Author : John Bude
Title : Death Makes a Prophet
Pages : 288
Publisher : The British Library
Publication date : July 10, 2017 (first published in 1947)
‘Small hostilities were growing; vague jealousies were gaining strength; and far off, wasn’t there a nebulous hint of approaching tragedy in the air?’
Welworth Garden City in the 1940s is a forward-thinking town where free spirits find a home – vegetarians, socialists, and an array of exotic religious groups. Chief among these are the Children of Osiris, led by the eccentric High Prophet, Eustace K. Mildmann. The cult is a seething hotbed of petty resentment, jealousy and dark secrets – which eventually lead to murder.
The stage is set for one of Inspector Meredith’s most bizarre and exacting cases.
There’s no getting away from this series lately. It seems quite a lot of people are talking about it and I’m not immune to a bit of FOMO. On top of that, these covers are so pretty that they’ll look magnificent on any bookshelf so yes, the cover love won big time in this case and I bought five of these in one go. I’m not sorry. The lovely Emma at Emma’s Bookish Corner suggested I start with Death Makes a Prophet and so my journey through the British Library Crime Classics began.
Set in the town of Welworth Garden City, the shenanigans of the residents were reminiscent of an episode of Midsomer Murders, which I absolutely adore. Chief among these are the members of the Children of Osiris, a cult also known as Coo. But life in the cult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. There’s an abundance of jealousy and rivalry, secrets and people pretending to be someone they’re not. And then there’s a murder.
Considering this story was first published in 1947, it has stood the test of time remarkably well. While I was worried I might find it a tad too old-fashioned, I actually found the change of pace incredibly refreshing and the setting absolutely delightful. It took me a while to get used to the writing style but I soon found myself completely engrossed.
It takes a while for the murder to happen and for Inspector Meredith to arrive on the scene but that didn’t bother me one bit. I thoroughly enjoyed the time the author spent on getting the reader acquainted with the cast of quirky and eccentric, yet quite realistic characters. The investigation into the murder is complex and highly interesting, with some twists I didn’t see coming. Every time I thought I had the whole thing figured out, the author very deftly guided me towards a dead end and I ended up suspecting everyone.
I thoroughly enjoyed this foray into the British Crime Classics and I very much look forward to my next read in this collection.
Death Makes a Prophet was published in July.
Great review! I do love a cult story line so may have to add this to the tbr mountain! 😄
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Just beware there are a lot of books in this series and you’ll probably end up adding all of them! 😂
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Lol thanks for the warning!
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This sounds very good 😃
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I really enjoyed it! And there are so many more to explore. Very exciting!
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So glad you enjoyed it! It’s a very entertaining read 😊
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It really is! Thank you for bringing them to my attention! 😘
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Fab review Eva, this sounds like quite a good read 😊
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Really very enjoyable! I hope you give them a go some time!
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Quite an odd book I’d say!!!
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Quirky, I suppose. But really very good!
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I have nominated you for this Award-
https://booksteacupnreviews.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/mystery-blogger-award/
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Thank you for the nomination! I’ve been very bad at keeping up with these so apologies upfront if I don’t get around to answering your questions! xx
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No problem, that’s totally Ok if don’t want to do this, no compulsion. ☺If you wish you can answer it even even after a year, I’m not going anywhere. 😀
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So glad you enjoyed it since this means there’s another new fan for my current addiction – I can’t get enough of these British Library Crime Classics! Even the less good ones are always entertaining. Hope you enjoy the other ones you’ve got… 😀
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I hope to get around to reading them soon. And then I must order more. More I say! Don’t tell the hubby! 😂
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Great review! I hadn’t heard about this collection before but it does sound like a great read! I hope you will enjoy the others as well.
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You haven’t? Where have you been? It’s everywhere! 😂
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Hiding under a rock and trying to get over my slump mostly. xD Don’t worry, I feel terrible enough as it is haha.
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