No. 19: Title starts with M
Murder on the Moorland (A Kitt Hartley Yorkshire mystery) / Helen Cox
First things first: I love the term “cozy murder mystery”. A problem wrapped in an oxymoron: what’s not to like?
True to categorical form, the act of murder in this book takes place off-page and it’s more about the people involved solving the puzzle, than the murder itself. It’s fun to read these people solve the mystery, and you almost forget that there are dead bodies.
I bought the first book of the series (Murder by the Minster) as a souvenir in York last year, and was so happy to find out there were other books out, that I’ve since purchased books two and three as well.
The first book set up the series well, introducing main character Kitt Hartley, and the people in her life. Kitt is a librarian at York University, and is stoic, straight-laced, and stubborn. Kitt has a cat, drinks Earl Grey tea, and doesn’t get on with her boss.
Evie is her best friend, and lover of all things vintage. There’s library assistant Grace, and Ruby, local slightly-psychic, eccentric. And of course, there’s Malcolm, the detective who arrested Kitt and Evie in the first book (not a spoiler, it’s literally where that book starts). The second book centred on Evie, and this third book has a spotlight on Malcolm. He had moved to York after his ex-wife was murdered by a serial killer, and now he is called back to his hometown in rural Yorkshire because a woman was murdered and it looks like the work of the same serial killer. Problem is, that the man (who also happened to be his partner on the police force) is behind bars, so either they arrested the wrong guy back when, or there is a copycat active. Kitt isn’t letting Malcolm facing his fears and his past on his own and travels along, which comes in handy when it turns out the victim worked at the local archives, and Kitt knows her way around libraries and archives.
When the hunt for the murderer turns into a treasure hunt, Evie is called in and even Ruby travels up from York. Like the other books before, the best things about it are the characters and the settings: it took me back to gorgeous Yorkshire! The story itself was less interesting to me and I kept wanting it to be wrapped up. That was a slightly alarming sentiment for a mystery, but I read this on holiday, on a balcony with a view of the Atlantic Ocean, and was in a holidaying state of mind, so I accepted a lot more than I normally would have. The cocktails that were always within reach thanks to friend P’s mixing skills, also helped.
I left the book at the hotel library because it’s a perfect beach read, and I’m sure someone else will enjoy it just fine.
Bookworm in the City 