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A body in the cottage by P.F. Ford

Released: 3rd October, 2023

Genre: Mystery, crime

Score: 9/10

A body in the cottage was a thoroughly good read. Available from www.joffebooks.com, it is a police procedural novel set in West Wales, in the UK. The town where the police are based is Llangwelli, which is a quiet, rural place to live but has its fair share of murders!

We follow Detective Sergeant Normal and the rest of the team as they solve a crime. A woman’s body is found in a derelict miners cottage on a building site that is soon to be demolished.

The characters are very likeable and realistic and the plot has quite a few twists and turns along the way, much like the winding country lanes of Llangwelli.

A body in the cottage was an enjoyable book and I really connected with old-fashioned DS Norman and DI Southall and the rest of their team. A great read.

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Always in safe hands with DCI Barnaby

As with all the novels in the Midsomer Murders series by Caroline Graham, A Place Of Safety moves at a brisk pace and provides a lot of satisfaction. Set in the Midsomer village of Fern Bassett, this story unfolds dramatically as soon as the pages are opened. Has there been a crime committed? We will have to read on to see.

DCI Tom Barnaby and DS Gavin Troy once again take the reigns of the investigation into a vicious murder in the village. Through dogged police work and quick thinking, they put clues together as they interview many colourful characters. The quaint English setting of the book, with its diorama of unusual people, provides many amusing moments along with the more tense forwarding of the main plot.

Retired vicar, Lionel, takes in disadvantaged youths who have fallen foul of the judicial system. Is he wise to? Will it spell the end of life as he knows it? The characters in A Place Of Safety are vivid and real, revealing clues to solve the dreadful murder slowly, but surely.

Tom Barnaby races against time, lies and subterfuge to solve the case. This is a truly satisfying and enjoyable read and, even if you’ve never watched the television series of Midsomer Murders, you will fall in love with this book as much as I have. Keenly written and brimming with English charm.

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