In Prior's Wood - (Max Tudor Novel) by G M Malliet (Paperback)

About the Book

Newly returned from investigating a murder in Monkslip-super-Mare, handsome Max Tudor wants nothing more than to settle back into his predictable routine as vicar of St. Edwold's Church in the village of Nether Monkslip. But the flow of his sermon on Bathsheba is interrupted when the lady of the local manor house is found in a suicide pact with her young lover. Lady Duxter's husband rallies quickly from the double tragedy - too quickly, it is murmured in the village. Lord Duxter has already offered his manor house to a motley crew of writers, including Max's wife Awena, for his writers' retreat, and he insists the show must go on. But when a young girl goes missing and a crime writer becomes a target, DCI Cotton asks Max to lend his MI5 expertise to the investigation. Many suspects emerge as the scope of the investigation widens beyond the writers to villagers who had crossed swords with the insufferably smug crime author. But Max begins to wonder: was the attack on the writer only part of a broader conspiracy of silence?

Book Synopsis

"G. M. Malliet has crafted the English village of our dreams." --Charlaine Harris

Agatha Award-winning author G. M. Malliet has charmed mystery lovers and cozy fans with her critically acclaimed mysteries. In Prior's Wood, featuring handsome spy-turned-cleric Max Tudor, won't disappoint.

Newly returned from investigating a murder in Monkslip-super-Mare, handsome Max Tudor wants nothing more than to settle back into his predictable routine as vicar of St. Edwold's Church in the village of Nether Monkslip. But the flow of his sermon on Bathsheba is interrupted when the lady of the local manor house is found in a suicide pact with her young lover.

Lady Duxter's husband rallies quickly from the double tragedy--too quickly, it is murmured in the village. Lord Duxter already has offered his manor house to a motley crew of writers, including Max's wife Awena, for his writers' retreat, and he insists the show must go on.

When a young girl goes missing and a crime writer becomes a target, DCI Cotton asks Max to lend his MI5 expertise to the investigation.

Many suspects emerge as the scope of the investigation widens beyond the writers to villagers who had crossed swords with the insufferably smug crime author. But Max begins to wonder: was the attack on the writer only part of a broader conspiracy of silence?

Review Quotes

Praise for the Max Tudor Series

"The Father Max Tudor books are just excellent. G.M. Malliet has crafted the English village of our dreams, with interesting small shops, a variety of inhabitants, and the local priest . . . who happens to be a former MI5 agent and also very handsome. Who wouldn't want to live in Nether Monkshood? Here's the fly in the ointment: people always die there, in the most unexpected and unpleasant ways. Though Max's personal life is a source of contention (Awena, his beloved, is a pagan), Max's ability to unravel a mystery is superb."--Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A canny master of the intricate puzzle, a deft creator of intriguing characters and a witty celebrant of the village subgenre, Malliet refuses to settle for the merely good. With each installment in this exceptional series, she provides the answers to readers' prayers for intelligent and affecting entertainment." --The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA)

"Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie. Wickedly funny." --Hallie Ephron

"It's great to see the return of Malliet's wit in a high-seas whodunit that deftly skewers the Hollywood high life."--Kirkus Reviews on Devil's Breath

"An excellent series... The book is titled 'The Haunted Season' for a reason..." --Mercury News

"A classic and ingenious whodunit laced with clues for the alert reader, A Fatal Winter out-Christies Christie. Pray you don't miss it." --Richmond Times-Dispatch

"Wittier than Louise Penny, lighter than Tana French, smarter than Deborah Crombie, G.M. Malliet has made a name for herself with her cozy-but-cutting English mysteries. A Demon Summer makes the case that she may be the best mystery author writing in English at the moment (along with French). She's certainly the most entertaining, with her delightful but surprisingly deep series about sleuthing vicar Max Tudor..." --Cleveland Plain Dealer on A Demon Summer

"With clever plotting that draws on classic elements of the British village mystery, characters conceived with care, an evocative setting and frequent doses of humor to leaven the inevitable sadness, Malliet continues her elegant and entertaining series, one that discerning fans of the genre will find stimulating, rewarding -- and a ton of fun." --Richmond Times-Dispatch on A Demon Summer

"I'm a fan of G.M. Malliet, and A Demon Summer is more of a return to the roots of the series. Father Max Tudor, former MI5 operative turned Anglican priest, must visit Monkbury Abbey at the order of his bishop. A peer has been poisoned, though not fatally, by a fruitcake prepared by the Handmaids of St. Lucy, a contemplative order. Just when Max is concluding the poisoning was accidental, one of the visitors to the Abbey is done to death. Once again, Max must find the killer . . . this time so he can home to his handfasting to the pregnant Awena." --Charlaine Harris on A Demon Summer

"Entertaining . . . the ending with a traditional gathering of the subjects will please Golden Age fans."--Publishers Weekly on Demon Summer

"The fourth fun entry in this charming English cozy series is delightful in tone. Think Agatha Christie meets Ian Fleming." --Library Journal on A Demon Summer

"Contemporary cozies don't get much better than Agatha-winner Malliet's third Max Tudor mystery."--Publishers Weekly (starred) on Pagan Spring

"Well crafted and entertaining, this is a superb winter read." --Crimespree on Fatal Winter

"A traditional English mystery involving a small village, a dysfunctional family and an attractive vicar can't help but appeal to mystery lovers everywhere." --Fresh Fiction on Fatal Winter

"Agatha Christie fans will relish Malliet's delicious second Max Tudor novel....Clever deduction and a logical fair-play solution are enhanced by the author's wry humor." --Publishers Weekly, starred review on Fatal Winter

"Malliet doesn't miss a step in her stellar second case for her handsome vicar....This series shines for its wit, well-drawn characters, pitch-perfect dialog, and intricately structured puzzle." --Library Journal, starred review on Fatal Winter

"[A] gift-wrapped package for cozy lovers and Agatha Christie devotees... thoroughly entertaining." --Booklist on Fatal Winter

"There are certain things you want in a village mystery: a pretty setting, a tasteful murder, an appealing sleuth... Malliet delivers all of that." --Marilyn Stasio on Wicked Autumn, New York Times

"G.M. Malliet's Sly humor rivals Jane Austen's." --The Boston Globe on Wicked Autumn

"A winning entry in the quiet English village mystery genre." --Mystery Scene on Wicked Autumn

"Takes the traditional English cozy mystery and plants it firmly into the twenty-first century." --New York Journal of Books on Wicked Autumn

"Provid[es] the sort of comfort a quintessential cozy can offer." --Kirkus on Wicked Autumn

"Malliet has mastered the delights of the cozy mystery so completely that she seems to be channeling Agatha Christie." --Booklist, starred review on Wicked Autumn

"A superb new series... a true homage to Agatha Christie...Malliet, like Louise Penny, brings a contemporary freshness to the traditional mystery." --Library Journal, starred review on Wicked Autumn

"This appealing first in a new cozy series from Agatha-winner Malliet introduces Max Tudor....Readers will look forward to seeing more of the Rev. Tudor." --Publishers Weekly on Wicked Autumn

"A superb novel! Filled with humor and insight, G. M. Malliet creates a fabulous setting in Nether Monkslip and a great series hero in Father Max Tudor. Rarely have I read descriptions that have left me gasping, in both their hilarity and their painful truth. A wonderful read." --Louise Penny on Wicked Autumn

"Intelligent, charming writing make this a standout and a return to the traditional English village mystery." --Charlaine Harris, author of the True Blood series, on Wicked Autumn

"Exquisitely well written, a tongue-in-cheek village mystery to be savored." --Julia Spencer-Fleming on Wicked Autumn

"G. M. Malliet has brought the village cozy into the 21st century." --Charles Todd on Wicked Autumn

"One of the most delightful English village mysteries I've read since Agatha Christie stopped writing about Saint Mary Mead. G.M. Malliet's sly allusions to both Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot will make Christie fans chuckle, but Nether Monkslip is no village that time forgot--not with its new age citizenry and a vicar who's a dishy ex-MI5. Highly recommended."--Margaret Maron, Edgar, Anthony, Agatha winner, and author of Christmas Mourning

"A contemporary and deliciously wicked homage to Agatha Christie's village mysteries, with an equally delicious hero who is infinitely sexier than Miss Marple. Once readers meet handsome, intelligent, witty MI5 spy-turned-Anglican priest Max Tudor, they'll be searching their maps for the village of Nether Monkslip!"--Deborah Crombie, New York Timesbestselling author of Necessary as Blood

"Hugely funny, exquisitely well written, Wicked Autumn is a tongue-in-cheek village mystery to be savored. G.M. Malliet's arch tone and wry humor make her a writer to be treasured."--Julia Spencer-Fleming, bestselling author of One Was a Soldier

"Miss Marple would approve."--Daily Mail (UK) on The Haunted Season

"The writing style is descriptive and light. The setting and mood are authentic and vivid. The characters, including the sharp, handsome hero, are well-developed, quirky, and multilayered. And the plot is a well-paced, witty whodunit that has a nice mix of misdirection, clues, suspects, red herrings, solid deduction, and drama." --What's Better Than Books blog on In Prior's Wood

"A fun, twisty, easy read that is refreshing and highly entertaining." --What's Better Than Books? blog

About the Author

G. M. MALLIET's first St. Just mystery won the 2008 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, and was chosen by Kirkus Reviews as a best book of the year. It was nominated for many awards, including the Anthony, the Macavity, and a Left Coast Crime award for best police procedural. Her subsequent mysteries and short stories have been nominated for nearly every major crime-writing award. Critics rave that she "may be the best mystery author writing in English at the moment (along with Tana French). She's certainly the most entertaining...." (Cleveland.com). She and her husband live in the US and travel often to the UK, the setting for all her books.