One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley

One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley
Buy One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: Crime
Reviewer: Ruth Ng
Summary: The onset of dementia and cold case crime solving combine together into a story that manages to remain warm-hearted, despite its darker moments.
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 400	Date: May 2023
Publisher: Zaffre
External links: Author's website
ISBN: 9781804181256
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84 year old Edie has lived in the same small town for almost her whole life, but now she is facing a move as her son wants to move to another house and bring Edie to live with his family, as Edie is starting to lose her memory. However, Edie is tormented by the memory of her childhood friend, Lucy, who went missing over 60 years ago, and the worry that there was a secret she was keeping for Lucy that somehow might be the thing that reveals the truth of what happened all that time ago. After 'seeing' Lucy in the high street, just as she was the last time she saw her, she starts to find pockets of memories coming back to her. And yet as she remembers the past, she is forgetting more and more in her day to day life. Will she uncover the truth about Lucy's disappearance before her move, and before her memories are gone forever?

This is an interesting mystery story, with its somewhat unreliable narrator and dual timeline. It's cleverly done, with the reader piecing the story together at the same time as Edie herself is grasping at glimpses of memories and trying to make sense of the things that are coming back to her. I wasn't sure what was going on for some time, and the unravelling is intriguing as you can imagine a number of different scenarios as you read. It's not a pacy mystery, and is more of a small town drama, with the town and its inhabitants coming alive as you read so you find yourself easily picturing Edie's childhood and the difficulties she faced.

There are some really emotional moments through the story, and the journey of a family dealing with dementia is sensitively portrayed, including the devastation of a grandmother not recognising her granddaughter, or the anger that sometimes takes Edie over when she finds herself confused and afraid. Edie's relationship with her granddaughter is sweet to read, and I loved that Amy helps her gran with her investigations, believing the things Edie is saying when others are more dismissive. Watching Edie struggle with everyday things is a wonderful mixture of funny and desperately sad, and it takes some skill to write about these events, showing the humour as well as the terrible tragedy, and the toll that dementia can take on everyone involved.

Although I occasionally felt the book ran a little slowly, I really liked the character of Edie, and I was wondering what was going to happen right up to the reveal. I was a little torn about Lucy herself at times, as she's not always the nicest person, or a particularly good friend to Edie. But the characters are well drawn and I thought Edie's mum was particularly interesting. I enjoyed seeing Edie's detective work, and the helpers along the way, as she tries to uncover the truth of what happened. Whilst there is sadness, and some dark moments, the story also manages to ultimately feel positive and warm-hearted. This was an enjoyable and engaging read.

You might also enjoy Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. For more from Critchley, try The Tiny Gestures of Small Flowers.

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