#Review: Foul Play at Seal Bay by Judy Leigh @JudyLeighWriter @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources #blogtour #newrelease #BoldwoodBloggers #cosymystery #MorwennaMutton #FoulPlayatSealBay

I’m really delighted today to be joining the blog tour for Judy Leigh’s latest book, Foul Play at Seal Bay, and sharing my review: published by Boldwood Books on 7th August, it’s now available as an e-book (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. As always, my thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley).

So, a touch of crime this time, and the first in a new cosy mystery series  – well, I’ve loved Judy Leigh’s other books, so I was more than happy to try something a little different too. I’ve told you so many times now how very much I enjoy her writing, so I won’t run through her books again – but you’ll find my many reviews if you pop her name in the search bar (right hand side of the page). And then there are her historical novels written as Elena Collins too – her last one, The Lady of the Loch, was just wonderful (review here), and I’m really looking forward to The Daughter of the Fens, out on 2nd October (and available to preorder…!). But now it’s time to visit Seal Bay – and meet Morwenna Mutton…

It was meant to be the start of quiet season in the sleepy Cornish village of Seal Bay, but not for sexagenarian librarian and wild swimming enthusiast Morwenna Mutton. Because when a local businessman is found on the beach with a bread knife is his back, bungling police officer DI Rick Tremayne is soon out of his depth. Morwenna knows it’s going to be down to her to crack the case.

 

The list of people the victim upset is long, the evidence is slight, and an arrest elusive. Morwenna has plenty to occupy her time what with ghostly goings-on at the library and skullduggery at her granddaughter’s school, but she could never resist a challenge. And even the most ruthless of murderers should quake at the sight of this amateur sleuth getting on her bike to track them down.

 

If you love Miss Marple and The Thursday Murder Club, then you’ll love The Morwenna Mutton mysteries.

I’ll admit I was slightly nervous about this one – a businessman found dead with a bread knife in his back is something you’ll rarely find in my usual reading, I haven’t read any Agatha Christie since I was a teenager, and (I’ll whisper…) my feelings about Mr Osman’s books are rather mixed. But I really needn’t have worried at all – this book had everything I love about the author’s “never too late” fiction with a focus on family and community, wonderfully created characters (of all ages…), plenty of humour, a touch of romance, and a story that really couldn’t fail to engage and entertain.

Morwenna herself is just wonderful – at sixty-one, and with her eccentric dress-sense, she certainly has no intention of acting her age, helping out at her daughter’s tea rooms, working part-time at the library, and no trip is too daunting to be undertaken on her bicycle. She’s plainly following the example set by her mother Lamorna – she’s irrepressible too, a real character, and the source of a lot of the book’s humour. And when the police seem to be making little progress in investigating the murder at her daughter’s pre-wedding party, her busy life proves no obstacle – Morwenna sets about her own in-depth investigation, using her links with the community, and putting herself in some danger in the process.

This perhaps isn’t a book for hardened crime fans – it’s light-hearted fun, and that only made me enjoy it more – although the plot is very nicely convoluted, with enough unexpected twists and turns to bring a few shocks along the way and keep you engaged and intrigued. I was a step ahead of both Morwenna and the police in solving the crime, which is quite unusual for me – but that honestly didn’t matter one jot.

The joy of this book is in the characterisation, and in the community created – there’s quite a substantial cast, every individual particularly well drawn, along with the relationships between them. I really enjoyed Morwenna’s relationship with her rather lovely ex-husband Ruan – there’s a particular affection there, and most definite potential for further developments as the series progresses. And, although I’m rarely a fan of young children in the books I read, I couldn’t help taking to six year old grand-daughter Elowen – and her imaginary dog Oggy. And many of the more minor characters were fantastic too – Louise at the library, rather obsessed by the ghost of Lady Elizabeth (who seems to be leaking ectoplasm all over the carpet, and helping out with clues…), and the knitting Grundy sisters with their local knowledge and sometimes less-than-helpful interventions.

One thing I will mention is that the book is very deliberately Cornish – there’s even a glossary at the book’s start – and while I was initially amused by the use of “ansum” and “maid”, I will admit that the distinct overuse of “dreckly” did perhaps begin to jar a little. But that’s a really minor point – I loved the setting and the characters, the story certainly kept the pages turning, there were some nice moments of real drama, I laughed (a lot), and the warmth behind the writing was quite wonderful. This is a series so many readers are going to enjoy, and this book is a great start – and one I’d really recommend to others.

About the author

Judy Leigh is the USA Today bestselling author of The Old Girls’ Network and Five French Hens, and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

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