either, even if it mirrors the real world! The plot seemed to be going well but rather fell flat at the end.

[Jane Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an odd book. I’ve read quite a few of the Cotswolds novels and quite enjoyed them, but the characters in these books all seem to be quite annoying and rude sometimes and this was no exception. The story seemed muddled and hard to follow and although I enjoyed the fact that it was set in Windermere where I had a short break last month, the characters were mostly all annoying or wimpish, so probably won’t read many more of these!

[John Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit slow to start but once the action gets going it’s a must read book
As these books follow on months later than the last book,this is like real time with some of the characters within the story.
I only gave this book 4**** unlike the first 3 which I gave 5***** because the story never got going until after the funeral (read the book to see) and every thing slots in to place.
I took a few days longer to read this book but still found it an interesting story
Enjoy 🤓

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is the fourth alliterative title in Lake District Mysteries it was the first of the series I have read.

It is typically Tope [sorry!] with her easy style of writing which takes no effort to read although I found the plot a little confusing with the sub-plots going on and was astonished to find whodunit.

[Rachel Jacquest · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bitter, rude protagonist who spends a good portion of the novel moaning about people for doing perfectly ordinary things. The story is slow and the secondary characters have barely formed personalities. The conclusion was more engaging, but unfortunately did not make up for the slog of the first 200 pages.

[Pippi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I suppose you’d class this as a ‘cosy mystery’. The story’s pretty thin, padded out with the characters going over and over the same things. I didn’t really care about them, or the plot, and the denouement was a bit “is that it?” It passed the time, but I wouldn’t bother with any more from the series.

[Lydia Mae Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨

I like Rebecca Tope’s style of writing and I still wanted to finish the book. Plus, I was genuinely surprised by the ‘whodunnit’ reveal at the end as I wasn’t expecting that.

However, I am realising that all of her books include quite unlikeable characters and some repetition of similar scenes where not much happens…

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Rebecca Tope's mysteries are, for me at any rate, average, I enjoy following the characters she has created. Couple this with descriptions of the Lake District, Windermere and Bowness and this series makes for a pleasant, if undemanding read.