After a long career as a detective in San Diego, Rick “Chase” Chasen has traded in his badge for a change of scenery in the coastal comforts of Devon, England, until a local murder takes him on a deadly detour . . .
Still grieving the death of his long-time partner, Chase reunites with his dear friend and fellow Anglophile Billie Mondreau for a seacoast holiday of historic sightseeing. Assigned a pair of guides from the tour company Wanderers, Chase and Billie join seven other like-minded Americans looking forward to an English getaway. All except for Ronald Gretz. The wealthy entrepreneur behind the international Golden Sunset nursing home chain doesn’t like anything about walking, touring, or England. Coarse and opinionated, Gretz’s complaints get on the nerves of his fellow Wanderers—and his long-suffering trophy wife.
But Gretz’s gripes are tied to his own nerves being frayed. He has been receiving threatening texts and emails signed “An Avenger.” Convinced someone means him harm, Gretz asks Chase to watch his back. Soon, Gretz falls afoul of several “accidents,” leading to more friction with the other walkers. Until one final “accident” results in Gretz dead at the bottom of a cliff.
Chase, whose investigative instincts remain sharp, knows Gretz’s death was no accident. While helping the police investigate, he discovers that members of the tour group not only disliked the victim but had legitimate motives for wanting him dead. Now, he just has to uncover who among them is willing to kill . . .
Book page: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9781496745262/a-deadly-walk-in-devon/
My Review:
First thing first: I fell in love with the cover that made me thing of the classic whoduning of golden age.
There’s a lot of blah blah about locked-room-mystery as it’s becoming a sort of synonym of closed circle of suspects. This is a sort of impossible crime, there’s not locked room but there’s a crime who could have been done by a couple of person.
Are they guilty or are they innocent ?
There’s a lot of pieces in this puzzle and almost anyone in the group could be the culprit as there’s plenty of secrets.
Chase is well plotted characters, a man who is mourning the death of his mate but also moving on as he discovers he’s still able to investigate. And there could be a new story.
I had fun and this book kept me reading till 3 am as I wanted to know who-did-it and why. I am a fan of impossible crime and it was a surprise to read a real one as it’s gripping and kept me turning pages.
All the clues are there and I was a bit surprised by the motive even if I felt who the culprit could.
I’m happy this is the first in a series and I hope there will be more soon.
An excellent debut, highly recommended.
Many thanks to Kensington Cozies for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Nicholas George worked as a newspaper reporter before embarking on an extensive career in public relations and communication management. His love of long-distance walking in the U.S. and England prompted him to create his Walk Through England series of mystery novels, set on group walks in the English countryside. Nick co-wrote the feature film “Perfect Match,” prominently featured at the Chicago and Montreal film festivals. He lives in Pasadena, California, with his husband Bert.
Website: https://www.nicholasgeorgeauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nick.duretta
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