27 June 2006.
ISBN: 978-0-74908258-1 (PB)
As the widow of one of Britain’s most notorious criminals, Josie Welford seeks a new life as the licensee of the local pub in the village of Kings Duncombe in the West Country. Josie is looking forward to turning the pub into one of the best restaurants in the county, but there is much to do, as the pub is pretty run down and populated by just a few locals.
Initially she settles in well, she takes
on a couple of local girls as bar maids, makes friends with Sue the local
vicar, and orders her food locally. Then
out of the blue appears Inspector Nick Thomas, the man who was responsible for
putting her husband in jail. He says he
is not with the police, but Josie is suspicious of just exactly what he is
doing in the area.
Pursuing her intention of turning the pub
into a gourmet restaurant Josie makes a decision that puts someone’s nose out
of joint and suddenly she is
the victim of some unpleasant events. Slowly she becomes aware that her friendly
neighbours are friendly no more; and when her bar staff are warned off, she
sees her hopes of a new life as a successful restauranteur disappearing over
the horizon.
But Josie is a feisty character and sets out in investigate not
only the person behind the persecution of her, but the whereabouts of the local
vet who seems to have mysteriously disappeared.
J Judith Cutler has a definite winner in
Josie Welford, and I look forward to reading more of her.
------
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
Judith Cutler was born in
the Black Country, just outside Birmingham, later moving to the Birmingham
suburb of Harborne. Judith started writing while she was at the then Oldbury
Grammar School, winning the Critical Quarterly Short Story prize with the second
story she wrote. She subsequently read English at university. It was an attack
of chickenpox caught from her son that kick-started her writing career. One way
of dealing with the itch was to hold a pencil in one hand, a block of paper in
the other - and so she wrote her first novel. This eventually appeared in a much-revised
version as Coming Alive, published by Severn House. Judith has seven
series. The first two featured amateur sleuth Sophie Rivers (10 books) and
Detective Sergeant Kate Power (6 Books). Then came Josie Wells, a middle-aged
woman with a quick tongue, and a love of good food, there are two books, The Food Detective and The Chinese Takeout. The Lina Townsend
books are set in the world of antiques and there are seven books in this series.
There are three books featuring Tobias Campion set in the Regency period, and
her series featuring Chief Superintendent Fran Harman (6 books), and Jodie
Welsh, Rector’s wife and amateur sleuth. Her more recently a series feature a
head teacher Jane Cowan (3 books). Judith has also written three standalone’s Staging
Death, Scar Tissue, and Death In Elysium. Her new series is set in
Victorian times featuring Matthew Rowsley. Death’s Long Shadow is the third
book in this series.
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