Murder at the Allotment
by: Julie Wassmer
A Whitstable Mystery - Book 10
How well do you know your allotment neighbors? Could one of them be a killer?
This is my first read of a Julie Wassmer’s Whitstable Pearl Mystery. I was a little concerned about jumping in at book 10, fearing I would be a little lost not knowing the character backstories. It was not a problem. I was fascinated by the primary character being a restaurant owner and a private investigator, not just a village busybody as so many cozy mystery lead characters are.
There are a LOT of characters and at first it might seem a bit overwhelming but as the story progresses that thought fades away. Detective Mike McGuire, Pearl’s fiancé, is sidelined from the investigation due to a squash injury.
Nearly all of them received complaints from the council, one even has been told they are in jeopardy of losing their plot. An aggressive DFL (down from London) transplant is accused of being behind them, but they deny. When they are found dead at the allotment. So in addition to friends being suspects, Pearl has to deal with a newly promoted DI Hale who has her high on his suspect list along with the other allotment owners. Fingers are pointing to one allotment owner in particular and they are not helping their innocence with their actions as they deal with personal challenges.
Pearl’s thought process and approach to the case had me hooked. The secondary storylines about relationships was very well done. I found I could not tell who the culprit was. I seemed to fall for every false lead and when those were exhausted, I just didn’t know and had to keep going to find out, I just had to know.
The audio was done very well. I want to go back to the start of the series to enjoy the full ride.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to do an early read and share my thoughts on the story.
Happy Reading!
