Published by Hawkesbury Press,
18 November 2018.
ISBN: 978-1-911223-34-4 (PB)
18 November 2018.
ISBN: 978-1-911223-34-4 (PB)
Sophie
Sayers is enjoying life in the village of Wendlebury Barrow. She has a new home
(the cottage bequeathed to her by her Great-Aunt May); a new job at the
bookshop, Hector’s House; and a new boyfriend, Hector, the owner of the
bookshop. Sophie’s contented existence is disrupted when two of the village
children arrive at the bookshop to announce that they have found the Easter
Bunny lying dead in an open grave in the churchyard. Sophie goes to investigate
and discovers an old lady lying in the grave, she is wearing pink slippers, a
mink coat and a pair of bunny ears, a selection of which are sold in the
village shop for the children to celebrate Easter.
Contrary to first impressions, the old
lady is not dead, although she is unconscious and, it transpires, she is
heavily sedated. Her name is Bunny Carter and the reason Sophie doesn’t
recognise her as an inhabitant of the village is that she is housebound and
cared for by her daughter, Kitty, an agoraphobic. The discovery of Bunny’s
abandoned wheelchair explains how she was transported to the churchyard but
does not give any clue to the identity of the person who was cruel and reckless
enough to submit an old lady to such a potentially fatal ordeal and to
humiliate her as well.
Sophie is determined to discover who is
responsible for the attack on Bunny, and finds no lack of suspects, especially
as Bunny has refused to tell anybody who benefits under her will. Amongst the
suspects are Kitty and her two unpleasant half-brothers, one of whom wants to
convert Bunny’s house into a care home for elderly people. Other possibilities
are the children from Bunny’s first marriage, whom she has lost contact with, and
Mrs Petunia Lot, the obnoxious director of a local cats charity who has
battened on to Bunny. Even the lovable village reprobate, Billy, comes under
police suspicion, although Sophie is certain that he would never do anything so
wicked. Then, as Sophie continues to investigate, violence strikes again, this
time with tragic consequences.
Springtime for Murder is the fifth book
in the series of Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries and it is fun to see Sophie
settling happily into her new role. The book has an interesting plot, centred
around the dynamics of Bunny’s family but it is also very much about the
village community, which is full of eccentric but engaging characters. It is a
pleasant, easy-to-read book, perfect for relaxing with. A very enjoyable read.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron
Debbie Young was born and raised in Sidcup, Kent. When she was 14,
her family relocated to Germany for her father’s job. Debbie spent four years
at Frankfurt International School, broadening her outlook as well as gaining
the then brand new IB (International Baccalaureate). She returned to the UK to
earn her BA (Hons) in English and Related Literature at the University of York,
then lived and worked for a while in London and the West of England as a
journalist and PR consultant. In 1991
she moved to the Cotswolds. In 2002, she married a Scot named Gordon whom she
met in Swindon – and not, as village rumour once had it, a Swede named
Scottie. In 2003, her daughter Laura was
born. Best Murder in Show was the first
in her series featuring Sophie Sayers. There are now a further three books in
this series.
Carol Westron is a successful
short story writer and a Creative Writing teacher. She is the moderator for the cosy/historical
crime panel, The Deadly Dames. Her crime novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times. The Terminal Velocity of Cats the
first in her Scene of Crimes novels, was published July 2013. Carol recently
gave an interview to Mystery People. To read the interview click on the link
below.
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