Review: Truth Will Out by KC Wells

Title: Truth Will Out

Series: Merrychurch Mysteries: Book One

Author: KC Wells

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Length: 204 Pages

Category: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense

At a Glance: If you love quaint little English villages where everyone knows everyone else, and the most the villagers usually have to worry about is who will win the lily competition at the village fete but in reality, it’s a façade because behind closed doors we can be very different people than when we are having a pint in the pub, then this book is for you. I loved it!

Reviewed By: Carrie

Blurb: onathon de Mountford’s visit to Merrychurch village to stay with his uncle Dominic gets off to a bad start when Dominic fails to appear at the railway station. But when Jonathon finds him dead in his study, apparently as the result of a fall, everything changes. For one thing, Jonathon is the next in line to inherit the manor house. For another, he’s not so sure it was an accident, and with the help of Mike Tattersall, the owner of the village pub, Jonathon sets out to prove his theory—if he can concentrate long enough, without getting distracted by the handsome Mike.

They discover an increasingly long list of people who had reason to want Dominic dead. And when events take an unexpected turn, the amateur sleuths are left bewildered. It doesn’t help that the police inspector brought in to solve the case is the last person Mike wants to see, especially when they are told to keep their noses out of police business.

In Jonathon’s case, that’s like a red rag to a bull….

Review: Truth Will Out is book one in a promising new series from K.C. Wells. The setting is the quaint, quintessential English village of Merrychurch, and the people who live there are as colorful as their village. I loved this foray into the mystery genre that Wells has written. The actual who-done-it is cleverly concealed until the end, and the primary and secondary characters are all very well written and uphold their parts in the storyline. This is first and foremost a mystery with a healthy dose of romance thrown in, but the romance definitely is secondary to the goings on in Merrychurch, and that was just fine by me. The MCs’ romance is a very organic slow burn which often takes a backseat to the unfolding investigation into just who killed Dominic de Mountford.

Jonathon de Mountford spent many of his early years at his uncle’s house in Merrychurch. Growing up in a strict household, it was drilled into his head at an early age that he would become a barrister like his father and the many de Mountfords that had come before him. So, intent on living his own life, Jonathon became a photographer and spends many hours in the company of his uncle, where he found a level of acceptance that is noticeably missing from his own home. Living through the lenses of his camera is all Jonathon needs, especially if it brings global awareness to hard to reach or remote areas of the globe. Few people get to live their dream, and Jonathon is aware of just how lucky he is that he can do that. Coming to stay with his uncle Dominic, especially after having a troubling conversation with the man, is like coming home to Jonathon…at least until he finds his uncle dead on the floor in the study and his world is suddenly turned upside down.

Mike Tattersall used to be a detective on the police force. A life-changing injury sidelined that career and when his sister suggested that he move to Merrychurch and buy the local pub, he thought she was crazier than she normally is. But Mike has found a home in Merrychurch, and he’s been working on the pub, little by little, and bringing out the ambiance and sense of old-world style he loves and feels at home in. The people of Merrychurch have rallied around him, and he’s made some lasting friends there, among them Dominic de Mountford. Helping find out who killed the man is a priority for Mike, but helping Jonathon deal with the death and resulting police investigation is ultimately more important to him. You just can’t turn the cop off when it has been ingrained for so many years, and the more questions Mike and Jonathon have, the deeper they get into the life of a man it seems many people knew but precious few really knew well.

“There’s only one answer to that, I’m afraid.” Mike looked glum.
 
“And what’s that?”
 
“There has to be someone in this village whose motives we know nothing about. Yet.” Mike turned his head and gazed out the windows. “Out there is someone with a secret.”
 
The thought sent a shiver down Jonathon’s spine.

Everyone is under suspicion at one time or another in this story and the clues and puzzle pieces don’t make sense till you get to the end and go, “Oh, that’s why!” The pacing is good on the mystery aspect; it unfolds with a steady cadence and there are enough twists and turns to keep your interest peaked. Then there is the underlying thread of romance which pops up in the just the right places to remind you it’s there and to set a solid foundation for a HEA. If you love quaint little English villages where everyone knows everyone else, and the most the villagers usually have to worry about is who will win the lily competition at the village fete but in reality, it’s a façade because behind closed doors we can be very different people than when we are having a pint in the pub, then this book is for you. I loved it and cannot wait for the next one, and I highly recommend it!

You can buy Truth Will Out here:
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