“The cuckoo comes in April and sings its song in May. In June it changes tune and July it flies away.”
Wedding bells are ringing in the small British village of Smeaton-under-Lyme. Julia Lanchester’s second-in-command at the local tourist center is finally getting married, and the lovebirds are giving Julia and her live-in boyfriend, Michael Sedgwick, ideas about their own future. But before anyone can say “Will you,” Michael’s flighty older sister, Pammy, crashes the party, fresh off a breakup and lugging all her worldly possessions around with her in a tangle of plastic bags.
Before long, Julia’s cozy cottage starts feeling more like Pammy’s bachelorette pad. To keep herself from going cuckoo, Julia throws herself into her pet projects at work—until death disrupts her plans. First a body is found on the estate. Then the police discover that Pammy was the last one to see the man alive. And soon Julia gets the feeling that if she ever wants her home—or her boyfriend—back, she’ll have to get to the bottom of this mystery, even if it means breaking a few eggs.
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MY REVIEW
Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Smeaton-under-Lyme, to check in with Julia, Michael, Lionel and all the townsfolk.
But, a somewhat unwelcome guest was there as well - Pammy, Michael's sister. While not evil by any means, she does tend to twist the saying to "su casa es mi casa", and apparently missed the day they covered 'overstaying your welcome' in school. Pammy is the kind of person for which mother-in-law apartments and dower houses were created.
I almost feel bad comparing Pammy to the titular cuckoo birds (whose young tend to be raised in the nests of other birds, if I understand correctly), but there are similarities.
Like Julia, I too, have on occasion *cough* *cough* taken refuge in work when my in-laws
In October 2014, I read my first Marty Wingate book (The Garden Plot from "The Potting Shed Mysteries", and positively knew I was holding something special in my hands before I opened it. Since then, I've read and reviewed several titles in both "The Potting Shed Mysteries" and the "Birds of a Feather Mysteries" (of which this book is installment #4). (See my reviews for other "Birds" books - The Rhyme of the Magpie and Empty Nest - on this blog.)
Ms. Wingate is one of a very small handful of writers for which reading their latest book is 'de rigueur' for me. It's like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one when I get my hands on her latest title Farewell, My Cuckoo is a wonderful addition to the "Birds" series, and a gripping mystery in its own right.
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MEET THE AUTHOR
Marty Wingate’s captivating mysteries can be enjoyed together or separately, in any order:
The Birds of a Feather series:
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The Potting Shed series:
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(Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author and publishers via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)
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