Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Death at Lovers' Leap, the third book in Martha Miller series of cozy mysteries set in a fictional village of Westleham in 1948. Death at Lovers' Leap Westleham Village 1948 As Valentine's Day rolls around, Martha Miller finds herself unusually melancholy at the state of her own love life. With husband Stan still missing and with her growing feelings for Vicar Luke still shrouded in secrecy, there’s only one place Martha can go - famous local beauty spot, Lovers' Leap. Legend has it that those with a broken heart throw themselves off the bridge that spans the river, but Martha is certainly not about to do such a thing! But it looks like someone else has had other ideas…. Because there in the river, Martha finds a body. But is this misadventure, a moment of lovesick madness, or is foul play afoot? Martha knows one thing…the villagers of Westleham have another crime to solve! Let the investigation commence! Find out if Martha and Luke can catch the killer in a brand new Martha Miller mystery from bestselling author Catherine Coles. Publication Date: February 16, 2024 by Boldwood Books Publisher: Boldwood Books Purchase Link My thoughts: Death at Lovers' Leap is the third book in Martha Miller Mysteries set in the post-war rural Britain. I'm a big fan of Catherine Coles' writing style- deceptively simple, but extremely engaging and full of realistic memorable details. If you are wondering whether you need to read the first two books before embarking on this one, the beginning of the story contains a very useful recap which will bring a new reader up to speed with the series in no time at all. Martha, despite being quite reserved, is an extremely likeable character who has managed to make quite a few friends in the village. If you read the second book, you will remember we were left on a cliffhanger as far as her relationship with her sleuthing sidekick the dashing vicar Luke Walker is concerned. Their life circumstances seem to make it impossible for them to be more than friends. Of course, we've all been expecting the third book to see if we are going to get more news about where and why Stan Miller disappeared, leaving Martha desperately destitute and lonely. Luckily, she managed to integrate into the village life, not least thanks to her sleuthing successes. When Martha finds another dead body, the victim's mother, who is convinced it couldn't have possibly been a suicide, asks her to find the murderer of her son. The mystery itself is pretty straightforward and you will probably guess the culprit and their motive quite early on. Still, we get more developments on the romance front and other important relationships and get introduced to a few new characters. The book has practically no subplots which makes it easier to read, but also makes it appear an interlude. The important thing is that the story never drags and leaves you both entertained and looking forward to the next instalment. As with the previous books, I really liked the historical details and the bigger context in which the story is set, including the rationing books which play an important part in the story. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries. Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources, Netgalley and Boldwood books for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion. Author Bio
The daughter of a military father, Catherine was born in Germany and lived most of the first 14 years of her life abroad. She spent her school years devouring everything her school library had to offer! Catherine writes cosy mysteries that take place in the English countryside. Her extremely popular Tommy & Evelyn Christie mysteries are set in 1920s North Yorkshire. Catherine lives in northeast England with her two spoiled dogs who have no idea they are not human! Social Media Links Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.coles.9847 Twitter https://twitter.com/catherinecoles Instagram https://www.instagram.com/catherinecolesauthor/ Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/CatherineColesNews Bookbub profile: Catherine Coles Books - BookBub Comments are closed.
|
Archives
February 2025
Categories
All
|