Review and Giveaway: Suspicion at Seven

Suspicion at Seven (Lois Meade - Book 14) by Ann Purser

Publication Date: 12/02/2014
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304
ISBN-10: 0425261786
ISBN-13: 978-0425261781

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indiebound, itunes

Ann Purser on the WEB: website, facebook, goodreads

Books in the series: 

Lois Meade

  1. Murder on Monday
  2. Terror on Tuesday
  3. Weeping on Wednesday
  4. Theft on Thursday
  5. Fear on Friday
  6. Secrets on Saturday
  7. Sorrow on Sunday
  8. Warning at One
  9. Tragedy at Two
10. Threats at Three
11. Foul Play at Four
12. Found Guilty at Five
13. Scandal at Six
14. Suspicion at Seven

Coverart: Click the Image for a larger, clearer view of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from, Suspicion at Seven, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature.

Synopsis:

Lois Meade has done enough buffing and polishing over the years with her cleaning business, New Brooms, to know that all that glitters is not gold. So when a bag of costume jewellery is the main clue in a murder, she has a strong suspicion that appearances may be deceiving… 

After a woman is discovered in the Mill House Hotel, strangled with a silver necklace beside a bag filled with faux silver, gold and pearls, costume jewelry dealer Donald Black seems like the obvious suspect. But Lois knows Donald's wife, who runs a baker’s shop near the hotel, and can’t believe her husband could be a killer. Plus, Donald has an airtight alibi.

Nevertheless, Donald is no angel. It appears he’s running a pyramid scheme, and Lois’s mother is getting sucked in. Could the murder have anything to do with his unscrupulous business practices?

As Inspector Cowgill and Lois hope the bling may shine a light on the killer, the discovery of a second body on the old waterwheel in the hotel may be grist for the mill in solving the murder—if they can manage to catch the culprit without getting the runaround.

Thoughts:

Ann Purser brings readers the fourteenth book in her Lois Meade mystery series, Suspicion at Seven. Readers who enjoy a book with a leisurely pace and a quaint English setting will love this village style cozy. With everything from an authentic mill turned hotel to murder by necklace, this is a book that will tantalize the senses and get the readers mind going in a million different directions. A great entry in a long-running series!

What I liked:

I have read and reviewed several of Ann Purser's, Ivy Beasley books, but this was my first Lois Meade novel. One of the things that I have always loved about Purser's writing is that it is very different from most cozies. This is mostly due to the English setting. It just gives a different feel to stories, that makes them seem more laid back even though they do involve murder. The Lois Meade books also carry on that theme and have that English feel to them. I enjoyed the whole shift in attitude and demeanor about the books. The English are always so proper even when investigating a murder.

Lois is the proud owner of her own cleaning business and fourteen books into the series, she still finding plenty of messes to clean up. I liked her no nonsense attitude and her curiosity. She just seemed like on of those little ladies like Miss Marple that couldn't seem to keep her nose out of the local business. She was proper and buttoned up a bit but it seemed natural to the story and was not off putting. She seemed very level headed and went about the investigation along with the help of the local detectives. She pushed a few boundaries and asked the questions others didn't even think about. I found her refreshing to read and very different from most cozy heroines.

The mystery itself was really very interesting. I loved the setting of the old mill, turned hotel. I have always thought the old mills were beautiful. I know they have more of them in England, but there are still a few around here as well. I thought it was brilliant idea for the setting and Purser used it well. I read a lot cozies and I've read about murders being performed with everything from poison to ice picks, but murder by necklace was new to me. I liked the way both murders turn up and the way Lois puts everything all together. It was a little predictable in spots, but overall I had a hard time pinning down the murderer and that's a good thing!

Bottom Line:

For my first book in the series, number fourteen was very enjoyable. I loved the English village setting and the resourceful and inquisitive heroine. I liked learning as much about Lois and her family and the town where they lived as I did about the murder itself. There were plenty of suspects and not an easy mystery to unravel. I felt completely clued in and didn't need to have read all thirteen other books in the series to enjoy this one. A great addition to the series!

Suspicion at Seven is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

About the Author:

Ann Purser was born in Market Harborough in Leicestershire and has lived most of her life in villages. She has turned her hand to many things, including journalism (as a columnist for SHEmagazine), keeper of hens and donkeys, art gallery owner, clerical assistant in a village school, Open University graduate, novelist, mother of three, wife of Philip Purser, critic and writer. She is an avid reader of detective stories.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Suspicion at Seven by Ann Purser.

~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, December 22nd.

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