Helen Cox (1)

Trilby-wearing Kitt Hartley is definitely a character to watch. She's got all her librarian scowls and stares down pat as well as a sharp tongue that she's not afraid to use. It's also good to see that Helen Cox has given her main character an excellent mystery to solve. Any time that I haven't put all the pieces together-- or at least some of them-- is a rare day, and I was certainly kept guessing as I read this book.

There was only one thing wrong with Murder by the Minster for me-- and it show more may be the one thing that makes this book perfect for some of you-- it went way overboard on the romance. Once Kitt has seen the handsome detective inspector, her thirty-five-year-old hormones go into hyperdrive, and when the attraction heats up a notch, I found myself skimming a page or two. But, as I said, this may make this book the perfect cup of tea for some of you.

Even though I turn up my nose at romance, the author has done such a good job with her setting and the story that I'm willing to read the next book in the series. Maybe Kitt will have her hormones in therapy... show less

I want my 99p back! From the blurb, the story sounded right up my street - a librarian in York using her research skills to investigate the murder of her best friend's ex? I'm there! Unfortunately, the premise was let down by a few trifling points, like the characters, plot and dialogue. Descriptions of eye colour in terms of precious gems in the first few pages should have been a warning, but I kept going out of sheer perversity.

Kitt Hartley, the library assistant turned amateur detective, show more has a less than appealing personality, snooty and judgemental, which would work with an older woman or an older time, but Kitt is 35 and the story is set in the present day. The role of the police, in the form of dashing Detective Inspector Halloran and his near mute colleague Banks, is laughable - they arrest Kitt and her friend on the flimsiest motives, after which Halloran proceeds to interrogate Kitt about being single for ten years, release the body of the first victim for burial less than a week after his death and with another murder connected to the case, and share all the background information about the murders with Kitt, presumably because Halloran wants to get into her knickers. Any reader who has watched an episode of The Bill would be able to drive a truck through the holes in this criminal investigation. There are clever references to classic detectives aplenty, from Holmes to Miss Marple, but Kitt Hartley and Detective Halloran are not on the same level.

The murder mystery is also a bit of a let down and nobody seems overly bothered about the victims, only the women accused of doing them in. York deserves better! show less

Cozy with a ‘z’. I have to admit that I didn’t read the first book in this series, but after reading a quick précis that seemed to cover the ground, and so we plunge into the second adventures of librarian Kitt Hartley, her best friend Evie, assistant Grace, and the ubiquitous policeman-cum-boyfriend Mal Halloran. All the ingredients are there, and this one has the added attraction of being a crime mystery involving rare books. Cue the many visits to the fine bookshops of York, and show more Kitt’s penchant for name-checking various classic crime novels where their plots seem appropriate.

Once you get past the improbables, this is an enjoyable romp. Forget the fact that the events here come just a few weeks after the first novel – really, all these deaths in such a short space of time? – and that our amateur sleuths always seem to be one step ahead of the police. Again, this is all part of the territory of these books, the formula, so what you see is what you get.

Blackmail, murder, intrigue, suspects galore, red herrings a-plenty – check, check, check. You know you love it. And with the setting of the beautiful city of York, in the run up to Christmas, this is the perfect book to curl up beside the fireplace now that the clocks have changed. The characters are truly engaging, each of them with enough distinctive personality to make them likeable, whilst their vulnerability is also on show.

Sometimes you just have to switch off from the highbrow literary heavyweights (whoever they are!) and just engage with a story, a set of characters, and as much fun as you can get out of murder and dastardly doings. And with one strand of the story left dangling, we are left with an anticipation of what might happen next. This is clearly developing into a well-written series, with the literary references and pun-tastic dialogue an added ingredient. Just the ticket. 4 stars. show less

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus books for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one review I hope doesn’t come back to bite me. I hope it doesn’t come across as unduly harsh.

On the positive side, Helen Cox obviously knows how to write. (She’s a multi-published romance novelist.) I didn’t feel like pulling my eyeballs out while reading, and the story kept me reading from the first page to the last. Kudos for that!

However, there are some serious issues with show more the book as a mystery and as a novel. I’ll try to explain.

Spoiler alert, though. It’s hard to explain why certain things didn’t work without revealing parts of the story, though I won’t divulge the killer’s identity. I've tried to hide all the spoilers on Goodreads.

1. Unbelievable/improbable elements.

The police procedures.
Suspects are arrested on flimsy, circumstantial evidence. The victims were poisoned with a chemical used in nail polish remover (after being drugged). This, obviously–or at least obviously to the characters of the novel–means that the killer must be connected with a nail salon. This is simply bizarre. Nail polish remover and its ingredients are readily available, and anyone (including people who don’t wear nail polish) can buy it over the counter. Why are the police adamant on this point?

At one point, Evie phones Kitt in a panic because she and two friends have confronted someone they are convinced is the killer. They do not call the police or medical help or any practical help; no, they call Kitt. Without spoiling this episode, I’ll just say this: They have behaved stupidly. Then Halloran, after hearing their story, assures them, “You did the right thing.” (chapter 28)
My notes read, “No, they haven’t!”

What experienced cop would find their actions wise?

There are other unbelievable things, too, like

1. DI Halloran’s claim that he gets to control his own investigations. In reality he’s more middle management and would probably deal with tons of paperwork. Honestly, a lot of crime novelists overlook this, too; this isn’t as bad as the next point:
2. There are repeated claims that the killer leaves “no traces of forensic evidence.” This goes against Locard’s exchange principle: there is always evidence. It may not be processed yet, as that takes time. But DI Halloran should not be saying there’s no evidence!
3. After the police release Kitt and Evie, Halloran decides that since Kitt’s done such a bang-up terrific job of meddling, she’ll be part of the murder investigation. It’s a bizarre 180 degree turn in his views, inappropriate, and unprofessional.

Kitt’s “investigation”
At multiple points, Kitt questions strangers about their relationships and such to the victims and/or suspects. She has absolutely no reason to be meddling.

One person turns over confidential information to her without even asking her name, much less her connection to the case, when she threatens to go to the media with his refusal to share information about hotel guests. (She’s only specified that she’s an acquaintance of a suspect!) Strangers take her word for it that people are dead or that they are in danger.

Almost no one pushes back at her demands for answers to questions she has no business asking. Frankly, this is absurd.

2. Inconsistencies

Kitt’s social media use
Kitt tells a police officer early in the book,

“I don’t have time to be messing around on social media.” (chapter 8)

I can buy that. But later, she manages to look at an ex-flame’s entire Facebook profile (without being logged in, that’s impossible), receive a “friend request” from him (without having an account, again impossible), and knows what people put on their social media timelines (such as inspirational quotes, etc.)

It’s obvious that she cannot have a Facebook account because if she did, she wouldn’t be ignorant of how to ignore a friend request, which is basic FB 101 knowledge. She’s also blissfully unaware that there are apps to see who’s viewed one’s profile. Grace must step in and inform her of these facts.

Yet this is a woman who is a librarian. These are pros who know how online research works.

Furthermore, she’s only 35. That’s a few years younger than I am. By the time Kitt went to the university, almost every young person (in my social circles) could be expected to know how digital research worked. Certainly by the time she graduated, people were using social media! How can someone who came of age during the cyber revolution be this ignorant?

Evie’s relationship with Beth, another suspect When the police arrest Beth, Evie claims, “I don’t know her that well.” The two women met during get-togethers with mutual ex-boyfriend/victim Owen’s university friends.
Yet she seems to know far too about Beth for such a casual acquaintanceship: her boss is a jerk, the name of Beth’s best friend at work, her roommate’s name, etc. After the police release Beth from custody, Evie tells her how she and Kitt investigated on her behalf. Remember, Beth does not know Kitt and barely knows Evie. Yet she is grateful, not creeped out that these two women have gotten into her private business.

3. Dislike of main character.

To me, Kitt came off as rude, unnecessarily sarcastic, arrogant, and mean, often dismissing others who aren’t as “intelligent” as she is. (Such as Ruby, a quirky library visitor and the only character I actually liked.) She’s willing to drag in Grace, her assistant, into the investigation, overlooking that this could put Grace in danger (from the killer) and in jeopardy (with the police). While she is protective of Evie, which I like, it was difficult for me to have sympathy for this woman.

If she’d been much older, I might’ve found her ignorance a bit less off-putting. If she’d been a little more self-aware of her own short-comings, I might’ve liked her better.

Conclusion
As I said earlier, Cox knows how to write. There are lovely descriptions. There are fun references to classic mystery novels, such as the work of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The developing romance between Halloran and Kitt is well-done.

I really wanted to like the librarian-as-sleuth premise for a mystery series. For years, my mother was a paraprofessional librarian. I grew up around libraries and some incredibly intelligent librarians.

I understand this is a cozy mystery, so I can’t expect the same level of investigative accuracy as in a crime novel. Even so, there was no reason for the number of improbabilities in the book. Maybe cozy mystery fans can suspend their disbelief and enjoy Murder by the Minster. Unfortunately, I couldn’t. show less