What when the person you thought to have died years ago, is recently found dead…

Synopsis

Burying her husband the first time was hard. . . but the second time might just kill her.

Priscilla Newberry’s move to Obley, England was supposed to be a fresh start for her and her young daughter. But when the body of her late husband she believed long dead is found at her former home in Clun, she is pulled reluctantly back into the past and an inquiry case to find out who murdered him now and why.

Widower Augustus Travers is driven to protect the people of Clun in his new role as Constable, but nothing could prepare him for his first case: finding a man murdered, especially a man who was believed to already be dead and the late husband of a woman he could lose his heart to if he wasn’t careful.

As the clues unfold, Priscilla and Augustus find themselves in a harrowing race against time as they face the past and the consequences of death the second time around.

My review

Four years ago, Priscilla Newberry buried her husband. After that, she moved to Obley together with her young daughter, for a new start, living with her in – laws. Slowly and with time healing wounds, Priscilla has adapted to her life as a young mother and widower. But Priscilla is shocked upon hearing that the body found at her former home in Clun is that of her husband. And a bigger shock that he has recently died… Now Priscilla is determined to find out what happened to her husband and who the murderer is. Even if Augustus Travers, the Constable of Clun, is not all that thrilled with her help, as finding a murderer can be dangerous. It isn’t an easy case, especially as it is his first real case. He also understands how difficult it must be for Priscilla, as he knows all too well how her grief must feel, as he is a widower himself. And Priscilla is the woman that Augustus could be falling for. But first answers are needed, which are not that easily found…

I have read several books of this author, but this was my first encounter with the genre of mystery from Jeanine. So while I had all the trust in the author, it was with a little bit of trepidation, unknown makes unloved somehow.

Of course as a reader we know that even at the prologue, Priscilla is only going to have the shock of her life. So reading about her grief at the funeral only pained me, as we all know that this is only the start.

I can only try to imagine what Priscilla went through years ago, losing your husband like this. And it is also clear that there are secrets being kept and that nobody, not the readers or the characters, know the full truth about what happened and what was happening in that marriage that seemed so blissful for outsiders.

It cannot be denied that Priscilla is a devoted mother to her little girl. But I also liked it how after losing her husband, she decided to move away to live with her in – laws. Not that I am speaking from experience, but I think we can all say that living with your in – laws isn’t always the best decision you can make. But we see how for Priscilla, this was the best possible choice.

And I was happy for Priscilla, seeing how she moved on with her life, and how she is content with the life she has now. It’s not perfect, of course it is not, but she has put her grief finally behind her.

Only to have it all resurfaced when the found body in Clun appears to be that of the man she used to love.

While it makes sense that Priscilla is in shock upon learning the news that her husband just till recently was still alive, I admired her courage and her determination to investigate this second death. She wants to know why she has been deceived, and what happened now. Even if that determination is in contrast with what Constable Augustus Travers wants her to do…

Normally, I am for women taking matter in own hands, and just go for it, I was perhaps more agreeing with Augustus. Not because I have doubts about Priscilla’s abilities, but just because it can be very dangerous to investigate a murder. And Priscilla does not have any legal or lawfully power, and she has her little girl to think about…

Augustus shows more than once that he is a righteous person, and no matter how difficult the task is, he want to uncover the truth. He also shows that he is very perceptive, but also very understanding. We see this especially with his interactions with Priscilla.

But my heart also went out to him, as he is a widower himself, and obviously does not have had any closure yet. He carries around a lot of guilt, and is unable to forgive himself of how he acted with his beloved wife on her deathbed.

I have to say, I could easily forgive him for what he did back then, because it doesn’t truly reflect his character. This was a situation where you don’t know how you will act, what you will do.

It was lovely, funny, exciting and even a bit mysterious, reading how Augustus and Priscilla are working together trying to find out the truth.

Lovely, funny and exciting, because it is obvious that there is *something* between Augustus and Priscilla. And I was cheering for the pair to just get closer.  But I also understood both their trepidation. They have both been hurt by love before, and letting love back in, can be a terrifying thought.

Mysterious was of course the quest of getting to the bottom of the truth. And the more the story evolves, the more questions are rising, the stranger things are becoming. Not only that, but the more things are happening, shocking secrets being revealed.

Perhaps it took me a moment to get into this story, but keeping on reading was rewarding, because before I knew it, I was totally invested in this story! And upon learning that this was the second book of the series, made me adamant to absolutely catch up with the first book!