Review:Horror At Horsfield Lodge, by Cash Peters

d3i6amo7nds · Post by **d3i6amo7nds** » 05 Jul 2013, 14:49

Horror At Horsfield Lodge: A Chillingley Village Mystery is a cracking good murder story with an intricately spun plot.
The author succeeds in creating an atmosphere of creepiness and an air of mystery, whilst at the same time giving us the benefit of his wit and sense of humour, making for an all over great fun read.
The action opens with the chilling words " Four gloved hands struggled to parcel up the body" as two men are seen struggling to place corpses according to written instructions as to time and place.
A cosy meeting at Chillingley village library introduces some of the main characters.Lydia, a retired American actress tries to raise the enthusiasm of the others with her Can-Do Co-op to raise money to restore the village green.Then there's Tom, member of Capitalists Without Conscience, who thinks money is the answer to everything. His wife, Doreen,a timid, likeable but not very bright character who is convinced he is cheating on her.Dolly the hairdresser,a bustling character, full of enthusiasm, who we later discover is having an affair with the local doctor, apparently common knowledge to everyone except her husband. Most importantly, there's former barmaid, Muriel Wang, who is now a bored lady of leisure looking for a way to give her life purpose and direction.
A worthy cause soon presents itself when news of the corpses found at the Lodge reaches the villagers and Muriel realizes that Lydia is being framed. She has been finding malicious notes pinned to her door, along with a dead cat on one occasion- a further note led her to the Lodge where she was found at the scene of the crime when the police arrived.
Muriel resolves to dedicate herself to solving the mystery and clearing her friend's name.
There are more murders and more notes, the main clue being the handwriting, although Tom, a handwriting analyst, seems to draw a blank at first.
The mystery is heightened by occasional glimpses of the two men who were seen with the bodies at the beginning of the book.They are still consulting their book of rules and are obviously as afraid of its writer as they are of the police.
Muriel has reason to think it possible Lydia's enemy is from her acting days in America. Members of the local community are not above suspicion however.
For obvious reasons I haven't expanded on the plot - which is sure to lead you a merry dance. Suffice it say, it's full of action and each time I thought I had it worked out a new lead emerged to prove me wrong.I will say though that Muriel ,with a little help,and after many hair raising escapades, does solve the mystery, getting there before the local police.
As ever with this author, just a few well chosen words convey a wealth of meaning. There are no boring in between bits. Oh and don't skip the footnotes, they are always entertaining!
I felt drawn into the lives of the villagers and hope to meet them again, especially the intrepid sleuth Muriel Wang, whose love life ,by the way at present non-existent , seems set to take an intriguing turn for the better!
I recommend this highly as a light and entertaining read which will keep you guessing right to the end.