Reviews

The Shadow of Death by Jane Willan

pugmomsbookblog's review

5.0

Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot ever got a chance to work together they wouldn't do better than the mystery solving of team of Sister Agatha and Father Swelwyn! I thought the setting was unique and I enjoyed getting to know all of the quirky characters at Gwenafwy Abbey. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series!

annarella's review

5.0

A very good mystery, fun to read and entertaining. A good start for a new series.
I enjoyed the plot, the unusual main hereoine, a die-hard mystery fan nun, and the interesting and lovable set of characters.
The books is well written, it hooked me since the beginning and was a real page turner. The different stories are interesting and the settings is very interesting.
Cannot wait to read the next instalment in this series.
Many thanks to Netgally and Crooked Lane.

vesper1931's review

2.0

When a body is discovered at Gwenafwy Abbey, Wales, Sister Agatha decides that it is not an accident and recruits Father Selwyn to find the murderer using information retreived from a podcast on 'How to Write a Mystery Novel' as guidelines in the investigation.
Two stars because I finished it, but it needs to be better proofread.
A NetGalley Book

stephsbookramblings's review

4.0

This book struck me as a cozy mystery I would enjoy and turned out to be a little Louise Penny-like. I used to read A LOT of cozy mysteries but then I got burnt out on them. Over the last year or two I have started reading them again occasionally when one catches my attention...and doesn't have a cat on the cover. Also, I should warn you that I am a bit of an Anglophile so the setting really intrigued me too. :)
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters from Gwenafwy Abbey and found the main characters, Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn, delightful and fun. Sister Agatha is feisty and her mystery writer aspirations made her relatable and was a perfect excuse for her nosiness! I loved that she paid homage to some of her favorite literary detectives that also happen to be mine.
The only thing I can think to complain about is that there is A LOT happening in this book...murders, cheese festivals, confirmations, burglary, sabotage...it was occasionally overwhelming but I did still really enjoy this mystery. I will definitely be looking forward to more in this series. 4/5 stars

http://stephsbookramblings.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-shadow-of-death-by-jane-willan.html

mepitts's review

funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I enjoyed this book. I liked the Welsh and religious setting and the writing was pretty good although it was clear the author was early in the process of sketching out some of the characters in this new series. A little bone to pick: either the nuns can be outraged at calls for increased stewardship OR they can operate in the red and spend funds on “mystery writing” degrees, but they can’t do both. That said—I enjoyed this book and will be reading more in the series. 

skey1952's review

lighthearted mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

ajewel4books's review

4.0

This really was a fun refreshing good-hearted read. Not my normal genre. It has been sitting in my tbr cart for months now. I knew I needed to read a cozy mystery for my bookclub poster so I finally picked this up. I really enjoyed this. The modern day Abby. The nuns were great. The village was sweet and the story was good fun. I really enjoyed it.