“Demon Summer” - G. M. Malliet

 (Max Tudor book 4)

🍰 A poisoned fruitcake, and the primary suspects are of all things, the nuns of a local abbey. It’s an interesting spin on the traditional country manor closed circle mystery because we’ve got the sisters of the cloister as well as certain overnight guests. Each of the sisters and guests has their own secrets that has brought them to the abbey and it’s up to the good vicar of Nether Monkslip to discover who is the murderer.

🍰 The plotting was clever with old histories unravelling and creating motives for present-day murder among the residents. My only issues were the grand reveal where Father Max systematically eliminates suspects took an age to accomplish, and the dialogue for the American teenager sounded British (if that) to my American ear.

🍰 Postulant Mary gives Agent Yvette Nichol vibes (of the Three Pines books) aka she’s rough around the edges, lost, and mistrustful and inspires dislike in the reader.

🍰 Just as I was contemplating another Three Pines connection: how much Monksbury abbey reminded me of the Gamache novel “A Beautiful Mind” - Father Max himself drops a “How the Light Gets In” direct reference! 

🍰 In a final case of bookish serendipity, a character also refers to G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown, and I coincidentally had just starting watching that series.