Customer Reviews

Intrigue in the Village

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This is a pleasant read. I enjoyed the village of Turnham Malpas [Rebecca Shaw has written several novels in this setting, apparently a series]. The author has created living characters, about whom you care and about whom you enjoy reading. The novel reminds me a little of Jan Karon's novels about Mitford, without the religious underpinning.

The first half of the book is very good and has all the ingredients needed for a good yarn. But things just peter out.

In this installment of the Turham Malpas series, the villagers are invited to attend a lavish party celebrating the business success of a prominent towns person. Once they get there, however, it revealed that they are actually at the wedding reception of two villagers they would never expect. Meanwhile, the village is planning another celebration - the school's 150th anniversary. The problem? All the old head teachers and their families are being invited, and a former headmaster is now married to the birth mother of the rector's adopted twins (did you catch all that?).

Quote: "No one moved: they were too stunned. A strained silence fell, which no one dared break."

This novel continues the trend of the later Turham Malpas books towards focusing on all of the ramifications of our poor decisions coming back to cause us unforeseen problems years later. A potentially blech new couple ends up working really well together, even though none of the character flaws are erased. A very good installment of this series.

In this installment of the Turham Malpas series, the villagers are invited to attend a lavish party celebrating the business success of a prominent towns person. Once they get there, however, it revealed that they are actually at the wedding reception of two villagers they would never expect. Meanwhile, the village is planning another celebration - the school's 150th anniversary. The problem? All the old head teachers and their families are being invited, and a former headmaster is now married to the birth mother of the rector's adopted twins (did you catch all that?).

Quote: "No one moved: they were too stunned. A strained silence fell, which no one dared break."

This novel continues the trend of the later Turham Malpas books towards focusing on all of the ramifications of our poor decisions coming back to cause us unforeseen problems years later. A potentially blech new couple ends up working really well together, even though none of the character flaws are erased. A very good installment of this series.