AT DEATH'S DOOR.

 One of several bloggers who over 7 days will be participating in this Blog Tour {the full schedule for which can be found at the bottom of the post}. Today {the 5th day of the Tour) its my pleasure to be sharing my thoughts on ...

AT DEATH'S DOOR by ANNA LEGAT.

Genre ... Cosy mystery

Publication Date ... 13th January 2022

Publisher ... Headline Accent

Standalone Second Book in The Shires Mysteries series

Estimated Page Count ... 284

Order Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/At-Deaths-Door-Mysteries-gripping-ebook/dp/B094ZCT3Z8

When Maggie Kaye and Sam Dee join the Bishops Well archaeological dig, they are as surprised as everyone else to unearth a body that was buried there less than fifty years ago. It can't possibly be the remains of an ancient Celt.

Maggie, with her usual flair - and psychic intuition - is convinced that there is more to this discovery than meets the eye. And some Bishops residents seem to know a lot more about the case than they are willing to let on.

But nobody is as shocked as Maggie when a face from the past - a face she thought she'd never see again - appears in the village, and long-hidden secrets begin to surface.

With danger at her door, and Sam by her side, can Maggie uncover the truth before it's too late? ... Book Synopsis

It was raining - an incessant drizzle, thin and misted like a giant spider's web spun over the swamps by industrious Arachne. ... First Sentence, Chapter One

Soon reinforcements arrived in the shape of Jaffa Cakes and a pot of tea with all the usual trimmings. Maggie served it while still wearing her coat. Her rash was back in angry red evidence, but her mood had mellowed. ... Memorable Moment, PG 109

My Thoughts ... Book two in the Shires Mysteries series. Whilst there are many books in this genre that work perfectly well as standalone novels, I strongly feel that this is a book probably best read if, unlike myself, you have already read the first book in the series, Death Comes to Bishops Well.

Albeit cleverly plotted, there are many, too many in my opinion, threads to the story and whilst there were some 'flashbacks', alas I'm afraid that, to my mind, there simply weren't enough to fill in the blanks.

That there were multiple narrators who all spoke in the first person, that the narrator was changed at the drop off a hat, without warning,  ... lets just say, often lost off and confused, I found myself spending an inordinate amount of time keeping up with what was happening and to whom. That the location strayed {often abruptly} from Bishops Well to the Southern Hemisphere didn't help.

Other than that ... 

I really liked the colourful, well depicted characters and in particular the winning combination that was the wonderfully eccentric, excitable Maggie with her psychic intuition and her no-nonsense, level-headed neighbour, Sam; that there is the suggestion that there might just be something more to their relationship in future instalments ... ooh! Then there was the subtle, tongue in cheek, quintessentially English humour. Oh and then there was the return of a face {who I'm not going to say} from Maggie's past which, combined, with the loss of her beloved {Ah! Thought you'd caught me out didn't you? As if I'd tell you} well, let's just say a tissue or two was needed. 

About Anna Legat ... Anna Legat is a Wiltshire-based author, best known for her DI Gillian Marsh murder mystery series. Murder isn't the only thing on her mind. She dabbles in a wide variety of genres, ranging from dark humorous comedy, through magic realism to dystopian. A globe-trotter and Jack-of-all-trades, Anna has been an attorney, legal adviser, a silver-service waitress, a school teacher and a librarian. She has lived in far-flung places all over the world where she delighted in people-watching and collecting precious life experiences for her stories. Anna writes, reads, lives and breathes books and can no longer tell the difference between fact and fiction.

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Blog Tour Schedule ... ~ 17th January: Jane Hunt Writer ~ Bookish Jottings ~ 18th January: Grace J Reviewerlady ~ Futures  ~ B for bookreview ~ 19th January: ramblingmads.com ~ Northernreader ~ QuirkyBookReads ~ 20th January: Ginger Book Geek ~ greedy.for.books ~ The Magic Of Wor(l)ds ~ 21st January: @bookwormstephanie ~ Felicity Grace Terry ~ Chez Maximka ~ 22nd January: loopyloulaura ~ readlaxation ~ Chicks, Rogues and Scandals ~ 23rd January: The Word Is Out - Alyson's Reviews ~ Scrapping&Playing ~ Book Reviews by Satabdi