Death at Dovecote Hatch

Florence is going away for a week to stay with her cousin. George will miss her but he knows how well she and her cousin get along. He hopes she has a good time. When she notices a woman look like she's going to jump in front of the train, she gets concerned. When the woman steps back, she breathes a sigh of relief. However, when she gets off the train at her stop, she sees the woman again. She's gone in a flash. Florence tries to put her out of her mind, but then she hears on the news that a woman has been run over by a bus. She's afraid it's the same lady...

Severn House Publishers and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published July 1st, so that gives you enough time to read the first book in the Florence Norris series if you haven't yet. They're both very good reads.

Ms. Cannell can create intrigue where there isn't any and is very good at turning up rocks and seeing what crawls out from under them.

When Kenneth Tenneson is found at the bottom of his stairs dead from the fall, it's determined to be an accidental death. Florence isn't sure about that, but suspicion is nothing without proof. She goes out of town without actively worrying about it. But when the superintendent of the police district shows up in George's bar, he knows the game is afoot. Too bad Florence is away.

This is a very convoluted tale that sounds far from the truth. However, people with money have been manipulating people without for years. It could be plausible. Especially since some of the people involved are quite nasty. I found it interesting and unusual, which I like.

Florence is very diplomatic and helps smooth over any hurt feelings she finds. She also watches over all her friends. She's also the one who finally gets to the end of this tale that began years ago. Now if she'd just marry George...

I liked this second story in the Florence Norris Mystery series better than Murder at Mullings because I got the full effect of the novel taking place in 1932. Reading historical mysteries is a pleasure for me, but I want to really feel the time period and this novel gave that to me. This story takes up just a few months after the murder involving the Stodmarsh family and their ancestral home of Mullings with the return of the well developed characters from that first novel. If you missed reading Murder at Mullings you can easily begin the series here, but be aware that there are many references to incidents and relationships covered in that first novel.

Florence Norris is housekeeper at Mullings and this story opens with George Bird, owner of the Dog and Whistle pub, seeing her off at the railway station for a week long holiday in London with her cousin Hattie Fly. Just as the train pulled into the station Florence had the strongest impression the only other person on the platform, a woman, was thinking about throwing herself in front of the train. Nothing happened, though, and both women boarded the train for London. From this incident Florence found herself investigating a secret in the village which lead to death and possible insanity.

At a very early spot in this story the author put in a plot device which blew my preconceived notion of where the story was leading all to bits. What a nice shock that turned out to be because it made this story take on a more original aspect than I've encountered in many years of reading mystery novels. Once again the characters of Dovecote Hatch are exceptionally well presented and the resolution of the questions being investigated make perfect sense. I really am looking forward to reading future novels in this series.

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

I have been a fan of Dorothy Cannell for a number of years. I remember reading my first book of hers and laughing at the title “How to Murder Your Mother-In-Law” and then scrambling to read the earlier books in the Ellie Haskell series. I lost track of her writing over the last few years, so when I was given the opportunity to read “Death at Dovecote Hatch” I was thrilled to find her once again.

I didn't realize this book was the second in a series until I started reading it. There are many references to a murder at Mullings but the writer wisely did not give away the ending of the previous book. That will be it much easier for me to go back and read it and enjoy it. On the other hand, it was very easy to read the second book as a stand-alone book as Ms. Cannell fleshed her characters and their situations out very well in this story.

It is quite different from the Ellie Haskell series, but enjoyable in a completely different way. The story is set in the 1930's in a smallish town in England. The class system is very much in evidence, from the Lord of the manor (Mullings) to the kitchen maids of Bogmire house.

Each of the characters stay true to type, with the exception of our sleuth Florence Norris. That is not to say that she doesn't know her place and is happy with it, rather she is a trifle more educated than one might image (perhaps this is explained in the first book in the series.) She has a real knack of observation and putting two and two together. She has earned the trust and respect of local police Inspector who asks for her assistance in solving what may have been a crime.

The story is a quick read but is not a fast-paced story. The story reveals itself slowly through the dialog between the inhabitants of the town with a few side trips. As a reader, you get to hear the characters start to work out maybes and what ifs until they come across the truth. The ending certainly had clues throughout the book but wasn't exactly what I was expecting, so I had some surprise at the end.

I liked the book and want to read the previous one and continue with the series. It is very different from what I expected but I love a good cozy English mystery (both in book form and via British television mystery series.) I recommend it to others who also enjoy the same.

I received a copy of this book from Severn House Publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.