Murders of Mrs. Austin & Mrs. Beale

I was stunned by the "whodunit" ending -- it came out of left field and yet it was all there in front of me and I had missed it. I read a lot of mysteries and can often guess the culprit but although there was a little bit that I was right about, most of it I just missed. The plot is complex but not so complex that you can't follow it, in part because there are a limited number of characters. Two murders of well-heeled women take place in the same area (neighboring towns in England) on the same night -- and the two victims (who don't know each other) have been talking on the phone that night. Police Detective Inspector Lloyd is heading up the investigation of the first murder discovered -- a talented artist who has married for money -- and his live-in girlfriend Judy Hill, who has recently transferred to a new jurisdiction because of their relationship, is heading up the other murder -- a woman with a streetwalking past who is married to a man known to have a history of very shady business activities. Did the same person kill them both? How are the killings related (if they are)? What was the motive or motives? This is a cozy in the sense that the list of suspects is reasonably short (spouses, boyfriends, etc.) and it's a question of puzzling out what happened that night -- talking to witnesses, recreating the night, etc. This is my first by this British author but I intend to read more.

I also would recommend this series to others. Ms. McGown writes a good story, and her murder plots are always good. I really like Lloyd and Judy, and in this one they get to work together on a case that covers each one of their districts. Two separate murders, and was it one killer? You'll have to read to find out. The two separate murders were committed in the victim's homes, but it is found that there is an open telephone line between the two dwellings when the victims are found! Now that's a different twist! Lloyd and Judy have to delve deep to find out who committed these crimes, and the trip the reader takes with them is fun, and the there are more twists than you know what to do with.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Jill McGown's characters are simply unique. Contrary to many other successful women crime writers, her main characters are portrayed as down to earth persons, who do not have fancy jobs or hobbies. They have their bad days and their good ones, can be agressive or unreasonable - and that's what makes them so human. Chief Inspector Lloyd ( no firstnames, please) and Inspector Judy Hill are a most unlikely couple and sometimes hillariously funny. In addition, you really will want to know who did it and this is extremely hard to guess. I would recommend this book to everyone who likes British characters.