DI Hillary Greene gets a case involving a minor politician who has been murdered. The man’s name is Malcolm Dale and he was battered to death with a blunt object. He lived in an affluent section of Oxfordshire. The body was discovered by his secretary. His wife is not at home at the time of the murder. Discover your next favourite mystery series now, because once you start, you won’t want to stop. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Colin Dexter or Ruth Rendell. I know Lisa Cutts has written other books before this one but this is actually the first I've read of hers, but it certainly won't be the last! H.C. O'Neill in The Observer of 12 December 1930, said that, "here is a straightforward story which very pleasantly draws a number of red herrings across the docile reader's path. There is a distinct originality in her new expedient for keeping the secret. She discloses it at the outset, turns it inside out, apparently proves that the solution cannot be true, and so produces an atmosphere of bewilderment." [7]

The writing style is simple yet beautiful and the story is easy to follow. The plot itself is not something that wowed me, to be honest. The setting and the characters made the book fun, not the actual murder/dognapping mystery. I have been listening to these on audio book and really enjoying this new to me series. DI Hilary Green of the Thames Valley Police force is smart, intuitive and tenacious. All of this makes her one of the best homicide DI’s; however, an unfortunate marriage to a bent cop has blighted her chances of promotion. Her estranged husband, Ronnie Green, is the gift that keeps on giving. Ronnie was under investigation for selling illegal endangered animal parts at the time of his death. He diedbeing prosecuted, however, the cops are still looking for his ill gotten gains and investigate Hilary. She is cleared; but is denied Ronnie’s pension and was forced out of her home by Ronnie during the divorce.

Advance Praise

Belinda wasn’t a character I took to at all; and many of the plot details too, seemed a bit strange/unconvincing—for instance, why Belinda would decide to investigate a case simply because she found a body, rather than leave it to the police didn’t make much sense—agreed it was a person she knew, and a matter she was interested in, but even if she had started taking an interest because of her brother’s possible involvement, I’d have been more convinced, but that comes after. Then there were other little things like how both Belinda and Harry go poking around even in the police’s presence, or Harry’s being at a loss for explanations when a person is hurt because he’s only dealt with dead bodies—I mean he was a police detective not a coroner (also if this last instance was meant to be humorous, it didn’t really come across as that). Then Belinda is supposed to be an investor and businesswoman, and yet when Harry tries to use his whiteboard to chalk out the case, she sees it as something to laugh at than a methodical way of looking at things. Also the dognappers marking houses where they planned to strike didn’t seem a mystery at all—fairly clear from the start. Regrettably, the writing too was not to my liking.

Miss Marple tells Clement she has a list of seven possible suspects in mind. Miss Marple sees Miss Cram carrying a suitcase into the woods at midnight, which Clement later finds, along with a small crystal of picric acid. The suitcase proves to contain valuable silver belonging to the Protheroes, and "Dr Stone" turns out to be an impostor, having stolen the identity of a real archaeologist and replaced the Protheroes' belongings with replicas. Belinda Penshurst, the owner of Challham Castle, worried about the pub owner's death and his relationship with her brother, Marcus. Harry Powell is a retired detective who now works in a dog food company, he delivers food to customers, and he is worried about missing dogs and a stranger car in the neighborhood.

Murder in the Village

Engrossing and entertaining… Full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Marple Facsimile edition (Facsimile of 1930 UK first edition), 12 September 2005, Hardcover, ISBN 0-00-720842-1 Murder in the Village is a charming cozy mystery. It's a lighthearted, easy read - or in my case, an easy listen. Murder in the village has all the ingredients of a good cozy mystery, an idyllic sounding setting, a cast of interesting characters and a couple of determined amateur sleuths intent on getting to the bottom of the case. Colonel Lucius Protheroe: wealthy man, who is the churchwarden and the local magistrate in St Mary Mead who lives at the Old Hall. He has grown deaf, and shouts a lot as a result.