Published By: The Book Folks
Pages: 265
Released On: 11/04/2023
New to the private investigator game, Edie Fox is delighted when a handsome American client with disconcertingly dazzling teeth asks her to find his missing cousin, Isabella. Especially when he leaves her a bundle of cash to get started.
However, the case quickly gets complicated, and so does her life when a one-night stand from her Oxford university days gets in touch and asks if her 26-year-old daughter, Maeve, is also his child.
Juggling a chaotic home, a brimming wine glass, a daughter besotted with her new-found daddy, and a rekindled old flame, Edie must try to focus on the job.
But with unreliable witnesses, a less than trustworthy client, and an assistant with her mind on other things, Edie will be up against it and risks losing all.
*****
Thanks to The Book Folks for the gifted proof of this title in return for an honest review and spot on the book tour.
I started reading this when I wasn’t feeling well and it was a great tonic. It’s light-hearted, easy reading, proper cosy crime, but with the added bonus of deception and excitement.
I wouldn’t say I agree with some reviewers that say it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious, but it is definitely amusing. Julie has managed to maintain this sly, undercurrent of humour throughout without making it feels like a farce or ingenuine.
You’re never 100% confident who is who and whether they are who they say they are. Its full of twists and red herrings, and sometimes you’re as in the dark as Edie herself, which was fun.
It’s full of well written characters. Edie is instantly likeable. Her daughter Maeve I liked, but I felt she was sometimes taking advantage of her mother’s kindness. For me, the female characters shone and the male characters I wasn’t huge fans of. Having said that, the characters of Mike and Terence stood out. And not always in a good way. They’re great character creations and great character development, but they were a bit untrustworthy. I felt Mike was a bit slimy at first but he grew on me. Terence was just a no. No, no no. But yes, the women just seemed more developed and more interesting, captivating characters for me. I admit I was a little confused at times as to who was linked to who, but I think that’s less about how it’s written and more about me not being able to remember names. But all the characters worked well off each other and there didn’t seem to be a redundant one among them.
It isn’t straightforward. You think you’ve sussed it but then it takes a turn which keeps you on your toes, which I what you want from a detective novel.
I wasn’t sure at first about the scenes of Edie’s personal/family life, because in other books I’ve read, if it is a male detective then we never look at his personal life or his wife or his children. It’s all about the job. But for women, we have to be told that she’s a mother, grandmother, housewife, babysitter etc. We can’t just focus on the job in hand. And I was worried this would have a similar feel. And my worry is still there, but in terms of the actual plot and writing, I think Julie has found a nice balance, making her family just part of Edie’s background, rather than her main characteristic.
Whether Julie has made it intentional or whether I’m reading things into it, I don’t know, but I like this undercurrent that still seems dubious about female detectives. And I feel by calling her Edie, it opens up to a lot of mistaken identity as Eddie, and even though things have moved along a lot in reality and fiction, there is still an unconscious bias in some jobs, and I think policing, especially at a higher level, is seen as more of a masculine job, and so Edie has to really prove herself.
It wasn’t the top crime novel I’ve ever read, but it is a busy field. But it is entertaining, well written, twisty and turny, and an ideal book for curling up with in the evening. I would definitly recommend it to those who love a good crime novel. Some people have compared it to Richard Osman’s books, but for me, it felt more like Robert Thorogood’s cosy crime novels – which is a compliment, as I much prefer Thorogood’s work.
Julie is not an author I was aware of before I received an email from The Book Folks, so it’s always nice to discover a new (for me) writer.
It isn’t full-on action from the start, but I like that. It sets the scene and gets you up to speed. It’s careful, it’s slow (in a good way), it gets under your skin. And then when you’re fully enveloped, it kicks off and you’re with them every step of the way. It’s the perfect start to the new Edie Fox detective series.
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