Murder by the Minster: Discover the most gripping cozy mystery series of 2020 (The Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mysteries)

by Helen Cox

A BRAND NEW COSY MYSTERY SERIES SET IN THE PICTURESQUE CITY OF YORK. FOR FANS OF FAITH MARTIN, BETTY ROWLANDS AND LJ ROSS.

Meet Kitt Hartley: librarian, trilby-wearer, taker of no nonsense... detective?

It's a perfectly normal day for Kitt Hartley at her job at the University of the Vale of York library, until Detective Inspector Halloran arrives at her desk to tell her that her best friend, Evie Bowes, is under suspicion of murder. Evie's ex-boyfriend Owen has been found dead - with a fountain pen stabbed through his heart - and all the evidence points to her.

Kitt knows there is no way Evie could murder anyone - let alone Owen, who she adored. Horrified that the police could have got it so wrong, Kitt decides there's only one thing to do: she's going to investigate Owen's murder herself. She's read hundreds of mystery novels - how hard can it be?

With the help of her assistant Grace, and the occasional hindrance of the library's eccentric regulars, Kitt summons up all her investigative powers (absorbed over years of reading everything from Agatha Christie to Ian Rankin) and gets to work.

She soon discovers that down the quaint streets and snickelways of York lie darker doings than she'd ever dreamed, but she needs to watch her step: the murderer is watching her. And they haven't finished killing yet...

• ISBN10: 1529402212
• ISBN13: 9781529402216
• Publish Date: 1 July 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 25 May 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Quercus Publishing
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

I'm not really sure if I liked this or hated it. It was overly long. About 30% I felt myself lose interest. I gained it back for a while but the latter half of the book focused too much on the romance and abandoned the actual plot.

I liked the mystery, I loved the literary references - I just wish there were more of them - and there were some good quips. The library setting was nice and Cabbage guy apologising for being a dick was a nice touch.

The romance was lacklustre - Kitt and Mal had a connection from the start and frankly it felt off. It never made any sense and I didn't particularly understand why either of them liked each other. It was just a really odd dynamic. I liked Grace but I never really connected with any of the characters. There was a lot of potential but the plot needs to be reworked and the romance reconsidered. I don't know yet whether I will bother reading the rest of the series. 2 stars.

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Murder by the Minster is the first book in a new cosy mystery series by Helen Cox. Due out 1st July from Quercus, it's 374 pages and will be available in ebook format.

I generally love cosies with bonus points for librarians, England, university/academia. This book checked all the boxes, really. I wasn't familiar with the author previously, but the cover and the premise caught my eye. I'm glad I gave it a try because it is engagingly written and the author is adept with the technical aspects of story arc and tension as well as 'showing, not telling' (no info dumping).

There's a lot to like about this book. It flows at a pretty good pace, the author has a fair ear for dialogue, and there are several disparate plot threads well interwoven (even a foreshadowed potential romance). What didn't gel for me is the utter incompetence of the local constabulary and their seeming willingness to go along with a (to them) random amateur interviewing witnesses and precipitating dangerous situations. The cops also detain people seemingly willy-nilly. Some of the dialogue was, to me, a bit clunky and impacted my suspension of disbelief.

I never warmed to main character Kitt, and thought her rather brusque and off-putting. I did like oddball clairvoyant Ruby, perhaps she'll be a continuing character.

All in all it's a well written cosy and a diverting read. It often takes a few books before a series really finds its feet, and I'm certainly willing to let this one do so. (I just hope Kitt lightens up a little bit in future).

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.