Death Awaits in Durham: a cosy crime thriller full of twists and turns

Death Awaits in Durham is an entertaining read, and somewhat grittier than your average "cosy" mystery. Librarian-sleuth Kitt Hartley is called from York to Durham by her former student, Grace Edwards, who has just commenced her own postgraduate study at Kitt's alma mater, the prestigious Venerable Bede Vocational Academy. The enthusiastic Grace has become aware of an unsolved missing persons case involving a student, which she thinks would be perfect for Kitt's attention, what with her newly-acquired P.I. qualification. Kitt and Grace start looking into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of scholarship student Jodie Perkins a year earlier, ruffling the feathers of the powers-that-be at Vulnerable Bede. They're assisted by Jodie's boyfriend and fellow student, Patrick Howard, who's been devastated by Jodie's sudden vanishing, just as she was about to expose an important secret on Durham's student radio station. On their way to uncovering the truth, Kitt and Grace take several risks in trailing and attempting to interrogate various suspects. Grace's none-too-subtle antics and teasing of the older and more staid Kitt bring many moments of levity to the narrative. I found Helen Cox's characters endearing and suitably sinister, as the case may be, but felt that some of the dialogue was a little unconvincing, reading more like written than spoken communication. However, once I'd gotten into the "vibe" of the book, I found it an engaging and undemanding read. Cox's use of setting - the university town of Durham, in the north-east of England - was excellent, and skilfully interwoven into the mystery plot. Death Awaits in Durham is an enjoyable read, and I would recommend it to readers who like a little darkness in amongst the cosiness. My thanks to the author, Helen Cox, publisher Quercus Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.