Windermere Witness - Rebecca Trope

photo courtesy: goodreads.com

I love Lake District and each visit leaves me in awe of its natural beauty. It is very easy to see how the place has inspired the best writers. The quiet and the freshness of the landscape have a therapeutic effect and inspire the most reluctant artist.

I had always thought what it would be like to live in the lake district, seeing it not with touristy eyes but with the look of a someone who lived there.This book provided me with the perfect chance to find out.

Gist:

Persimon - Simmy Brown has moved to lake district to recover from her divorce. She has set up a flower shop and takes orders for weddings. However, a murder takes place at a wedding where Simmy had taken up a contract. Unwittingly, Simmy finds herself at the heart of it and so does the police. Does she find out the killer before the murderer seeks her out|?

What works:

• Loved the descriptions of Windermere. You can easily visualise the fells, the steep and winding paths and the sense of community.

• The character of Simmy is good. The way she pokes her head around situations and finds herself in the midst of it is interesting too.

• The narrative is smooth, very matter of fact and cosy. There is no attempt to show off. It is a story that sets to solve a murder in a particular place. It is simplistic yet very articulate in style.

What doesn't:

• The plot is simplistic in nature. Very linear, no complicated characters or complex sub plots. It starts out well, but tends to get a bit more predictable as it goes on.

• The other characters are not so interesting to make an impression. 

• The plot is so predictable that you lose interest in the plot and just want to get to the end. 

The same author had done a series on cotswolds and the reviews for that are quite good. That is what prompted me to go for this one. However, this book lets the reader down. Apart from the beauty of lake district, there is nothing much to it, I am afraid.

I saw another book called Ambleside Alibi by the same author - not sure I will be picking it up anytime soon.