I had long ago read Isobel, the first book in Griffiths-Jones’s series and want to post my review of Noel, the second book. This is a fantastic series. I’ve read many of her novels and Griffiths-Jones’s storytelling is such that her endings are surprising, to say the least. They are not cliff hangers; each story in the series is a standalone story with its own slap you in the face when you’re not looking ending.
Love and Hate and a Monastery where Death Occurs
Noel: Mallery & Hobbs Book Two, by A.J. Griffiths-Jones, is the second book in the series. It is a standalone story in the series, as is all the stories, though Mallory & Hobbs carry forth solving crimes. Like the rest of Griffiths-Jones’s stories, the plot starts off running; the author is sunk into the action from Page 1. The action unfolds with many twists and turns, dead ends, or discoveries put on hold till loose ends can come together. This story left me guessing till near the end. A young man makes his way to a monastery and soon dies. As the story progresses, another life-threatening illness occurs, leading to death. Mallory & Hobbs have a great mystery on their hands to unravel as to why and how these two people died. It being a monastery, it is difficult to uncover secrets tightly held. The monks live a cloistered life and each has their own history and past failings about which no one should learn. Yet, all is revealed as the story revolves around the young man, Noel.
This author uses many French phrases. Early on, she writes in such a way that we understand the meanings. As the story progresses, no translation is needed. The action clarifies exactly what is being said. Griffiths-Jones has a unique way of writing and even foreign language does not slow down the read. The foreign phrases add the flavor of authenticity.
As detectives work to solve the secrets held at the monastery, they must also solve the mystery of why graves in churchyards are being dug up. Could this action be connected to the mysterious deaths? Do the graves contain information held as tightly as that of the tight-lipped monks? Griffiths-Jones weaves a tale that takes the reader in several different directions at once. Each shocking revelation, each new discovery pulled this reader deeper into the story till it all came together at the end. That is the sign of a great writer. And of course, I am reading Sabine, the next delightful mystery in this series.
AJ Griffiths-Jones has a website that covers a wide range of topics, from book reviews to travel, and recipes to health. You can find it at http://www.ajwriter.simplesite.com
Her many exciting books can be found here on Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/47wvptjj