Hour is Come: A Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery by Author Victoria Tait is a promising cozy mystery that needs refinement.
Victoria Tait’s debut mystery introduces Dotty Sayers, a young military widow seeking a fresh start at a Cotswold auction house, only to discover a corpse hidden inside a grandfather clock. While the premise holds promise and the characters show potential, the execution falls short of delivering a polished mystery novel.
The story’s foundation is solid, with likeable characters and credible dialogue that helps bring the Cotswold setting to life. Dotty makes for an engaging protagonist, and her relationship with Banff, her late husband’s black Labrador, adds emotional depth to her character. The auction house setting provides an intriguing backdrop for murder, offering plenty of scope for interesting antique-related plotlines.
However, the novel suffers from significant structural and pacing issues that detract from its overall impact. The prologue’s placement is particularly problematic, as it merely quotes a scene from later in the book rather than providing meaningful background context. The narrative’s tempo feels rushed, with chapters ending abruptly and scene transitions lacking clear temporal markers.
Several plot threads are left dangling or addressed too late in the book, suggesting a need for more thorough developmental editing. The investigation aspects of the novel would benefit from better research into police and medical procedures. For instance, the portrayal of Dotty’s recovery from a head injury requiring intubation seems medically inconsistent with the described period of unconsciousness. Similarly, while the bumbling police investigation adds a whimsical element typical of cozy mysteries, the Chief Inspector’s characterisation strays too far from credibility, even within the genre’s typically relaxed standards.
The central mystery involving her husband’s ex-wife shows potential, but the rapid pacing prevents the tension from building effectively. The story would benefit from more measured scene development and clearer connections between events. More attention to procedural accuracy and pacing would strengthen the plot without sacrificing the cozy mystery atmosphere.
Hour is Come demonstrates promise but feels like a manuscript that needed another round of developmental editing before publication. With more attention to structural issues, pacing, and technical accuracy, this could have been a stronger series opener for the Dotty Sayers mysteries.
I award 3 stars
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