Agnes Sharp and the Trip of a Lifetime, by Leonie Swann - Colin
I read Leonie Swann’s The Sunset Years of Agnes Sharp about a year ago and really enjoyed it. The books are both about the same group of older people who live together in Agnes’s house, Sunset Hall. Edwina has won the “Trip of a Lifetime” to a spa in Cornwall for herself and a friend. To stop all the bickering and jealousy about which of the group Edwina should take, Charlie generously pays for everyone to go.
As one might expect with a book described as a “cosy crime sensation”, there is murder. To be precise, there is a possible murder in Chapter One, but Agnes forgets to tell anyone about that. The murders of interest start to happen once they reach the hotel.
Since this is a closed-circle mystery, there is a finite number of suspects; but the bickering between the group members is so well done that I didn’t particularly care whodunnit. I just enjoyed reading how dodgy hips; sight-; and hearing- challenges dealt with the up-market spa with its swimming pool, yoga classes, massages, etc… With hindsight, there were subtle clues scattered through the narrative but, again, I wasn’t paying attention! This is a very well-written book: the plot is tight and moves along swiftly; the characters are delineated and there is no danger of confusing any of them; there is humour; and there is sympathy with the ailments that trip us up as we get older.
The first Agnes Sharp was published at the same time as Richard Osman’s first Thursday Murder Club book. They were written simultaneously, but coincidentally – neither is derivative of the other. It is true, though, that they are similar in concept, featuring a cast of older people solving murders. If you like one series, you will almost certainly like the other.
Colin (via NetGalley)
