It’s a real pleasure today to share my review of Villainy at the Village Store by Elizabeth Ducie: the second novel in her Coombesford Chronicles series, this cosy mystery was independently published yesterday (18th October) and is now available for kindle (free via Kindle Unlimited) and in paperback. My thanks to Elizabeth for sending me a pre-release e-copy as the basis for my review – and my apologies that this review is a day later than I originally intended (I had a bit of an adverse reaction to my covid booster!).
I read the first book in this lovely series, Murder at Mountjoy Manor, at this time last year – and thoroughly enjoyed it. A community of wonderfully well-drawn characters, a particularly strong sense of place, and a plot that had everyone in the frame in turn as my prime suspect – you’ll find my review here. And a rather lovely companion piece followed, Coombesford Calendar Volume 1 – a delicious collection of twelve short stories, one for each month of the year, not mysteries and no murders, but a series of tales about the people of the village. Several of the stories had a touch of light intrigue, there was often a sprinkling of humour, and there were some really unexpected twists in a few their tails – it’s a short collection I’d really recommend, and you can read my review again here. And if you find you enjoy Elizabeth’s writing, she’s written a few more books you might well enjoy as much as I did – the Jones Sisters thrillers (set in the murky world of international pharmaceuticals – not at all my usual reading, but a series I thoroughly enjoyed) and the standalone Gorgito’s Ice Rink, a really engaging story (and no murders!) told with a very sure emotional touch, with an opportunity to explore a culture and way of life entirely outside my experience (you’ll find my review here).
But enough – I need to share what’s been going on at the village store…
Stanley Wentworth was no saint.
He’d had his fair share of trouble with the law. He’d upset his former partners in gangs across the Midlands. And he’d abandoned more than one woman in his time. But did he really deserve a cold and lonely death in the Country Park?
Charlie Jones, Annie McLeod and Rohan Banerjee are on the track of another murderer. An old friend is under suspicion once more. While a new friend has troubles of her own to contend with. And it looks like she’s about to lose her greatest ally.
Can the intrepid trio save their friends and find the true culprit?
Fans of Lisa Cutts, Frances Evesham or Midsomer Murders? Then the Coombesford Chronicles series will be right up your street.
Stanley Wentworth certainly wasn’t a saint – the book begins with the discovery of his body in the country park, and it’s soon clear that he won’t be greatly missed. But with the number of secrets in his past, and the appearance of a few strangers in the village, there are quite a few individuals who might just have their reasons for finishing him off. And Amelia, who works behind the post office counter at Stanley’s village store and might be one of the few people who’ll mourn him, feels particularly guilty – she’d entered him for a competition in the local paper, something he really didn’t appreciate, and wonders if that might have started the chain of events that led to his death.
Every individual in this book is just wonderfully drawn – the favourite characters from the first book (although you’d have no problems reading this book as a standalone), and the new ones who certainly add an extra level of interest and intrigue. The story slowly unfolds, with a number of subplots and diversions that help us get to know them all – and those back stories move suspects in and out of the frame, as Charlie, Annie and Rohan conduct their own background investigation that makes far more progress than the efforts of the police team. And the whole story moves at a perfect pace – with quite a few surprises along the way – along with quite a few moments of particular drama, and some even more grisly discoveries.
It’s a relatively short read, but there’s so much packed into its less than 200 pages – and, as the individuals’ stories become clearer, the many clues and red herrings begin to multiply and delight. There were times when I was convinced I’d worked it all out – but I was looking in totally the wrong direction, and the story’s final outcome was both extremely satisfying and totally unexpected. This is such clever writing – the perfectly drawn community, the relationships between them, the vividly described setting, the warmth of the writing, the frequent touches of humour, but also some particularly compelling storytelling and a complexity to the twists and turns of the story that kept me totally hooked throughout. Yes, the Midsomer Murders comparison is certainly a fair one – but the author does it far better. Highly recommended by me – I’m looking forward to my next visit already.
About the author
When Elizabeth Ducie had been working in the international pharmaceutical industry for nearly thirty years, she decided she’d like to take a break from technical writing – text books, articles and training modules – and write for fun instead. She started by writing travel pieces, but soon discovered she was happier, and more successful, writing fiction. In 2012, she gave up the day job, and started writing full-time. Villainy at the Village Store is her sixth novel, and the second of her Coombesford Chronicles – she has also published several collections of short stories and a series of manuals on business skills for writers.
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