Pagan Spring: A Max Tudor Mystery (A Max Tudor Novel Book 3)

I love British mysteries and fortunately found this author and the Max Tudor series. Not too heavy a read, but has an interesting storyline. Begin with first in series, if you can. Lovely read. Enjoy!

PAGAN SPRING is written by G.M. Malliet. It is the 3rd Max Tudor Mystery.Max Tudor is a former MI5 agent who retired to a more peaceful, less stressful life as an Anglican priest. The small village of Nether Monkslip with its lovely parish church promises to be a perfect fit for ‘Father Max’, until murders begin to occur.The characters are very well-developed and the plots are good with just the right amount of red herrings. I like the ‘cast of characters’ section and the ‘author’s note’ which provides a bit of historical, interesting information for the book. The small, yet bustling village and the locally-sourced food selections round out the series’ appeal.Great series. Great Title. ****

This charming mystery is the best of G.M. Malliet's Father Max Tudor series so far, in my opinion--but I love them all.Malliet returns in this outing to Nether Monkslip, the rural English village with one foot in the 19th century and the other firmly planted in the here and now. So at the same time that we have the most traditional of small English villages, complete with church and shops and small, cozy pubs and gorgeous, bucolic scenery, we also have cell phones, the Internet and all modern contraptions. It's quite a contrast.Once again, handsome, thoughtful Father Max, an Anglican priest whose recent background includes a dangerous stint as a British spy, is called upon to help solve a murder in his small community. The problem is, as has been the case in the first two mysteries in this series, the murderee, so to speak, is a wildly unpopular and very unlikeable man. He is SO obnoxious that the reader is almost glad for his murder! So who did it. The much-younger, verbally abused wife? Various villagers with whom the victim has had nasty exchanges (and that would mean quite a few people)? Or is there something much more nefarious afoot?Max sets out to solve the mystery, while at the same time falling deeper and deeper in love with his New Age, goddess-worshiping muse--the lovely Awena. Can an Anglican priest really marry a fey, airy-fairy, self-proclaimed wiccan? Read the book and see!Just wonderful. Highly recommended. I cannot wait for the next book, due out in October!

This is the third in an apparent series of four mysteries set in the village of Nether Monkslip in the southwest of England, starring the MI5 agent turned Anglican Vicar, Max Tudor. I call it whimsical, since the author seems to bring in charming characteristics of the persons and places and events with a slightly whimsical tone. It is a fun book to read and concerns Max's involvement in the murder investigation of a thorughly unattractive character which turns the village on its ear. There is also a forward development in Max's relationship with a local New Age seller of charms and potions which is full of surprises and possibilities for a fourth book in the series.Highly recommended even if I did feel the author could be a bit more concise at places and not ramble on and on sometimes. It will all make more sense if the books are read in order, starting with Wicked Autumn and then A Fatal Winter, before tackling this one.

I have now read two by this author and will read more. The people and places are well drawn. But if you are not from US be prepared for not only American spelling but many Americanisms which would not be spoken by these characters. The worst, and only reason why I am saying this, is someone 'tabling' an issue when an English person would 'shelve' it. Here in Ireland, as in UK, an issue is put on the table (or tabled) when it will be discussed. I have read books set in US written by European authors who are careful to use American words so it sounds genuine, so feel the same care should be taken in reverse! The American reader would also benefit from the reality.

This starts out as a cozy mystery with all the basic elements: small English village, vicar, various interesting villagers including a couple of real characters, a romance, and a murder. As the Vicar, Father Tudor, goes deeper into the mystery, it becomes evident that this is far more than an interesting "cozy". It involves real evil, the banal arrogance associated all to often with evil, and pitiless revenge, going back to World War II and occupied France. The denouement is not surprising but the explanations for the murder are heartbreaking. Whether or not Max, as a priest, can justify the murder is something else, but he certainly understands. Despite the seriousness of the motivation, I found this novel and getting to know the characters in the continuing chronicle (this is the third volume) pleasurable. The final ending is a surprise and no doubt the next volume will deal in some depth with Max's future.

An enjoyable follow-up to Wicked Autumn and A Fatal Winter, Pagan Spring finds our handsome vicar, Max Tudor back on another murder case. As an ex-MI5 operative, his credibility with local DCI Cotton is high and his opinion - much respected. As a vicar, people open up to him and clues are dropped about like cookie crumbs.No one seems terribly saddened by the demise of a narcissistic thespian has-been, who has returned to his childhood home of Nether Monkslip to rub the locals' noses in his success. The obvious suspects are just too obvious. There is much more to this murder and one is held in suspense well until the final pages. I look forward to the next installment of this series, presumably set in the warmth of sunny summer days and breezy balmy evenings.

I'm a huge fan of Louise Penny and since she had no more new books yet, I tried this author. Different from Penny's which are more like poetry with a little mystery thrown in. Honestly didn't think I liked the book at first 'but' after finishing I was still intrigued to find out what happens to the town folk ... so I've bought all the books in the series. Have to say I enjoy them and think they'd make a great movie, tv series, something??

A clever story, a perfect setting, strong characters ruined by sloppy proof readingnot weeding out American spelling and phrases.‘Code’ instead of ‘Building Regulations’ center instead of centre etc.G.M. Malliet is a talented author, but when you set a story in a village in England, why spoil it with a few words and phrases ?There are not hundreds of them, but enough to distract and interrupt the flow of the story. Other than this the series is enjoyable and I look forward to other books, but I would love a competent proof reading.

Handsome Father Max has two things on his mind; what to write in the Spring/Easter sermons (Imbolc/Ostara to the village New Age followers) and how to justify his relationship with his heavenly love, Awenea, the magical mystical purveyor of all things Neopagan and spiritual, to the Bishop. New incommers arrive in the village of Nether Monkslip and it's during a welcome evening at the house owned by Theaddeus Bottle and his wife Melinda where murder raises its ugly head. Galvanised into action with DCI Cotton by his side, Max sets out to discretely investigate this deadly deed aided ( unofficially) by the intrepid villagers of his parish. I thoroughly enjoyed this and was so pleased for number three the author decided to revert back to her original format of a village murder mystery; book two, A Fatal Winter missing the mark for me having the murder and investigation outwith Nether Monkslip and in the Castle at Chedrow. All the elements which came together in Wicked Autumn making it such a good read reaccured here. Max Tudor is a terrific character but with the backing of his faithful flock, aka the villagers, it really comes into its own. This author is a master of the tongue in cheek observation, witty and smart she pulls you into the lives of this varied cast of characters making you smile when you probably shouldn't and cringe when you should! All manner of personalities pepper this Southern English idyle from Awena, Max's forbidden fruit, the neopagan spiritual Goddess, to Suzzanna the desperate vamp and across to the Writing Square with its eccentric collection of aspiring authors, sadly doomed to be left on the shelf. The village secret agent is a gem disguised as the ex school matron, Miss Pichford along with her troops, a selection of females, young and old, sent out to seek and find at her bidding, often to the exasperation of Father Max who only came to the village for a quiet life when he quit being a secret agent for M15. Mr's Hooser, his accident prone housekeeper is the thorn in his side as Max tries to solve yet another disturbing murder with the help of DCI Cotton, fashion icon of the investigation team, not forgetting the star which is Luther, the church cat, on a mission to upset whoever he can! I absolutely loved this and giggled and smiled throughout. On a more serious note this is no ordinary murder mystery. I don't want to write any spoilers but I feel I must mention the very moving reasons, if there are such things which brought this murder to pass, it raised this small village mystery up from a cozy to something more poigniant. Congratulations to G M Malliet, a murder mystery with a heart, fabulous.

The only character who seems vaguely human is the detecting vicar. The depiction of village life and the manners and mores of villagers and aristocrats seems to veer between those of the Edwardian period and the present day. I doubt that the author has met either villager or aristocrat. It is obviously aimed at a credulous American market.The most puzzling elements are the frequent and irrelevantsnide remarks about the royal family.

I found this book so disappointing on many levels after the previous publications. Almost as if written by a different person. The plot is weak and slow to get moving. There are too many "Americanisms" , un-English words and phrases. The convertion to an E-book is also very poorly executed with many, many errors that spoil the flow.

As a Christian the dilemma in Max and Seen as burgeoning relationship (no spoilers) is get interesting. If all religious dilemmas could be sorted so it would result in a far more harmonious world