April

I enjoyed this mystery a lot, and I'll probably continue with the series soon. Ian Rutledge is solving a difficult mystery in a quiet English village, while also trying to figure out how to live with the emotional scars of his WWI service.

I like the writing style, which is straightforward, yet gives a good sense of the setting. I didn't really feel it was a hundred years ago, but that isn't necessarily a criticism. There are a number of great characters, including several interesting female characters. The main character does not have a romance plot at all, and I enjoyed that, as a change of pace for me. In the course of solving the mystery, Ian uncovers all the other secrets of the villagers' lives. I felt emotionally invested in these plots, and none of them were boring.

The mystery's actual solution seems a little bit far-fetched and almost hokey. On the other hand, the concept of the unwanted voice in Ian's head prepares the reader for what's going on with the killer. On the third hand, I strongly dislike demonization of mental illness.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Samuel Giles, and I thought he was great. I especially liked the way that he did Hamish's voice, with a sort of bullying smugness that drove home just how much of a burden he was on Ian.

This is a good book and I don't know why it took me several years to get to it. I was expecting something along the lines of Ava March's books with more plot, but instead, this is much more like a gritty BBC drama. It is not a romance novel, in my opinion, although I see that the romance continues in the rest of the series. I disliked everything about Murdo and I'm having a hard time imagining how he'll redeem himself in future books, but I'll definitely be reading on.

A couple of content warnings:

Homophobia: The main character is truly disgusted with himself for being gay. It sort of gets resolved in the end, but not before his father says some awful things to him. I understand that it's accurate to the period, but I found it rough to read.

Dubious consent: The main character is sexually inexperienced and has some limits, and his love interest doesn't respect those limits. It's described in a realistic way and I think it's supposed to be read as dubious consent. It isn't romanticized. The character doesn't feel violated; he feels disgusted with himself, at first, because he enjoys the experience.