American Jillian White thought pretty village WEYCOMBE was peaceful, especially living in a gated enclave with her wealthy -- and titled -- husband. But a local estate agent is found dead and storm clouds gather over the sleeping countryside setting.

G.M. Malliet's first mystery won the 2008 Agatha Award for Best First Novel and she has been nominated for other several awards for her police procedurals. In this case, our crime investigator is an amateur sleuth, whose American eyes cast a cold light on the police work as she watches over the body of her book club friend, Anna Monroe. Jillian walks every day as she tries to get her act together and write, and she recognised Anna's shoes in the undergrowth. This looks like an accident, or in the worst case, a mugging gone bad, or a sexual opportunist. Told unusually in first person, the better to convey Jillian's thoughts and culture clash, the tale follows her as she asks questions of her neighbours.

Jillian comes across as lonely, rootless and frustrated with life. She's lost her job, haunts the gym and drinks wine, resenting the dishwasher chores and by extension her husband. I don't see that anything is stopping her from writing, so I didn't take to her that well. Investigating the shocking death of a woman she knows, is just livening up her week, and a potential source of income or ego boost. Well, the potential involvement of a local MP with the dead woman might help that along nicely.

I can't say much more without giving the clues away so I'll just say that WEYCOMBE is an interesting crime tale for anyone who liked the ironic tone of Gone Girl or enjoys culture clash and active, involved mysteries. As our main character muses, you don't expect Agatha Christie country to actually produce murders.