Smoke and Murders - J L Blackhurst

Description

COMING SOON – PRE-ORDER NOW The follow-up to Three Card Murder and the second book in a gripping new mystery series introducing Detective Tess Fox and her con-artist sister Sarah Jacobs.

Members of the Lewes Bonfire Society would say afterwards that the event would have been a huge success that year, if it hadn’t been for the dead body…

When the charred remains of MP Rupert Millington are found inside a burning effigy, no one knows how they got there, but there are plenty of rumours about whodunnit.

The lead suspect wants Detective Tess Fox and her con-artist sister Sarah Jacobs to help clear her name. She says she's being framed, but surely there is no smoke without fire.

The heat is on when a second victim is killed in a locked room while Tess and Sarah are in the building. Can the duo solve this puzzling mystery and find the real killer before they strike again?

Review

We are back with the two sisters Tess (police officer) and Sarah (con artist) from the previous book. I don't think you will get much out of this book if you don't read the previous book first. There are so many references which you won't understand otherwise.

Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, even though a lot of it was far fetched, I found this one a little harder to get into. I also found it too incredible how much time Sarah spent with her sister Tess whilst she was investigating an official police matter. There was the humour which was good and the banter between the sisters was also great fun. Some of the other characters read like they were caricatures and I got Midsomer Murder vibes more than once.

It was quite the tangled web that was woven between the characters in the village and more than once I got confused who was who, but then that seemed to be the order of the day with this story. It was this that made me decide whilst reading this book that I would not read a follow on, if there was to be one. Then I got to the last page and that all changed. What a cliff hanger is all I am going to say... I need book 3!

I'm giving this book 3 out of stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC and HQStories for the invite to read this book. It will be published on 12 September 2024.

Comments

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