There are some authors whose books you buy the minute you see they’ve released something new. Ducie is one of those authors for me. I was therefore delighted to spot Silenced at the Summer Social a while ago and I pre-ordered it. I’ve enjoyed all the books in this series so far.
They are all murder mysteries centred on a village. The list of characters naturally grows through the series and Ducie does a great job of putting in enough reminders so you know who’s who.
As with all good murder mysteries, a body is discovered early on, and the police arrive. However, it’s not the police enquiry that we follow as readers but rather the lives of the villagers – and in particular Rohan Banerjee, private investigator, and his landlady, Esther Steele – as the number of suspects grows along with, of course, plenty of red herrings.
If there is one thing I know, it is that you never really know anyone. And investigations into suspicious deaths bring any secrets out into the open. Here, eyes are opened and reputations ruined as this story reaches its most satisfying denouement. Highly recommended, but I suggest you start with the first in the series.
Here are my reviews of the others in the series:
Murder at Mountjoy Manor (Coombesford Chronicles Book 1)
Villainy at the Village Store (Coombesford Chronicles Book 2)
Calamity at Coombesford Church (Coombesford Chronicles Book 3)