Dorothy Martin moved from Indiana to Sherebury following the retirement dream she had with her husband, Frank. On Christmas Eve, Dorothy attended midnight mass at the Sherebury Cathedral. After having difficulty finding a single seat available, Dorothy had the pleasure of meeting Alan Nesbitt, Chief Constable of the county. After the service, he volunteered to walk her home. However, departure was delayed for a most unexpected reason, and suddenly CC Nesbit was on duty.

I enjoyed the author's descriptive writing with my favorite,

"Behind the brusque facade is a mind of diamond—and a heart of custard."

I loved Dorothy's unique hats, delight in wearing colorful clothing, communication and interactions with her feline Esmeralda, and the story of Esmeralda's parentage. I do wish I could have been Dorothy's companion, shopping at after-Christmas sales at Harrod's and meeting friends for tea at the Ritz.

At the end of the novel, "Ecclesiastical Notes" shared information about the Church of England architecture and liturgy. "A Glossary of Slang for US Readers" is also provided.

For all who love a senior sleuth, you may also be interested in meeting Miss Rina Martin and Detective Inspector Sebastian McGregor (Mac) in the coastal town of Frantham-on-Sea, Dorset, England, in the Rina Martin series created by British author Jane Adams. ( )

The Body in the Transept by Jeanne M. Dams is a 2020 Joffe Books publication. (Reissue from 1995)

This first installment in the series introduces Dorothy Martin, an American widow living in the English town of Sherebury.

After attending a Christmas Eve midnight service at the cathedral, Dorothy has the misfortune of stumbling across the body of Canon Billings. His death is no accident as it is soon discovered that he’s been stabbed to death.

At loose ends since her husband died, and bothered by the murder, especially as she was the one who found the body, Dorothy feels compelled to investigate, with the help of Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt. As they converse the pair find they enjoy spending time together and become friends- but, of course, there are hints of a possible romance developing as the series progresses.

I came across this book through the Kindle Unlimited program. I checked it out from my app without doing a deep dive into it, so I didn’t know until after I had finished the book and started gathering information for my review that this book was originally published back in 1995!! Now that’s really saying something. The only hint I had about the age of the book was perhaps Dorothy’s favorite mystery writers, but- not necessarily, as most of her favorites are still well-read today.

Not only that, but evidently, this book won an Edgar Award for best first novel in 1995- no wonder it was so good!

Dorothy and Alan have exceptional banter and chemistry and the mystery is interesting with several viable suspects and a few big surprises. Dorothy is hilarious, quirky, and smarter than she realizes. Her cat also complemented the story …. And maybe I should mention Dorothy’s unique choice in hats, too.

Occasionally, the story lost some momentum and because this is the first book in a series, some time had to be spent setting the stage, but overall things moved along at a nice pace.

Although categorized as a cozy, a label slapped on any amateur sleuth, this book will appeal to crime fiction readers of all stripes. It is light, humorous on many occasions, but also suspenseful and will keep you entertained and guessing until the very end.

I love it when I happen across a real gem like this one. I am also thrilled that Joffe Books has formatted this series so that it is getting new recognition, or can be enjoyed again by those who are already fans of the series.

Can’t wait to read the next installment!! ( )

Dorothy Martin is a 60+ American widow who, following her husband’s untimely death, chose to follow their shared dream of moving to a small village in England, in this case Sherebury. She has slowly been meeting people there, but has not yet settled into small-town life when she quite literally stumbles across a body in the cathedral transept: Canon Billings, an officious religious figure but brilliant scholar too, had managed to alienate almost everybody he met before he was ushered violently into the next world. Because she feels intimately involved due to finding the body, Dorothy starts searching for answers to the crime despite the misgivings of Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt. Before too long, there is a second killing, and a mysterious arson fire, and it appears that Dorothy is coming uncomfortably close to the truth…. I’ve been on a “cozy” kick for some time now, so when this series came to my attention, I thought I’d start with this first book and see from there. It’s actually fine, as far as cozies go: Dorothy is an engaging character (who has an unabashed Thing for serious hats), and while the deaths are gruesome, they also occur off-stage. I’m not too sure about the American-in-England conceit, as I tend to prefer those books set in England to be written by English authors, but the fish out of water aspect adds a little frisson to the setting (which, by the way, is fictitious). Also, the reader will spot the budding romance from a mile away, which can sometimes be annoying. Not sure how many of the 20-odd books in the series I’ll get to, but it may work as a stand-by series for me to pick up again when I run out of other things to read; mildly recommended. ( )

I have bought a Kindle edition of Books 1-5 of this series and I see that there are are 17 books in the series. (see the list of titles below)

Dorothy Martin's sleuthing idols are Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. Once she has the scent of a mystery she can't let go. Leaving the cathedral near her home on Christmas Eve she comes across what she initially thinks is a heap of clothing, and then discovers it is a very unpopular canon.

Despite the fact that there are finally 3 murders, this is a light cozy read, and I feel that I will probably enjoy reading further into the series. The characters in this title are interesting and there seems to be a good basis for further development. The structure of the plot is Christie like with various characters being held up for scrutiny as suspects and then discounted. The strands of the plot hang together reasonably well, but the whole thing is not too demanding. I suspect it is another series that you need to read in order.

DOROTHY MARTIN MYSTERY SERIES
Book 1: THE BODY IN THE TRANSEPT
Book 2: TROUBLE IN THE TOWN HALL
Book 3: HOLY TERROR IN THE HEBRIDES
Book 4: MALICE IN MINIATURE
Book 5: THE VICTIM IN VICTORIA STATION
Book 6: KILLING CASSIDY
Book 7: TO PERISH IN PENZANCE
Book 8: SINS OUT OF SCHOOL
Book 9: WINTER OF DISCONTENT
Book 10: A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT
Book 11: THE EVIL THAT MEN DO
Book 12: THE CORPSE OF ST JAMES’S
Book 13: MURDER AT THE CASTLE
Book 14: SHADOWS OF DEATH
Book 15: DAY OF VENGEANCE
Book 16: THE GENTLE ART OF MURDER
Book 17: BLOOD WILL TELL ( )

The Body in the Transept. A cozy murder mystery full of twists. Jeanne M. Dams. Dorothy Martin Mystery Book I. rev. ed. 2020. Dorothy has decided to spend her first Christmas as a widow in the small university town of Sherebury England rather than the United States. After the Christmas Eve service, as she waits on a new acquaintance, who just happens to be a policeman, she stumbles over a body. So begins this predictable “cozy.” Mildly interesting, but not compelling. I doubt I read any others in the series. ( )