Death in Dulwich by Alice Castle @DDsDiary #BlogTour #Review

I'm delighted to be one of the stops on the blog tour for Death in Dulwich by Alice Castle. Today I'm sharing my review but first of all let's take a look at the description for the book...

Thirty-something single mum, Beth Haldane, has her hands full - with a bouncy young son, a haughty cat, a fringe with a mind of its own, and bills to pay. She loves her little home in plush London suburb Dulwich, but life here doesn't come cheap.

She is thrilled to land the post of archivist at top local school, Wyatt's, though she secretly fears she's not up to the job. But even Beth couldn't have imagined how badly things could go, until she discovers a hideous crime and finds herself prime suspect.

Setting out to clear her name, Beth encounters a cast of characters who will follow her through the London Murder Mystery series, proving along the way that the nicest places can hide the nastiest secrets.

Death in Dulwich - #1 in the London Murder Mystery series. 

Buy Link

Amazon UK

The whole story was really enjoyable and this has a lot to do with Beth's character I thought she was brilliant. Especially how she decides to do her own bit of sleuthing to find out who the killer is. Beth is strong and resilient especially as she has her son to raise on her own. So when she starts her new job at Wyatt's everything finally starts slotting into place until she finds herself in a very dangerous situation. I thought her determination to discover the truth was brilliant even when at times I felt like yelling at my Kindle for her to stop digging for answers and to leave everything to the police.

Gory bits are kept to a minimum so if you prefer the more grisly descriptions then you may be slightly disappointed. I guess it is more of a cozy crime/mystery which I have to say that I enjoy just as much as the really gruesome crime stories. The way Beth turned detective was such an interesting part of the story and she really does try to help even when she probably should stop. With a couple of characters acting suspiciously there were secrets uncovered and everyone was a suspect which always makes things more interesting.

I found myself pulled into the story and the elite area of Dulwich, it's so easy to imagine the school gate scenario of one up man ship and snobbery that no doubt goes on especially in the more exclusive areas. Even though from the outside everything looks rosy and perfect this book shows you that this isn't always the case.

It didn't take me long to finish this book mainly because the mystery kept me intrigued along with trying to discover what the motive could be for the murder. I really enjoyed sitting back and relaxing with this book and trying to put the clues together just like Beth did. It seems that this book is the first in a series and I'm looking forward to seeing what is in store next.

With thanks to Emma Mitchell and Alice Castle for my copy. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.