Faith Martin’s Murder by Candlelight and The Last Word is Death are the first two novels in a series featuring Arbie and Val. The investigators are two jolly good sorts: the lighthearted and easygoing Arbie (who has written a successful book about ghosts) and Val, the sensible, clever (and attractive) Vicar’s daughter. Lifelong friends, there’s an easiness between them that makes for great dialogue, with gentle teasing and banter as well as affection. A delightful pair.
These are delicious cozy detective stories with all the right ingredients for a cracking good read.
In Murder by Candlelight, we have a lovely Cotswolds setting in the 1920s, a wealthy old woman found dead in a locked room and a rich cast of suspects.
The Last Word is Death takes us to a new hotel in the up-and-coming resort of Galton-next-the-Sea during an engagement party for one of Val’s friends. When a guest at the party is found dead, Val and Arbie are asked to investigate.
Both novels take lots of twists and turns, making them fast paced and satisfyingly intricate. But they are in essence classic, well choreographed cozy mysteries.
Martin knows the classic British mystery genre well, and it shows. The characters could have been lifted from an Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Peter Lovesey (et al.). They are akin to the lighter of such classics, light and funny.
Having now read two, I highly recommend the series and hope to continue to enjoy Val and Arbie’s further investigations in the future.
Note: The two novels can be read separately, but like most series you’ll enjoy them more by reading them in sequence.
My thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.