Title: In Prior's WoodAuthor: G.M. Malliet
Series: Max Tudor #7
Published by: Minotaur Books on Apr. 17, 2018
Genres: Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 281
Format: Hardcover
Source: Minotaur Books
Book Rating: 8/10
Agatha Award-winning author G. M. Malliet has charmed mystery lovers and cozy fans with her critically acclaimed mysteries, and this newest one featuring handsome spy-turned-cleric Max Tudor won’t disappoint.
Newly returned from investigating a murder in Monkslip-super-Mare, handsome Max Tudor wants nothing more than to settle back into his predictable routine as vicar of St. Edwold’s Church in the village of Nether Monkslip. But the flow of his sermon on Bathsheba is interrupted when the lady of the local manor house is found in a suicide pact with her young lover.
Lady Duxter’s husband rallies quickly from the double tragedy―too quickly, it is murmured in the village. Lord Duxter already has offered his manor house to a motley crew of writers, including Max’s wife Awena, for his writers’ retreat, and he insists the show must go on.
When a young girl goes missing and a crime writer becomes a target, DCI Cotton asks Max to lend his MI5 expertise to the investigation.
Many suspects emerge as the scope of the investigation widens beyond the writers to villagers who had crossed swords with the insufferably smug crime author. But Max begins to wonder: was the attack on the writer only part of a broader conspiracy of silence?
Review:
Mysterious, intriguing, and atmospheric!
In this latest novel by Malliet, In Prior’s Wood, we head back to the quaint English village of Nether Monkslip where Max Tudor, the former spy turned clergyman, finds himself once again immersed in a case with DCI Cotton that quickly unravels from a double suicide into an elaborate scheme of deception, lies, infidelity, jealousy, obsession, and murder.
The writing style is descriptive and light. The setting and mood are authentic and vivid. The characters, including the sharp, handsome hero, are well-developed, quirky, and multilayered. And the plot is a well-paced, witty whodunit that has a nice mix of misdirection, clues, suspects, red herrings, solid deduction, and drama.
In Prior’s Wood is the seventh book in the Max Tudor series, and if you love British cozy mysteries, this novel will not disappoint. It is a fun, twisty, easy read that is refreshing and highly entertaining.
This novel is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About G.M. Malliet
G.M. Malliet is the Agatha Award-winning author of the St. Just and Max Tudor mysteries and the standalone suspense novel WEYCOMBE. She lives on the East Coast of the US but all of her books are set in the UK, her home away from home.
She received an M.Phil. degree from the University of Cambridge and did further graduate work at Oxford University. Upon her return to the US, determined to realize her lifelong dream of being a published author, she worked on her short stories and novels for three hours each day, from 4 a.m. until the start of her day job. After the unexpected success of her first book, she left a career writing for corporations like USA Today and PBS to focus full time on her own writing. With five Agatha and three Anthony nominations, she’s also been shortlisted for the Macavity, Left Coast Crime, IPPY, Daphne, David, and Dilys awards. The audio version of her second novel, read by Davina Porter, was a 2014 Anthony nominee.
Her short stories have appeared in several anthologies, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and The Strand. She regards the short story as the most difficult yet satisfying form of writing.
Her series from Macmillan featuring Max Tudor, a former MI5 agent turned vicar of a small English village, debuted in the autumn of 2011. Of the fourth book in the series, Cleveland.com raved: "[Malliet] may be the best mystery author writing in English at the moment (along with Tana French). She's certainly the most entertaining."
Her dark standalone mystery WEYCOMBE appeared in October 2017. The author is donating part of the proceeds from that book to the American Red Cross to aid the victims of Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters.
She is represented by the Vicky Bijur Literary Agency.
Photograph by Joe Henson.