The Postbox Murders by Edmund Glasby

Out Now
Published by Endeavour
Purchase from Amazon here



The Blurb:

Richard Montrose is an eccentric loner and clockmaker, fascinated by violent crime.

When a series of gruesome murders occur in the sleepy Oxfordshire village of Long Gallop, Montrose can’t stop himself from investigating.

Soon the whole village is discussing the ‘Postbox Killer’, a madman who deposited the mutilated remains of his victims in postboxes throughout the region.

But Montrose discovers that his own background closely resembles the usual profile of a serial killer, and to Chief Inspector James Holbrooke, he seems an increasingly suspicious figure …


My Review:

I love books with the word Murder in the title so I was looking forward to reading The Postbox Murders! At 96 pages this is a novella which goes from start to finish quickly. It is great in that the storyline moves swiftly, but I felt a little let down at the lack of detail, and the apparent rush to reach it's conclusion.

The novella has a strong plot and leading character. Richard Montrose is a slightly eccentric loner, who as well as being a clockmaker has a strong interest in murder. He is that kind of reclusive character that we all imagine being slightly dodgy, and we are wary of.

The novella opens with the discovery of a body dismembered and locked inside the postbox of a local village. It of course not only revolts residents, but also piques interest and gets everyone talking about who could be behind it.

We meet Richard Montrose early on, and within a couple of chapters I had a very clear image of Richard in my mind, and couldn't make my mind up whether his interest in the murders was just fascination, or something more. In fact I couldn't quite work it out until almost the end! He is very cleverly written and I loved the way his character developed, albeit from a safe distance!

I was really getting in to the storyline and felt slightly short changed that a number of murders, the investigation, and the conclusion was all covered in just 96 pages. I would have loved their to be more meat to the plot where there was time to be more descriptive about what had happened, and more detailed investigation. I felt like that was coming, but never quite arrived, particularly towards the end. But that said, I did find myself unable to put this down, and read it all in one sitting, eager to know who dunnit. It is fast paced, and an enjoyable read that would be great for a shortish journey, or when you are looking to escape into something not too heavy.

Thank you to Endeavour for allowing me to read a review copy in return for an honest review.