Murder Through the English Post (Beryl and Edwina Mystery #6), by Jessica Ellicott

 

Secrets. Everyone has secrets. Small towns, despite their idyllic image, harbor many. In the case of the small English village of Walmsley Parva, the biggest is "Who's sending poison pen letters?"

It's been awhile since I've dropped in on Beryl, the adventure lover, more apt to be climbing a mountain than baking a pie, and Edwina, who seems to thrive on the sameness of her beloved small town. She's just taken a big step, however, especially for a woman of those times. In any case, they make the perfect team in their private inquiry business. In modern times, they'd be called private investigators.

This is set in the past, however, in England as it is still trying to recover from the wounds, both mental and physical, not to mention financial, in the post Great War era. Some in their village have been receiving poison pen letters sent composed of words and letters carefully cut out of magazines and pasted onto paper. Even Beryl has received one but, Beryl being Beryl, she simply shrugged and laughed it off.

The others? No. No one is laughing.

In fact, tho' the initial accusations made are lies, they are distressing and not only leading to fights and loud arguments but at least one suicide attempt has resulted. Edwina and Beryl almost lose their beyond-efficient housekeeper, Beddoes, over one, too, and ultimately begin looking into the matter. As Edwina says, small incidents can easily become big ones and create larger problems in small towns.

Who is sending the letters? Does someone have a grudge against that many people? But, wait. It gets worse. Someone dies, Cornelia, and a poison pen letter is found in her car. The kindly, retired doctor calls it death by asthma but, well, was their more. Could the letter have brought on the asthma attack? Was that victim's husband possibly a suspect, either of murder or at the very least, sending the letters? Why is Edwina so quick to suspect the town's new doctor? Could the nurse have done it? If so, to what advantage? Why the change of tone in the letters? Will Edwina make the next garden club meeting? Will Beryl learn to knit? Oh, never mind. That is a big no, at least for now. And, hmm, is romance in the air?

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with Beryl and Edwina but would caution readers that the pace is far more relaxed and slower moving than the norm nowadays. There is a great deal of what I dubbed "mind talk" throughout as individually Beryl and Edwina think privately about, well, a multitude of things, from their unlikely friendship, to Simpkins' good luck and clever ideas to make a profit of his inherited business, and whether they really know their fellow villagers or not, among others. It actually was interesting to see their thoughts, most likely thoughts that wouldn't be included in the rush of a more dialogue heavy tome. It gives the book a classical feel, in a way. Although the 9th in the series, this installment is a solid standalone as you'll learn Beryl and Edwina's history as the chapters alternate viewpoints. Enjoy! Edwina would say have a cuppa tea and relax but Beryl, American that she is, would prefer coffee.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for letting me drop back into Beryl and Edwina's lives again after a time away. I won't make that mistake again. I want to see if that orchid worked!