A 'cosy' murder mystery set on the Isle of Man. 'Aunt' Bessie (an old spinster who has provided tea and sympathy to generations of disaffected teenagers) stumbles over a dead body on her early morning walk along the beach. With the local bobby on the beat, and the receptionist at the police station, and a friendly Inspector from 'across' (the water, ie from the mainland), she forms a small posse of investigators whose strength seems to be Aunt Bessie's ability to tune in to the local 'skeet' (Manx for gossip).
A classic of its kind, perfectly paced with not too many suspects and some nice red herrings. The prose is stripped to the bones to provide narrative without frills; the characters are as standard and as stereotyped as any you will find in the subgenre.
Selected quotes:
- “Kys t’ou?” she asked. “Ta mee braew,” Bessie answered with a grin. “Actually, I’m not really fine, I’m quite upset, but I don’t know how to say that in Manx.” (Ch 7)
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