“A Very English Murder” by Verity Bright

I like murder stories and have been a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie’s books since I was a kid. No wonder that my dog is named Sherlock. That is to say that whenever I hear about an interesting crime fiction set in the English countryside, I am tempted. This time I picked up “A Very English Murder” by Verity Bright.

I would not say that I loved this book but it would also not say that I hated it. The story is set in the 1920s in the English countryside where Lady Elly Smith returns from her world travel to inherit the house after her uncle’s death. On the first night in the village, she takes a walk with Gladstone, her uncle’s dog, and witnesses a murder in a quarry. Upon reaching the building, there is no body or signs of murder anymore. After reporting the murder to the police and realizing that it is a futile effort, Elly decides to take care of the investigation by herself along with her butler Clifford.

I liked the ambiance in the book – it was thrilling but also warm and welcoming. The book had enough in it to pull me in and keep on reading until the end but also gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. In that sense, the book was nice.

On the other hand, I found that the book did not really feel like it was taking place in the 1920s. Elly was riding a bike without any make counterpart or a friend in the English countryside all by herself. I am not completely sure that it is historically plausible. Also, the language of the writing seemed like modern slang rather than anything you would hear from that time.

I could not really determine my take on this book but there are a couple more books in this series so I guess I will need to read at least one more to have a more determined opinion.

Here is a funny quote I spotted in the book:

Can you claim that you slept badly if you haven’t slept at all?