Tuesday 30 October 2018

Truth Will Out (Merrychurch Mysteries #1) by K.C. Wells




204 pages
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb

Jonathon de Mountford’s visit to Merrychurch village to stay with his uncle Dominic gets off to a bad start when Dominic fails to appear at the railway station. But when Jonathon finds him dead in his study, apparently as the result of a fall, everything changes. For one thing, Jonathon is the next in line to inherit the manor house. For another, he’s not so sure it was an accident, and with the help of Mike Tattersall, the owner of the village pub, Jonathon sets out to prove his theory—if he can concentrate long enough without getting distracted by the handsome Mike.

They discover an increasingly long list of people who had reason to want Dominic dead. And when events take an unexpected turn, the amateur sleuths are left bewildered. It doesn’t help that the police inspector brought in to solve the case is the last person Mike wants to see, especially when they are told to keep their noses out of police business.

In Jonathon’s case, that’s like a red rag to a bull….

Review

I guess this is the book to finally make me wonder if there’s any (sub) genre K.C. Wells can’t successfully write. There was never any doubt she writes amazing romances, of the sweet variety, kink filled erotic tales, and virtually anything between those two. I’ve known for a long time that she plots a great story and tells it even better. But, it took a murder mystery to show me how truly awesome her plotting abilities are.

Because Truth Will Out is first and foremost an intriguing mystery set in a charming location and featuring a fascinating cast of characters not to mention a well plotted and believable mystery.

This is pretty much a mystery in what I like to call ‘Agatha Christie style’. We’ve got a murder, a less than capable and far from friendly police inspector, a varied but limited cast of suspects, and two members of the public outwitting the officials when it comes to investigative skills.

Jonathon and Mike were delightful and very well matched. Because yes, romance does bloom while they’re investigating the murder of Jonathon’s uncle. That developing romance never takes the limelight though, it is a charming backdrop to the real story of who killed Dominic. But that fact didn’t stop me from fully enjoying every step Mike and Jonathon took towards each other.

As I said before, the mystery is very well plotted. I consider myself a seasoned mystery reader but have to admit that the culprit and their reasons for committing the crime remained hidden for me until the moment of the ‘big reveal’. But (and that’s how I’m sure this is a great mystery) as soon as their identity was revealed I had to admit that the clues had been there right from the start and that it all slotted together perfectly.

Long story short; I have to admit that I’m in awe of K.C. Wells. I’ve known for a long time that she’s a champion when it comes to telling compelling stories. I’m delighted to discover plotting intriguing mysteries is another one of her super-powers. And I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to see that this is book #1 in the Merrychurch Mysteries. I can’t wait to read the next one.

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