Murder on the Pier (Flora Steele Mystery #2) by Merryn Allingham
Genre: Cosy mystery, Historical mystery, Mystery, Crime fiction
Read: 28th March 2022
Amazon
Published: 10th November 2021
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Meet Flora Steele – bookshop owner, bicycle-rider, daydreamer and amateur detective!
Sussex, 1956: When bookshop owner Flora Steele goes for a walk along the pier she isn’t expecting to spot a young woman’s body in the stormy waters below. And she’s shocked to discover the victim is someone she knows…
Convinced the death was not an accident, Flora persuades attractive local crime writer Jack Carrington to help her find out what really happened to poor Polly Dakers, a popular young woman with a complicated love life, who’d been at the heart of village life in Abbeymead.
Jack is reluctant to get involved in another murder case at first but even he can’t deny that Polly’s fall seems fishy. An argument at a party, a missed hairdresser’s appointment and a red woollen bobble found on the wooden boards where Polly last stood provide a trail of clues…
As they grow closer to solving the puzzling mystery, the unlikely pair stumble upon several surprising secrets about those closest to Polly. A number of potential suspects begin to emerge. But who really disliked Polly enough to kill her? Was it Raymond, her jilted first love? Harry, her latest beau? Or Evelyn, Harry’s jealous estranged wife?
As the investigation brings them closer to the truth, Flora is intent on unmasking the killer – but will her stealthy sleuthing lead her down a dangerous path?
An utterly delightful cozy crime novel set in the fictional Sussex village of Abbeymead. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Joy Ellis!
MY REVIEW:
The second book in the most delightful journey back in time to the golden age of detective fiction in the more modern vein of Agatha Christie, MURDER ON THE PIER sees Flora Steele - bookshop owner, bicycle rider, daydreamer and amateur sleuth - back in action dragging crime writer Jack Carrington into yet another mystery that she's intent on solving. After the discovery of a dead body in her newly inherited bookshop last autumn, the sleepy chocolate box village of Abbeymead wasn't ready for another murder on their doorstep. After all, it took some time after the last one for Flora to regain her custom in the bookshop once again what with rumours of it being haunted floating about in its wake.
Sussex 1956: It's winter and the villagers have gathered to farewell Bernie Mitchell, husband of Kate - Flora's old schoolfriend and owner of the Nook cafe. He had been missing for several months since October when his body finally washed up a couple of weeks ago. Despite it being her husband, Kate had managed to cater for the wake with the help of Alice from the Priory. And then Polly Dakers walks in on the arm of Henry Barnes, dressed in all her sparkling finery, to pay her respects.
A couple of days later, Flora and Jack take young Charlie Teague to Brighton as a well-deserved treat for the young lad who has been helping Jack organise his garden at Overlay House. The attraction of the theatre, the waxworks and a fish and chip lunch were all that was needed to entice the lad. But Charlie gets much more than he bargained for when, after the rubbish production they had just sat through, he leans over the railings of the pier to discover a body floating in the ocean below. Flora immediately recognises it to be that of Polly, a young woman who had dreamed of leaving Abbeymead to become a model. The proximity of her watery grave leads police to rule the unfortunate event as an accident (due to the icy conditions) or a suicide. But Flora has other ideas. She is sure Polly was murdered and intends to find out who was responsible. Jack, of course, has no option but to tag along.
The suspect list grows as Flora ruminates on who had the motive and opportunity to kill poor Polly. There was the stalker, the sugar daddy, the irate wife of said sugar daddy, the boyfriend even? Each of them, and others, all seem to have something to hide. But no matter which way she looks at it they either had the motive but not the opportunity or they had the opportunity but no real motive. So who wanted Polly dead?
Then just when Flora and Jack found their friendship in a comfortable place, an unexpected knock on the door one day brought Jack's former fiance Helen back into his life...and sending Flora stomping angrily back to her cottage. Should Flora consider the return of the woman who had broken Jack's heart a threat? And why should she be a threat when all she and Jack were were friends! Weren't they?
Things start to get troubling when attempts are then made on Flora and Jack's lives, first with Flora being run off the road whilst riding her bike (fondly named Betty) then with Jack when his window is broken with a piece of sharpened flint that strikes him on the face. The penultimate attempt is when the rowboat they have taken out in a second attempt to treat Charlie begins taking on water and they nearly drown, if not for Jack's hardy rescue of them both. The boat had been in tip-top condition, with the owner working tirelessly on it, leading Flora and Jack to one conclusion - it was sabotaged. Someone wanted them dead. The only reason being was that they were getting close to the truth. But will they uncover the killer before they too are silenced?
MURDER ON THE PIER is a delightful cosy read that is quick and well paced. I love the camaraderie between Flora and Jack and had hoped, after reading the first one "The Bookshop Murder" that Jack would team up with Flora for future adventures. I doubt Flora would be as endearing without Jack to bounce her ideas off and the playful banter they sure...not to mention the inclusion of Charlie Teague. Flora and Jack are positively endearing. The easy style of this series is a delight to read and is reminiscent of the Queen of Crime herself Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and her own sleepy village of St Mary Mead.
The mystery in this book was probably a little better than that in the first one, but then so was the wonderful locale of Brighton. I could almost hear the seagulls, smell the sea air and taste the fish and chips. There is something positively healing and calming in water...unless of course there is a body floating in it which, in this case, there was. And while the mystery itself was fairly straightforward, there were plenty of secrets to uncover and despite the abundance of red herrings thrown in our way, I figured out the killer long before Flora did and long before the culprit would even be considered. The teeny tiny matter of motive I pounced on before it was considered a motive...or even thought of. And the Agatha Christie in me said "that's the murderer". But I was curious to know how Flora and Jack would get there...
Flora is a delightful sleuth, and a very dogged one, even if she is amateur. Her sunny disposition and cheerful personality is hard not to like. Jack is as equally loveable and, despite his efforts to reign Flora in, really shines in his position as sidekick. The couple are charming and are a pleasure to read.
While the mystery was better than that in the first, I think I enjoyed the first book more and didn't find this one quite as captivating, although it was still a wonderfully fun read. I cannot wait for book 3 "Murder at Primrose Cottage" which is to be set in Cornwall, where Jack has been commissioned to set a series of books he is to write. I also note that book 4 "Murder at the Priory Hotel" is to be released in July, so Flora and Jack are definitely going to be busy, as are their readers.
Overall, MURDER ON THE PIER is a delightful cosy mystery that is a quick and easy read, easily devoured in five or six hours. A relaxing way to while away a few hours, for sure.
I would like to thank #MerrynAllingham, #Netgalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #MurderOnThePier in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Merryn lives in a beautiful old town in Sussex with her husband. When she’s not writing, she tries to keep fit with adult ballet classes and plenty of walking.
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