A Village Fete Murder by Katie Gayle - Book Review

A Village Fete Murder by Katie Gayle

Series: Julia Bird Mysteries #3 (Standalone)

Genre: Contemporary Cozy Mystery 

4 Stars 

One Liner: A comfort read dealing with a serious topic 

*****

Julia Bird is excited about the village fair at the Berrywick House. The day arrives, and Julia is enjoying the event with Sean on her side. However, the duo ends up discovering a dead body in a maze. The body belongs to none other than Ursula Benjamin, a math teacher at St. Martin’s and a prickly person to anyone who knows her. 

This time, Julia is more than happy to let DI Gibson handle the case. But she can’t help it when her mind refuses to ignore the missing links. After all, she found the body and is involved in the case. With another death occurring in the next few days, can Julia find the killer before murder number three? 

The story comes in the third-person POV of Julia Bird. 

My Thoughts: 

This is the third book in the series, and as enjoyable as the previous two. Julia Bird has settled into her village life with a chicken coop, vegetable garden, a part-time job, and her mischievous chocolate Lab, Jake. 

This book blends the case and Julia's personal life. We see some developments in her interactions with her daughter, Jess. The reason for her resigning from her previous job is also revealed. 

The story is compact (200 pages) and has a decent pace. With recurring characters doing their bit and Julia playing sleuth against her wishes, the case is settled to satisfaction. 

What I particularly like in this one is the theme of bullying and its effects on people. Being bullied by schoolmates is one thing. But being bullied by a teacher? The damage can be severe. The book handles the topic with the right touch as required by the genre. It’s not surface level, but it is neither too deep.  

Julia and Sean’s relationship is in the background, pretty much established for what it is for the time being. The focus is much on the case, which is a good thing, given the theme. There’s a small action scene in the climax to make it more interesting.  

To summarize, A Village Fete Murder is a solid continuation of the series, and the characters are settling in real nice. There aren’t many laughs in this one, but Jake and Julia manage to bring out a couple of chuckles. And... do I sense the DI's story coming up?

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #AVillageFeteMurder