“Death on the Isle” - M. H. Eccleston

 

(Astrid Swift book 2)

⚓️ Sleuthing art restorer, Astrid Swift, receives a commission to determine the cost of restoration for a sizable personal art collection on the Isle of Wight. In her now customary, blunt approach to making friends, the newly-not-snobbish Astrid becomes pals with a quirky group of local artists and promptly involves herself in 2 murder investigations.

⚓️ I gave this one 3 stars because character motivations were murky at best, and tenuous at worst. No spoilers so I’ll not name any names, but one is ready to kill at one moment, but prepared to civilly chit chat at another. There is also a bit about a mysterious disappearance that isn’t explained away satisfactorily to my mind. Another point that bothered me was Astrid’s decision regarding the apartment she owns jointly with Simon. How did she manage to strong arm him to get her way on this point? We know him to be a thorough jerk. What is her leverage?

⚓️ From a culinary perspective, English flapjacks (very different from American flapjacks) get a mention in DOTI. I had to find out more, and this recipe looks delicious.