Review: √ She was so easily pushed into the water. Just skin and bones
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 2, 2014
This was actually my SECOND foray into Cherringham; I earlier had readCherringham - Mystery at the Manor: A Cosy Crime Series (Cherringham ENG). I was so enticed, I decided to backtrack, and start at the beginning.  I'm glad that I did. After reading two in the series, the characters become more solid, and better still, I know what to expect. With the first in a series, the reader is distracted by the need to "figure out" things--like what is this "Cosy" business, who are Jack and Sarah, what's this town all about, and what does Sarah do for a living again?With this my second installment in the series, I already knew Jack and Sarah; they were like old companions.  For those readers for whom this is indeed their very first Cosy Crime, I recommend proceeding at once to Episode 2. If you liked this one, you will like the next even more.Honestly, I was not familiar with a "Cosy," or "Cozy" as we Yanks spell the word; I didn't really know it was an entire sub-genre in mystery novels. (My wife suggested to me that the authors misspelled "Cozy"--I reassured her that no, they know how to spell, and probably wouldn't get the name of the entire series wrong. I reassured her that "It's a British thing.")As some other readers have suggested, I am slightly reminded of the "Midsomer Murders" with Chief Inspector Barnaby, and his sidekick, Scott. But in these "cozies," the interactions are quite a bit different.  Jack and Sarah are nothing like Barnaby and Scott. Plus, the pace is not nearly so slow as with Midsomer. The Cosy stories move at a good pace; they are light reads meant for a summer afternoon by the pool. After each chapter, you can jump in to get refreshed, take another sip of your drink, then see what Jack and Sarah are up to.There are several things in particular that I really like about this series--namely:♦ Clear, uncluttered writing. The author's extensive professional experience is obvious.♦ I like Jack and Sarah. They are interesting characters--not stick figures, but not overly burdened or complex, either.♦ Light-handed tone of the story, as intended for a "cozy" mystery.I am looking forward to following Jack and Sarah again on their next adventure,Cherringham - Murder by Moonlight: A Cosy Crime Series (Cherringham ENG)As an aside, I notice that Jack Brennan's Austin Healey Sprite is a regular fixture in the stories. I think those little convertibles are also called "Bugeye."  I am willing to wager that one of the authors is driving (or used to drive) a Sprite.  What do you say, Messrs Costello and Richards--am I right?