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This
Christmas the Frog End Players are not going to be putting
on a pantomime; instead they are doing a play based on The
Snow Queen. Trouble is, in a village mostly inhabited by pensioners,
who is going to play the beautiful titular character? It looks
as though the only suitable candidate is newcomer and ex-model
Joan Dryden. But trouble is in store at a party for the cast.…
This is the fifth in the Village Mysteries series and I hadn't
read any of the previous titles. Part of the pleasure of reading
a series is catching up with the characters, and often this
gives as much enjoyment as the actual plot. As this is a cozy
set in a quintessential English village, it is consequently
very character led, with a simple linear story that doesn't
exactly take a back seat but is certainly secondary to the
doings of the various villagers. The Colonel mysteriously
does woodwork in his shed; the Major is hen pecked by the
redoubtable Marjorie and the essential nosy spinster looks
on through a pair of binoculars. People make plans for Christmas
and get offered gardening advice, and it all happens in a
scant 160 pages. If you enjoy a laid back, gentle tale of
modern village life then you will like this.
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