It’s never too late for a second chance, and when Sadie Sutton’s marriage implodes spectacularly, she jumps into her vintage VW campervan and heads for the twisty cobbled streets and sea views of her childhood in the little seaside town of Winching. But her fresh start comes to an abrupt stop when she trips over a dead body, turning an ordinary walk with her faithful dog Sam Spade into a murder investigation!
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| July 2026; Bookouture; 978-1805506324 ebook, print (264 pages); cozy mystery |
I read a lot of cozy mystery series, but that doesn't keep me from trying out new ones. That is how I wound up picking up The Campervan Detectives by Maeve Haran. Unfortunately, I don't think it will be going on my must-read cozy mystery series list.
Holy Character Confusion, Batman!
I picked up this book the week my Dad died, so I wasn't in the most focused frame of mind. The similarly named characters, though, had me thoroughly confused. There is a Bratt and a Bert as well as a Don and a Dan.
There was also a time when one character called Sadie another name. It was supposed to be a joke, but since I didn't recognize the name, it confused me. I thought perhaps it was a typo and Sadie had actually been called Sarah in a previous draft.
From the intro and the summary, I suspect Sadie to be the main character and the other women being the sidekicks. However, I thought the book featured Rose more, as she seemed to take the lead on the investigation. Perhaps it is meant to be an ensemble, but it didn't really feel like that either.
I would have liked a little more personal interaction among the characters. They did give off the same vibe as the characters from the television show The Marlow Murder Club. Though unlike those ladies, the Vintage Vannettes did not work with the police.
Not My Favorite Cozy Mystery Trope
A bumbling, idiotic, incompetent police force was a staple cozy mystery trope. Maybe because it was overused, but it is not a favorite trope of mine. I like that many authors have evolved the trope to be more reflective of real police forces - overworked and understaffed. I don't mind the police force being antagonistic toward the amateur characters.
At first, I thought we were getting the incompetent police trope. However, The Campervan Detectives kind of blends the tropes. Bratt, the investigator in charge, might be incompetent. He is definitely chauvinistic and self-important, which kind of played into the man-hating vibe that the women gave off. Mike, however, seems to be an okay guy. He's willing to work with the women. There is even a possible romance blossoming between him and Tina.
It Went On And On
I like to stop at a chapter end as it helps when I switch devices that I'm reading on (they don't always sync properly), but that was difficult as the chapters just kept going. They were really long. I use the "time left in chapter" function on my Kindle so I know if I have enough time to read or not. Some chapters were 20 minutes or longer. The worst part is that there were places where the chapter could break but was just a section break - like a scene ended at night and then the next scene picked up the next day with totally different people. Most (maybe all) the cozy mysteries I read have short chapters, which I prefer.
The Verdict
It took me an inordinate amount of time to read this book. I understood the first week - I wasn't in the right headspace to focus on a book for more than a few minutes at a time. I barely remember the audiobook I was listening to in the car. But then my head cleared, and I really enjoyed the next audiobook I picked up, so I thought that I would zoom through this book. But I still struggled. I just wasn't invested in the murder plot, nor did I really connect with any of the characters. I thought the campervan aspect would add a fun tone to the story (kind of like Tonya Kappes's Campers and Criminals series).
I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn't work for me. It could have been the timing or the fact that it was the first book in the series. It isn't unusual for me to not be over the moon with a first book in the series, but I don't think it was just introducing a new series. I really think this just isn't the series for me.
While I had problems with it, you might love it. I think if you like the television show The Marlow Murder Club. then you will probably like this book.
Buy The Campervan Detectives at Amazon
Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.
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