Book Review: Best Kept Village by Mart Capsticks

Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Well-written and laugh-out-loud funny with a cast of quirky characters, Best Kept Village by Mart Capsticks is an entertaining novel that revolves around the rivalry between two neighboring English villages in North Norfolk as they compete for first place in the Best Kept Village Competition.

With active committees on both sides diligently planning and preparing for the competition round the year while also trying to keep tabs on their rivals, tensions are high in East Barton and West Barton. Matters are complicated further when both villages are victims of strategically timed acts of vandalism. With their carefully designed displays ruined just before the judges are scheduled to visit, both committees are quick to suspect the other and Sergeant Dale Richards is at his wit's end trying to maintain peace between the two rivals, while trying to find the person responsible for the damage. Frustrated with local law enforcement’s failure to apprehend the perpetrator, the committee members on each side decide to take matters into their own hands and chaos ensues.

The narrative is consistently paced and flows well. To be honest, there isn’t much about this novel that will surprise you and it isn’t too difficult to guess the identity of the culprit behind the vandalism, but I did like the writing and the characters (a tad stereotypical, but well thought out and interesting nonetheless) and appreciated the humor. Overall, I found this to be an entertaining read, perfect for when you are looking for something light-hearted or as a palate cleanser between books.

Many thanks to Troubador for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel was published on July 28, 2023.