Jane Bettany takes readers back to the quaint English village of Merrywell in her charming second Violet Brewster mystery.
Merrywell is abuzz: the town is readying for its first literary festival, and bestselling author Leonie Stanwick has agreed to appear as the marquee speaker. A successful romance writer, Leonie was born and raised in Merrywell but left shortly after she turned 18.
Former journalist Violet Brewster interviews Leonie in front of a sold-out audience to kick off the festival. But when Violet discovers a woman’s body just hours later, she realizes Leonie’s return may have stirred up dangerous memories among the Merrywell residents. Violet quietly launches her own investigation, refusing to let someone get away with murder.
Bettany’s pacing is truly perfect in Murder at the Book Festival. This cozy mystery moves fast but still hits all the right notes with unerring precision, revealing clues and surprises at ideal moments. Bettany offers up a slew of convincing suspects—Was the murder committed by a scorned family member or former friend? Jilted lover or aggrieved employee?—to keep readers guessing. The book festival provides an interesting backdrop to murder, as there’s a lot at stake for the event organizers and local businesses. Plus, it offers a large pool of suspects: All the attendees are potential killers.
Violet is an engaging heroine, too. She’s smart, compassionate and deeply relatable, especially when balancing the attention of her just-returned ex-husband and her new love interest, Matthew. Violet cares about her new home of Merrywell, and her burgeoning relationships with Matthew and Leonie are a high point of the novel.
Murder at the Book Festival is a fun, fast-paced mystery with lots for readers to enjoy.
