Book Review: Murder At The Mill (An Iris Grey Mystery #1) by M.B. Shaw


Murder at The Mill (An Iris Grey Mystery #1) by M.B. Shaw
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟 (3 stars)

It's December so I've been seeking out seasonal/holiday themed reads and this also had a cozy mystery thing going for it.



Iris Grey was an interesting character to watch get roped into investigating the dirty deeds of the Wetherybys of The Mill. All of the Wetherbys were well done and most had behaviours that made their innocence questionable in several instances of varying criminal import. Cant was almost tertiary to the investigation and felt fairly thin as a character. Ian, the estranged husband of Iris was trash from the start and while he ended up better than he began if he never resurfaces it'll be too soon. Iris took far too much ill-treatment from him and given how her other love interest went, she has some personal growth to get on with. Also in things I liked, was Iris's art and how that was shown to inform how she is able to see others and things around her. It was a refreshing perspective.

In things I wasn't crazy about here, the mystery lost a bit of forward momentum in the middle. There was a lot of restatement of secrets but not enough reveal and getting to the point. Also, in places, the writing was overwrought and in others downright florid, to the point that it completely threw me out of the story. Not good. Hopefully, that'll be toned down as the series continues as this was jarring and unnecessary.

I didn't think this was Agatha Christie clever but it was a good enough mystery to keep me engaged. The blurb also mentioned Midsomer Murders but Iris goes where her commissions take her and isn't confined to one village or county. As television shows are being mentioned, this much more reminded me of Rosemary & Thyme (without the partner in sleuthing). As to books, it reminded me of Beth Gutcheon's Maggie Detweiler and Hope Babbin series. Points to a great cover. I look forward to the next book. Recommended.

Summary: As featured in the Sunday Times, the first festive mystery in a new crime series from bestselling author Tilly Bagshawe - a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie's Marple and Midsomer Murders.
A picture hides a thousand lies . . . And only Iris Grey can uncover the truth

Iris Grey arrives at Mill Cottage in a picture-perfect Hampshire village, looking to escape from her crumbling marriage. She is drawn to the neighbouring Wetherby family, and is commissioned to paint a portrait of Dominic Wetherby, a celebrated crime writer.

At the Wetherby's Christmas Eve party, the mulled wine is in full flow - but so too are tensions and rivalries among the guests. On Christmas Day, the youngest member of the Wetherby family, Lorcan, finds a body in the water. A tragic accident? Or a deadly crime?

With the snow falling, Iris enters a world of village gossip, romantic intrigue, buried secrets and murder.

As featured in the Sunday Times, the first mystery in a new crime series from bestselling author Tilly Bagshawe - a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie's Marple and Midsomer Murders.
A picture hides a thousand lies . . . And only Iris Grey can uncover the truth
Iris Grey arrives at Mill Cottage in a picture-perfect Hampshire village, looking to escape from her crumbling marriage. She is drawn to the neighbouring Wetherby family, and is commissioned to paint a portrait of Dominic Wetherby, a celebrated crime writer.
At the Wetherby's Christmas Eve party, the mulled wine is in full flow - but so too are tensions and rivalries among the guests. On Christmas Day, the youngest member of the Wetherby family, Lorcan, finds a body in the water. A tragic accident? Or a deadly crime?
With the snow falling, Iris enters a world of village gossip, romantic intrigue, buried secrets and murder.
As featured in the Sunday Times, the first mystery in a new crime series from bestselling author Tilly Bagshawe - a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie's Marple and Midsomer Murders.





No comments