Murder At A Care Home: Reviewing "Death At Eden's End" by Jo Allen

§ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this novel. §

One-hundred-year-old Violet Ross is found dead in her care home. Due to her age, it shouldn't raise any suspicious but when a post mortem is conduced it reveals that Ross was killed in her sleep. So DCI Jude Satterthwaite and his partner DS Ashleigh O'Halloran are on the case to uncover who might want to harm a "little old lady."

However, Ross turns out to be anything but a little old lady. Her past is riddled with misfortunes, scandals of the time, and secrets. The further they dig into it, the more motives and suspects start to appear ...

The murder case in "Death At Eden's End" is what drives the plot and you follow the two detectives, alongside some side characters which leaves you wondering how exactly they are involved in it.

This takes you along on the ride but when I packed up my book, left the train and headed home, I never had an urge to continue reading at home. The book can be laid aside at almost any point, with the notable exception of the ending. I really thought that this had been well written and made you turn the pages.

Furthermore, the characters are more diverse than just straight. Ashleigh is bisexual but rather dislikes the label and simply says that if she likes someone, she likes that person regardless of gender. Meanwhile, her roommate Lisa is an aromantic asexual. Neither of those facts are part of the plot or defining for the characters.

"Death At Eden's End" is the second part of the "DCI Satterthwaite Mystery Series". As it is with most crime series', you do not need to have read the first part. When past topics are mentioned, they are quickly explained to the reader. In fact, I had not even realised that this was a multi-part series and assumed that the author had taken the time to give their characters fully fleshed out backstories. Thus, I am happy to announce that is not necessary to have read the first part in advance.

In the end, I hadn't really been able to get into this mystery. It is not a bad story but neither does it crawl much above average. You can pick it up and lay it aside at any moment. It is going to keep you entertained on your train ride to work but you won't be spending any time at work thinking about the novel.