Welcome! Cindy Woodsmall will be releasing the third and final book in The Amish of Summer Grove series. It is titled Gathering the Threads. The publisher is offering a BOGO. Pre-order Gathering the Threads and get Ties that Bind. I am looking forward to reading the last installment in the series.
Death Plays a Part by Vivian Conroy is the first book in the new series A Cornish Castle Mystery. Guinevere Evans and her dog, Dolly are heading
to Cornisea Island on the Cornish coast.
Guinevere is a costume designer at a theater in London. The theater is closing for the summer to do
renovations and Guinevere would be at loose ends. Mr. Betts, theater director, helped her
acquire a job cataloguing books for Lord Bolingbrooke at Cornisea Castle. Guinevere arrives to a little kerfuffle
between Lord Bolingbrooke and his son, Oliver.
Oliver is a documentarian who has just returned to the castle after his
latest excursion. He has been trying to
convince his father to open Castle Cornisea for public tours. Guinevere discovers that the Cornisea
Historical Society is recreating the trial of Branok the Cold. At one time, he was the steward of Cornisea
Castle and accused of vile acts against the villagers. There is a rehearsal that afternoon. Arthur Haydock is playing Branok and
fireworks are sure to abound. Arthur and
Lord Bolingbrooke do not get along. They
have differing view for the castle and island.
Haydock is put in a cell for the rehearsal. When they return, Haydock in on the floor
with a knife sticking out of his chest. Lord
Bolingbrooke is suspect number one.
Guinevere believes he is innocent and embarks on a mission to prove it
with Oliver’s assistance. Cornisea
Island is a small community that Guinevere discovers is rife with secrets. Who killed Haydock and why? Can Guinevere uncover the killer and save
Lord Bolingbrooke?
Death Plays a Part sounded like a
cute cozy mystery. The book has a slow
pace that would put Loralei Gilmore (she drinks vast quantities of coffee) to
sleep. A majority of the story is
Guinevere running around the island (with her dog) talking to the locals who
are wary of strangers. I wished the
author had fleshed out her characters (especially Guinevere). We are given very little information on
Guinevere. The mystery was intriguing
(treasure). The killers’ identity,
though, was easily discerned (at least I thought so). I identified the killer after Haydock was
discovered dead in the cell. The suspect
pool is limited. How the murder was accomplished, though, was clever. I am rating Death Plays a Part 3 out of 5
stars. The reason for Guinevere to
investigate the murder is flimsy. She
dislikes unsolved crimes plus she is curious.
It is a weak excuse since London has dozens of unsolved crimes every
week. I wish the author had provided a
pronunciation guide for the Cornish names. I would rather the mystery had been set at the
theater in London (so many possibilities). I was hoping Rubies in the Roses (second
book in the series) would return Guinevere to the theater in London, but she
will be continuing her stay on Cornisea Island. Rubies in the Roses will be published on August 30.
I sincerely hope that you have a fantastic Friday. I will be sharing my thoughts on The Writing Desk by Rachel Hauck next time. My mother's birthday is Sunday so I am gong out to pick up a few last minute items. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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