Arson & Old Lace

After reading the first few pages online, I couldn't wait to buy the book. Once I started reading, I didn't want to stop and I wish the story had been much longer. Today I'm buying Slaying is Such Sweet Sorrow. If there is such a thing as a comfortable murder mystery, Patricia Harwin knows how to write a darn good one.

That's high prize given that she's only published this one book, but this book was excellent. After 50 pages or so, I couldn't put it down. I suspect that the author was writing with her tongue firmly in cheek -- having fun with all the conventions of the English Cozy Mystery (including the rustic gardener whose English is almost incomprehensible because of a heavy rural accent and the manor house), and yet she has a vicar who confounds all the conventions of the "cozy" -- he's young, abrasive, and doesn't fit in. He wants to tear down the old church and build a modern worship center!The plot involves an older American woman, Catherine Penny, who has moved to a picturesque cottage in the Cotswolds following her divorce. She has a daughter and grandchild in England, and after her husband's betrayal, feels the need to start over somewhere new. The picturesque cottage is marred only by a decrepit cottage across the road, inhabited by the hermit-like and cantankerous George Crocker -- who Catherine insists upon trying to help. Meanwhile, she gets to know all the stock characters of the English cozy, including the people who live in the manor house and the woman who runs the village shop.She has hardly begun to settle in before there is a murder -- she has difficulty convincing anyone that murder has taken place because murders aren't supposed to happen in this little village. She sets out (driven by a sense of justice?) to discover who the killer is. Meanwhile, she's trying to care for her daughter's toddler, and butting heads with her daughter in the process -- so Catherine's personal life is intertwined with her detective work. I also was surprised by the ending -- totally -- something that doesn't happen very often -- and yet it all made sense (no holes in this plot!)This book quickly developed into a real page turner, because it is well written and carefully plotted -- and because you care for and like Catherine. I can hardly wait until the next book to come out, but will have to wait for over a year!

I enjoyed this book very much. It has all the best aspects of an English cozy: a good mystery that keeps you guessing, very enjoyable characters living in a quaint village setting, and of course wonderful descriptions of the beautiful English countryside. I felt like I was taking a trip to the Cotswolds everytime I picked it up. I also enjoyed how the author wrapped everything up nicely in the end. I look forward to reading many more books in this series. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long for the next one!

After more than two decades of marriage, Catherine Perry had no idea that her husband was seeing another woman or that he wanted a divorce so he can cohabitate with his new Barbie doll. After the divorce was finalized, Catherine could no longer live in New York City with the memories all around her. She moves to the quaint English village of Far Wychwood so she could spend quality time with her daughter, her English son-in-law, and especially her grandson.Her cottage is lovely if isolated and her nearest neighbor is irascible George Crocker an irritating old man who Catherine rescued when his curtains caught on fire. She becomes immersed in village life and is upset that the vicar is having the historic cross in the cemetery moved so a youth center can be built. When the digging starts, the buried skeleton of a murdered man is found and a few days later, George's house catches fire. Catherine drags the body out and sees that it was arson to cover up a murder. Her inquisitiveness brings her to the attention of a murderer who has killed twice and will not hesitate to kill again.ARSON AND OLD LACE is the first installment in an exciting new English cozy series that is an enthralling mystery. The delightful way the sleuth brings the doings of the villagers to life is absorbing and colorful. Readers get a real feel for the intimacy inherent in such a lifestyle while also adoring the sixty year old heroine, dumped by her husband for a younger model. Patricia Harwin is a gifted storyteller and readers will want to continue reading this colorful series.Harriet Klausner

This is the first installment in a brand new series by a new authour (Patricia Harwin), and what a thoroughly enjoyable read "Arson and Old Lace" proved to be! Set in a small little village just outside Oxford (Far Wychwood), "Arson and Old Lace" fits comfortably within the parameters of what an English "cozy" should be. Patricia Harwin obviously knows exactly what ingredients should go into an English "cozy," as well as what to add/change so that "Arson and Old Lace" manages (and rightly so) to come across as something fresh and vibrant. I enjoyed reading this mystery novel immensely and am feeling really both disappointed and impatient since I will have to wait a whole year in order to be able to read the next Catherine Penny mystery novel.Bitter, angry and saddened by her sudden divorce, sixty-something Catherine Penny has decided to leave her old life in New York City behind her and move into a charming little 17th century cottage at Far Wychwood, near Oxford. Of course Catherine won't be really all alone since her daughter, Emily, and her family lives there as well. Determined to put the memory of her failed marriage and her ex-husband, Quinn, behind her, the very notion of moving to another country definitely had its appeal. But Catherine is little prepared for the odd characters that she encountered in her new home. People like her immediate neighbour, senile old George Crocker, who seems to have been left to cope with things all by himself by both his family and the village; or the zealot-like new vicar, Ian Laribee, who seems intent on removing all signs of the village church's historical past. Fortunately most of the villagers seem to be nice and welcoming, and Catherine soon begins to feel that her decision to immigrate was the right one. That is until old George Crocker is found dead in his burning cottage. Thanks to Catherine, the police quickly discover enough evidence to conclude that George was murdered. You'd think that having convinced the police that old George had been murdered would have been enough for Catherine, but Catherine finds that she has a burning urge to discover for herself who had murdered George and why. But in a village that goes back hundreds of years and where the villagers all seem to have roots that also go back as long, Catherine just might dig up more than she has bargained for...I love English "cozies" and it was a real treat to discover "Arson and Old Lace." The story was a good one, dealing evenly with how Catherine tries to cope with her hurt over the breakup of her marriage; the difficulties she faces with her daughter, Emily; how she adapts to life in Far Wychwood, and how she keeps finding herself deeply involved in trying to unmask George's murderer. The pacing was even and fairly swift -- nothing got bogged down -- and there was enough plot twists and red herring suspects so that mystery buffs shouldn't feel too shortchanged. "Arson and Old Lace" is wonderful first installment in a brand new serie