annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Missing Red Carpet Mystery is the fourth Supermarket village cozy mystery by Rachel Ward. Released 28th Nov 2023 by Joffe Books, it's 254 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The first books in the series are also currently available on KU.
This is a well plotted quintessentially British village mystery. It's full of quirky characters and village charm. The story is lighthearted and flows well, and in good cozy fashion, the language is clean and the violence occurs off-page.
Although it's the fourth book in the series, the mystery is self contained and the author is adept enough at providing the necessary character backstory, that it works perfectly well as a standalone. The story, climax, denouement, and resolution are all satisfying and cleverly wrought.
Four stars. It would make a good choice for public library acquisition, as well as for mystery book club selection, and for fans of classic British mystery. Quite well written.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes