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A review by annrawson
Til Dirt Do Us Part by Edith Maxwell
5.0
I loved this mystery and was several times surprised, and several times my suspicions were confirmed, but I promise there are no spoilers in the review!
Although I am more of a psychological thriller fan, I do also love cosy (cozy? across the Atlantic) mysteries, going back to my childhood love of the Miss Marple stories. A good cosy mystery does in fact hinge on pretty much the same intersection of character and community as a psychological thriller, when you think about it. It's all about what is rippling beneath the surface of an apparently placid exterior.
The main character here is Cam Flaherty, a farmer, who used to be in software. As someone with related experience I guessed a connection when I saw the name of the farm, Produce Plus Plus - and was rather sad when Cam decided to change it during the course of the novel.
Her change of direction in life makes her an interesting character and one many of us can empathise with, as she is adjusting to a new way of life. Finding out about new subjects is one of the pleasures of reading mysteries, and Edith's knowledge of farming life was evident throughout.
The murder victim had annoyed a lot of people, and so there was no shortage of suspects. I particularly liked that even so she was not one dimensional, but there was a more sympathetic side to her which we found out later. In fact all the main characters have depth and complexity, and that was especially interesting when it came to Cam's personal life. Another reason I want to know what happens in the next book.
I was lucky enough to win an early copy of this one in Edith's prize draw on Facebook, and I devoured it as soon as it arrived. The novel is beautifully written and very readable. The first thing I did afterwards was order the first novel in the series, because I now want to catch up with the backstory.
Although I am more of a psychological thriller fan, I do also love cosy (cozy? across the Atlantic) mysteries, going back to my childhood love of the Miss Marple stories. A good cosy mystery does in fact hinge on pretty much the same intersection of character and community as a psychological thriller, when you think about it. It's all about what is rippling beneath the surface of an apparently placid exterior.
The main character here is Cam Flaherty, a farmer, who used to be in software. As someone with related experience I guessed a connection when I saw the name of the farm, Produce Plus Plus - and was rather sad when Cam decided to change it during the course of the novel.
Her change of direction in life makes her an interesting character and one many of us can empathise with, as she is adjusting to a new way of life. Finding out about new subjects is one of the pleasures of reading mysteries, and Edith's knowledge of farming life was evident throughout.
The murder victim had annoyed a lot of people, and so there was no shortage of suspects. I particularly liked that even so she was not one dimensional, but there was a more sympathetic side to her which we found out later. In fact all the main characters have depth and complexity, and that was especially interesting when it came to Cam's personal life. Another reason I want to know what happens in the next book.
I was lucky enough to win an early copy of this one in Edith's prize draw on Facebook, and I devoured it as soon as it arrived. The novel is beautifully written and very readable. The first thing I did afterwards was order the first novel in the series, because I now want to catch up with the backstory.