
Kristina Anderson
Murder in Thistlecross by Amy Reade is A Malice Novel. Eilidh Stewart has been working for Annabel Baines as her estate manager and assistant for the last two years in the Welsh village of Thistlecross. There has been a flurry of preparations as Annabel gets ready for her three estranged sons to visit. Andreas and his pregnant wife, Sian are the first to arrive. Then they welcome Hugh and his wife Cadi who do not seem to be getting along. The last to arrive is Rhisiart who is the writer in the family. The tension can be palpably felt by everyone and matters are not helped by Brenda, the maid, who is acting oddly (clumsy, irritable). The family reunion takes a tragic turn when one of the family members turn up dead the next day. This is just the beginning of the misfortune to strike the household. Eilidh works to unravel the clues and discover who is behind these deadly deeds. Someone, though, does not appreciate her nosiness. What will they do to prevent Eilidh from ferreting out their identity? Murder in Thistlecross was not quite what I expected after reading Amy Reade’s previous novels. While Murder in Thistlecross is part of A Malice Novel series, it can be read alone. Characters from the previous novels are present, but their backstory is included. I found the story easy to read with a gentle pace. The main character has been divorced two years and is ready to move forward with her life (i.e.—romantically speaking). Thus, enters Griff, the stable manager as a love interest for our heroine. Eilidh is referred to as an estate manager and assistant (in the beginning as an estate manager and later as personal assistant). She acted more like an assistant (a competent yet bland one). I wish that Eilidh had more of a presence (stronger personality, braver attitude). She does have a good heart and is loyal to her friends and employer. The mysteries have some interesting components, but they are not compelling (did not hold my attention). The mysteries can be solved long before the reveal. Eilidh is not as fortunate as I was in flushing out the culprit’s identity. I did not feel the suspense in the book, and the ending felt rushed (the author was nearing the end and needed to wrap up everything within the next few pages). My rating for Murder in Thistlecross is 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay). I wanted more substance and depth in Murder in Thistlecross. I do look forward to reading more of Amy Reade’s novels in the future and I recommend checking out her other novels.

Becky Baldridge
3.5 stars Murder in Thistlecross has a gothic feel to it, complete with a fifteenth century castle. The story opens with a bit of the sinister, and from there, it is told from the perspective of Eilidh, estate manager/personal assistant. The pacing slowed down after that first disturbing scene and the reader is introduced to the various characters. While that pacing is too slow for me to consider it a thriller, it certainly has plenty of mystery as people start dying by causes that are anything but natural. The one thing that irked me in this mystery was the complete lack of finger-pointing by most of the characters about the killer's identity, especially our main character. Other than that, the book does make for an entertaining read with some mystery and a bit of romance - great for a lazy afternoon.