Reviewed by annieb123 on
Murder on the Pier is the second Flora Steele storefront historical cozy by Merryn Allingham. Released 10th Nov 2021, it's 201 pages and is available in paperback, audio, 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. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free (along with the rest of the series).
This is a light British cozy featuring a female protagonist and her Watson, a local reclusive crime writer of some renown. This one ticked a lot of boxes for me. It's capably written with intelligent and appealing protagonists. The story is satisfyingly twisty with numerous disparate plot threads intertwining ever closer into a satisfying denouement and resolution. It never drags, so although simple, it's an enjoyable and engaging read. There is no bad language or triggering content. It has a nice historical nostalgic and safe vibe and was a relaxing and fun read.
Four stars. Fans of the genre will find a lot to like here. With four books extant and a 5th due out in the 4th quarter 2022, it also makes a good candidate for a weekend binge read. The mystery and resolution are self contained and the necessary back-story is written into the story so readers won't have any trouble following along with the plot if they hop in here.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 17 July, 2022: Reviewed