Review: Murder by Firelight

Murder by Firelight by Merryn Allingham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Flora and Jack are living in Lewes several days a week while he is lecturing at the college, but Flora is keen to get back to Abbeymead and her book shop, All's Well' which is being looked after in her absence by her assistant Rose. It's Bonfire Night, a very special night in Lewes where different societies compete to build effigies of current or historical characters which they place on top of floats and parade around the town before setting them alight.

However, this Bonfire Night in 1959 one of the people standing and waving on top of the floats suddenly falls off right in front of Flora and Jack, as they struggle to help him Jack discovers that the victim, Trevor French, is bleeding heavily and may have been stabbed. When Mr French dies in hospital Flora tries to distance them from the investigation. but Jack feels a certain responsibility, especially when he discovers that his friend Detective Inspector Alan Ridley is on leave and his replacement seems determined to arrest Jack's neighbour Leo Nelson, who is renting Jack's old cottage.

I have read the first two books in this series and found them pleasant, cosy, historical mysteries, I may have complained about the pair's detection being more following up notions and jumping to conclusions previously and there is some of that here, although they do both acknowledge that they got everything wrong this time. Also, last time I complained about Flora racing in to find evidence at a suspect's house and putting herself in danger - this time it's Jack who does something stupid!

Anyway, an enjoyable mystery set in a part of the world I know quite well.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.


View all my reviews