Murder at Primrose Cottage (Flora Steele #3) by Merryn Allingham
Genre: Cosy mystery
Read: 6th August 2022
Published: 18th March 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Join Flora Steele – bookshop owner, bicycle-rider, daydreamer and amateur detective – in her quest to solve a brand-new murder mystery!
Cornwall, 1956: When Flora Steele sets off for a peaceful vacation with crime writer Jack Carrington in his little red Austin, the last thing she expects to find is a body at their pretty rental cottage!
Shocked by the discovery, inquisitive Flora joins forces with handsome Jack to find out how the poor man came to such an untimely end in the overgrown orchard of Primrose Cottage. They discover Roger Gifford was a man with plenty of friends and the villagers seem devastated by his sudden death…
So why was he murdered? And who has blood on their hands – his estranged wife Beatrice, his wayward younger brother Lionel, or the suspicious newcomer Mercy Dearlove?
The baffling case gets even more complicated when a second man is found dead and a set of puzzling clues lead them to an intriguing wartime mystery connected to Jack’s estranged father.
As old secrets emerge and Jack receives an unsettling letter, it seems the crime writer is in danger of a fate befitting his fictional characters. Will Flora be able to crack the case and save Jack? Or will this be one murder too many for Flora Steele?
MY THOUGHTS:
We are back with our bookseller and amateur sleuth Flora Steele and crime writing companion Jack Carrington. And there's never a dull moment when these two are around! Having left their sleepy Sussex village of Abbeymead for a vacation of sorts to another sleepy village in Cornwall, little did they expect to become embroiled in yet another murder mystery! Let alone discover the body in the grounds of their rental cottage! It seems trouble has a habit of following Flora around...or she has a knack for sniffing it out. Either way, the daring duo find themselves knee deep in investigations whilst taking in the beautiful sights that Cornwall has to offer.
The title itself conjours up an Agatha Christie mystery with the cover adding a touch of Midsomer Murders to the mix. And I love both - title and cover. The name "Primrose Cottage" is quintessentially English complete with cottage gardens, narrow lanes and gossipy villagers. Oh what a delight! It seems Abbeymead isn't all that far away at all.
At the end of the last book "Murder on the Pier", Jack had alluded to a trip to Cornwall on a research expedition for his next book in which his agent had secured a three book deal for. However, Jack is feeling somewhat bereft of any inspiration at all and although he packs his trusty Remington typewriter to make the journey with them, he doesn't envision much writing will take place. Flora, on the other hand, is brimming with excitement. So much history, so much to see and places to visit...surely Jack is bound to find inspiration in some of them.
But no sooner had they arrived but Flora stumbles upon their landlord's body the following morning before breakfast. The police are called and soon they are treating it as a mugging gone wrong. But of course Flora knows better. Roger Gifford, the dead man, was excited about his research into Cornwall's involvement during the war, and the secrets he has uncovered. And Flora thinks that it's this that has played a part in his murder. Maybe he uncovered one secret too many? Jack isn't so sure.
And then Gifford's brother, Lionel, turns up demanding papers his late brother had collated. What papers was he talking about? Gifford's research into the war in Cornwall? Or his will, maybe? Did Lionel hope to benefit from his more successful brother? Jack thinks this is more likely.
Flora, however, is intent on uncovering whatever it is Gifford had. And as the ideas come bursting from her mouth, Jack wonders if she should be writing a novel. I have to agree. Flora is certainly nothing if not imaginative. And it's hard not to be drawn into her enthusiasm. Though I do find her a little impetuous at times and not entirely careful either. Especially when she has a tendency not to share some of her suspicions with Jack for fear of him stopping her from investigating them. Although they are an unlikely duo - Flora and Jack - they do complement each other. She with her ideas and enthusiasm, and he with his logic and practicality.
Naturally, as with all tales involving Flora, things do go awry and they inevitably find themselves in danger. But can they recover themselves in time, uncover the truth and apprehend the murderer before it's too late? And will they stop dancing around the inevitable and admit to what readers can already see? The hint of romance is a subtle touch and adds a certain charm to their characters. I have come to love both Flora and Jack over these three books and look forward to meeting them again in coming tales that are bound to have them tangled up in yet another murder or three.
MURDER AT PRIMROSE COTTAGE, as with the rest of the series, is charming and enjoyable from beginning to end. I loved every minute of it. And this one delves into a mystery from WW2 involving a missing young man from Abbeymead and Jack's own father. Very intriguing and another pageturning mystery to while away the hours in a very enjoyable way.
Overall, MURDER AT PRIMROSE COTTAGE is a delightful addition to this fantastic cosy series that is always a delight to read. The stories are easy, fun and entertaining. Flora and Jack are a just as entertaining and the setting of the mid-50s English village adds a touch of Father Brown coupled with Miss Marple to it.
I thoroughly recommend this delightfully thrilling tale that takes us to Cornwall (always a favourite setting of mine), as well as the rest of the series. Each mystery is standalone and equally enjoyable. I look forward to reading "Murder at the Priory Hotel" next.
I would like to thank #MerrynAllingham, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #MurderAtPrimroseCottage 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.
Social Media links:
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