Libby
Forest is a new resident in Exham on Sea in Somerset. She’s moved from London,
after the death of her husband, and if truth be told she’s not terribly unhappy
with is passing. Her two children, her friends, and her neighbors all warned
her against moving to a small town, but she’s glad she did. She’s working on a
cake cookbook, doing a part-time stint at the local bakery, and generally
enjoying her new life.
She’s
walking a neighbor’s dog on the beach one morning, right near Exham’s
lighthouse, when she discovers a bundle, a bundle that turns out to be a body
of a woman. The woman grew up in Exham but has been long gone, making her name
as a singer in the United States. No one even knew she was back. The death is
considered accidental until a second woman is killed, this one who watched
comings and goings around the lighthouse and kept a diary of what, and whom,
she saw.
Murder
at the Lighthouse
by Frances Evesham is what’s called a cozy mystery, which generally means in
the tradition of Agatha Christie and with a noted absence of graphic violence. I’m
usually not a fan of cozy mysteries (my likes tend more in the direction of
police procedurals) but a cozy mystery makes a nice break.
Frances Evesham |
And it
wouldn’t be a cozy mystery without a spot of romance, and there’s that, or at
least a potential romance between Libby and the father of the investigating
police officer. And the officer keeps bumping into Libby at crime scenes and
places she really shouldn’t be. And it doesn’t take long for the village to
know what’s going on, because, well, this is a small town, and everyone knows
everything pretty quickly.
Evesham is
the author of four other Exham on Sea mysteries, Murder
on the Levels, Murder
on the Tor, Murder
at the Cathedral, and Murder
at the Bridge; and two historical mystery romances set in Victorian
England, Danger
at Thatcher Hall and An
Independent Woman. She’s been a speech therapist, professional
communicator, and a road sweeper, and worked in the criminal courts. She lives in
Somerset, England.
Murder at the Lighthouse is an entertaining story, and a
good example of what cozy mysteries are all about.
Top photograph by Flash Alexander
via Public
Domain Pictures. Used with permission.
1 comment:
"Cozy mystery" is a new genre to me, but I love the sound of it. Thanks for your thoughts on the book. My youngest son and I are listening to And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie -- definitely not cozy.
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