Mystery in Prior's Ford

December 12, 2011
The fifth entry in Hood’s series set in Prior’s Ford (Scandal in Prior’s Ford, etc., all under the pseudonym Eve Houston) offers a warm and vivid portrait of life in the quaint Scottish village. Hector Ralston-Kerr, the laird of Prior’s Ford, and his wife have hired garden center employee Ginny Whitelaw to restore the gardens of their massive estate to their original splendor; the Prior’s Ford Drama Club has decided to stage Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest; and a popular cookbook author and her overworked policeman husband have moved into a local cottage. The biggest news is 50ish Clarissa Ramsey and 30ish Alastair Marshall appearing openly as a couple, until one of the drama club’s actors is found strangled with Lady Bracknell’s purple feather boa. It’s up to Amy Rose, an American visitor who aids the police, to bring the murder investigation to a satisfactory conclusion.

January 15, 2012
The quiet English village of Prior's Ford is happy to welcome a celebrity resident, but not so much another murder. Cookbook author Laura Tylerr has purchased a cottage against her husband Allan Hunter's wishes, for retired Chief Superintendent Allan is perfectly happy to do his writing at home in Leeds. Once they're settled in, Laura is quick to join village activities, including the drama club run by former journalist Kevin Pearce. Many of the village residents are facing their own difficulties. The Ralston-Kerrs are trying to restore Linn Hall to its former glory with the help of garden expert Ginny Whitelaw, who adores their son Lewis, even though he's trying to get flighty Molly Ewing to marry him. The Fishers run the local pub, and their widowed daughter Alison is in love with Ewan McNair, a struggling farmer who feels that he can't afford to marry. Retired teacher Clarissa Ramsay, who loves the much younger Alastair Marshall, is encouraged by her American friend Amy Rose to pursue the relationship despite Clarissa's fear of ridicule. Even village constable Neil White is separated from his wife, an ambitious police officer who puts her career first. Then Kevin Pearce is found strangled by a feather boa Laura had bought for use in the play the drama club is rehearsing. Kevin seems like an unlikely target for murder, but the police, along with the ever-curious Amy Rose, manage to find some suspects. The first of Hood's Prior's Ford mysteries to be published in the U.S. (Scandal in Prior's Ford, 2011, etc.) is more village romance than mystery, but it does draw you into the lives of the villagers.

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February 1, 2012

Scotland's idyllic Prior's Ford is struggling with growing pains. Not everyone is delighted with the new housing development or with the outsiders who want to settle in this charming place. Although, some must admit, the well-known food writer, a new constable and his estranged wife, plus a Norwegian home decorator all add a certain zing. The local amateur theater group is working hard as usual but is struck dumb when their zealous director is strangled after rehearsal. The new constable needs help, and returning American visitor Amy Rose (Trouble in Prior's Ford) helps by interviewing village neighbors. VERDICT This fifth entry in an ubercozy series takes the long way around to getting a case off the ground. Careful readers will enjoy the scattered clues, but the lack of momentum makes the mystery almost anticlimactic. Recommend for those looking for the gentlest of reads.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
The Scottish hamlet of Prior's Ford is all atwitter in Hood's fifth cozy mystery (previous titles carried the pseudonym Eve Houston). The laird is redoing his ancestral home and inviting outsiders in to tour. A noted author chef and her retired inspector husband have bought a vacation cottage and are moving in. The village drama society is putting on an Oscar Wilde play. A beloved older woman has taken a much younger lover. And a downtrodden dairy farm is being refurbished with outside help. Just as everyone cautiously adjusts to the changes, the director of the play is murdered with a cast member's feather boa. Although the director was vain and supercilious, he and his wife had assimilated into the village and had no obvious enemies. Who could have wanted the man dead? While the former inspector says he's happily retired, he and everyone in the village have ideas on how a sergeant and her estranged policeman husband should go about solving the crime. Fans of M. C. Beaton and Rhys Bowen will adore Hood's Prior's Ford series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)