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Beryl
Helliwell is a woman ahead of her time. She travels alone,
is daring, and is also a fast driver. She’s living with
her school chum Edwina Davenport in the small village of Walmsley
Parva, where she is in trouble with the law for reckless driving.
When she has her day in court the magistrate, Gordon Faraway,
is taken with Beryl’s charm. He rules that after court
ends for the day she will drive him home in order to prove
her driving skills to him. Beryl counters that she will need
a witness and recruits the legal advisor to the court, Charles
Jarvis, to serve as such.
Days later, Beryl and Edwina pay a visit to the magistrate
to discuss Declan O’Shea, the young Irish man who has
been recently employed to help with the garden at The Beeches,
home to Edwina and her guest, Beryl. To their surprise, the
magistrate has been murdered.
There has been a series of robberies in town, including some
census reports and the ladies set out to find the truth about
whether the magistrate’s murder was a result of the
thefts or of something else.
I’ve read previous books in this series and found them
to be such a nice reprieve from the modern world. I adore
Beryl and Edwina and although things in Walmsley Parva are
far from ideal, they appeal to my wish for a more peaceful
time and place.
As Beryl and Edwina conduct their private enquiries, there
are enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. A
visit to Walmsley Parva after World War I once again proves
to be a most enjoyable time. Time well spent reading a good
book—I highly recommend you get your copy today!
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