At the traditional autumn fate, old books’ salesman Gavin Hall is found dead on the Westershall estate woodlands pierced with his newly purchased sword. Antique shop owner Juno Browne finds the body and soon uncovers the victim’s secret and gets too close to some very dangerous people and activity.
Dead on Dartmoor is the second book in The Devon Mysteries series by Stephanie Austin, published by Allison & Busby. The story is set in present day tourist town Ashburton close to Dartmoor. We get to follow Juno Brown as she takes part in the traditional autumn fate on Westershall estate when old books’ salesman Gavin is found dead. There seems to be a cover-up going on at the estate and also ties to environmental interests trying to protect an endangered species of bats living in the caves of the estate.
Main character Juno Browne is the owner of local dog walking -and domestic help business. She seems reminds me of a Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple as she seems a magnet for dead bodies. I find her courageous and impressive. When she gets close to danger, she does not back down.
Supporting characters Ricky and Morris are the kind and generous, slightly eccentric gay couple running the costume design business Sauce and Slander. They have an amusing interaction among themselves and with others and seem the kind of friends one could wish for. They were my favorite characters of this story.
Dead on Dartmoor is a quick and entertaining read about country living with entertaining dialogue which reminds me of the Chick Lit genre, only this plot has a creepy vibe. I found the characters of this story very entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the suspicious ones, and the dialogue during the less intense parts of the story was light hearted and amusing.
My favorite part of this story was the great descriptions of local nature and scenery around Ashburton. I really enjoyed the parts describing English village life where neighbors and friends enjoyed each other’s company in their day to day living and were helping and supporting each other through tough times.
The least favorite part I found was the heart breaking descriptions of Oliver Knollys’ life. He had managed to stay under the radar of social services for a year. I felt so sorry for really talented and intelligent Olly who was living on his own for a year following his great-grandmother death. For fear of being found out he was totally isolating himself.
Conclusion: I read Dead on Dartmoor as a standalone which worked perfectly. It is the quick and entertaining read about village life, an exciting murder investigation and mysterious cover-up on old local estate mining caves. This is the first I have read by this author and I wonder what the next installment in the series will be about. Similar authors to explore might be Lucy Foley or Rebecca Tope.
Thank you to my local library, Kristiansand Folkebibliotek, for providing me with this hardcover edition which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: interesting plot, enjoyable atmosphere, great writing
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