WIcked Autumn

       G.M. Malliet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Max Tudor left his life with MI6 behind because he wanted to connect with his more spiritual  side and he wanted to do some good in the world with a more lasting effect. He is very fortunate to have been able to return to his studies, become ordained, pass through his curate years and finally become a vicar in an idyllic English town the like of which is rapidly disappearing.

This little Eden has it's small problems one of which is a ' managing woman' who micromanaged every thing she cam in contact with, from the Women's Institute, the church fetes, and peoples little problems if she gets wind of them. The snake in the grass of this Eden puts a period to Mrs. B-S's existence at the village hall and Max  has the misfortune to find the body. This jolt of reality brings back his old instincts and he is a help to the police in their investigation.

I liked Max Tudor, the town and the story.

 There are many other novels in which there is a managing woman who manages to get themselves killed.  One that I read recently and enjoyed was Robert Barnard's A Little Local Murder. I just wish I could bring to mind some others  to share but sometimes I wonder if I should keep a list . All I know is that  bossy pushy people get killed. Let that be a lesson to all of us.