Death of an Englishman by Anna Beer

A review of this debut novel

Eve Brook is a literary investigator who's drawn into the hunt for a manuscript and the death of its author. This unusual mystery sees her travelling around to discover the manuscript and uncover what happened to the controversial figure behind it.

The book is described as 'cosy crime with a very contemporary edge', which appealed to my love of murder mysteries - both Golden Age and modern. However, I didn't enjoy this story.

Firstly, it doesn't read like a cosy mystery. Most of the book focuses on Eve trying to track down the manuscript. The murder investigation seems like an afterthought and is rushed through late in the book. New characters also emerge and help to solve the mystery.

With the setting of Oxford, I was hoping this would be brought to life to provide a cosy vibe. Unfortunately, there was more emphasis on Oxford college politics than on creating a relatable impression of the city. As someone unfamiliar with the location, I found the setting hard to imagine.

There's definitely a contemporary feel to the story, which is set in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. One of the key conflicts in the story is between the manuscript author's political views (bigoted and misogynistic) and Eve's feminism. However, this element dominated the book to the detriment of the storytelling. At several points, it felt like the conflict was compensating for a lack of depth in the story.

Readers need to be aware that the contemporary style of the book includes sexual references and swearing. These are mild and infrequent but may surprise some readers.

The most challenging part of the book though, is the writing itself. Too much of the story is told through Eve's internal monologue, often repetitive and confusing. Much irrelevant information is shared in long-winded, complex sentences, making the reading hard. What's more, some scenes merge together, and you suddenly realise that Eve is in a different setting without any context or explanation.

A positive point was the refreshing diversity of the characters. I would have liked to see more development of them. However, the dialogue for a character with an accent felt contrived.

Overall, the book didn't live up to my expectations of a murder mystery.

Thanks to the Book Guild and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of the book in return for my honest review.