A celebrity much married American adventurer who traveled the world and a quiet English woman living in a small village should have nothing in common but in this mystery they team up as very resourceful private investigators. How this all comes together means you need to read the book but it all goes to show that anything can happen! This is the 2nd novel in this series and builds on the prior success the duo shared in solving a complex mystery which gained them a local reputation as clever investigators.
Set in post WWI England, a bleak and hard time in the countryside, the pair are looking to find some funds and get roped into looking into the disappearance of a member of the local pigeon club by the local vicar who offers to pay for their services out of the club’s funds so the club can avoid scandal. Apparently in the 1920’s pigeon racing was a popular sport and clubs competed for prizes and the competitions led to betting that led to problems.
A secondary plot involves the neighboring town’s coal mine and the rising socialist sentiment of its workers who understandably dread their dangerous job and are agitating to force the mine owner to make needed safety improvements.
To further complicate the plot there is also a jewelry robbery which Beryl the brash and confident American, and Edwina the quiet but clever English village resident, are asked to investigate by the mine owner’s unhappy wife. The robbery is part of a secret romance or is it romances? This too will be revealed.
The investigation involves the landlady of a boarding house and her boarders, the coal miners and the mine’s owner and his secretary and shop owners and clerks. Beryl’s old friend an Australian reporter helps out as he looks to start a new career in England and proves to be very useful.
The series is interesting because it takes place at a time when the traditional social roles and attitudes still prevail but especially in Edwina the gradual erosion of the never before questioned traditions makes for interesting character development that crystallize the changes happening in English culture in the early 1920s all as a result of the Great War. The politics of the coal miners and the plots to organize and radicalize the miners add to the 1920’s color and make history more vivid and immediate but in a natural manner. Since this is in England, class differences matter and are part of the modernizing winds in 1920s village life, though Beryl as an American doesn’t pay attention to them but they still matter to Edwina.
I recommend the book if you enjoy historical mysteries with a modern sensibility. The characters are likeable and the dialog is great, very quick and pointed. The schemes and the methods Beryl and Edwina use to find their way in their investigations are so believable, they are amateurs learning as they go and they show that a little bit of luck and a lot of ingenuity and daring makes all the difference to their success.
Plot: ***
Characters: ****
Setting: ****
Romance: **
Humor: ***
Social themes: ***
I love the Jessica Ellicott books! I’m just reading Book 2 of the series and hope to read many more.
They are entertaining and have great plots, thanks for your feedback!
Great review and makes me want to read the book! New author for me.