Review
DEADLY VILLAGE by Kate Parker
The Thirteenth Deadly Mystery
With their apartment in London bombed out and Adam training soldiers afar Olivia Redmond and newborn Stevie are forced to live with her father. Unfortunately, Livvy's father likes calm and quiet and since babies are definitely not calm and quiet he soon tells them to leave! At least he arranged for them to go to Chipping Ford to stay with her good friend Esther. Life in the Cotswold village is not so peaceful when the village busybody is murdered. Though she'd rather spend time with little Stevie, with her new camera and work as a reporter as well as British Intelligence it's up to Olivia to help the local bobby, even when an inspector from Oxford arrives. Will she uncover the truth or will the secrets of Chipping Ford stay hidden?
It's hard enough to be a first time mother, let alone having to do so when your husband is away righting in a war, you don't have a home of your own, and your father's a jerk. Add murder to the mix and you see what Livvy is dealing with in the thirteenth Deadly Mystery. I love how Olivia is able to deal with the challenges of motherhood and small town village politics while helping to solve a murder. I also really like her chutzpah, putting people in their place and caring for herself and her family first!
The mystery itself was compelling. An unpleasant village woman who was blackmailing multiple people winds up murdered. Just who was she blackmailing? I enjoyed the manner in which Olivia and Constable Bell worked together to investigate, digging up clues from not so willing villagers.
What was just as interesting as the mystery was the daily life for people in England during World War II. The details found here, the meals, the lack of petrol, working together on daily tasks and worrying about and/or grieving loved ones, adds yet another dimension to the story.
Layering together a riveting mystery with life during World War II DEADLY VILLAGE is a wonderful addition to this captivating series.
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Deadly Village: A World War II Mystery (The Deadly Series) by Kate Parker
About Deadly Village
Historical Cozy Mystery 13th in Series
Setting - Cotswold village of Chipping Ford
Publisher: JDP Press
Publication Date: August 19, 2025
Number of Pages ~300
In a village steeped in secrets, one woman's past is the key to solving a murder.
Olivia Redmond thought she'd left danger behind in blitzed-out London. But the quiet Cotswold village of Chipping Ford offers little refuge--especially when a local gossip turns up dead. With a baby to care for and the villagers turning frosty, Olivia's only ally is a young bobby overwhelmed by his first murder case.
As a former newspaper reporter and covert asset for Britain's intelligence chief, Olivia knows how to uncover the truth. The deeper she digs, the uglier it gets: blackmail, betrayal, and decades of whispered sins. And as the village closes ranks, Olivia must choose--keep the peace or expose the secrets that could shatter everything.
Perfect for readers of historical mysteries with sharp heroines and tangled moral landscapes, Deadly Village is the exciting thirteenth book in the World War II mystery Deadly Series. If you like research based history and clean reads, then you'll love USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Parker's page-turning mystery.
About Kate Parker
Kate Parker has long wanted to build a time travel machine. However, after several false starts, she gave up and created time travel by going back in time inside her books. Since she’s fond of murder mysteries, it is probably best that all of her travel is inside books or police from various ages would be hunting her. When not recreating old time buildings and fashions, she can be found with a modern computer and modern air conditioning in North Carolina with her daughter and a 115 lb. puppy who could just crash through any time barrier.
Author Links:
Website – http://www.kateparkerbooks.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/Author.Kate.Parker
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