Murder in the Council Chambers

Congratulations on your 5-Star review! 
Reviewed By Ronél Steyn for Readers’ Favorite
In S. Lynn Scott’s Murder in the Council Chambers, the author sets us down inside the vaulted room of the Council Chambers of a Midlands village in England. It is the first Parish Council meeting of the year, and therefore it is January. One among the group has been murdered, but it seems to take quite a bit of time for anyone to really notice. This event, however, is only the prelude to a string of similar heinous acts to follow. Through various council meetings and the new online community platform, the entire village speculates who the murderer could be and why he or she is doing it. With the perspective of a third-person narrative, the reader is privy to more information than the characters, putting them at a slight advantage to cracking this case. Who will be next?

Murder in the Council Chambers could easily be lost between the thicker volumes of the mystery genre, but it is a real hidden gem! Filled with an array of colorful characters, the author has definitely spent some time developing a plot packed with unique twists and turns. Let me also not forget the wonderful plays on words that had me in stitches. And what would a murder mystery be without the antics of everyday life! Written in the very engaging style of author S. Lynn Scott, I was immediately pulled into the story. The conversations of the online community are so relatable that it’s scary! Then there was the end – unexpected but utterly
brilliant!

A Patient Man

Melanie’s Reads – 7 September 2024
For a book that is only 195 pages this took me a surprisingly long time to read , probably because I wanted to savour every word. It’s descriptive charm of a time and place captures you from the start.

The author has really evoked what it was like growing up in the 70’s with nosy neighbours twitching behind curtains and kids getting up to mischief .
It showed the workings of a small community and how “a butterfly effect” can totally change the course of history.

Narrated by Mikey both as an adult and a young boy, he is from a family that are classed as “common as muck” and not in keeping with the rest of the community. They are the type of people you wouldn’t want as neighbours but were a joy to read. You will warm to Mikey, neglected and a bit of a scallywag, this is definitely a coming of age story as well as a crime novel.

Personally Mrs B was my favourite, we all know one of these and I’m pretty sure most neighbourhoods have one.

If you want a crime novel with a difference this is one I would really recommend.

Chris Wimpress – 18 December 2018 – 5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating and atmospheric
A wonderfully told story of murder in a quiet part of England. Truly atmospheric – the wilds of Canvey Islands are vividly told. With a strong, wry and hypnotic voice the details of a very quirky and English murder are revealed.

Cheryl MM – 7 September 2024
The story is told in first person from the point of view of nine-year-old Mikey. He spends his days exploring the mudflats of Canvey Island, as only a child of certain eras or decades will relate to. Nowadays building tree houses, climbing walls and spending every minute of non-darkness and free time getting up to mischief is lost to the youth of today. Technology has replaced the natural urge to forage, hunt and explore our surroundings.

Mikey is a child in the 70s and nothing is more enticing than what happens behind the twitching curtains of a neighbours house or tormenting the local animals. Torment in a cheeky way and not in a serial killer way. Just sticking up for Mikey. The majority of us didn’t spend our childhoods tormenting animals, although I must admit I did like to make the gaggle of geese in our local neighbourhood honk and hiss. Insider tip: geese are excellent guard dogs.

I have to say I thought this was an excellent read. Scott captures the time period and the essence of small town life, and of course the hierarchy of social status really well. The fact Mikey’s family belongs to the lower socio-economic status, translation – common as muck, makes them social pariahs. Not that they are bothered by it.

The assumption of a certain peace and status quo in the street is shattered when an elderly couple wins the lottery. Not long after that a woman disappears, an event that slowly destroys life as Mikey knows it.
The question the reader is left with at the end is whether what happens is in Mikey’s best interest. Indeed if you take the criminal element out of it and replace it with a Pygmalion premise the question still remains the same. Does an education, elocution and etiquette replace the need for family and human affection, the need for biological connections.

The other moral dilemma is whether revenge and justice is worth it and worth waiting for.

It’s a well-written and plotted compelling crime read with a psychological thriller element to it. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Jackie E – 23 April 2017
This warm, humorous and entertaining novel tells the unlikely story of the arrival of Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare into the life of its modern day heroine, Ally. Unlikely, but the story is told with such a degree of conviction and infused with such an intimate knowledge and understanding of Shakespeare’s work that it becomes entirely convincing. There are elements of the picaresque in its fast moving romp through 21st century Britain which offers a wry, contemporary perspective on modern life rooted firmly in the present, whilst at the same time the Elizabethan perspective through which this modern world is filtered gives it an engaging originality and brings the story to life. S Lynn Scott’s wide knowledge of Shakespeare’s work breathes new life into the old, familiar stories whilst illuminating her own modern tale. As the story develops, there is a growing complexity in the characterisation, particularly in the character of William, whom she develops with great affection into a sensitive and empathetic person who reflects back all the novel’s themes. In the later parts of the novel, the work takes on a more sombre tone, as we begin to learn more about Ally’s nature and what brought her to the point where the story begins. This highly enjoyable comedy also has a darker side which explores human nature in its fragility and complexity, just like the best of Shakespeare’s comedies. An excellent first novel, and I’ll look forward to the next!

Mrs S P Lovett
Absolutely brilliant read, couldn’t put it down. So well written and imaginative. A joy to read.

Ken Eldridge
A thoroughly wonderful read! Funny, heart-breaking, clever and difficult to put down once started! Fantastic!

James Smith
This bold and striking work by Scott pushes and pulls you in all directions, conveying humble upbringings on Canvey Island, boyish mischief and playfulness, and adult flaws and skulduggery. As soon as you’re settled in for a comfy mystery, another twist or jaw-dropping conundrum places it more in thriller territory. The descriptions of lives and places are vivid and earthy, and a step back to 70s Essex with all its quirks and hang-ons from the East End. Often bittersweet, A Patient Man is filled with humour and subtlety, yet uncompromising and delivered with brutal honesty until the final scene plays out.

Hannelore C, Reviewer – 5 Stars
Thank you NetGalley and Troubadour Publishing/Matador for the eARC.
What a wonderful book, I absolutely loved it, a must read!

Mikey is an 8-year old who lives on Canvey Island just outside of London, where he roams free and wild, having the time of his life. His parents don’t seem to care about him going to school, so why should he? He gets up to some funny and not so funny antics, all the while scavenging for the odd coins to buy himself drinks and fast food. His mother isn’t the kind of mum who cooks, she’s too busy going to the pub with her best friend. His dad spends most of his time in London, hovering on the edges of the big crime syndicates.

Everything changes when an elderly couple, Peggy and Bert, up the street from them wins an enormous amount of money from the Lotto and end up being the victims of a cruel crime, leaving Peggy dead. Life as Mikey knows it, is no more and Bert’s revenge causes Mikey’s family to fall apart irrevocably.

I found this book so touching; Mikey’s love for his mum is heart breaking and his Dad is quite an appealing character, but not so his half sister and brother. Although that’s not surprising considering the appalling conditions of their home lifeThe story ends on a hopeful note and I have to say this is an extraordinarily insightful mystery that makes you think about retribution and what it does to one’s psyche. Highly recommended!

Elizabeth, William…and Me

Jackie E – 5 Stars – An engaging comedy with some thought-provoking themes
This warm, humorous and entertaining novel tells the unlikely story of the arrival of Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare into the life of its modern day heroine, Ally. Unlikely, but the story is told with such a degree of conviction and infused with such an intimate knowledge and understanding of Shakespeare’s work that it becomes entirely convincing. There are elements of the picaresque in its fast moving romp through 21st century Britain which offers a wry, contemporary perspective on modern life rooted firmly in the present, whilst at the same time the Elizabethan perspective through which this modern world is filtered gives it an engaging originality and brings the story to life.

S Lynn Scott’s wide knowledge of Shakespeare’s work breathes new life into the old, familiar stories whilst illuminating her own modern tale. As the story develops, there is a growing complexity in the characterisation, particularly in the character of William, whom she develops with great affection into a sensitive and empathetic person who reflects back all the novel’s themes. In the later parts of the novel, the work takes on a more sombre tone, as we begin to learn more about Ally’s nature and what brought her to the point where the story begins. This highly enjoyable comedy also has a darker side which explores human nature in its fragility and complexity, just like the best of Shakespeare’s comedies. An excellent first novel, and I’ll look forward to the next!

Kaly S – 5 Stars
Brilliant – funny and at times sad, a thoroughly entertaining read. Loved the characters and the unusual story line. Could not help but warm to the central character Ally and the complex situation she found herself in. Didn’t want the story to end and thoroughly looking forward to more from S Lynn Scott.

Eugenie C Smith – 5.0 out of 5 stars. Brilliant.
Elizabeth William and Me is a book with a difference and a captivating read, in my opinion, for people of all ages. It caught my imagination from page one and I found I had to carry on reading in order to find out more about the intriguing characters who are so well portrayed on the striking cover of the book. Humorous and skillfully written, S.Lynn Scott brings another dimension to the world of Shakespeare.

T Budworth – 5 Stars – Wonderful
A lovely journey through reality, imagination, tragedy and history. One woman the Rocky Horror show and the most famous author ever. Warm and unexpected. Read it!

JacquieT – 5 Stars – Bloody Brilliant
I heard an excerpt from the book read out by Lynn Scott, the author. I was intrigued and bought the book. I will miss Elizabeth and William – such wonderful characterisations.