Steph'sBookRamblings: The Shadow of Death by Jane Willan

Here's what it is about....

The sisters of Gwenafwy Abbey have cherished their contemplative life—days spent in prayer, reflection, tending the Convent’s vegetable gardens and making their award-winning organic cheese, Heavenly Gouda. Life seems perfect, except for Sister Agatha, a die-hard mystery fan who despairs of ever finding any real life inspiration for her own novel. That is, until the Abbey’s sexton is found dead under an avalanche of gouda. Despite the reservations of the local constable, Sister Agatha is convinced it’s murder and the game is afoot.

Armed only with the notes she’s scribbled during her favorite podcast, How to Write a Mystery Novel, as well as a lessons learned from crime heroes ranging from Hercule Poirot to Stephanie Plum, Sister Agatha leads the nuns of Gwenafwy Abbey (and her unwitting sidekick, Father Selwyn) as they begin a race against time to resolve the death of Jacob, save the Abbey, exonerate a beloved postulant, and restore the good name of their cheese.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tintern-Abbey

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Here's what I thought about it...

     This book struck me as a cozy mystery I would enjoy and turned out to be a little Louise Penny-like. I used to read A LOT of cozy mysteries but then I got burnt out on them. Over the last year or two I have started reading them again occasionally when one catches my attention...and doesn't have a cat on the cover. Also, I should warn you that I am a bit of an Anglophile so the setting really intrigued me too. :)
     I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters from Gwenafwy Abbey and found the main characters, Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn, delightful and fun. Sister Agatha is feisty and her mystery writer aspirations made her relatable and was a perfect excuse for her nosiness! I loved that she paid homage to some of her favorite literary detectives that also happen to be mine.
   The only thing I can think to complain about is that there is A LOT happening in this book...murders, cheese festivals, confirmations, burglary, sabotage...it was occasionally overwhelming but I did still really enjoy this mystery. I will definitely be looking forward to more in this series. 4/5 stars

Favorite Quotes:

"...but fortunately for Sister Agatha, Reverend Mother firmly believed that all-poverty-and-no-online-shopping made for a dull life."

"An angling enthusiast, he claimed that since the early disciples had been fishermen, his yearly fishing trips to Scotland were biblically mandated."

"Get rid of the Mini?" he said. "Buy a van? Get thee behind me, Satan?"