Today Mandie is back in the driving seat with a review of A Meditation on Murder, book one in the Death in Paradise series by author Robert Thorogood. With thanks to US publisher Canelo for providing the advance copy for review. We’ll hear Mandie’s thoughts in a moment, as soon as we’ve taken a look at the all important book bits.
About the book
The first instalment of the Death in Paradise Mysteries, perfect for fans of Caroline Graham and Agatha Christie
DI Richard Poole has been seconded from London to the beautiful Caribbean island of Saint Marie. More comfortable in woollen suits than short-sleeved shirts, he’s struggling to adapt to his new home. But this paradise is about to get deadly.
When self-appointed guru Aslan Kennedy gets murdered in his spiritual retreat for wealthy holidaymakers, it’s down to DI Poole to find the killer. The murder took place in a locked room with five other people inside, and when someone confesses, it seems an open and shut case. But DI Poole knows the facts just don’t add up, and there is more to the mystery than meets the eye….
A Meditation on Murder is the first in the Death in Paradise Mysteries, from the creator of the hit TV series, Death in Paradise.
I will admit I am a fan of the Death in Paradise TV series so I was intrigued to see how much the book and the TV series were the same as quite often you find that several things will change between what you see on TV and what you read in a book. Thankfully that was not the case.
In A Meditation on Murder you follow DI Richard Poole and the team of the Saint-Marie police as they try to discover who murdered one of the owners of the health spa. Faced with the fact that it happened in a room that can only be locked or unlocked from the inside and someone has confessed to the crime, the majority of the team think this is an open and shut case. DI Pool however is not convinced and as they investigate some of the other guests at the spa, his theory may just prove to be correct as it turns out several others may have had a motive, and they too were in the locked room at the time of the murder.
A Meditation on Murder is more in the style of Miss Marple and cosy crime and you get to see the relationships between the whole team. DI Pool hates being on Saint-Marie and he sees his time there as some kind of punishment, yet he is determined to go a good job and follow all the leads no matter what. His uptight attitude is very much a result of his upbringing and in stark contrast to the laid back attitude of the Caribbean and this causes amusement amongst his colleagues.
As I have watched the TV series I did find myself chuckling as whilst I was reading the book I could actually picture the characters and hear their voices. This for me really brought the book alive. It also gave me a sense of familiarity of the surroundings and the main characters even down to the pesky Lizard that Richard hates so much.
The books are very much a stand-alone so you can pick up any one of them and enjoy it without feeling that you have missed anything. If you enjoy easy going crime books (or if you have ever watched the TV series) then I would heartily recommend picking up this book and looking out for others in the series.
If you would like a copy of the book for yourself, it is available from the following retailers. (Published in UK by HQ)
Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ Kobo ~ Waterstones
Jen Med's Book Reviews 
I also like the TV series. Richar Poole was an inspired creation.
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