Jane's reviews

Skeletons of Birkbury by Diana J Febry

3.5 Stars

Skeletons of Birkbury is a murder mystery set in the Cotswolds and puts me in mind of Midsomer Murders or Inspector Morse. The scene is idyllic but the discovery of old bones in a field brings a drama to the usually peaceful village.

I’m not a huge fan of English ‘detective’ novels, they often feel tame next to their American counterparts and this was no different. The prose was overly descriptive, almost poetic and I found it irritating in parts. The story tended to drift off point and lose focus, leaving me to want to skip past the waffle and get to the relevant bits. I wasn’t particularly interested in the lives of Fiona and Peter, I wanted to know how and why this body appeared here and not that Peter had a miserable marriage.

My issues with this book are more to do with my taste than anything else. It isn’t a bad book it just wasn’t ‘gritty’ enough to keep me engaged throughout, but there are many readers out there who enjoy this style and I would recommend it to that audience.

Copy supplied for review