THE BODY AT THE WINDMILL by Kate Hardy

3* Was there a body at the windmill and I missed it? And what does Georgina see in Boring MCP Colin who doesn't respect her, despite his professing?

I normally enjoy these cosy mysteries but the author brought too much in this time. There was Georgina's son Will who was struggling with a new female boss that was either a micromanaging bully, or a new broom intent on bringing her own people in (the storyline went nowhere; he was just around for some research on arsenic). There was an absent wanker merchant banker husband. There was a seemingly on-Louise's-side MIL. There was lovely Louise who was either the killer or bringing targeted,  together with the poor butcher and his daughter. There was the unfriendly nanny. Bert got ill but thankfully recovered. Boring Colin spouted his normal stuff, bordering on being an MCP. Am I the only one who sees how disrespectful he is of Georgina and Doris? The glances? The judgey short sentences? The way Georgina anticipates a difficult response from him and braces and carefully words things so as not to mention either 'Doris' or 'ghost'? The man's a boring old fuddy duddy!! Even when she called to tell him of developments in the case, he dismissed her offhand, saying he didn't have time to talk to her, but made time when she said the magic words. What a git. I hope he's the next victim in the series, tbh. And please don't talk about sausage rolls made with minced chicken!! Wtaf??

The murderer was too obvious just by the clunky over-mentions of their character. They didn't like their employer, well, only one of them, as it turned out, and they didn't like the locals. The husband merchant banker was a wanker and a cheat. I hope Louise gets the kids, the house and her business when she divorces him. 

The storyline delved way, way into the village's past, with a wronged ghost talking to Doris. I liked that she got a very, very late posthumous pardon and her name cleared, but hated that the bad guy got away with it, and with her family's mill, land and fortune going to his descendants. There was some eye-rolling with a certain person being charged with harm to Bert - that wasn't intentional harm, because Bert did eat six chicken sausage rolls not intended for him. Harm to others was intended, but the Bert charge couldn't stick with the CPS in 2025. This wasn't the best outing in the series but I live in hope Boring Colin the MCP will be a future victim! 

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my reading pleasure.



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