Arson and Old Lace

Far Wychwood #1

by Patricia Harwin

"You're a librarian, not a detective," Catherine Penny's daughter reminds her. But Catherine, suddenly single in her sixties, finds it easy to slip into sleuthing mode when she leaves behind New York City and a failed marriage for a lovely 17th century cottage in the idyllic English village of Far Wychwood.

But behind the town's quaint stone walls and lace-curtained windows lurk dark secrets and whispers of witchcraft. And when her crusty neighbor George Crocker dies in a tragic fire, Catherine alone suspects arson. Lacking hard evidence, the police pay little attention, and the villagers swear she must be mistaken. Catherine, however, is one feisty expatriate American who leaves no stone unturned when circumstances point to murder. She may not be Miss Marple--yet--but her ingenious knack for uncovering the truth is about to take Far Wychwood by storm!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, British Literature, Cozy, Crime, Adult

278 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 27, 2004

About the author

PATRICIA HARWIN is the author of the national bestseller Arson and Old Lace, the first novel in her acclaimed Far Wychwood mystery series. Like her heroine Catherine Penny, she is a librarian. She lives with her husband in Rockville, Maryland, where she is hard at work on the next Far Wychwood mystery.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a librarian's marriage disintegrates, she moves to rural England. There's a crusty old man who nearly dies in a fire. She helps him out for a while, but he turns up murdered anyway. Of course, she starts poking around.

Not bad as a first book in a cozy. Checks all the boxes, and entertains as well.

[Jeanne Adamek · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this but am sad to know there is only one other book and then the publisher put a stop to the series. I hate investing time and energy into starting a new author/series and then have it come to an end in 2 books. Two books does not a series make.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. It sounded good, and I liked that the main character was closer to my age than most cozy mysteries. Unfortunately, by the 55 page mark, I was already annoyed by virtually every character in the book, so I knew this was not going to be a good read for me.

Catherine is whiny. Yes, your husband left you for a younger woman and that sucks. He sucks. But you decided to turf everything and move to England to be closer to your daughter and start a new life - good for you! Except, you arrive in England and immediately start whingeing about the ex, and being focused on the past rather than the future. Call me mean, but I don't want to read about boo-hoo, he dumped me and woe is me. Maybe some readers enjoy that scenario but it's of no interest to me.

Then there is the daughter. Yes, you have a degree in psychology and you are working as a therapist. That doesn't mean you know everything about everything. And even if you did, being smug and self-important in telling your mother - and from the husband's reactions, everyone else - how things should be because you know best is seriously obnoxious.

Don't even get me started on Catherine's busybody act with the nasty old man who lives next door to her cottage. I mean really, whether your intentions are good or not, tracking down the guy's son and calling him up to lecture him on his responsibilities for his father when you have been there less than 24 hours, when you know nothing about the people or the situation is guaranteed to get exactly the reaction Catherine gets from the son when she calls him.

No, there was unfortunately nothing about this book that I liked, and I am not spending any more time with these annoying people. Too many books, not enough time to devote to books I dislike.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine Penny, fresh from her divorce, moves from Manhattan to a small English village to be closer to her daughter and granddaughter. In the bustle of settling in to a new home and culture, and still stinging from her husband's abandonment, she accidently adopts a neighbor in need of someone to take care of him. But as she discovers the reason behind his self-exile, a plot unfolds to keep his mouth shut and her nose out of long-buried business.

The plot moves quickly and is easy to follow. The solution makes sense and it's a strong motive, and while the killer escapes justice it doesn't go the 'abrupt mental breakdown' route I've been seeing so much of lately. Really, is it so hard to come up with a motive that authors have to make their up-to-then perfectly rational killer completely insane for the final confrontation?

Catherine's constant reflecting on her ex-husband actually isn't as annoying as it usually is. Possibly because she doesn't mope a little then never mention it again; the wound is still fresh, and she's moved to a place where she has memories of happier times with her family (seems rather perverse, but to each their own). There's forced introspection early on where her neighbor gives her a nightmare about the abandonment of her father to a care home, and it only serves to tie in to the 'strained father-child relationship' theme going on in the book, but the neighbor is the Murder Victim du Jour so she can't harp on it as much as she might.

It didn’t really hit me at first why I disliked the main character so much or why she seemed so enamoured with neighbors who, at first meeting them, are being rude to another lady. She sees the house next door catch fire and runs over to put it out, and ends up taking charge of making this old man supper and trying to tidy his house a bit. She calls up his son to try and get him to take some action in helping the old man. And every time she talks to her daughter she makes a show of swallowing the child rearing advice she wants so desperately to give. The book plays her up as the sweet old lady who’s used to being spoken over and who just wants to be important and helpful to someone. But it wasn’t until I closed the book and started writing this review that it struck me how bossy and demeaning Catherine is.

She shoves her nose into the old man’s business, barging into his house night after night and getting offended when the man, who’s mentally impaired, lashes out at her each time. She berates herself later for not just calling Social Services, especially after the man’s son (rightly) chews her out, but I don’t think she ever had any real intention of doing that. She acted as though helping this man was a project she needed to see through. She butts her nose into the son’s business later, destroying his life and the mental well-being of another victim of her dramatics.

And her behavior around her daughter is obnoxiously rude. As I said, she makes a show out of swallowing her advice, but that by no means makes her polite. She roasts her therapist daughter’s patients as being in need of nothing more than pulling up their own damn bootstraps (she'd be that person telling people with depression to just think happy thoughts), and frequently insinuates how the profession is just modern nonsense. Much like the child psychology books her daughter is raising her toddler by and making the rules by; rules which Catherine says nothing against but constantly ignores to the point where her daughter is pleading by the end for her mother to just do as she's asked.

The daughter she moves to be near is better portrayed. She’s a therapist with one parent who’s dumped the other for a younger woman, another mother who’s dismissive and disrespectful of every aspect of her life (her child, her life's work, her rules, her time, etc.), a toddler who’s putting her through her paces, and a job that’s pressuring her to take on more and more responsibilities. But she does make the realization at the end that she’d been treating her mother less like a grandmother and more like a free babysitter, and she does her best to loosen up a little about what her mother does with the baby (not that Catherine wasn't doing whatever she pleased anyway, including nearly getting him murdered).

The identity of the murderer in this plot was discovered by his presence in an old photograph, which is a perfectly acceptable reveal were it not for how the photographs presence had been dismissed earlier. Catherine found the photo and immediately identified it as a completely different person whom she'd met before and knew the face of. How, then, did it turn out to actually be another man of no relation to the first? There was a situation between the families that could have resulted in by-blows which might explain the dramatic resemblance, but this was never hinted as having been an issue in the past. And the actual man in the photograph also had a portrait of himself in the family home where anyone in town could have seen it, and the gentleman Catherine had mistake him for also lived and worked in town. If the resemblance had been that pronounced it seemed rather more likely for the second man to have been bought off and sent away to prevent unwanted rumours, especially since this exact scenario actually does happen in the book to someone else. But lacking any other explanation for the resemblance, Catherine's confidant misidentification just felt like lazy storytelling.

Minor bit that confused me more than anything, Catherine calls herself a Yank. Do people actually call themselves Yanks? I've only ever heard it used in reference to other people, and usually dismissively. And she's from Manhattan, New York, whom I've ever only heard refer to themselves as New Yorkers and Manhattanites and the like. Do New Yorkers actually call themselves Yanks, or should I be taking it as a lame joke Catherine is making to herself about being an American in England?


THE VERDICT? The plot was interesting but the red herring suspect is clearly that and the main character tries too hard to stir up sympathy without doing anything to deserve it. The series was cancelled after the second book so don't waste your time starting it.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patricia Harwin is the American Hazel Holt for sure! Her heroine, Catherine Penny, is like Holt's heroine, Sheila Malory, in many ways. They are both inveterate gossip mongers, pet lovers and fond of cross-country walks in all weathers!
Catherine Penny has pulled up roots from New York City in order to live close to her daughter, Emily and grandson, Archie, who live in Oxford, England. Catherine's husband of 30-some years, has divorced her and married a younger woman. Catherine is still smarting over the rejection. However, she quickly finds friendship and strange puzzles galore on her doorstep in the quaint village of Far Wychwood. Her extremely elderly and gaga neighbor, George, dies gruesomely just days after her arrival. On top of that, was the discovery of an older burial of an unknown body found the very first day of Catherine's appearance in the village. As the plot progresses, it is all to do with mistaken identities, false trails and a skittish black cat called Muzzle.
Unlike so many of the "cozy" type of mystery, this one actually improves as it goes along and doesn't try to bring in too many elements. To be sure, I fingered the murderer, but it was still satisfying to be proved right!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining, cozy mystery.
Catherine Penny is 60ish and recently divorced. She is American but has always loved England, especially the Cotswold area. She purchases a cottage in the small village of Far Wychwood. The first night in her new place she saves the elderly man across the street when his house catches fire. The following day, on her morning walk, she is on hand when a skeleton is discovered near a cross in the Church's yard. And things roll on from there.
Catherine is smart, resourceful and interesting. She is eager to make new friends and learn the ins and outs of village life. But she isn't willing to back away from helping those in need or prying, just a little, when necessary.
I enjoyed this quick read.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catherine Penny is divorced and a retired librarian from NYC. She moves to Far Wychwood to be near her married daughter and grandson who live in Oxford. Catherine tried to help a 93-year old man that lives across the street from her, and soon her life becomes involved in murder and upsetting local residents.

[Jeanne Nichols · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like the characters or the plot of this book. The characters were self centered and obnoxious and the plot was somewhat farfetched. The writing was okay, but I really did not enjoy this book.

[Mary Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read. For a retired librarian she seems to have quite a lot of money (purchased house and some contents and car! In UK!) and leaps to many sudden guilt-pointing conclusions.
By the way, I didn't read this in 2 days; always forget to sign in when I start something new.

[Stephanie Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in series. OK, not great. Would read more.

[Priya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Conclusion was satisfactory!
And a decent mystery as well - in spite of the protagonist appearing too nosy at times.

[Johnna Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely series! I'm excited to read the second book.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Hope she continues this series

[Aurian Booklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had big difficulties getting into this story, as it was totally not what I was expecting of a sweet cozy mystery, taking place in England.
Catherine is recently divorced, her husband fell in love with a very young woman, and ended their marriage. Of course Catherine is still full of resentment over that fact, as she never saw it coming. Her job at the library is no longer satisfying her, as she can’t embrace the digital new time, with ebooks and such. She loves handling books, feeling them, smelling them, looking at them. As her only daughter lives in Oxford, England, she decides to leave New York with all the memories it has, and move to England herself. She bought a small cottage close by Oxford, sight unseen, packs her things, and emigrates. She wants to be near her daughter and her new grandson. As Emily wants to go back to her work as a psychologist, Catherine will be able to look after Archie.
Catherine finds it very hard though, to adhere to Emily’s wishes in how her son is to be raised. No excitement, no overstimulation, no t.v.. And he gets to do whatever he wants, without ever being told no. It all is educational of course. Well, unless he is going to harm himself doing stuff. Archie is a very busy child, and Catherine is afraid she is in over her head with him. Emily was such a quiet child; she had no troubles at all with her.

And then there is the old neglected man with his cat in the cottage across the street from Catherine. He almost burns down the house on her first night in her new home, and Catherine is appalled that no one seems to care about that. Least of all the man’s son, who wants nothing more than his father to die she he can finally inherit. Catherine loathes the man, and when George Crocker does die, a few nights later, she is convinced someone murdered him, and burned down the house to reveal that fact. She manages to drag the body outside before the fire gets them all. Evidence the police finds, confirms her story, but the murderer will not be found easy. Arthur, the son, has an alibi, and while most people in the village hated George, no one had a motive to kill him after all this time. But no one seems to mourn him either.
Then there is the body find in the church yard, where the new vicar wants to remove an ancient stone cross to be able to build a youth hall. The whole village, and especially the local docter, are opposed, but the vicar is determined to do whatever he wants. He would like nothing better than to demolish the ancient church, the ancient cottages and build high rises and a new modern meeting hall. And the worst part is, he has the Bishop’s blessings to do whatever he wants to help the young people in town. Like they are waiting for such a hall to be build for them to be preached to! But now the body is found, he will have to wait with his plans until the police are ready with their investigations.

It takes a while for Catherine to make some friends amongst the villagers, and I liked the book better from that moment on.
But well, Catherine is too impulsive for my tastes; I totally disliked Emily and her strange notions of how to raise her son. If a boy never gets to hear the word NO, how will he ever grow up to be a rational man, who knows good and evil? A spoiled brat will never be a good man. Emily was very hard on her mother, who did her best raising her herself.

The old man’s black cat is also an important secondary character in this book, and I especially liked him in the end of the book.

The mystery was a good one, one I did not see coming at all. And of course, that makes the book better for me. But all in all, it took me a very long time to finish the book. The beginning was really dark and gloomy, which is not to my liking at all.
If this author had written lots more books, I probably would stop reading with this one. As she has only written one other book, I will probably try to find it. I do wonder what more troubles Catherine can find in this little English village.

6 stars

© 2012 Reviews by Aurian

Full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR: Harwin, Patricia
TITLE: Arson and Old Lace
DATE READ: 06/16/14
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/PUBLISHER/# OF PGS: Mystery/2004/Simon &Shuster/278 pgs
SERIES/STAND-ALONE: #1 in The Far Wychwood series
TIME/PLACE: 2004/Far Wychwood and English village near Oxford
CHARACTERS: Catherine Penny -- retired librarian

FIRST LINES: " I pulled the car in close to the hedgerow and turned the key, and that amazing silence came down. It was the silence I had been wanting for more than a year, since my husband had left me, since I'd decided my only hope of peace lay in the ancient rhythms of an English village."
COMMENTS: Catherine Penny is originally from Ohio but had lived in NYC for most of her adult life -- married, mother of one daughter and a librarian. All that has changed -- she is retired, her daughter is now married and a mother and living in Oxford, UK; and her husband left her for younger woman. She decides a change is due and moves to the small village of Far Wychwood, more affordable than Oxford but close enough to be near her daughter and babysit her grandson. Catherine loves her home and village. Her elderly neighbor is living on his own but his health is failing and she goes over to help when she sees smoke. He is rather irascible and rather muddled -- despite him not wanting help, Catherine is persistent in finding out where his family is and why they are not around. There is a daughter who has mysteriously vanished many years ago and then a son who insists the father is fine and doesn't need any help. A second sighting of smoke at her neighbors only this time Catherine is too late to the rescue -- her neighbor is on the floor, lifeless -- she notices a dent in his head that appears to have been there prior to the fall on the floor so murder rather than an accident. .. At first, Catherine appears the nosy American and is not to be believed by most until the authorities do agree w/ her observations and pursue the investigation as a homicide rather than an accidental death. I enjoyed this debut & look forward to the 2nd book, only wish there were more.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

my rating: 2 of 5 stars

Catherine Penny has fled New York City for an idyllic English village, struggling to come to terms with her failed marriage. She and her husband had visited Far Wychwood in happier times, and Catherine is dismayed as those bittersweet memories mar her pleasure in her new home. Still, living near her daughter's family provides some compensation, and Catherine is determined to fit in with her neighbors and make a new life for herself. But she has a disconcerting way of stumbling into trouble. She begins by offering assistance to the elderly man across the lane, unperturbed when he rebuffs her, and alienates his arrogant son. She agrees to babysit for her two year old grandson, only to find herself exhausted by his boundless energy. Though some of the local ladies accept her with kindness, it isn't long before Catherine is known as a pushy busybody. Then the old man's house burns down, and she strongly suspects arson.

Catherine is an interesting protagonist, and the question of arson is an intriguing one. But in truth, she IS a pushy busybody. At her age (60-ish), she should have learned to control her impulsiveness, but Catherine repeatedly throws herself into one iffy situation after another. Some are mildly comical, but the way that she ignores her daughter's wishes about the care of the little boy is deplorable. It's true that she comes to reveal one of the town's dirty little secrets, but in the process, manages to muck up several lives in which she had no business meddling. Look out, Far Wychwood, you'll never be the same.

I plan to read the second in this series, to discover whether Catherine develops a modicum of wisdom. For a more appealing lady sleuth, read the Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne M. Dams.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know how much I love finding a new series to enjoy. I definitely found one in ARSON AND OLD LACE. Catherine Penny is a feisty lead character who I grew to admire. She is in her 60s and pulls up roots from her life in New York City after her husband of a chunk of years leaves her for another, younger, woman. Catherine moves to England to be near her daughter who has married an Englishman and had Catherine's grandson.


Catherine is a lot nicer than I would be if the crotchety old neighbor treated me the way he treated her when she goes over to help when she sees smoke coming from his house and puts out the fire and fixes his dinner for him. And continues to do so until she gets fed up, but kind of still looks over him afterwards.


Then she looks into the suspicious death by fire and gets into hot water when she starts digging too deep into the death that no one thinks is worth investigating. Her daughter already thinks there's something wrong with her and the police detective neighbor is gently irritated with her.


She does make some friends pretty much immediately which I thought was pretty nifty. The village is fairly typical for an English village as seen in other English mysteries. Not sure if it's stereotyping, but it's what I tend to expect and love when I read English mysteries, especially English cozies.


I will be on the lookout for the next in the series, SLAYING IS SUCH SWEET SORROW, so I can see how Catherine gets through the visit from her ex and his 'Barbie' he left her for.


Five can't wait to see what happens in this bucolic village beans.....

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Catherine Penny is a retired NYC librarian who moves to the English countryside near Oxford after her husband dumps her. (you'll hear that many many times in the book). She moves to England because 1- her daughter & only grandchild now live in Oxford and 2- she has fond memories here from the happier time in her marriage. (Personally I think I would find those memories depressing). Catherine is really a busy body with no filter on her mouth. Almost like a stroke patient. She really stuck her nose into places it didn't belong. The characters are a little over the top. Emily, her daughter is raising her son the totally opposite of how she was raised. Why? no childhood trauma or abuse here. the village vicar is pretty obnoxious. He wants to tear the church down and build a modern worship center- why? For who? It's not like there are tons of people going to church. If he builds it will they come? While he's at it he'd like to see the whole town bulldozed and modern hi-rise housing put in so the road can be 4-laned. The big mystery is who burned down the house across the street and killed the elderly man who lived there and who is the body buried under the old stone cross in the church yard. The local police detective apparently can't do anything or initiate any investigation because of his rank. Not exactly sure what he's good for then. There was only one more book in this "series" before the publisher stopped them.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catharine Penny retired to an English village, Far Wychwood, in order to be near her daughter and far, far from her ex-husband.
She arrives to find she loves her new cottage but the scenery is a bit marred by the dilapidated house across the road lived in by the village curmudgeon George Crocker. Feeling the old fellow is simply dotty with age she tries to help and befriend him since he is her nearest neighbor. A sudden kitchen fire kills George but not before Catharine has begun to believe more is going on than just old age forgetfulness.

Catharine immediately becomes embroiled in village contentions between the young vicar with dreams of modern youth social centers fit for urban slums and the historical preservation group that wishes to conserve the village's picturesque nature. This gives her access to both the manor house and the village homes in order to discover the history of the many conflicting loyalties.

[Libtechgurugoddess · Rating 2 out of 5]

You need conflict, but the main character, Catherine Penny, has too much self-doubt and her married daughter is a bit of a prick, to put it mildly. The setting for this story is a quaint English village and the heroine is a retired librarian from the U.S. Both those things drew me to read the book. For my taste, there's plenty of English atmosphere, but not enough of the resourcefulness that a librarian should/would have. Granted, she's recently divorced after some 30 years and it was quite a kick in the teeth—her husband doing the 50-something midlife crisis crapola with a Barbie-doll second wife. When she's not whining about her "fate", but focuses instead on solving the murder, Catherine's story is good and the mystery is intriguing. I'd like to slap her daughter a couple of times though—self-centered, self-righteous, uppity, know-it-all (thank God, she does relent towards the end of the book). I thought I'd solved the mystery, but was surprised at the ending, so pay attention!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine Penny, a divorced librarian, leaves America for England where she can be near her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson. She buys a cottage in the village of Far Wychwood across the road from a derelict house occupied by George Crocker, a senile man in his 90’s, who is ignored by most of the village. Catherine feels sorry for George and tries to care for him and take him food, but he shows her that he does not want her company, which he feels is interference. Shortly after she arrives, a utility company discovers a skeleton as they dig near her cottage. No one in the village can remember who this skeleton might be, or when he died. Soon after, George dies in a fire that destroys his house. Clue by clue, Catherine is able to solve the mystery of the skeleton, and of George’s death. A sideline concerns caring for her grandson, and her great disagreement of how her daughter, a psychiatrist, is raising him.

[BookNerdette · Rating 5 out of 5]

B I G Congrats to Patricia Harwin on her first Mystery!

I got this book off Swaptree and it has been sitting on the table with other books – waiting patiently on me to pick it up – knowing once I did I would love it.

Yes it was a great read, so fun and interesting. It held my attention from the first page. It was so …. me …
Catherine Penny is a treat to read. I identified with her in her …. hmmm… what is the word … nosie-ness.

It takes place in Far Wychwood England – thank you Ms. Harwin for allowing me to travel to England with Catherine.
I just loved the nosy neighbors and the small quant little town, everyone knowing everyone and the little country cottages. I enjoyed the mention of wicca and the mystery with the local teenagers.
It was very well written and I just so enjoyed it!

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a first book in a series and it is a great one. Catherine Penny, recently divorced, has retired from her job as a librarian in the States and moved to a village in England to be closer to her daughter and only grandson.

Her new cottage has only one neighbor, a 90-something man who appears neglected and very afraid. When Catherine tries to help him she is sometimes welcome (of sorts) and often rebuffed and even attacked.

When the old man is killed Catherine can't resist trying to find out who, and why.

This is a complicated story with many twists and turns. Catherine is a nice person with a bit of a nosy attitude but she means well. She makes some good friends in the book and seems to reach some peace with her sometimes all-knowing daughter.

So far there are only two books in the series and I'll be starting the next one as soon as I finish writing this!

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike my last book and review, this first book in a series was very good. Well-written with recognizable characters who were fully realized and a story that kept your interest. I will definitely look forward to the next book in this series. The main character is not necessarily my favorite and I would like her to tone down her impetuousness but it makes for a lively story. I enjoyed the village setting and the author did a good job of making it seem idyllic but with a realistic, sometimes dark, underside. Rather like a Midsomer Murders sort of village! I do wish the author would do some research and get to know her English phrases and customs a bit better. Having lived there I picked up a few clangers she made. It made me believe the author had not really lived in Britain but only read about it and maybe visited a few times.

[Wendy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was the perfect cozy, something to sit by the fire on a cold night and enjoy with a big mug of chocolate. I've dreamed of doing what Catherine did...picking up and moving to a small English village into a perfect little cottage - who hasn't? The village characters are charming and just what you would expect, with a few surprises along the way. I really enjoyed the tension between the new village priest and the villagers, and how the fight to keep the traditional church was portrayed. Catherine was a lovely character and a delight to get to know, along with her new village friends. She was a very human character who was eay to identify with, even though I've never been a librarian and not yet out of my 30's.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arson and Old Lace is the first in the Far Wychwood Mystery series. I had already read the second one and there are no others. Here we meet Catherine Penny, a recent divorcee who just relocated to Far Wychwood, England to live her dream life in an English village close to where her married daughter lives. The mystery surrounds an elderly man, who is Catherine’s neighbor and also the village pariah due to some old suspected criminal activity. Catherine gets involved in his life and his death. She is a bright but impulsive sleuth and hurtles herself headlong into solving the mystery. Well written mystery plot, charming setting and great cozy feel to it… think Agatha Raisin with an American twist. I really liked both books in this series and am sorry that there were not more.

[chrisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first I was enjoying this book; however the main character is annoying. Her frequent ruminating on her ex-husband (who appears to be a bit of a jerk) which causes her to lose track of all time is a bit much. Also, her daughter is a know-it-all and her character is off-putting. I also found the attitude of most of the English characters in the book (they refer to her as a foreigner over and over) distasteful. I read more than half of the book before I decided I wasn't interested in finishing the book, reading any more in the series (which appears to stop at two books), or reading anything else she's written.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for fall, Halloween, cold night reading! This book is the coziest, most rewarding fireside English mysteries I've read. I enjoyed it IMMENSELY. Quick, spooky, dreamy (who doesn't want to live in a Cotswolds ruin?) and fun. I love stories of women starting over somewhere else in fabulous locations and this is my favorite of them all. The other reviewers leave details of the plot so I will just say this: Patricia Harwin -- if you ever read this -- I am FURIOUS that your publisher ended this series after the second novel. I enjoyed the second one as much as the first and whenever the world is too much -- this is the series I reach for.

[Darlene Ferland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cozy mystery set in an English village. . . The first in a series starring Catherine Penny, ex-pat, retired librarian and Nana to her little grandson Archie. Worried about the grouchy old man across her street, Catherine Penny tries to help him. She contacts his son and is told in no uncertain terms to but out. Her inquisitive nature won't allow her to stop trying. Her questioning leads to danger, murder and mayhem. A fun read and an interesting character. I can't wait for the next story. . .