Title: Death at Friar's Inn
Author: Rob Keeley
Published: March 10, 2022
Pages: 107
Genre: Mystery
What Goodreads has to say:
Dinner at an Inn of Court takes an unusual turn when a corpse falls onto the Benchers’ Table. A battleaxe and a rubber glove are found at the scene. A trophy has been stolen. But who could have wanted the Porter dead – and why?
Aspiring barristers Tom and Becca set out to investigate. But another murder isn’t far away...
Rob Keeley is an established award-winning author of children’s novels, short stories and picture books, including the Spirits series. Other credits include the award-listed stage play Mr. Everyone, and Chain Gang and Newsjack for BBC Radio. Death At Friar’s Inn is his first novel for adults and draws on his own experiences training as a barrister.
What I have to say:
Who doesn't love a good mystery? Whether it's Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie, the best mystery writers present complicated characters and intricate webs of unraveling deception in atmospheric settings. And we love them for it.
Rob Keeley's Death at Friar's Inn checks all those boxes: a murder mystery set at a historic inn, featuring a cast of characters who all have something to hide.
This may be the author's first book for adults, but it's definitely not his first mystery. After Childish Spirits--a mysterious MG ghost story that I absolutely adored; and The Treasure in the Tower--a MG story about a treasure hunt, it's no surprise that his first book for adults is a murder mystery in a historic setting.
When aspiring barrister (that's a type of lawyer, you're welcome) Tom decides to investigate a death he witnessed at a prestigious student dinner at Friar's Inn, he may get more than he bargained for. Not only does Tom himself end up falling suspect because he, you know, was caught holding the evidence at the scene of the crime; he also has to deal with Becca: a gorgeous but devilishly sly fellow law student who's already bested him in a mock trial, not to mention exacerbated his allergies with a scented tissue.
It's funny, well-paced, and had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Just about every character fell under suspicion at some point, which is just how I like it. And while I can't say the final reveal completely blindsided me (I had my suspicions but was by no means certain), it did take me by surprise, and there may even have been a slight intake of breath.
I'm giving this one three trees (good), because while it was a very fun read and a clever, well-structured mystery, the author has set a high standard for his own books to live up to. While the character dynamics, especially between Tom and his roommate and Tom and Becca, were fun, I didn't fall in love with the characters the way I did in the Spirits series, and while I loved the historic setting, I felt it could have been played up a bit for more atmosphere, which I know the author can do very well because he's done it in, again, the Spirits series. (I guess if you get nothing else from this review, you should take my recommendation to read the Spirits series.)
Also, I feel like I'm getting too lax with the 4 and 5-tree ratings, and we need to vary things up.
But at the end of the day, would I recommend this as a stimulating, slightly spooky but not too scary mystery? Absolutely.
Rating:
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