The Willow Marsh Murder by Karen Charlton

The Willow Marsh Murder by Karen Charlton ISBN-13: 978-1916292802 kindle: 381 pages Publisher: Famelton Publishing Released: February 1st 2020

Source: Amazon Unlimited.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Cambridgeshire, September 1813: Detective Stephen Lavender and Constable Ned Woods are lured to an isolated estate in the deadly marshland surrounding Ely, to investigate a murder. But nothing is as it seems at the mysterious Willow Marsh Manor. They soon realise they’ve come across this feuding family before – in the direst of circumstances. With no dead body and no sign of the woman who summoned them, Woods fears someone has planned a murderous revenge. Meanwhile, Lavender dreads the disclosure of his greatest secret. A secret that, if revealed, will destroy both his career – and his relationship with Woods. Haunted by ghosts from the past, Lavender and Woods must tread a careful path through this watery and dangerous terrain in order to solve one of the most perplexing mysteries of their career.


My Review:
The Willow Marsh Murder is a mystery novel set in 1813 in England. It's the sixth book in a series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one. However, the short story "The Death of Irish Nell" is included in this story as a series of flashbacks, so there's no need to read both that story and this one.

It was a clue-based mystery, though more of a suspense than a murder mystery. Lavender was suspicious about why he was asked to protect the daughter of a man he had previously investigated. Someone seemed bent on revenge against the detective even as he worked to discover who was trying to kill the woman. He had to uncover and sort out the complicated, scandal ridden past of the family.

The detective was clever, and his assistant constable had skills that complemented the detective's. They asked good questions. I cared what happened to the main characters. They were engaging, interesting people and had realistic reactions to events. The vivid historical and setting details made the story feel unique to that time and place yet didn't slow the pacing down. There was a fair amount of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.