Murder on the Tor is the third of Frances Evesham’s Exham-on-sea mysteries. Once again Libby Forest’s life is interrupted by a crime on her doorstep. While walking Bear, the Carpathian sheepdog, for her friend Max, she finds herself lost in the mist on Glastonbury Tor. Briefly she meets a little girl and then she finds an old beaded necklace. Headed down the slope she is alarmed to encounter Detective Sergeant Joe Ramshore, Max’s son, who treats her with his usual exasperation. A body has been found and he implies that she has something to do with it.
Once Libby and Max realise that the apparent suicide is a photographer whose work is about to be exhibited locally, they decide to resume their investigations. Libby is upset that Max is not as warm as he used to be. Is their relationship going nowhere? Have the illegal activities of her deceased husband caused Max to step back?
The serious nature of the dangerous probing into past deeds is lightened by the actions of some of the other characters; Mandy, the out of place Goth, Marina, Libby’s “friend” who is too lazy to walk her own dog and Jemima Blackwell, the eccentric retired Classics teacher, whom they catch stealing photographs.
Libby is a foolhardy heroine which adds to the excitement of an eventful plot and the culprits are well chosen. The cast of colourful characters are a lively backdrop and the reader is tantalised by more information about Libby’s former husband. ( )

This is a perfectly fine mystery. It's low-key- but not funny- and somewhat slowly paced.

I've given it 3 rather than 4 stars because one of the events in the book was not at all addressed by the ending, and indeed seems to contradict it.

Also, how idiotic do you need to be to take your cat with a broken leg to a vet you suspect of murder, and who doesn't much like you or your meddling ways??? The cat survived, or this would have gotten even fewer stars... but it's like Evesham didn't even notice that the cat was in peril!

The story arcs were somewhat flat, too. The history of Libby's late husbands schemes is advanced a bit, and her relationship with Max is slightly clarified in principle. The book's arc, though, left me with a LOT of questions- including why commit the murders in the first place.

I do rather like the characters, including the dogs, but that's probably not enough to keep me reading the series. (I've also read and reviewed the first; this is the third.) ( )

Interesting locale and characters but not so for the story line. I will try another because there may be a good series in the making. ( )