A Sukey Reynolds Mystery Book 12
Cream tea, a curious cat… and a rather mysterious murder?
It’s been a quiet few weeks on the crime front in Somerset and Sukey Reynolds is starting to wonder if all the villains have gone on holiday. Although Sukey loves solving crimes, she’s happy to have a bit of extra time to spend with the handsome journalist who lives just around the corner…
But when she is summoned to charming Sycamore House it seems that Sukey has tempted fate. Sitting amongst well-tended grounds bordered by trees, with a view of rolling hills in the distance, this stylish set of apartments is usually home to little more than spirited disagreements between members of the neighbourhood committee. Until the body of Fenella Tremaine, one of their residents, is discovered by the caretaker in the garden…
The police quickly close in on Marcus Ellerman, a neighbour and colleague of Fenella’s, with whom she often crossed swords, both in and out of the office. When his distinctive ornamental dagger is found to be the murder weapon, the case seems closed.
But Sukey has a hunch that the police are barking up the wrong tree and decides to dig deeper into Fenella’s past. Sukey’s investigations turn up an estranged daughter, Fenella’s secret affair with the owner of a local care home, and a neighbour’s cat with a sixth sense for danger. But who is the killer? Can Sukey unmask the true villain of Sycamore House, before any more lives are lost?
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Review
This series grows with each and every new book. The cases are more complex and it makes the books even more interesting.
It all started more like a cozy mystery series with our main character Sukey being a SOCO. She was working for the police but because she was not an officer, her ‘interference’ was that of a citizen and not a member of the force. Now, with her being a PC, the series has been turned into a police procedural. On the one hand this gives Sukey less freedom to follow her own path because she has to follow more rules now, but on the other hand it gives her more insight in the case itself.
I also like the way her personal life has evolved. She has found someone who really values her and is not blowing hot and cold all the time. He supports her and genuinely wants to be with her and be seen with her. No need to hide behind secrets anymore.
One person I like was pushed to the background in this book and I missed them. I missed their input, jokes and the interaction between them and Sukey.
The behaviour of one of the characters made it all clear for me and steered me in the direction of the culprit.
Great story that a thoroughly enjoyed. 5 stars
Thank you
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About the author
Betty Rowlands 1923-2020
Betty Rowlands burst onto the crime scene in her mid sixties by winning the Sunday Express / Veuve Clicquot Crime Short Story of the Year Competition which shows it’s never too late to start writing. Her success continued with her highly acclaimed Melissa Craig mysteries featuring a crime writer who solves mysteries in Gloucestershire. Her second series, The Sukey Reynolds Stories comprise of thirteen books, featuring Sukey Reynolds, a Scenes of Crime Officer who later becomes a detective. She lived in the heart of the Cotswolds, where her Melissa Craig mysteries are set, and then in Bristol which is closer to Sukey Reynolds patch, where she lived until her death on 29 July 2020, just a few months before her 97th birthday. She passed peacefully in the residential home that she called ‘home’. She will be greatly missed by her two surviving children, her four grandchildren, six great grandchildren, other family members, her friends and you, her many readers. The resurgence in interest in her Melissa Craig and Sukey Reynolds books in her last years gave her immense pleasure. She loved to receive emails from her fans knowing that her writing was being so enjoyed. Betty may no longer be with us but Melissa and Sukey are still there solving those mysteries. Keep on reading!
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Book Link
Amazon : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Sycamore-House-gripping-Reynolds-ebook/dp/B07XBMK6QX/
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