Title: EMILY & STAR
Author: MK Jones
ISBN: 978 1739 2284 46
Source: Review copy from the Author
Blog Tour Organised by Random Things Tours
It’s mid-Winter in the Cornish seaside town of St Foy. In the midst of a family birthday party Emily Duggan, missing for three years and presumed dead after murdering her best friend Star Bright, arrives unannounced. To the bewilderment and shock of her family, Emily announces she didn’t hurt Star and has an alibi but refuses to answer their questions.
Led by Belle Harrington, the Curiosity Club, including Emily’s aunt Bette, start their own investigation to find the real culprit, as the police re-open the unsolved mystery of Star Bright’s murder.
As the case progresses, old, uncomfortable secrets re-surface. Who was the real Star Bright? Could finding the truth about her past reveal her killer? And if her killer wasn’t Emily, could it have been one of the four students with whom Emily and Star shared accommodation at the eerie, now abandoned house on the Moor nicknamed ‘Withering Heights’. Or was it another family member? Or someone from Star’s bizarre past?
Belle and the Curiosity Club pose these and many more uncomfortable questions, as certain residents of the town become quietly but increasingly determined the case will never be solved.
Official Summary
26 April 2023
Do you remember “Murder She Wrote”? This book brought that TV series to mind for me. This book has an old-school mystery feel to it. It’s a slow burn with loads of interesting characters and an intriguing storyline full of surprises along the way.
The author tells a detailed story with lots of mystery from start to end. You feel as if you are in a small town with a mature group of ladies eager to find the truth while putting themselves in harm’s way. I enjoyed the old-school feel of this book.
Emily Duggan has been missing for three years and is believed to be involved in the murder of her best friend Star Bright. When Emily arrives unexpectedly at a family birthday her family is shocked. Emily insists that she is not responsible for Star’s death, but she refuses to say where she has been for the last three years.
When Emily’s brother – Georgie – is arrested for the murder of Star – the ladies of the Curiosity Club jump at the opportunity to solve the mystery and save Georgie. As the puzzle piece slowly starts falling into place – more than one “accident” start to happen and soon it is up to Belle Harrington and Dan Walker to find the truth.
I enjoyed the old-school approach to this story, it was a slow read with a lot of information and characters which required focus to keep all the pieces together. The ending was a whopper – however, the final shock felt a little flat.
I loved the ladies in this book – the curiosity club is made up of mature ladies who are determined to find the truth even when it proves risky. I enjoyed Belle’s feisty nature, while Mavis was a brilliant touch. As for Emily what a piece of work – this character was impossible to pin down – even reaching the end of the book it was very hard to reach an opinion about this young woman – I could not decide if she was evil or simply pushed into a corner and forced to lie.
If you are looking for a slow-burn, old-school mystery – then you will love this book. It is a relaxed, entertaining read.
Also by MK Jones
All Gone
At a reunion of old school pupils and friends, recently retired Belle Harrington overhears a story about a gang of seven bullies, who blighted her life decades earlier. Over the course of twenty-five years, six of the seven have died or disappeared without trace. One every five years, three months after each reunion. All seemingly accidental. Co-incidence … or something else?
Working reluctantly with the only remaining member of the group, and with the next anniversary imminent, Belle sets out to discover if there is something sinister still at work. Her investigation uncovers long kept secrets, lies and deception, as she homes in on the truth of what really occurred, and unleashes a nightmare that could destroy her new life in the Cornish town of St Foy.
About The Author
Author bio from the author’s site
I was born in Newport in South Wales and grew up in Cwmbran. At 18 I made my first big move away from home, to Leeds to study at the City of Leeds and Carnegie College (now Leeds Metropolitan University). I trained as a teacher and taught in Yorkshire and South Wales for three years. Someone once said that a career is what you’ve had when you look back. My ‘career’ has been a succession of interesting things to do, plus being in the right place at the right time. After teaching I worked as a holiday rep in Austria (great fun!) then became a project Manager for British Gymnastics, followed by a move into Human Resources.
My passion for genealogy began when my mother began to research her own Irish immigrant family. I helped her with the online researching (she never quite ‘got’ the internet) and became hooked myself in the process. The idea for a genealogy mystery novel came about on a train journey between London and South Wales. That idea became Three Times Removed. I am a member of the Society of Genealogists. I love attending the interesting and informative courses the Society organises, to learn as much as I can and improve my researching skills. Plus I attend my own local FH society whenever I can. I now live in North Wales, close to the sea.
Thank you to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for including me on this blog tour. It was a refreshing change from my normal genre of choice. Do you enjoy a good mystery? Have you read this one? Leave a comment below.
Great review!
Thank you
Thanks for the blog tour support x
Always a pleasure, thank you for having me.