‘A Body in the Village Hall’ by Dee Macdonald

Published by Bookouture,
24 June 2020.
ISBN: 978-1-83888206-8 (PB)

Kate Palmer has moved from West London to Lavender Cottage in Lower Tinworthy in Cornwall with her sister Angie. Apart from the memories of their many idyllic childhood holidays in Cornwall, Kate is hoping that it will give Angie some rehabilitations from the demon drink.  In particular gin. 

Sitting in the Woman’s’ Institute meeting she had hoped that Angie might become interested in the many clubs advertised. However, Angie is fiddling with her phone and ignoring the speaker. Until a piercing scream erupts from the kitchen at the back of the village hall. 

Investigation reveals Fenella Barker-Jones lying on the floor in a pool of blood, with a large knife sticking out of her chest. Kate, a practice nurse at the local medical centre takes charge and calls the police. Detective Inspector Forrest (Woody) she learns is nearing retirement and is determined to crack his last case. He also has kindly brown eyes and a trace of an American accent. 

As Kate gets to know the people of Lower Tinsworthy she quickly becomes aware that Fenella was at the centre of village activity, and there seem to be plenty of people who had reason to dislike her. But did any of them hate her enough to kill her? 

As Woody gets stuck into the case, Kate decides to help with some investigations of her own. She starts to make a list of those present at the meeting and where they were at the time of the killing.  Although she thinks that her personal investigation will not be noticed, she awakes one morning to find a warning note on her pillow. 

Will Kate find out who the killer is before she becomes the next victim? 

This is the first in a series featuring Kate Palmer, and I am delighted to see that there are currently seven books in this series. I have just purchased the second one and can’t wait to get started. 

An intriguing mystery, with some great characters. Highley recommended.
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Reviewer: Lizzie Sirett 

Dee MacDonald left Scotland and headed for London at the beginning of the swinging sixties. For eight years she was an air stewardess on long haul routes with BA (then BOAC). After that she did market research at Heathrow for both the government statistics and for BA. She became a sales rep and was the receptionist at the Thames Television Studios in Teddington. She then ran a small B&B for ten years in Cornwall, where she now lives with her husband. Dee has now written seventeen novels.