Murder in My Backyard

Alice sells land to a developer on the understanding that he would build cheap houses for the villagers. However, the villagers learn that, in fact, the housing being built will be very expensive luxury homes and are furious with Alice. She tells them she’ll talk to the developer to buy back the land. However, she is found murdered soon after. Inspector Ramsay is assigned to the case but is quickly faced with too many suspects with secrets and reasons to lie. Then there’s another murder.

Murder in My Backyard is the second in the Inspector Ramsey series, an early series written by Ann Cleeves in the 1990s. It is well written with an interesting mystery and complex characters and foreshadows her later series. A very enjoyable read. show more The story is narrated by Simon Mattacks who does an excellent job.

I received an early audiobook of this novel from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review show less

Stephen Ramsay seems a little more relaxed in this novel than in the first in the series. He has bought and moved into a cottage in Heppleburn, the setting for the first in the series. He is also better fleshed out and we find out a bit more personal background.

This novel has a number of themes but the main one is a proposed housing development in the village. The woman who originally sold the land to the developer claims she was misled about the nature of the development. She invites her family to stay with her as usual on St. David's Day but that night goes off to see the land developer with an offer to buy back the land. That is the last time her rather dysfunctional family sees her. The next morning she is found dead, show more murdered.

Ramsay is under pressure to solve the murder and it is obvious that Hunter, his #2, feels he is not taking the steps that he should. Jack Robson who appeared in the first novel makes a second appearance.

I enjoyed this novel and will certainly look for the third. show less

There are a lot of shady people in this town and Ann Cleeves wrote them all so well that I was not able to guess whodunit. This was another interesting mystery in the Inspector Ramsay series.

Simon Mattacks continued to do a great job bringing the Inspector Ramsay stories to life.

Stephen Ramsay had just moved to a small village when he was called to a murder almost next door. Alice Parry was a well-liked older woman, active in civic affairs, found dead outside her house after visiting a local builder. She had visited him to ask him to sell back the land she had sold to him not long before.

The neighborhood was up in arms about the builder's plans, which were to build large homes for wealthy owners, rather than small homes for locals, thereby destroying views as well as economic opportunities. Alice had sold the land with the understanding that the small homes would be built and when she found out she'd been betrayed she became a vocal part of the opposition. Unfortunately, a few citizens believed she had a part show more in the scheme because she had sold the land to him.

Inspector Ramsay had his hands full with possible killers, but few likely ones, given how well-liked Alice was. He wraps up the case and gets to know some of his new neighbors in the bargain.

This is an early novel by Cleeves and does not have the emotional development I have come to expect from the characters. It is fully formed and a good read nonetheless. show less

I'm glad to have found these titles from an older series by Ann Cleeves. She is such a wonderful writer and I hate to run out of books by her. This is another great mystery. Good characters, lovely sense of place. A great read, read by a swell narrator.

This is an odd series; the settings seem timeless. I see this was first published in 1991, but honestly it could be pretty much any decade since cars were invented.

Ramsay is an ineffectual detective, just going around and around the various suspects, asking them questions (or more often than not failing to find them at home), until a reporter solves the case for him and the murderer explains all the details. The reporter, Mary, was I think meant to be a sympathetic character, but I failed to spot any redeeming features in her. The only likeable person was perhaps 7 year old Peter.

Murder in my Backyard is written by Ann Cleeves.The title is Book #2 in Ms. Cleeves’
Inspector Ramsay series.
This title is an early (in her writing career) mystery, police procedural.
Alice Parry is found murdered in her own yard on St. David’s Eve.
Everyone liked Alice. She was very popular in her small village. So, who would want
to murder her?
Inspector Stephen Ramsay’s investigation uncovers a web of secrets, tensions and ill-will.
A good, well-plotted mystery. The characters, especially Inspector Ramsay, could use a
bit more personality. ****