Sunday, January 29, 2017

Murder on the Moor by Julianna Deering

I grew up reading mysteries from Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers. Reading this mystery series by Deering is like coming home again. The dialog, the setting, the mystery, and the characters are crafted with precision. What a treat.

Drew Farthering (who reminds me of Lord Peter Wimsey) has been asked by an old classmate to help solve a mystery. Mysterious activities have been happening on his estate, culminating in the murder of the village vicar. Drew and his wife travel to the Yorkshire moors. Fathering sets out to identify the murderer, but all too soon there is another murder and impending danger.

I love the setting of 1930s England. Deering has paid particular attention to detail with regards to the landscape, the dwellings, the cars, etc. Parts of this novel have hints of Sherlock Homes embedded in it too. That was fun. The characters are well developed. Deering has done a great job crafting distinct individuals, some a bit quirky. It was interesting to see Drew eat a little crow in this novel – signs of a maturing man. But my favorite part of the novel by far is the dialog. The repartee between Drew and his wife is delightful.

I highly recommend this novel and the entire series to readers who enjoy historical mysteries set in pre-WW II England. I am looking forward to the next adventure from this author.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Juliana Deering is the pen name of the novelist DeAnna Julie Dodson. She lives north of Dallas. You can find out more at http://juliannadeering.com/.

Bethany House, 336 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

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