Book The Tickler's Jam murders mysteries

Tickler masterfully constructs a tense country house mystery replete with period details and convincingly represented social relations captured in the interactions between characters Tension builds gradually at first then with knuckle whitening speed to a denouement that is satisfyingly layered and ambivalent Jake Lynch It is 1919 The First World War is over the soldiers have returned home but Death is following close behind When businessman Sir Wilfred Walker is blown up in his Rolls Royce by a bomb made from a Tickler s jam tin Detective Sergeant Kite is sent to investigate Kite ejected from the London Metropolitan police has a reputation as a troublemaker a serious health problem and an obsession with asking awkward questions Constable Sparrow is a livewire with tales to tell And all the inhabitants of Crowthorpe Manor have secrets to hide Trapped and cut off by the snow in rural Lincolnshire Kite s time is soon running out This is a case that no one especially his boss wants him to solve But the Tickler s jam killer is hiding in plain sight and has not finished yet Peter Tickler is the great grandson of T G Tickler supplier of jam to the troops in the trenches Tickler s Jam was real British soldiers really made bombs out of the tins when they had eaten all the jam in them but this novel is entirely fictional Peter Tickler is well known for a series of crime novels set in Oxford This novel represents a return to his Lincolnshire homeland and a jump back to the First World War when Tickler s Jam was a catchphrase amongst the British troops on the front line He has been praised for his humanity authenticity and strong characterisation Peter s novel is a fantastic read Its refreshing to read an Oxford book which tells a gripping story from the town point of view Maggie Hartford Oxford Times The Oxford Murders is a superb book relentlessly honest and filled with mounting tension It is a page turner which I wholeheartedly recommend Mystery People a whodunit in the best traditions of the genre You will drive yourself to distraction trying to work out the perpetrator Oxford United Matchday Programme The Tickler s Jam MurdersWhat a very enjoyable readable whodunnit this is Great sense of time and place with a clever plot an empathetic police sergeant and a nice twist Not everyone can write a murder mystery with a genuine family connection Well done 225 The story is set in rural Lincolnshire just after the First World War Sir Wilfred Walker is sitting in the seat of his much loved Silver Ghost Rolls Royce car in the garage of Crowthorpe Manor savouring a glass of brandy and a Cuban cigar He is feeling content with life and his firm control of everything and everyone around him until somebody enters the garage and hits him on the head with the car s starting handle As he regains consciousness he experiences overwhelming terror as he smells petrol but he cannot escape because he is bound and gagged petrol is sprinkled over him and then the garage car and Sir Wilfred are consumed by fire. The tickler's jam murders epub ebook free download Detective Sergeant Kite has just been transferred from London to the Lincolnshire police force and he would prefer to be in the busy streets of the capital than this desolate countryside The murder of Sir Wilfred is his first major case and the journey to Crowthorpe Manor is gruelling Kite is forced to travel as a motorbike pillion passenger behind his subordinate Detective Constable Sparrow who claims that he was a despatch rider for the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front In Kite s opinion Sparrow drives with wild recklessness through the bitterly cold country roads although Sparrow assures him that he knows the area well because he was brought up in Crowthorpe To Kite s relief they arrive safely although he is exhausted and suffering from the aftermath of injuries he had received earlier in performance of his police duties. Book the tickler's jam murders book Sir Wilfred is the owner of Crowthorpe Jam Company which is the source of the family s wealth although throughout the War it has not been as successful as a rival firm Tickler s Jam Company His family consists of his invalid wife his officer son who has just left the army his pregnant daughter in law and his suffragette daughter Other members of his household are his secretary and her brother who is Sir Wilfred s factory manager the practical and helpful woman who does the cooking and much of the housework and the chauffeur cum handyman The elderly vicar and his young wife live in a cottage very near to the Manor All of the occupants of Crowthorpe Manor are forced to answer Kite s questions but they all insist that if Sir Wilfred s death was not a terrible accident he must have been killed by a thug from the village However Kite is convinced that the killer is one of inhabitants of the Manor Sir Wilfred was an unlovable man who made many enemies and any member of his household could have had reason to kill him Most of Kite s suspects try to influence his investigation either by arrogant bullying or subtle manipulation and he knows that he cannot rely on support from his senior officers The cold winter weather turns into heavy snow and the two police officers are marooned at Crowthorpe Manor Struggling with his own ill health and increasingly recalcitrant witnesses Kite attempts to discover the truth behind the murder and whether the motive is personal or connected with business rivalry He is aware that a ruthless killer is still at large and he believes that they are close by. Book the tickler's jam murders book The Tickler s Jam Murders is the first period novel by an author well known for his contemporary fiction As implied by the title the story was inspired by the author s own family history and the importance of Tickler s Jam during the First World War although both the crime and Crowthorpe Jams are fictional This is a book that skilfully utilises many of the plot points of the Golden Age and has strongly drawn characters although many of them are far from likeable It is a compelling read which I recommend Reviewer Carol WestronFor Lizzie Sirett Mystery People Group 225 I enjoyed The Tickler s Jam Murders The opening felt like a teaser a classic Agatha Christie whodunit set in a manor house Subtly that changed and issues of class gender and domestic violence impinged on the plot The setting just after WW1 was relevant too The aftermath of the war and its effects on society as depicted in the novel felt authentic It s an entertaining page turner but not shallow entertainment a good read 225