Death in the Woods

SMALL TOWN LIFE CAN BE MURDEROUS . . .This is the most cheerful book about murder Ive ever read. If the writings of Agatha Christie and Peter Kay ever had a baby, I like to think it would read something like this The BookbagFast-paced and funny, this is a must-read forall fans of a classicmurder mystery - think The Vicar of Dibley meetsMidsomer Murders meetsMC Beaton'sAgatha Raisin meetsRichard Osmans The Thursday Murder Club! Welcome to Castle Kidbury - a pretty town in a green West Country valley. Itshome to all sorts of people, with all the stresses and joys of modern life, but with atown squareand a proper butchers. It also has, for our purposes, a rash of gory murders ... A dead body is found in the tacky 1970s splendour of the local Jolly Cook diner. Nailed to the plastic seating, on the formica table in front of it is a complimentary lollipop, the sort given to kids as they leave the cafe. Bodies begin to pile up. The police believe a serial killer is at work. While local sleuth Jess Castle chases this new villain, she also wrestles with her attraction to Mitch, a newcomer to Castle Kidbury. His can-do Aussie attitude, coupled with the pathos of a lone man bringing up a gaggle of barefoot kids, affects her deeply. Lawyer Rupert, who has always had a soft spot for Jess, doesn't like it one bit.Fast-paced and funny, this is a must-read forall fans of a classicmurder mystery - think The Vicar of Dibley meetsMidsomer Murders meetsMC Beaton'sAgatha Raisin meetsRichard Osmans The Thursday Murder Club!