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The Clara Fitzgerald Mysteries #20
The Valentine Murder
January 1923 had been rather uneventful, until a gruesome murder in the town of Hove has everyone asking difficult questions. An unassuming old man has been brutally slain while working in the fields, and some are saying that it could be an act of witchcraft. Clara has no time for such talk, but when she is asked to prove the chief suspect for the killing innocent, she must overcome her prejudices to listen to the old ways and determine if an elderly man has died because of superstition. With rumours of curses and demon dogs spooking even the local constables, can Clara bring a dose of rationality to the situation and find the real murderer?
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 29, 2020
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12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 29, 2020
I think Evelyn James was really on form in this book, the move from the town of Brighton out to Hangleton, now part of Hove but then a tiny village with a population of less than 100, made an interesting change of scene. Clara and Tommy having to deal with a most unlikeable client was an interesting twist, too.
The murder was particularly gruesome and fitted with the local beliefs about witchcraft, sparking all sorts of local rumours. Satisfyingly, indications of who might be the killer as the various strands came together only became clear in the last 2 or 3 chapters, even thought the murderer had been 'in plain sight' through much of the book.
I am a picky reader - typos and grammar errors annoy me - so I was surprised to see the previous comment about a lack of proof reading as I think I only once spotted one such tiny error. The books are well written in English rather than American English, so perhaps that commenter was thrown by the lack of extraneous 'of's! (In English we do not say 'off of' we say 'off', nor do we say 'as good of an idea...' or similar, but 'as good an idea...') This is the only thing I can think of to cause someone to complain about a lack of proof-reading :)
It was good to see that Tommy and Annie have set a wedding date!
The murder was particularly gruesome and fitted with the local beliefs about witchcraft, sparking all sorts of local rumours. Satisfyingly, indications of who might be the killer as the various strands came together only became clear in the last 2 or 3 chapters, even thought the murderer had been 'in plain sight' through much of the book.
I am a picky reader - typos and grammar errors annoy me - so I was surprised to see the previous comment about a lack of proof reading as I think I only once spotted one such tiny error. The books are well written in English rather than American English, so perhaps that commenter was thrown by the lack of extraneous 'of's! (In English we do not say 'off of' we say 'off', nor do we say 'as good of an idea...' or similar, but 'as good an idea...') This is the only thing I can think of to cause someone to complain about a lack of proof-reading :)
It was good to see that Tommy and Annie have set a wedding date!
April 7, 2021
Superstitions run high in Hove
With Annie heading to stay with her beleaguered friend Ellen on a small farm near Hove, Tommy gets wound up when reports of a vicious murder come to their ears. Clara knows that he won't rest until he's checked on his wife to be and they take a trip out to visit her where a hunt for a missing terrier turns up a piece of evidence. Leaving Annie to look after Ellen and her family, Clara and Tommy return to give the evidence to Inspector Park-Coomes and promise that they are not involved.
William Beech was found dead in the field he was working in and rumours abound not least because of the manner of his death. Thrice killed, bashed in the head, throat slashed and then pinned to the ground with a pitchfork; as the residents of Hangleton are whispering it's the only way to kill a witch. It's a horrific case and Park-Coomes believes will be easy enough to solve.
So when the Fitzgerald's receive a startling call from Spinner's Farm and find themselves working to prove the innocence of the Inspector's prime suspect he's not exactly happy, but as more evidence comes to light, including the sighting of a large black dog with flaming eyes, it looks like they will end up needing each other to solve this case before the rumour mill churns out any more myths and Scotland Yard take over.
With Annie heading to stay with her beleaguered friend Ellen on a small farm near Hove, Tommy gets wound up when reports of a vicious murder come to their ears. Clara knows that he won't rest until he's checked on his wife to be and they take a trip out to visit her where a hunt for a missing terrier turns up a piece of evidence. Leaving Annie to look after Ellen and her family, Clara and Tommy return to give the evidence to Inspector Park-Coomes and promise that they are not involved.
William Beech was found dead in the field he was working in and rumours abound not least because of the manner of his death. Thrice killed, bashed in the head, throat slashed and then pinned to the ground with a pitchfork; as the residents of Hangleton are whispering it's the only way to kill a witch. It's a horrific case and Park-Coomes believes will be easy enough to solve.
So when the Fitzgerald's receive a startling call from Spinner's Farm and find themselves working to prove the innocence of the Inspector's prime suspect he's not exactly happy, but as more evidence comes to light, including the sighting of a large black dog with flaming eyes, it looks like they will end up needing each other to solve this case before the rumour mill churns out any more myths and Scotland Yard take over.
August 19, 2020
Possibly the most gruesome murder yet in this series. By the final few chapters it was very obvious who the murderer was, but up until then it did keep me guessing. Although it did feel like the author possibly hadn’t made up their mind until that point either!
(As an aside, the lack of proofreading of these books is driving me insane.)
(As an aside, the lack of proofreading of these books is driving me insane.)
December 27, 2020
Another classic from Brighton
An easy read and a good visual of Brighton and Hove as it would have been. I like how the characters developed and the reflection of local communities in the early part of the 20th century.
An easy read and a good visual of Brighton and Hove as it would have been. I like how the characters developed and the reflection of local communities in the early part of the 20th century.
July 7, 2023
I love this series
The stories are all so different, some have quite a lot of danger and tension and although this one gave reference to the Black Arts there was no real peril. The main characters a likeable and engaging.
The stories are all so different, some have quite a lot of danger and tension and although this one gave reference to the Black Arts there was no real peril. The main characters a likeable and engaging.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews