A review by snazzybooks
Murder By Candlelight by Faith Martin

adventurous mysterious relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

If you’re in the mood for a cosy murder mystery, with plenty of humour and likeable characters, then Murder by Candlelight is a good choice! The book transports us to the Cotswold, where reluctant ‘author’ Arbie and his sort-of-friend Val are asked to help a local woman who is worried that her home, the Old Forge, is haunted. Soon, ghosts aren’t the problem – murder is…

I liked the characters in this book. Arbie is great fun, as is his friend Val, and their interactions together were very entertaining. I also warmed to the cast of characters around them, many of which were also fun to read about – though I did feel Arbie said ‘old bean’ a bit too much!

I found the story a bit slow to get going, as it took a while for the titular murder to take place. The solution, when it came, felt well-constructed and easy to follow – I just felt that the middle chunk of the book dragged a little, and I started to lose interest. However, it really picks up again towards the end, when the solution is revealed (it was clearly explained and felt cleverly constructed – often the solutions can feel a bit of a letdown, but not this one!). I enjoyed reading about Arbie, Val and the local police force trying to piece together the clues to work out who the culprit was. Together with the great characters, this made Murder by Candlelight a book that’s well worth a read.