What does it take to kill a person?

Berit wrote the question in her notebook. She leaned forward into her luxurious green leather desk and looked at it again. She began jotting notes, words, boxes and texts, and adding little questions to that first big one. It was so still that she could hear the pen scratching on the paper.

Berit has arrived home from a tea party on the lawn at Tawny Hall, which ended devastatingly when a huge explosion tore apart the Old Library. Reginald Trent, the owner's nephew, lay buried in the shattered glass, shards of wood and scraps of leather. The remnants from the thousands of books --- so many torn pages, charred and raggedy --- now set free were floating through the spring air and landing in trees and bushes. Berit reached for her phone to call the local police: “I’d like to report a murder.”

"Katarina Bivald has created a vibrant landscape of eccentric and often endearing characters, closely guarded secrets, serviceable small village alleyways and stores…and, best of all, huge numbers of books still intact in Tawny Hall."

These compelling scenes introduce Katarina Bivald’s THE MURDERS IN GREAT DIDDLING, as well as Berit Gardner, a Swedish writer who has lost her spark --- the voices and questions that had infused her writing, even her creative urge to put words on paper. Berit had moved to Great Diddling from her beloved London the past winter. She bought a small cottage, sight unseen, because she believed the quaint house would provide a fresh start. She arose each morning, made a cup of coffee, settled in at her magnificent desk, reached for her pens and notepaper, and waited. And waited.

Uninvited and quite unsure of herself, an unassuming young Sally Marsch appears on Berit’s gravel walkway early on the day of the tea party. Sally’s mother is Berit’s literary agent in London who wants another book from Berit and has dispatched Sally to assist and prod until it is written. “Maybe get her a cat” is one suggestion.

More important for my enjoyment, however, are the close-ups of Sally watching a writer work. Berit is a master of notetaking, plot maps, listening and questioning. Writing a novel is hard. Throughout THE MURDERS IN GREAT DIDDLING, Berit’s methods are mini lessons in the process of writing, and she shows viable, sometimes risky ways to break through the stillness and inertia. Her visits to Tawny Hall and growing friendship with the owner fuel her determination to solve Reginald's murder as she continues to be amazed by this extraordinary collection of books. Against her better judgment, Berit is drawn into a bizarre weekend event billed as Great Diddling’s Murder and Book Festival, which adds layers of uncertainty and intrigue.

Katarina Bivald has created a vibrant landscape of eccentric and often endearing characters, closely guarded secrets, serviceable small village alleyways and stores…and, best of all, huge numbers of books still intact in Tawny Hall. Thousands of books, to be exact. For that matter, a simple definition of the name of the town alone is rich stuff: Diddle, v. to cheat or swindle; to pass time aimlessly or unproductively. The possibilities for more stories and discoveries about additional murders and killers are too wonderful not to continue.

And in answer to your question regarding my opening question: Yes, Berit does determine what it takes to kill a person. And you will, too, as you enjoy this terrific Cornwall mystery.