Frances Evesham writes short crime fiction and has set one of her series in an imaginary costal town in Devon. Murder on the Tor and Murder at the Cathedral are two of the books in this series where the main character is Libby Forest who is recently widowed and has moved to the area to start a new career as a baker and chocolatier. In earlier books of the series she met and became involved with a forensic accountant Max, and his large and enthusiastic dog. The two of them investigate murders which happen in the area and are also involved in trying to work out what Libby’s husband was doing before he died.
In the first of these two books Libby finds a body on Glastonbury Tor and in the second her best friend is suspected of a murder that took place in Wells Cathedral. It doesn’t take much for her to investigate these events and she finds it surprisingly easy to gather facts and work out who the murderer is and why the crime was committed.
Neither of these books is particularly ground-breaking or memorable. They are easy to read and enjoyable novels with no real depth. You need not to think too hard about why people tell Libby and Max all manner of private things or why they think that they have the right to investigate. On the other hand, the plots hang together well and the author creates satisfying endings. The relationship between Max and Libby moves further forward in each book and there is also the overarching story of Libby’s husband and his business affairs.
If you want a quick and easy crime novel then this series is worth a look.
Anne Is Reading 