DEATH AT THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP - Debbie Young
The Cotswold Curiosity Shop Mysteries
Boldwood Books
ISBN: 9781835185483
ISBN10: 1835185487
October 11, 2024
Fiction

Little Pride, England - Present Day

Alice Carroll is fiftyish, and starting over. Her breakup with her long-time boyfriend has materialized, and she is convinced that this is her chance to move on. She's going to buy a cottage in the tiny village of Little Pride deep in the Cotswolds. To complicate matters, though, she's also lost her job. So, it looks as though this will be a clean break from not only the ex, but also a busy city life. The cottage she is shown is known as Nell's Cotswold Curiosity Shop, and it still seems to be filled with the bric-a-brac left by Nell. Assured by the real estate man that she can convert it to residential only, Alice signs the paperwork and prepares to move in. 

Alice meets some of the locals, and it seems as though there is a bit of a misunderstanding. The local council requires her to reopen and maintain the shop! She can still live in the rest of the house, but she must open for business as soon as possible! With the help of her friend from her former job, Danny, she reluctantly begins to tidy up the shop. The local man who runs the parish newspaper, Andrew, clues Alice into the village gossip, and lets her know that a developer has bought the paddock grounds next to her cottage and will be building mega-mansions. She also meets the man next door who is a business executive, and who grew up in Little Pride. Alice hopes she will fit into the tiny burb where everyone seems to know everything about everyone!

And then the body of someone Alice met in her shop shows up on the compost pile of a local resident. He had been bringing Alice items he found in the paddock, despite his boss ordering him not to. What could possibly be the reason for killing the man? 

The first book in a new series by Debbie Young, The Cotswold Curiosity Shop Mysteries begins by introducing Alice. She's fiercely independent  and just wants to move on with her new life, but things keep cropping up making things confusing. Who should she trust in Little Pride? Why was the man killed, and why was he dumped in the compost pile of a local citizen? It's great fun finding out, and readers will totally enjoy this new series.

Jani Brooks