An English village mystery + spies + m/m romance. I received this as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
If I have learned anything from the great British murder mystery tradition and Midsomer Murders, it’s that English villages are rife with scandal, secrets, and murder. Cat Sebastian, an avowed fan of Agatha Christie and her literary progeny, uses the British murder mystery tropes and stock characters as a back drop for a lovely romance between a war traumatized village doctor and the spy sent to cover up a crime.
Leo Page is a spy and assassin working for a secret government agency. Now that the war is over (WWII), the Home Office is talking about merging Leo’s boutique spy/assassin shop with MI6, and his boss does not want that. Leo doesn’t either, so he’s motivated to do what his boss needs. James Sommers was an army doctor, and the war hasn’t let go of him yet. He has moved to Wychomb St. Mary hoping that the familiarity and demands of a village practice will allow him to move past the war. During the war, James stitched up Leo on a memorable occasion and has a fairly good idea what he is doing in the village, though not for who or why.
Leo and James are easy characters to spend time with. I appreciated that there wasn’t a lot of game playing between them about attraction or Leo’s identity. There aren’t any surprises and the murder mystery doesn’t need any surprises, because this is a romance. The tension isn’t who killed the nosy charwoman, but when and how will Leo and James come together. The romance had plenty of suspense and came together satisfactorily. I am delighted to learn that this is the first book in a Page and Sommers series. I definitely want more of Leo and James. If Agatha Christie, but make it gay sounds like your thing, you should pick this up when it is released on June 18.
