Old Dorothy Pengelly
is a good friend of Rose Trevelyan’s. She lives alone
in a rather isolated location but has a son nearby who often
visits her. But then Rose finds her dead, lying on the floor
beside her distraught son; has she had a heart attack? Then
the police discover that she has committed suicide, a verdict
Rose finds hard to believe. Once again she decides to try
and find out what really happened.
There is as much about Rose’s personal life and the
lives of several other characters as there is about the mystery
in this novel. Rose is coming to terms with the death of her
beloved husband, but does she really want to be in a new relationship?
Would she prefer to rediscover herself as an artist and leave
the photography behind? There is also a lot in this book about
the nature of bereavement, focusing on several characters
that have recently lost loved ones and how they cope. This
makes the story less of a “puzzle” whodunit where
the focus is firmly on finding the killer and more of a book
about the trials of life. Dorothy’s death is not just
an enigma to solve but a real event that has left a gap in
people’s lives. As with the first book this is a simple,
linear mystery but one that seems to be a realistic part of
the characters’ lives rather than a staged riddle to
unravel. As the book ends the reader is left wondering what
will happen next to Rose and her friends, a good way to end.
I will certainly want to find out.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Snapped
In Cornwall #1
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