The Winter Mystery

Author – Faith Martin

Publisher – Joffe Books

Date – 2018

Stars – 3/5

Review

I was scouring Kindle Prime for something to read one night and with such a wealth of material it is very difficult to choose.  I’m sure many have been in the same situation before.  I wanted something gripping and something that would keep me guessing.  I’m keen on detective literature of course and when “The Winter Mystery” thumbnail presented itself, I was intrigued.  Given it was late December, I thought this Christmas crime thriller would do me just right.  Having never read anything by Faith Martin before, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The story follows Jenny Starling who is employed to work over the Christmas period at the Kelton’s farm.  This is the second book in the Starling series and it appears that she is somewhat of an amateur detective, having assisted on a previous murder case.  In this story, she finds the man of the house murdered in the kitchen with a knife in his chest.  Suspicion is immediately thrown over the entire family and it is Starling’s prerogative to solve the mystery whilst the police also make enquiries.  She is the natural suspect for the family being an outsider but it is clear from the outset that the story is more complex.

This is a good story and there is a plot twist (albeit rather predictable by the time you get to it) which makes for some fair suspense.  Unfortunately, I found it a bit difficult to really get behind Starling as a main character.  I’m not completely sure why and I acknowledge my opinion may not be shared by others.  She does hold back some essential points so that she can have a big reveal at the end but it was just a little disappointing for me.  There is something quite Agatha Christie about it though and I find the locked-room whodunnit quite endearing.   Well-written and kept my attention during the festive period.  I’m sure I will be reading some more Faith Martin.  I actually believe “The Winter Mystery” is a reprint of “A Fatal Fall of Snow” which the author wrote under pen name Joyce Cato.