Bibliography: Malliet, G.M. (2011). Wicked Autumn. New York: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN: 978- 0312646974

Plot Summary:  Former MI5 agent, current Episcopal parish priest, Max Tudor finds the gossip and goings on of Nether Monkslip to be just his speed.  But when the brash president of the Woman’s Institute turns up dead during the village Haverst Fayre, Max’s intuition tells him it was no accident.  He cannot believe that anyone in the idyllic village could be to blame but almost everyone admits to disliking the victim.  But who hated her the most?

Critical Analysis:  Malliet has another winning cozy mystery series on her hands ( see Death of a Lit Chick and Death of a Cozy Writer).  I would love to know more about her reading history, as she seems to know just how much of a twist to apply to genre formulas to create a cast of characters, a place, and a murder mystery that are both so typical and yet fresh and funny and utterly readable.  Max Tudor (could his name be more British?) is as much an interest for being a very eligible bachelor as a former intelligence agent.  Malliet gives him a back story  which she uncovers a little at a time (I am hopeful that future installments will reveal more.)  But more than just Max, we have the wonderful cast of village characters, including the buxom older blonde, the mousy owner of a farm, the blustery Major, the antique shop owner, the elderly school teacher who sees all, and the new age shop owner.  All are far more nuanced and subtle then one might expect, and all are welcome to return in the next in the series.

Readalikes:  At the same time I was reading Wicked Autumn, I had downloaded the audio of 12 Drummers Drumming.  (The first of the new Father Christmas series–not, as I had thought, a mystery series starring Santa Claus.)  Rather, Father Christmas is the new vicar of a small village…the book opens at the village May Fayre…has a wonderful cast of characters…it was so similar I had to set it aside to listen to later to focus on the Malliet.

Review Excerpts:   ”Malliet has mastered the delights of the cozy mystery so completely that she seems to be channeling Agatha Christie.. . [with] ironic humor that contribute[s ] a little spice to the village charm, making the story even more delicious. Religion, espionage, tea, and crumpets: a winning menu.” — Booklist

“Agatha Award–winning author Malliet ( Death of a Cozy Writer ) debuts a superb new series. .. You’ ll marvel at the author’s low-key humor and crystal-clear depictions of small-town life… Malliet, like Louise Penny, brings a contemporary freshness to the traditional mystery.”– Library Journal

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.