The Malvern Murders

Inspector Ravenscroft #1

by Kerry Tombs

This is a revised and updated edition of THE MALVERN MURDERS.

Before Jack the Ripper terrorized London, Police Inspector Samuel Ravenscroft patrolled the grimy streets of Whitechapel – but he’s no Inspector Abberline.

Malvern, 1887. Clever and hard-working, Ravenscroft nonetheless has the worst record in the force. He lets a murderer escape during a chase and is banished to the spa town of Malvern for a water treatment to cure his asthma.

MURDER FOLLOWS THE INSPECTOR

Ravenscroft accepts a dinner invitation from a new acquaintance, Jabez Pitzer. Before the dinner gong can sound, the maid finds Pitzer slumped over his desk – dead. Ravenscroft sees two glasses on a small side table. One has a powdery residue at the bottom and the faint smell of bitter almonds.

A BODY IN THE LIBRARY

Ravenscroft immediately recognizes the signs – Pitzer has been poisoned. But the local authorities are reluctant to believe there is a murderer in Malvern.

He may be recovering his strength, but Ravenscroft has all his wits intact. He finds himself pulled into the investigation. Hungry to prove himself, Ravenscroft is determined to solve the case. But the bodies mount up. Someone is killing local luminaries.

WHO WILL BE NEXT?

A mysterious woman in black was witnessed speaking to each of the victims. Who is she and why does death seem to follow her? And does a local cartel of businessmen have anything to do with it?

RAVENSCROFT IS OUT OF THE SMOKE BUT MALVERN HAS ITS OWN DEADLY FIRES

THE MALVERN MURDERS is packed with delicious dialogue, sly humour and Victorian atmosphere.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Historical, Audiobook

207 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2006

About the author

Kerry Tombs was born in Smethwick in 1945, and after a career in teaching in both England and Australia, moved to Malvern in 1982, where he became a genealogist, lecturer and bookseller. He has set THE MALVERN MURDERS in a variety of Malvern locations including St.Ann's Well, Malvern College, British Camp and Priory Church - and in the nearby villages of Colwall and Mathon and town of Ledbury. Kerry moved to Brittany in 2005.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.25 🌟 read rounded ⬇️ to 3 🌟.

This Victorian murder mystery ended up growing on me after a wobbly beginning. I look forward to the next in the series to see if Inspector Ravenscroft leaves Whitechapel and relocates to Malvern.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was something here but I’m not sure what. A bit one dimensional, pedestrian.... but had a little charm in places.

I won’t be continuing the series.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though it does not show as an option, I read this on my kindle and thoroughly enjoyed it. Mr. Samuel Ravenscroft is a London policeman who suffers from asthma. He often gets called into his superior's office for a dressing down when he misses catching a murderer or thief because he cannot run without being hampered by his disease. This time, however, his failure leads to a holiday in Malvern where he is to take the water cure. But, of course, there is no rest for Ravenscroft because three murders happen in Malvern in close succession and he is asked by the local Constabulary to help solve them. As one dead end leads to another Ravenscroft is sure he will eventually find the murderer but will he survive "the cure" in the meantime. I liked Ravenscroft and his local helper, Crabb, a great deal and having these murders happen in a very small, albeit affluent, community gives a glimpse of life outside of London in the Victorian age. If you like Victorian mysteries I believe you will like this.
However, I would not compare it to Anne Perry, Emily Brightwell or any of the other well known Victorian authors. There is hope though, as this is just the first in the series. I look forward to reading the others.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light crime book set in the 1880's and centered in Malvern, a spa town. A police inspector working in Whitechapel takes a needed spa break to "take the waters" in Malvern and ends up working on a series of murders. The plot is solid, the characters likable but the dialogue is somewhat stodgy. A very old-fashioned sort of cast of characters, but that can be good at times. I can easily warm up to it myself an intend to follow on to the next in the series as Inspector Ravenscroft has enough appeal.

Kindle Unlimited

[Lonette · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was interesting, although the identity of the murder was not difficult to deduce. I'm only giving the book 2 stars because the grammatical errors, misuse of homophones, and other editing problems were so frequent that I found myself gritting my teeth every time I saw one, and wishing I had a red pen handy.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Inspector Ravenscroft works in Whitechapel. Following his inability to catch a murderer because of his asthma he is given two weeks leave. Ravenscroft travels to Malvern for water treatment, but soon finds himself aiding the local police when a murder is committed.
This really is a great book. The storyline is good as are the characters. I never guessed who the killer was which was really good.
I look forward to reading the next book soon.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a rather enjoyable cozy-ish story set in Malvern following Police Inspector Samuel Ravenscroft as he 'takes the waters' and tries to reconcil his not quite successful career as a Whitechapel officer. In doing so he stumbles into a murder mystery of his own, driven by power and greed that puts the London streets to shame. As he and Crabb delve deeper and deeper into the motives behind the murders they find themselves more and more in harms way, yet Ravenscroft finds himself feeling more and more alive. The story flows well and is easy to read, despite the complexity and red herrings, and the characters are charming, albeit old fashioned, as is the town itself. While this isn't ground breaking, it was enjoyable and a little different from others I've read with a nice balance of charm and dark undercurrents, I was particularly fond of how the widow's tale turned out in the end.

[Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first in a series set in Victorian times and featuring Inspector Samuel Ravenscroft. Whilst taking the waters in Malvern he becomes involved in investigating the murders of several prominent citizens. I didn't particularly like or dislike the book . One thing the author needs to work on is his characters use of language. A few modern day terms slipped into the dialogue. I bought the 6 book series so I may read another at some future date.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, I liked the main characters of Ravenscroft and Crabb, one the more experienced London-based inspector and the latter, the younger but keen constable. I enjoyed the fact that the main action was centred around the area of Malvern. Having been to this area, it was easy to picture the landscape. This will keep you guessing until the end, as there are a number of twists. There is also a reason that might find Ravenscroft heading back to the area. I will read the next in the series.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

London, Whitechapel, 1887. Kerry Tombs’ The Malvern Murders (Inspector Ravenscroft #1), set during the Victorian era, centers on a 42 year old, unmarried inspector who works in London’s area of Whitechapel. Unfortunately, Ravenscroft’s lack of success ‘in catching his man’ has him sent to the spa town of Malvern - a forced holiday. The character appears to be a Sad Sack which turned me off right at the beginning. I kept putting the book down and began to read another. I did go back to this mystery as it was not a long one, but the author filled about one-half of this mystery with what seemed to me o be minor and disjointed details. Finally, after the first Malvern murder of a prominent citizen, Inspector Ravenscroft joins forces with the Malvern Constabulary especially Constable Crabbe and the mystery begins to move along, but there are too many inconsequential details, and these law officers spent a great amount of time going up and down ‘hills’ which is part of local topography. I am afraid that I found this rather boring. The 3 star rating is for thr solving of the Malvern Murders and for the protagonist, Inspector Ravenscroft, who finds personal success. I have nit given up on the series as I plan to read Book 2, The Worcester Whisperers.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read

Inspector Ravenscroft of Scotland Yard is in Malvern, on a rather Spartan rest cure. He is invited to dinner by one of his fellow passengers, but his host is found dead. As Ravenscroft is on the spot, he is asked to help the local police but several more deaths follow before the mystery is solved.

This is a well-written story, with believable characters and the author seems to have captured the spirit of both time and place superbly.

I will definitely buy the other books in this series and look forward to learning more about the intelligent, asthmatic Ravenscroft, his sidekick Crabbe and the latter’s kindly wife.

[Jean-marie Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Kindle book had soooo many spelling errors-many were homonyms-comma misplacements, apostrophes missing or wrong (its/it’s), and spacing errors it was hard for me to read.
The dialogue in this one was stilted compared to her other books, and Ravenscroft’s physical familiarity with Mrs. Kelley made me uncomfortable.

[Ruhani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel I should have given this 4 starts - it had a serious enough mystery (not cosy), good characters and a well narrated story. Maybe I was distracted with other things going on in my immediate environment but I felt I skipped certain parts (though I still managed to make sense of the story) so it wasn't a wholly satisfying experience. Hope to read more of this series though.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot was ok. I probably would have enjoyed the book more if there weren't so many misused homophones. "I'll bare it in mind..." "might yet bare fruit" "if you will just bare with me"
argh!

[Iman]

I'm calling it. She's flat-lined. 75%. The ending is obvious, the blind man's not blind, it was the wife all along, yada yada yada I've got the ending I'm calling it good.

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Afraid I spotted the killer early on, although not the motive until the detective deduced it. Set-up to a potentially interesting series but the grammar errors were so annoying I don't know yet if I'll read the next one.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love reading Victorian murder mysteries but I could not finish this book. The story isn’t actually that bad but the way it’s written is just too boring. I didn’t particularly like the inspectors character either but maybe he became more likeable during the later parts of the book.

[Shelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too purile

I just cant . Don't know if i missed it but this is written for tweens, maybe. I don't know but i just can't read anymore.

[Norma Novak · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, light mystery, but so many spelling and grammatical errors that I found it annoying.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5/4 stars ⭐️

[Ridel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder with a Cup of Tea

A low-stakes, quaint police procedural, The Malvern Murders is a personable detective story that is as-driven by character as it is by the actual mystery. Samuel Ravenscroft is a man of that era… full of Victorian sensibilities and mannerisms that hits me like culture shock. He’s logical, but not uncannily so, and is a bit of an underachiever. Given what was expected of the police in the 1890s, Ravencroft’s intellectualism shares a great deal of common ground with us modern readers. It allows you to connect with the main character and cheer for his small victories.

As the story proceeds, I found myself more interested in Ravenscroft’s life than I was in the mystery. After all, he’s on vacation and all the friendships he’s made will likely end upon his return to London. All the character development slyly sneaks up on you. The string of murders are intriguing, but because of the politeness of Victorian attitudes, the story never feels very tense. It’s a simple one that can be worked out through logic and close attention to the details, but I turned off my brain and just enjoyed the ambiance.

The Malvern Murders has a charming setting, endearing characters, and a mystery to let you explore it all. When someone says “curl up with a good book”, this is the kind of novel that you think about.

Recommended.

[Hannah | thebookwormsfeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Victorian England, this murder mystery takes place a couple of counties over from me - resulting in it mentioning many places I'm familiar with. I loved this, as it doesn't happen often in my sleepy corner of the world haha.

The story is a cosy mystery that gives me some slight Marple vibes (admittedly, I have only read Murder at the Vicarage many years ago). Inspector Ravenscroft is sent away from Whitechapel on a two-week health holiday in Malvern, to take the famous Malvern Water Cure. Cue a murder or two.

The twists and turns kept me on my toes, but I must say that I wasn't greatly surprised by the culprit. I did enjoy the journey - although it was very dialogue-heavy rather than descriptive.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this story goes - the closing scenes definitely provide some intrigue.

[رواية · Rating 4 out of 5]

لغز جريمة قتل تاريخي آسر يقع في إنجلترا الفيكتورية. جرائم القتل
في مالفيرن مليئة بالحوار والفكاهة الماكرة والأجواء الفيكتورية.
قبل أن يرهب جاك السفاح لندن، قام مفتش الشرطة صامويل
رافنسكروفت بدوريات في شوارع وايت تشابل. هو محقق ذكي ومجتهد، ومع ذلك فإن لديه أسوأ سجل في المركز

. يسمح لقاتل بالهروب أثناء مطاردة ويتم نفيه إلى منتجع لعلاج ل الربو. يقبل دعوة عشاء من أحد معارفه الجدد،. قبل العشاء، وجدت الخادمة بيتزر ملقى على مكتبه ميتًا. يتعرف على الفور على العلامات - لقد تم تسميم بيتزر. لكن السلطات المحلية مترددة في تصديق وجود قاتل في مالفيرن. متعطش لإثبات نفسه، رافنسكروفت مصمم على حل القضية. لكن الجثث تزيد. يوجد هناك قاتل متسلسل في القرية ترى من هو؟؟؟

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I didn't live in Malvern and had wanted to tick off the locations mentioned in the book I wouldn't have finished it. No desire to read any more of the boring Inspector Ravenscroft's ventures. Minimal characterisation at all and a very tedious, mundane and monotonous writing style.

[Sandra Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

A crime drama set in the late 1880’s. It’s an easy read - very straightforward writing - but an enjoyable quick read .

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging cozy mystery with a pleasant narration and a lovely ending. I hope the series continues.

[Laura Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gave up after 70 pages. Didn't grab me.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good mystery series set in the late 19th Century. The chief character, Samuel Ravenscroft, is a police inspector whose beat is an unsavory part of London. Ravenscroft is sent to Mavern by his disgruntled superior, angered by a suspect who got away.

While in Malvern, Ravenscroft discovers that the murder isn't quite as simple as it originally seemed. The story will keep you guessing. I'm currently listening to the 4th in the series.

Highly recommended.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the book. Likeable inspector, interesting plot. However I don't like the plot advancement; the inspector just happens to find a new clue in almost scene. These clues are the only thing that moves the story along.

[Linda Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming tale