Many of the best cozy mysteries take place in an out-of-the-way village. From the earliest days of Miss Marple and Miss Silver, amateur sleuths have been digging up the roots of crime in small hamlets. Inevitably, what seems like a sleepy town is actually full of personal intrigue and even scandal.

I assumed The Murders in Great Diddling would hew pretty close to this pattern. The story follows Berit Gardner, a Swedish author who moves to the eponymous village in search of character inspiration – or at least a clear mind. Almost as soon as she arrives, a local man dies in a fiery explosion at a village tea party. Pretty soon, she’s digging into the village and its inhabitants, only to find that things are much stranger in Great Diddling than they appear on the surface…

…Which sounds exactly like the blurb of so many other British cozy mystery stories. Remote village? Check. Introverted, creative, and observant protagonist? Check and check. Hidden depths? You got them. When I picked up The Murders in Great Diddling, I expected nothing more than a competent traditional / cozy mystery. (Thanks to NetGalley for the gift review copy!)

To my surprise, Katarina Bivald has imbued her story with a bit more edge than I expected. Berit’s role as an author and Bivald’s unique take on village inhabitants make for a more meta mystery (though still a reasonably traditional one).

The author, detecting

It’s somewhat surprising, perhaps, that there aren’t many novelist-detectives in fiction. There’s Jessica Fletcher, of course, and more recently we’ve seen Ernest Cunningham and Eleanor Dash. (Journalists are more common, likely because they have an easy way to get involved in murder investigations and an easy excuse for their questions.) But overall, we don’t see that many authors investigating murders – even though cozy mystery protagonists can otherwise range from small-business owners to doctors to pensioners and vacationers.

It’s a shame, because the right kind of author, written well, can seem almost naturally predisposed to investigate the people around her. Bivald’s Berit Gardner is one such author, constantly monitoring those around her to understand their stories and mine their characters. Not only that, her profession allows her to observe from a distance and ask an odd question or two without really ringing any alarm bells. And her research allows her familiarity with investigative techniques and odd facts without the needs for specific explanations each time.

It makes for an intriguing investigation, one that almost feels Marple-like, where you’re watching a people-master at work. Berit pretty quickly picks up on some of the oddness in the village, but only brings it up or acts on it if she deems it necessary. She may explain to the police officer charged to solve the case, or to her assistant if necessary. But often, the clues are just there, in people’s behavior or dialogue, inviting you to pick them up as Berit does. It’s a nice change of pace from the more frenetic heroines we sometimes see in modern mysteries.

A village apart

Of course, Berit’s observational powers would be lost in a village with nothing to hide. But Bivald’s Great Diddling is full of secrets – and unlike in other mystery novels, we get to ride along with the inhabitants as they try to cover them up. In this, it reminds me of The Curtain-Twitcher’s Book of Murder, another new crime novel with a fun format. (I will do my best in this section not to spoil any of the mysteries! Please bear with vagueness as a result.)

It’s not just that the villagers in Great Diddling have secrets. It’s that there are layers of deception, with some deceptions more orchestrated that others. Relatively early in the novel, the town council decides that the murder could actually put their village back on the map. Quickly, a book-and-murder festival is born, with the entire village banding together to host (and trick) tourists for a literary extravaganza. Underneath this high-level orchestrated deception are layers of others, and Bivald allows the perspective to shift so we can see (and sympathize with) each one.

The result is a story with a smattering of dramatic irony and an intriguing relationship with the truth. At several points, we know more than any of the investigative protagonists, and the investigative story is richer for it. Berit herself is a far cry from more moralistic Golden Age sleuths – she’s interested in learning stories, not passing judgement on them. There are moments where the revelation of truth – at the wrong time, or in the wrong way – causes more harm than good. At the same time, the truth is clearly important, especially in the case of uncovering a murderer. Bivald walks a thin line between “humans are interesting in all their colors” and “the truth is a prerequisite for true happiness”.

Reader’s rating and review (⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️✨)

The Murders in Great Diddling is a fun and well-written traditional mystery with a surprising narrative edge. I personally enjoyed Berit the author as an investigator, as well as the ensemble cast of fun, morally light grey visitors. Some good snark as well, including observations about literary festivals and the job of writing. You’ll probably know if this is in your sweet spot – it’s definitely in mine. Three and a half stars.

The Murders in Great Diddling was published on August 13, 2024.

*This will count for my book with at least 4 different POV characters for the 52 Book Club challenge.