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Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite
What a wonderfully refreshing mystery read! Set in an English village, "Gone Astray" by Jean Rowden presents the reader with the tragic disappearance of a local girl. It is the second time in a decade that there has been such a disappearance and it has local folks and the local police biting their nails as they go about attempting desperately to find clues which might lead to the safe return of the girl. Constable "Thorny" Deepbriar is as believable as the man next door. He is always ready to assist those in need and always in need of a good night's sleep. His wife is about to give birth to the couple's long-awaited first child and to make matters more tense, Thorny and his loveable wife Mary have just bought a house in which Thorny has no time to spend time or even help renovate. His total dedication is to his job and he works fiercely to keep his village safe from the hands of crooks and villains.
Although I hadn't read the other three books in the series, I found myself fully able to fall in love with Constable Thorny and the village people who make him "work" in his protective role. The characters are so down-to-earth that anyone picking up the book will immediately identify with the trials and tribulations of the townsfolk as they put their heads together in an attempt to keep their community free of ill-doers. Luckily the novel is free of profanity and general violence (except for subject matter) but I could see young teens playing sleuth and falling in love with the English countryside villagers. A beautiful read!
