I'm not entirely sure why I keep picking up these books in charity shops, and reading them. The characters are flat and not really believable; the writing is full of cliches and brief mentions of incidents and subplots. The dialogue doesn't ring true, and the plot in general is convoluted.

And yet I find them oddly compulsive. This book features a couple of thugs who suddenly come into some money, a vicious attack on two citizens of the village, a protest against the planned destruction of a hedge, and a man who turns over a new leaf when his wife takes a job and goes to live somewhere else. I suppose the whole series is like a TV soap in books. I picked this one up when I wanted something very light to read; and while I found the style as frustrating as ever, I kept reading.

Not really recommended. ( )

This is the eighth in the series and I love reading about the village and folk of Turnham Malpas.

Back Cover Blurb:
There is trouble in Turnham Malpas.
Caroline is deeply worried about her husband, Peter's, disappearance. The Rector's absence has an even greater effect on the people of the village, whose entire way of life is in jeopardy.
Mr Fitch at the Big House plans to destroy an ancient hedgerow and timid Lady Muriel Templeton leads a protest to stop him, although she is fearful she will have to carry out her threat to lie down in front of the diggers. But there are worse problems in store for the villagers. A new verger has arrived and although at first he seems ideal for the job, events from his past return to haunt him, bringing violence and danger to the peace of the village.
When Peter returns, his calm, sensible approach to the problems brings solutions - but only Caroline can resolve the difficulties between the two of them.... ( )