A heavily pregnant Sargent Hill and DCI Lloyd (her partner on and off the job), are helping out at the local amateur dramatic society right before Christmas when the DCI gets a call that the local GPs wife has been found murdered in her home. The GP happens to be part of the play, and was late to practice that day. Is he the killer? Or was it his practice partner, who is sporting a few telling bruises? Or someone else entirely? Can Lloyd solve the crime and be there for his heavily pregnant girlfriend, AND survive the chaos of amateur local theatre?

Though it doesn’t say so in this new edition of the book, this story is number 11 of a series of mysteries about this detective, DCI Lloyd and Sergeant Judy Hill. The first in the series came out in 1983, titled A Perfect Match, and this one was first published in 2001 originally. You don’t need to have read the rest of the series to enjoy this story, though reading this one may make you want to seek out the rest.

Jill McGown died in 2007, and her works are being reprinted so that a new audience can find her and enjoy her stories. She’s an author that deserves to be rediscovered. Her detective stories sit at an interesting junction in the evolution of the genre, using classic traditions of the mystery novel that were already well established, and bringing the characters and personal situations into the more present day. It makes for stories that feel cozy but not too cute, that feel realistic and well realised, but not too gritty and real, at the same time. By coincidence, McGown’s latin teacher when she was at school in the 60’s was Colin Dexter, the man who would later go on to become the author of Inspector Morse.

I’m always happy to find a new detective or mystery series, especially a UK one, and this one is very seasonal, with it’s Christmas theme, so it felt like a real treat to me. I really liked the tone of the story. It moves along nicely, and isn’t overlong, but there was a touch of humour to it and I liked Lloyd and Judy as a couple. At one point, he’s roped in to act as a stand in on the theatre stage during a rehearsal, and he’s good natured about it. I liked this feeling of him being a serious policeman, but also a human being helping out or getting roped into something outside his comfort zone. I also liked the little moments where he’s a bit of a fish out of water in his relationship: Judy is a “new woman”, meaning she is independant and expects him to attend ante-natal classes with her and things. He’s thoughtful and willing to do this, which is a reflection of the changing times that the book was written in. Little slice of life there.

I liked that the book isn’t in a cute little village or a big city, but set in a more suburban setting. While doing routine life tasks, they run into people they know or people from the case. The town is big enough to have a rec-centre with a little theatre, but small enough that it’s amusing how seriously the director takes their job. In this setting, the Christmas feels are strong, with lights and carolers, presents as clues, etc.

I also liked the plotting. The book moves along nicely, with enough characters and personalities, and plenty of clues and red herrings to keep you guessing. There were a few intriguing paths that the book took us down and some personal secrets and things, so I wasn’t sure who the killer was til the end and why. I liked being pushed to one conclusion and then another before the author brought it all home.

I really enjoyed this book, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for others in the series. I liked the two leads, I liked the little bits of humour and local colour, and most importantly, I enjoyed how twisty it was.

Read It If: you’re looking for a new-to-you mystery author. Jill McGown is ripe for rediscovery, and this one has lovely seasonal themes, perfect Winter reading.

Thank you to PGC Books for the copy of this book for review.