Not up to the first two in the series, but still a charming read. ( )

Still enjoying these, onto the next.... ( )

PAGAN SPRING is written by G.M. Malliet. It is the 3rd Max Tudor Mystery.
Max Tudor is a former MI5 agent who retired to a more peaceful, less stressful life as an Anglican priest. The small village of Nether Monkslip with its lovely parish church promises to be a perfect fit for ‘Father Max’, until murders begin to occur.
The characters are very well-developed and the plots are good with just the right amount of red herrings. I like the ‘cast of characters’ section and the ‘author’s note’ which provides a bit of historical, interesting information for the book. The small, yet bustling village and the locally-sourced food selections round out the series’ appeal.
Great series. Great Title. **** ( )

I am thoroughly enjoying the audiobooks in the Max Tudor series---I do miss the character list at the beginning of each book and the guide to Nether Monkslip. This centers on spring, on rebirth, on love, but also mingles the horror stories of WWII. The characters jump out of the book and enter the reader's world. I adore the descriptions of the various settings and especially the talk of food. The book contains many surprises, which I will not disclose. A horrible, conceited actor dies and Cotton and Max must discover the killer. I must admit that I feared for the demise of Luther, but learned the Luther has returned to his previous home. I would love to find a list of the various characters that is sadly missing from the audiobook. A very pleasant adventure for an afternoon. ( )

This is a cozy mystery, where the people in the village are more important than the mystery itself.
The events involved in the death central to the story started during World War II, some 60 years before, which goes to show the reality that unexpected death, murder, can have long roots. I found the back story, when we got to it, more compelling than the cozy portion of the book. ( )