Pagan Spring

Starred review from August 12, 2013
Contemporary cozies don’t get much better than Agatha-winner Malliet’s third Max Tudor mystery (after 2012’s A Fatal Winter). A former MI5 agent turned Anglican vicar, Tudor has made a new beginning in the English village of Nether Monkslip, where he’s been fortunate enough to find the love of his life, Awena Owen, though her religious views quite differ from his own. Tudor once again slips into sleuthing mode after a mysterious death following a dinner honoring playwright and actor Thaddeus Bottle, who recently retired with his wife to Nether Monkslip, his boyhood home. Familiar elements include a polarizing figure whom many wish ill, the planting of red herrings, and a well-clued solution, but Malliet isn’t content simply to update the golden age template. Between her unusual lead, his love interest, and the other village residents, she’s created well-thought-out characters who are much more than stereotypes, and has added plenty of wry humor to boot. Agent: Vicky Bijur, Vicky Bijur Literary.

September 1, 2013
A small English town can't stop talking about the murder of a dislikable newcomer, which the hunky vicar is responsible for investigating. Max Tudor sees part of his role as vicar in the English village of Nether Monkslip as acting cordial to new residents of the town. In the case of hairstylist Gabby Crew, Max has no problem striking a friendly tone, but it's hard to muster the same for Thaddeus Bottle and his wife, Melinda. The former playwright and actor has alienated the folksy town residents to such a degree that both he and his wife have become obligatory guests rather than welcome additions to community events. When Thaddeus is found dead in his own home, the small town is rocked, in spite of his unpopularity, by what appears to be yet another local murder (A Fatal Winter, 2013, etc.). Although his duty to welcome Thaddeus has ended, Max's responsibility for investigating is just beginning, since his MI5 background makes him DCI Cotton's favorite off-the-books assistant. Now the amusingly gossipy townspeople have more to discuss with Max than his blossoming romance with local Awena Owen. (And that's just as well, because Awena may be away for the duration.) Max must depend on the loose lips of his congregation to solve a mystery rooted in a lost generation before the perpetrator focuses on a new victim. A well-told tale whose greatest beauty, its charming cast of characters, binds together two generations.

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October 1, 2013
Nether Monkslip, a classic English village with ancient roots, is growing, the old residents and businesses selling to newcomers. One of its newer residents is Max Tudor, a former MI5 agent now vicar of St. Edwold's. With his current love out of town, Max is invited to join other relative newcomers at a dinner party. Among the guests is Thaddeus Bottle, a prominent actor who has recently returned to Nether Monkslip. The dinner party is a good break from preparing his Easter sermon, but Max gets a shocking surprise when Bottle is found dead in his bed the next morning. That no one, including Bottle's wife, will miss the victim makes for a large pool of suspects. As he applies both his MI5 background and his pastoral skills, Max learns that each of his fellow dinner guests has something to hide, but ultimately it is their shared past that informs the present. In this third in a charming series, Malliet has grafted a contemporary village setting onto the classic roots of the beloved English cozy, with a dash of historical motivation.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)