#Blogtour #Review: The Trust by M.H. Eccleston @MarkEccleston1 @AriesFiction #TheTrust #Mystery #BookTwitter #CrimeFiction

Release date - 3rd February 2022
Book length - 336 pages
Publisher - Aries Fiction (Head of Zeus)
BUY LINKS:
Worldwide - www.bookdepository.com
UK - www.amazon.co.uk
US - www.amazon.com


I want to thank Andrew from headofzeus.com for the opportunity to take part in this blog tour and for providing me with an e-copy of this book from Netgalley.


ABOUT THIS BOOK

Ever so wholesome. 
Ever so deadly... 

When a local man is found murdered in an English Trust stately home, the community is shaken to its core.

None more so than newcomer Astrid Swift, who finds the body. When she moved from London to the sleepy Dorset village and got a job at the house as an art restorer, she thought she was heading for a quieter life.

Far from it. Because it turns out that rather than being the genteel organisation it seems on the surface, the Trust is a hotbed of politics and intrigue. As Astrid's new friend Kath from the village says: 'It's like the mafia, but with scones.'
​
As the suspicious deaths mount up and the threat draws closer, Astrid must use every gadget in her restorer's toolkit to solve the mystery, save her reputation – and maybe even her life.


MY REVIEW

A cosy mystery with a wonderful collection of quirky characters, THE TRUST by M.H. Eccleston is an entertaining and enjoyable read from start to finish. 

Astrid Swift loves her perfectly ordered life with her perfectly ordered job and her perfectly ordered relationship with her husband (and boss), Simon. But when she accidentally discovers that he has cheated on her with her best friend, she needs to get away from him, and the country house that her Uncle left her in his will, seems like the perfect idea. Except the house is a run-down old houseboat that needs a lot of tlc, and when Astrid walked out on Simon, she also walked out on her career. But luckily for Astrid, the local Trust is looking for an art restorer for the local stately home and as she begins to get to know the locals and even make some friends, things might just be looking up. Until Astrid discovers a dead body on the grounds of Sherborne Hall and realises that the local policeman doesn't seem to be up to scratch to catch the killer. As the bodies begin to pile up, can Astrid uncover the truth before the murderer strikes again or will she become the next victim?

THE TRUST by M.H. Eccleston is the perfect book to cosy up on the couch with of an evening with a cup of tea. The setting is fantastic and I love stories centred around small communities where you can really get to know the characters. Astrid isn't immediately likeable as she comes across as snobbish and condescending at times, but as she settles into her new life, she starts to relax and re-evaluate many things and becomes much more relatable and loveable. I always enjoy a good mystery and this one does not disappoint - is it the formidable English Trust who are knocking people off in their own backyards, or, is it someone closer to home? You'll have to read it to find out.
​Throw in an ex-husband arriving at the worst possible time, new friendships, rivalry between the elderly volunteers, and the possibility of a new romance, and Astrid's fresh start has become a lot more complicated than she could ever have imagined. 

I thoroughly enjoyed THE TRUST and I cannot wait for more from M.H. Eccleston.


AUTHOR INFO

M.H. Eccleston has had a fairly meandering career – starting out as a radio presenter for the BBC, then staying at the Beeb as a journalist and producer for six years. After that, it's a bit of a blur – he spent a couple of decades, at least, freelancing as a foreign correspondent, TV presenter, voice-over artist and film critic. For the last few years he's been a full-time screenwriter and now novelist, with some wildlife gardening in the summer to keep himself sane and pay the bills.

To keep up-to-date with this author, you can follow along here:
Twitter - twitter.com/MarkEccleston1

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT ALL OF THE OTHER STOPS ALONG THE WAY!!