Murder at the Mill, M.B Shaw

Iris Grey arrives at Mill Cottage, with marital problems, and is commissioned to paint a portrait of a celebrated crime writer. However, on Christmas Day, a body is found in the water.

Well – wow. Murder at the Mill is a swift page-turner, with shocks and twists in abundance. I’ve read that it’s a perfect read for Christmas, but it’s a perfect read for any time of the year. I think we may have found ourselves the next best female sleuth since Miss Marple. It has the feel of Marple, but with a protagonist who is still full of life, with more purpose and more get up and go. I am very impressed with Iris Grey – I found her to be a very likeable character; very real and someone I can easily picture. Excuse the picture pun, but as Grey is an artist, I am drawn to The Picture of Dorian Gray and the similarity in surname. It’s all about the details isn’t it?

There weren’t really any characters I disliked, apart from the obvious one – but even this one was drawn exceptionally well. The final twist is truly breathtaking, and I was so eager to get to the end.

This is one I will lend to my mum, as I know she will love it. I can’t wait until the next Iris Grey mystery.

Murder at the Mill is published by Trapeze, part of Orion, and is available at all good independent bookshops.