Lesley Cookman (–2025)

2013
Wow. I'm so surprised that someone rated this book highly. I basically gave the author one star for having the gumption to write a book and one for, well, I guess because I didn't want to be so cruel as to only give it one star.

Specifically, it was very difficult to keep track of the players, even with a cheat sheet at the very beginning. A better writer, or a writer with more experience, would have WRITTEN the relationships in a stronger fashion so that a key wouldn't have been show more necessary.

Additionally, a couple of--it turned out--key characters were hardly mentioned until the end.

Finally, bringing a psychic in on the action...really?

Don't waste your money. It's really not worth reading.

2015
I found it much better the second time around. Actually, I read it again because I couldn't remember a thing about it...but then it turns out I could remember enough! My chief complaint the first time was the complicated story line with family falling off every branch of the tree. This time around I didn't worry so much about it. So I am now increasing the rating to 2.5 stars.

Some plots just need to age.... show less

I found this first installment in British author Lesley Cookman's "Libby Sarjeant" series to be nicely enjoyable. I guess it's what's known as a "cosy." Former professional actress Libby Sarjeant, now middle-aged, has become involved with amateur theater and she comes to the village of Steeple Martin, in Kent, to direct a new play in the village's new theater. The play has been written by a member of one of the village's leading families, and it deals with a rather dark episode a generation show more back in the family's history. As this is a murder mystery, naturally there is, quite soon, a murder. In the meantime, further details about the historical incident in question begin to slowly leak out. And so forth. The mystery, I thought, was well done and the telling of the back-story particularly effective and restrained. There were a lot of characters and names presented in a hurry, and it took me some time to sort everything, and everyone, out. I just did what I usually do in such instances, which is to go with the flow and hope everything sorts itself out eventually. And eventually it all became mostly clear to me. The important characters were relatively believable, with Sarjeant's character nicely non-cliche-ridden. While it's not the most compelling series I've ever started, I will certainly be reading the next few series entries to see how Cookman developed the Sarjeant character. show less

A good am-dram murder mystery.

This book was engaging, and convinced me to continue reading when I had been having difficulty concentrating. An easy enough read.

That said, I struggled to understand the relationships between all the characters, even though it was often repeated. The small hint of romance was forced, and didn't seem genuine. And I certainly didn't work out 'who dun it', as I'm still uncertain what the motive actually was.

First Line: "How many more do you want, then?" Libby Sarjeant pushed a wisp of damp, rusty coloured hair off her brow.

Middle-aged actress come investigator Libby Sarjeant has settled down to life in the village of Steeple Martin. Her small cottage suits her. She sells oil paintings to a local gallery, and it looks as though her romance with Ben is taking a turn for the better. If only life was as smooth for her friend, Fran Castle.

Fran, who lives in London and is a bit clairvoyant, has been show more working occasionally for an estate agent to "spook test" old properties. When her aunt, Eleanor Bridges, dies in the Laurels nursing home, Fran becomes concerned. It seems that old Eleanor may have written a new will, and everyone who thinks they have a chance at an inheritance is acting very strangely. Fran feels that something just isn't right, and when she tells her friend Libby about her feelings, Libby is all for plunging directly into an investigation of their own.

Murder at the Laurels is the second entry in the Libby Sarjeant series. Libby may be busy with her painting, and she's not about to ignore her sex life, but she's still compelled to know what's going on. She keeps prodding Fran until she's brave enough to start checking into a thing or two. After all, Libby thinks, Fran is related to these people. If she doesn't have the right to know, who does?

I enjoy this series for Cookman's characterizations and for her depiction of life in a small English village. Even if it seems as though Libby and Fran are playing detective until the real policemen get all the details sorted, both women are good hearted and work with the investigators whenever they believe they've found a clue.

If you're in the mood for a light, fun mystery set in one of those perfect English villages, Murder at the Laurels may be just your cup of tea. show less