The Murders in Great Diddling

Starred review from May 1, 2024

Author Berit Gardner has writer's block. On impulse, she buys a cottage in the village of Great Diddling in Cornwall, suspecting there are stories and characters there. When she attends a tea party at Tawny Hall, she senses a restlessness in the crowd of people, all of whom hate Reginald Trent, nephew of Tawny Hall's owner. Reginald already told four local tenants he's selling their shops. When Reginald is blown up in his study during the tea party, Berit suspects everyone and calls Detective Chief Inspector Ian Ahmed to the scene. The villagers of Great Diddling know how to hide the truth, and they're desperate to save their town. In order to capitalize on the notoriety, they start a book and murder festival. Sometimes, notoriety brings the wrong people to town, and Ahmed isn't shocked when he receives another phone call from Berit, reporting another murder. VERDICT With its focus on books and book lovers, eccentric villagers and frauds, this first mystery from the author of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is a delightful traditional, filled with fascinating characters. Those who escape to Louise Penny's Three Pines might want to check out Great Diddling.--Lesa Holstine

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July 1, 2024
This quirky, twisty, quintessentially British cozy is frothy and funny with a hint of dark and menace. Author Berit Gardner moves to the quaint village of Great Diddling to try to unlock her writer's block when an invitation to a tea party at Tawny Hall involves her in a murder investigation. Book lover Daphne Trent is allowed to live at Tawny Hall until her death, when her shady nephew, Reginald, will inherit the hall and half the properties in the village. Reginald has already threatened the residents and shop owners with eviction--which has created a resentment that's quite evident at the tea party. But no one expects him to be blown to bits during the event. DCI Ian Ahmed arrives to investigate, and Berit is determined to help him despite his protests. But given how many suspects there are--shifty local lad Liam, village-council chair Sima, hotel developer James and his wife Penny, even Daphne Trent herself--perhaps Berit's perceptive mind and keen analytical skills will be useful. When the multilayered case is finally solved, the result is both shocking and satisfying--and it gives Berit ample material for a new book.

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July 15, 2024
An explosion in an English village leads an author to seek inspiration for her languishing project through informal investigation. Author and observer Berit Gardner has settled in Great Diddling, the perfect place to avoid writing her next novel. The citizens are simultaneously low-key and richly backstoried, which is perfect for Berit, who's keen on taking in the sights and people around her without causing too much of a stir while she waits for inspiration to strike. Berit's plans for respite go sideways when she's invited to a tea party at Tawny Hall. Daphne Trent's home is a testament to her everlasting love of books of all types, and the gathering promises to be a time for Berit to mingle among other townspeople and their tales. But getting to her destination, she's nearly sidetracked by a gift from her literary agent in the form of Sally Marsch, a new assistant who arrives on her doorstep unbidden. As both of them struggle to recover from the disorienting circumstances, Sally and Berit make it to the tea party in time for disaster to strike as a blast in Tawny Hall kills one guest and destroys several highly loved books. Berit's natural reaction is to be intrigued. Because the deceased was well loathed, DCI Ian Ahmed has quite a task at hand. Poking into villagers' lives in his outsider role proves fruitless, so he enters into an uneasy alliance with Berit, whose keen observational skills flush out secrets that some villagers have been working overtime to keep hidden. Slowly unearthing the connections between past and present provides pleasure to both the heroine and her audience. On the charming side of humorous and self-consciously charming.

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