DEVIL'S BREATH is the first book I have read by G.M.
Malliet. And, thus is this the first book I have read in
the Max
Tudor series. However, despite being the sixth book
was it
was no problem for me to get the gist of the story and its
characters. I must say that G.M. Malliet did a splendid
job of getting new readers to get to know Max Tudor in
this book, both his past with MI5 and his new life as a
cleric.
In DEVIL'S BREATH is Max contacted by his former boss at
MI5. They need to his help to with a murder case. Film
star Margot Browne was killed and thrown overboard from a
boat and someone on the boat is a cold-blooded murderer,
but who? That's for Max to find out. Luckily Max will
have his old friend DCI Cotton to help him and also a
former colleague to Max, Patrice Logan who is the one
who asked that Max would be brought in to help out with
the case.
I found the book to be entertaining to read. I love
watching Poirot and Miss Marple episodes and this book
with its whodunnit mystery reminded me much of the
episodes with its similar structure: Someone gets killed,
then you get to know all the suspects, and later towards
the end, the killer is revealed. We also have the usual
person that knows too much and has to die. But, it's a
formula that never gets boring and I have to admit that I
was surprised by the ending. It was very nice not to be
able to figure out the whole plot. There is a lot of
people onboard the boat and plenty of time is spent on
Max trying to figure out if Margot saw something she
shouldn't see since MI5's interest from the beginning
lies in the rumor that someone is smuggling drugs on the
boat. Or perhaps, it was jealously or just someone that
had enough of her since she was not the easiest person in
the world.
Father Max Tudor is an interesting character, a family
man that has a past in MI5 and now apparently helps the
police now and then with crimes. I came to like him and
DCI Cotton (whose first name is revealed in this book)
very much. This is the kind of cozy mystery book that I
enjoy reading. Lots of suspects with secrets and a
mystery to be solved. I will definitely keep a look out
for the previous books in this series
as I wait for the
next book to be released.
Agatha Award-winning author G. M. Malliet has charmed
mystery lovers, cozy fans, and Agatha Christie devotees with
her critically acclaimed mysteries featuring handsome
spy-turned-cleric Max Tudor.
In The Haunted Season, Max’s former life as an MI5
agent caught up with him, threatening his newfound happiness
with Awena and baby son Owen. Realizing there is no escape
from his past, Max, with his bishop’s tacit permission, has
offered his services to MI5 on an as-needed basis.
And in Devil’s Breath, it’s time for Max to follow
through. The body of glamorous film star Margot Browne has
washed ashore from a luxury yacht and Max’s former colleague
Patrice Logan wants his help to find the murderer.
It’s a perfect “closed circle” murder since victim Margot
must have been killed by one of the actors, stylists,
screenwriters, or second-tier royalty aboard. Patrice
suspects the yacht’s owner, a playboy film director she’s
been keeping tabs on for smuggling, but Max isn’t so sure.
Max and DCI Cotton interview the suspects as they loll about
one of the luxury hotels dotting the waterfront. The
investigation into Margot’s lurid past uncovers a host of
motives—it seems she was not the only person on board with a
secret they’d kill to keep.
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