In the summer of 1944, the tide of the war has turned, but the village of Larkwhistle in the New Forest has more than its fair share of tragedy still to come. Jill Metcalfe receives the news that her brother Henry has been killed, not in battle, but in trying to get crucial information to the powers that be concerning a traitor who has been sending messages to Nazi High Command from the village itself. Messages that might just give the German powers one last chance of victory.

With the help of Henry’s friend, US Air Force officer Jack Strafford, Jill sets out to unmask the traitor. But when a dead body is found in the woods, in a strange echo of a famous local story, it seems there is far more going on in Larkwhistle than anyone suspected…

I’ll admit, I was drawn to this by Matthew Sweet’s name as while he is probably better known as a journalist over here, he has done quite a bit of work regarding that finest of television shows, Doctor Who. Primarily documentaries on video releases, but he has also written a number of stories for Big Finish, and us Whovians/Wholigans need to stick together.

But having heard his Big Finish work, I really wasn’t sure what to expect, as they are fairly atypical scripts, due to the more complex themes therein – Proust, for example in the bizarre The Year Of The Pig. They are never less than fascinating and enjoyable – one highlight is The Magic Mousetrap – but you do feel that you’re probably missing, in the case of the Pig, a bunch of incredibly clever Proust jokes.

But this was surprisingly normal. The world building is great, with the characters fully drawn with depth and backstories that never get in the way of the main narrative. The history of the time and the feeling of life in England at this turning point in the war felt particularly real and well done. I did find Jack just a little too good to be true, and I’d have thought more than one person would have noticed “Jack and Jill”, but you feel like you know these people, with the strengths and weaknesses. And yet it never strays far from the mystery plot, whether it be the identity of the traitor, or the murderer (or both – well done for mentioning quite early that they are not necessarily the same person).

I’d have liked some more solid cluing – Jill even says that she solves one part by a little logic and a lot of guesswork – but that is extremely rare in books these days, and this makes up for it by being a very entertaining, engrossing and, at times, moving book, that doesn’t shy away from darkness where necessary. Hopefully there will be more from Jack and Jill in the future.

The New Forest Murders is out now from Simon & Schuster. Many thanks for the review e-copy via NetGalley.