Murder in Morocco - Judith Cranswick

Author: Judith Cranswick

Series: The Aunt Jessica Mysteries, #1

Genre: Cosy Mystery

Rating: 2.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: Lots of Morocco and a fair amount of murder. But not much of a mystery.

Story:

Harry, a jobless loner who is looked down upon by most of his family members, is invited by his Aunt Jessica to accompany her on one of her history tours. The destination is exotic Morocco, and Harry welcomes the opportunity. The group is made up of diverse people but when one of them gets murdered and another group member is arrested on assumed guilt, the dynamic in the group changes drastically. Harry’s efforts at investigating the crime result in his own name being brought in the radar. Can he clear his name with the help of his Aunt Jessica?

The book comes to us in the first person perspective of Harry.

Where the book worked for me:

👍 Jessica and Harry seem like interesting characters. Jessica’s sharpness despite her age and Harry’s shy intelligence make them a good pair. I wish the book had focussed more on their synergy with each other.

👍 I learnt a lot about Morocco. A lot!

👍 In spite of the first person writing, it doesn't include too much of internal monologues. That was a welcome change!

Where the book could have worked better for me:

👎 There are many issues raised in the plot but never developed to satisfaction. Harry’s homosexuality, his family issues, Jessica’s supposedly controversial past all get a random mention but the only focus area seems to be Morocco.

👎 And that brings me to the second point. When a book title says “Murder in Morocco”, I expect a greater focus to be on the murders and not on the place. Here, the inverse was applicable. There is an info dump on Morocco and in between the travel and cultural information, we get the crimes. If you are looking primarily for a crime mystery (as I was), you will be a tad disappointed.

👎 There is an interesting prologue, and I think I know how it fitted in with the main story. Unfortunately, this is just my guesswork because the people in the prologue don’t make an appearance in the main story at all. I’ve never seen a prologue unused in the main plot.

👎 The story feels historical somehow, possibly because of the setting in Morocco. But the mention of smartphones sets it in the contemporary period. I found myself confused about the time period because it just didn’t feel like a contemporary story.

👎 Some scene transitions are too abrupt.

👎 I have heard that it is easier to guess the identity of the killer in cosy mysteries. I don’t know how far this is true as I am not a big cosy mystery fan. But for this book, the claim stands valid. If you keep your eyes open, the clues are clearly in one direction.

All in all, this is a pretty decent cosy mystery but too much of travel info dilutes the mystery element. It is the first in series, so if the author can address these issues, I am sure the next one, which is going to be set in Japan, will be a worthwhile read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author through ‘Voracious Readers Only’ and these are my honest thoughts about it.