Review: A Line Struck Through by Alice Wendover

 

 A Line Struck Through. Book 2 of the Marrow and Vine Mystery by Alice Wendover

Bridie Quell, proprietor of the used bookstore, Marrow and Vine, is a retired proofreader. She leads a spare quiet life in the village of Wychcombe. When a man is found dead at a local bonfire night, she puts her skills to the test to solve the murder. As the body count rises, she is determined to catch the killer.

This is a very interesting book. It took me a while to get into the rhythm of the narrative, which felt really old-fashioned and required concentration to understand what is being said and what it meant. It’s kinda hard to describe. The British TV series Last of the Summer Wine came to mind with an insular village that has adopted an odd language pattern. It made for a slow methodical read.

Wendover makes great use of the weather to add to the feeling of the story. You can almost feel the cold and damp and the rain! There’s a real atmospheric feel to her writing that sets you down in the middle of the plot.

The murder mystery was well laid out as was Bridie’s investigation of her suspects as she strikes through their names and clears them one by one from her list. The murder is solved by reason of deduction and not by DNA and crime scene clues. I wish that I had read book one first to get a feel for how Bridie operates, but I did gradually get to know and enjoy her as a character. She is a keen observer, noting the smallest of details that get lost in the weeds of a murder and are often overlooked.

If you also enjoy a slow read with a complex plot, you might like this s1/2eries. I would definitely recommend starting with the first in the series.

 I gave this book 4 1/2 stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2