Book Review: A Demon Summer
Book: A Demon Summer
Author: G.M. Malliet
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Summary: Someone has been trying to poison the Fifteenth Earl of Lislelivet. With his gift for making enemies, no one - particularly his wife - is too surprised until they discover the source of the poison: a fruitcake made and sold by the Handmaids of St. Lucy of Monkbury Abbey. Max Tudor, vicar of Nether Monkslip and former MI5 agent, is asked to investigate. But just as Max comes to believe the poisoning was accidental, a body is discovered in the cloister well. - St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2014
The fourth Max Tudor mystery, the last of the seasonal mysteries, was just as enjoyable as the others. This time, Max must solve the mystery of who has poisoned a lord with a fruitcake from an abbey. Having not read a Max Tudor mystery since about a year and a half ago, I was worried I would need time to reacquaint myself with the characters in the village. Luckily, this wasn't necessary, as the majority of the story takes place in the abbey.
All of the characters are as quirky as ever, reminiscent of an Agatha Christie novel. Funnily enough, the events in this novel remind me of a particular Agatha Christie novel, but I won't say which one so it doesn't spoil the plot here.
While it reads like a classic who-done-it, I found myself searching for the characters in depth. The plot this time seemed more Max-centric, so I didn't feel as connected to the suite of suspects as I did in the last books I read.
Nevertheless, it's a good continuation of the series. The writing is fantastic and the plot is well-written. It kept me guessing until the end. I can't wait to see what Max Tudor has up his clerical sleeves next.
I give A Demon Summer an A.
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