28 September 2024.
ISBN: 978-1-83574047-7 (PB)
‘Right, Sergeant,
what have we got” … “Not much’.
It is Saturday morning when Roberto Moretti, general manager of The Cotswold
Manor Hotel, dials 999 to report that a member of staff has found a bloodstain
on the floor of room 105. Detective
Chief Inspector Chloe Taylor and her less than enthusiastic sidekick Detective
Sergeant Spence attend the scene and are examining the chamber, when Mrs Walker
from the room next door comes forward to say that she heard a heated exchange
taking place there the previous night.
The argument ended, she explains, after she heard a noisy thump.
The DCI decides that an incident of some kind has indeed taken place - but a crime needs a victim, and there isn’t one. Despite this incumbrance, Taylor sets up a makeshift incident room on site. Time is of the essence as most of those staying at the hotel will be leaving by the end of the weekend and some have only booked in for one night. The detectives have barely begun speaking with guests when an elderly couple spot a body floating in the hotel lake. Things now begin to unravel in ways that DCI Taylor could never have imagined. She finds herself negotiating a labyrinth of obfuscation and outright dishonesty, not to mention a cold-blooded killer. DCI Taylor though is nothing if not tenacious as she faces resistance from false friends and fierce foes alike, in her relentless pursuit of justice and with scant regard for her own safety.
The novel begins with an intriguing prologue that sets up the rest of the story beautifully. It introduces the theme of deception that runs throughout the tale, but which gently evaporates amidst breathtaking descriptions of the idyllic Cotswold countryside which fill the opening pages of Chapter One. Thereafter, a sense of playfulness runs throughout the narrative, tempering the complex and serious crimes Taylor must solve.
The detective herself is a marvellous creation, believable and modern. Working in a profession that still has its fair share of misogyny, Taylor shrugs off the lads who loathe her and never gives in to victimhood. She lives with Trent and their two-year-old child, Emma, and her domestic arrangements are described without becoming a distraction from the narrative. The crime-fighting mother prioritises career over family and her single mindedness comes at a cost. Taylor endures guilt when she can’t be there for her husband and daughter but never lets her feelings have priority over her vocation.
This is a refreshingly frank presentation of the realities of life in post-modern society. Another laudable aspect of Taylor’s character is that whilst she inevitably makes mistakes, she also owns them. The DCI is sharp and to the point, she is prepared to ruffle feathers to get to the truth.
Murder at the
Manor is a clever book that teases and misleads as it negotiates the puzzle at
its heart. In the fine tradition of
Whodunnits, the reader is treated to a smorgasbord of fiendish villains and
international intrigue operating within the extensive, and expensive, grounds
of the prestigious Cotswold Manor Hotel.
What’s not to love! Highly
recommended.
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Reviewer: Dot Marshall-Gent
Colin explains: “I wanted to write another fast-paced murder mystery thriller with lots of twists and turns. The location of the story was inspired by a hotel we stayed at in the Cotswolds. As soon as I saw the façade of the 14th century manor house and the surrounding area, I knew it was where I wanted to set my sixth novel. I had an idea of setting a modern day murder mystery story in a country hotel, inspired by my love of Agatha Christie. The hotel we stayed in proved to be the inspiration that brought the story to life.”
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