A murder mystery set in the aftermath of World War One, in a village very much mourning it's dead. Among the victims is a nurse volunteer and a local gossip who runs a tea shop. They are lured to their deaths by malicious notes and are murdered in a local wood.

The story is told from the point of view mainly of Flora Winsome, also a nurse volunteer and the daughter of one of the local doctors.

When the local policeman makes no headway a detective is called in from Scotland Yard, but he too has been damaged by the war.

The influenza epidemic is beginning to hit the village, and so there are a number of factors giving a historical flavour to this police procedural, not the least the ghostly figure of a soldier. The identity of the murderer came as a surprise in the last pages, and I am not sure that the author gave us enough clues. ( )

This was definitely an interesting novel. The author did a good job of creating a realistic impression of the historical time period, replete with examples of the social issues and prejudices that were prevalent in those days. The writing style was interesting, flitting between different characters. Flora had her own designated chapters that read more like diary entries, and Albert's chapters were in 3rd perspective. At first, I didn't really enjoy this style but it stopped mattering as I focused more on the story. The plot was intriguing and there were many avenues of investigation that the author explored. The ending definitely took me aback, as I wasn't suspecting this direction; however, it wasn't satisfactory for me and felt more like the author chose to do this just to add a thrill element. In other words, it wasn't as well thought out as it could have been. The relationship between the two main characters was also not something I enjoyed; I don't usually like novels where infidelity is accepted and I also felt as if the romance was not too well developed. Overall, a nice historical fiction with an interesting crime twist. This novel didn't wow me but it wasn't terrible, so I would give this a 3/5 stars.

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In A High Mortality of Doves, author Kate Ellis has given us a marvelous evocation of time and place. Readers can see and feel how World War I affected Inspector Lincoln, his family, and all the villagers in Wenfield.

The story is told by two people: Flora Winsmore, the local doctor's daughter, who yearns for freedom from her oppressive life, and Albert Lincoln, the Scotland Yard inspector who's filled with his own demons. There is much sympathy to be had for both characters as the story unfolds.

The mystery hinges on brilliant misdirection which will not please some readers, and although I wasn't completely satisfied with the outcome, I didn't find it off-putting. What did bother me was the fact that the book had "too much middle," and the pace bogged down significantly. Some judicious editing would have tightened up the story and made reaching that shocking reveal much less like work. ( )

I was underwhelmed by this crime novel. Told by two protagonists, the doctor's daughter in a small Derbyshire town and the Scotland Yard detective sent to investigate a series of brutal murders of women. The community has been devastated by the first world war, with those who have returned affected by what they have seen.
I thought the female protagonist was to modern in her thoughts and attitudes, without any explanation for her views (politics, education). The style meant it was difficult to lose myself in the story, in particular explanatory statements about characters' motivation and beliefs rather than showing through their actions. ( )