Nether Monkslip

The Village

"The village of Nether Monkslip nestled with its narrow river beneath a high ridge called Hawk Crest. A steep and winding path led to the brow of this promontory, which was the site of the gap-toothed remains of an ancient stone circle. A visitor on first reaching the top of the Crest, as villagers called it, and seeing the village below, might catch his or her breath in wonder that anything so pristine could have survived into the twenty-first century."

 ( From G.M. Malliet's website)

 G.M. Malliet's "Wicked Autumn" certainly establishes a charming setting- an English village we dream of venturing into. Additionally, you can find an interactive version of this map on her website, which gives you fun bits about each building.

I have always found maps within books an additional bonus, whether it be Middle Earth or Nether Monkslip. It makes me wish that some of these places exist! Perhaps they do- but hidden within our sight.

Max Tudor is certainly an interesting character! The former MI5 agent turned Vicar of a small village has its own interesting background to begin with- sort of like Father Brown meets James Bond. Who do you picture as Max Tudor?

In an interview, Malliet focuses on duality in her mystery. In Max' experience, "People...were always a combination of good and bad, of wisdom and foolishness." Max, himself, has two different lives and they come together in this book, as he searches for the killer.

Hope everyone's enjoying this read so far!