(Julia Bird Mysteries Book 3)
ASIN : B0BD5Y4QSQ. ISBN 13: 9781803148984
27th January 2023
About:
Julia Bird can’t wait to attend the annual village party at the local stately home, with its tea tents, cake stalls, and… dead body in the maze?
The annual village celebration at Berrywick House is underway, complete with over-decorated cake stalls, fiercely contested flower competitions, and even a maze for the disappointed losers to hide in. Julia Bird, now a well-known – even notorious – member of the community, with her trusty Labrador Jake, has thrown herself headlong into the festivities. But her reputation for adding drama to any event stands up yet again when she discovers a dead body in the maze…
It seems Ursula Benjamin, village know-it-all and prickly baking competition participant, has been strangled – and the killer has to be someone at the fete. As Julia grapples with finding yet another murder in Berrywick, she starts to wonder, could one of the competitive cake-bakers have taken the contest to deadly new heights? Or is there something darker in Ursula’s life that led to her untimely demise?
Embroiled once again in a murder enquiry, Julia isn’t about to leave the investigation to the police. Like it or not, she’s involved, and she’s going to help them solve the mystery. But when there’s another death, and it’s clear the murders aren’t isolated incidents, the stakes become even higher. Can Julia figure out the identity of the killer, and prevent any further dastardly deeds, before the wholesome spirit of the village is ruined forever?
Review:
Thank you to Netgalley and Katie Gayle for allowing me an advance copy of this book.
Coming into this series at Book 3, and having never read any of Katie Gayles books before I was hoping I could follow the story without the need to have read previous books.
This is a feel good easy read, the story holds your attention and it is easy to read as a standalone without knowing the background to Julia Bird.
Julia is a 60+ busy body, who really as connotations to be modern day Miss Marple. Her trusty partner and likeable local doctor Sean keeps her grounded and offers logical reasons why she shouldn’t interfere, these often fall on deaf ears.
Heavily involved in local activities Julia is a blundering baker who is often distracted by her puppy Jake’s antics which results in burnt offerings. But she is determined to produce a cake for the local fete.
During the village fete Sean and Julia deliver her cake to the stall and decide to take a walk through a maze, successfully getting lost. Jake takes matters into his own hands and take off turning left and right with Julia and Sean hot on its heels until they reach the centre where they discover a body.
DI Hayley Gibson is brought into investigate but her patience is tested to the limit when Julia decides to help solve the village mystery often with Julia implying she is in the area when she questions people, this leaves DI Gibson with information that whilst useful could also comprise her investigation. But Katie as implied successfully in her writing, the two have a good friendship whilst maintaining a manageable distance to avoid over familiarity.
Julia, Sean and Jake are a likeable trio and I look forward to reading more of Katie Gayles books.
