The Murder at the Mill

 The Murder at the Mill (2020) by Irina Shapiro

December 1866, England. It's been about six months since (Lord) Captain Jason Redmond first came to England to wrap up his grandfather's estate. Instead of heading back to America where he was born and raised, he's been settling into his new role as lord of the manor...and surgeon in support of the local police. As Christmas approaches, there are two unwelcome surprises among the festive events: another dead body and his former fiancee, Cecilia. Cecilia had immediately turned to his best friend for comfort when rumors that Redmond had been killed during the Civil War had reached her. By the time he'd been released from the Andersonville prison and made his way home, she was married and expecting her first child. And now, here she is on his doorstep.*

And the dead body? The father of his newest scullery maid is found dead...tied to the water wheel of his family's abandoned mill. Given the body's state (naked) and prominent placement, it's obvious that someone not only wanted Frank Darrow dead but they wanted him humiliated in death as well. Who hated the man that much? He wasn't a pleasant man by all accounts, but there's no evidence that he had done anything to warrant the kind of hatred that would kill in such a manner. Newly-appointed Inspector Daniel Haze soon links Darrow to a series of burglaries in the area, but even if the man had had a falling out with his fellow thieves they would hardly have gone to the trouble of stripping him naked and tying his dead body to the wheel. Haze and Redmond soon learn that there are hidden depths to the drowned man and a shocking motive for his death.

*Okay...so, I've just started this and I've got a prediction for the storyline. Cecilia will immediately set her cap for Jason again--thinking that he couldn't possibly have gotten over her. She's actually more interested in his title than him. Kate (the vicar's daughter whom Jason has feelings for) will misunderstand the situation and there will be trouble in that particular paradise. Either in this book, or the next, Cecilia will be booted out permanently and Jason and Kate will be brought closer together by the temporary set-back. I'm going to go ahead and publish this now so my followers can hold me accountable in case I'm wrong. 😊

So...I was bang on target with the whole Cecilia thing. Very predictable. And--can I just say--a very pointless sidetrack to the main story. Yes, it did bring Jason and Kate together. But, honestly, I don't think that should have happened yet. Those two have barely had any time to get to know each other--especially since Kate won't allow Jason to court her openly because of her father. And then to have the dear old vicar give his blessing (albeit somewhat begrudgingly) at the end. The man surely has to wonder how on earth Lord Redmond could possibly love his daughter when they've never (to his knowledge) had a chance to be together. 

This isn't my favorite of the series so far. Primarily because of the motive of the murder--which I can't discuss without letting the whole cat out of the bag. But it's one of the plots that I just really don't do well with. We'll leave it at that. And then when you throw in Cecilia. Well, ick. But that's all personal. The plot itself is solid and every bit as good as the last one. The writing and the character development are also on par with previous installments. So, despite my wanting to rate this lower on purely personal grounds, I'll give it the same ★★★ that I gave to the second in the series.

First line (Prologue): The moon hung low in the nighttime sky, its fat belly skimming the tops of the elms that stood like a row of silent sentinels in the distance.

First line (1st Chapter): Inspector Daniel Haze shivered, as much from the bitter cold as from the sight that ad greeted him when he'd arrived at the mill.

Last line: "Let's go then," Jason said, steeling himself for a new investigation.

And...one final note: Shapiro writes these in serial fashion. Rather than ending each book with the end of the current investigation, the last chapter wraps things up and then gives us a taste of the next installment.
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Deaths = 4 (one drowned; two cholera; one bled to death)