About The Book
When Henry Farrell took a job policing Wild Thyme, Pennsylvania, he was recently widowed and still trying to find his feet. Wild Thyme was going through its own changes, too, with fracking threatening the land, and the drug trade threatening its people. His first big cases put Officer Farrell face to face with Wild Thyme’s encroaching demons. Now, he’s got the lay of the land and he’s newly married to a local girl.
Then a body – headless and half eaten by a bear – is discovered in the woods. With the help of a local biologist, Henry tracks the bear, hoping to catch him before any more lives are lost, but when his nephew disappears into the same woods they realise they may be facing a far bigger and more sinister threat.
My Review
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. The Bramble And The Rose is the third book in this series. Whilst I enjoyed it there were times when I think I would have benefited from knowing the back story.
I haven’t read much rural crime fiction and it was a refreshing change. Having a victim, who has been partially eaten by a bear is a little different to the usual crimes I read about. There was another investigation taking place, which was a little more ‘everyday’ but this was the one that I preferred.
Henry was a character I liked. Quieter than many, aware of his faults and he didn’t have many friends. I liked his names for his wife, Miss Julie, and the bear, Crabapple. I think it was his personal life where I would have benefited knowing more about his past. I wanted to understand his family relationship more and know what happened to his first wife.
It’s a short novel but wasn’t a quick book to read. It is slower paced, quaint, and full of atmosphere with some unique characters. I would definitely read the earlier books in this series.
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