Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsAn engaging cosy mystery - so much fun
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2022
‘A Cast of Falcons’ is Book 2 in Sarah Yarwood-Lovett’s Dr. Nell Ward series of cosy mysteries.
I had enjoyed the first book, ‘A Murder of Crows’, and was excited to return for more sleuthing combined with ecology.
At the end of ‘A Murder’ Nell’s childhood friend, Lady Persephone (Percy) MacKenzie announced that she was to marry businessman Hawke McAnstruther following a whirlwind romance.
At the opening of ‘A Cast of Falcons’ Percy’s original venue had fallen through and Nell has impulsively suggested the wedding be held on her family’s estate. Now with only hours to go Nell is running about trying to make sure the wedding goes well. Then she learns that Percy’s parents fiercely disapprove of the groom.
Nell tries to smooth things over with all parties; though soon realises that the Mackenzies have good cause as Hawke is obnoxious. Still, there’s nothing like a body to seriously interfere with everyone’s day. No further details to avoid spoilers
Thanks to Percy’s invitation in ‘A Murder’, the two men in Nell’s life are also at the wedding. These are D.I. James Clark, which proves handy given the developments, and Nell’s colleague, Dr. Aravindan (Rav) Kashyap, who is also assisting Nell with installing nesting boxes on the property.
In ‘A Murder of Crows’ Rav was known as Adam, a name he had assumed in childhood in order to fit in with his British classmates. He now wishes to acknowledge his Indian heritage.
At the start of the novel with Percy’s Bridezilla behaviour and Nell trying to be a good friend while juggling multiple roles, this almost could have been the setup for a romantic comedy. Still, soon we were well into cosy mystery territory, though with a touch of romance still evident.
Again, I enjoyed this very much finding it a quick and thoroughly engaging read. I appreciated the integration of ecological themes alongside the expected cosy mystery tropes.
I was very pleased to see that Book 3, ‘A Mischief of Rats’, will be published in February 2023.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5.