Sara-Jayne Townsend is a published crime and horror writer and likes books in which someone dies horribly. She is founder and Chair Person of the T Party Writers’ Group. http://sarajaynetownsend.weebly.com/
Brighton, 1957: In the heat of an unusually warm September, Mirabelle Bevan is intrigued by a little girl who returns day after day to sit alone on a bench opposite Mirabelle’s beach front apartment.
When Mirabelle goes to talk to her, she establishes that the girl is residing in a children’s home, sent to the seaside to convalesce after illness. When she visits the children’s home Mirabelle is even more intrigued by the strange behaviour of Uma, the Indian nurse looking after the little girl. Shortly after a priest with a connection to the children’s home turns up dead, and Mirabelle is drawn into a dangerous and compelling mystery.
This is the seventh book in this series, though it is probably an idea to start at the beginning of the series. There is an assumption in the book that the reader already knows the characters well, and there is a lot of back-story that is hard to keep track of, if you are coming into the series cold – most notably, Mirabelle seems to have a history with both Jack Duggan and Superintendent Alan McGregor but it’s not clear exactly what’s gone on. Mirabelle runs an agency and has an assistant, and I initially assumed she was a private investigator, but it is eventually revealed it is a debt collection agency.
Despite issues of back-story, there’s a good tale here.
Mirabelle is a surprisingly contemporary heroine for a novel set in the 1950s, and she knows her own mind. She seems to have a bit of a weakness for charming men, but we can’t really hold that against her. She is an engaging character, resourceful and strong-willed, and it’s easy to see why the series has a loyal following. Established fans will love this new story, and readers new to Mirabelle’s exploits will want to explore earlier books in the series to learn more about her.
