Review: Traditional British Cozy for the 21st Century
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 10, 2012
This book had all the makings of a traditional British cozy - a small village, a family secret, a cast of eccentric characters, and an inquisitive 'incomer'.  But it was also firmly set in the 21st century, which was rather refreshing.  Libby Sarjeant is the 'incomer' and she's managing the amateur production of a play written by one of the village residents and her longtime friend, Peter.  When the play (which is loosely based on village history) starts stirring up long-suppressed emotions and memories, things start happening, and not in a good way.Although Libby insists that she's only concerned with the safety of her cast and getting the prodution ready for opening night, she becomes more and more deeply involved with the secret past of several of the village's prominent families.  There are flashbacks to 1943, when the original event(s) occurred, but no resolution is given until the present time.  There is a fairly sizeable cast of main and secondary characters, and although most are not 2-dimensional, neither are they fully-developed.  Most seem to play a sterotyped role - the gay couple, the aging rake, the playboy, the country doctor, the grande dame of the village, the snoopy incomer, etc.  I felt that the story got bogged down from about 50% to maybe 75% in extraneous detail, as though the author was trying to avoid wrapping things up and ending the book.  Other than that, it was a fairly good, albeit rather conventional cozy mystery.Note on Kindle formatting:  Very good.  I didn't notice any issues.