Based on a true story, Andrew Nicoll’s The Secret Life And Curious Death Of Miss Milne revolves around, as its title suggests, the life and times of the seemingly respectable Miss Jean Milne who, one hundred years ago, lived in a quaint seaside town. Milne lives alone and little is known about her, but when she is found murdered, slowly but surely her secrets come to the forefront, shocking and intriguing those who live close by.
When she’s found weeks after her murder, Milne is tied up, bloodied, and her body is covered in tiny fork marks. Whereas some authors might skim over police detail and the inclusion of factual information, Nicoll instead opts to focus on it, as detectives, notably police sergeant John Fraser, work tirelessly on the case, piecing together the many aspects of her life prior to her death.
Throughout the pages, it is slowly revealed that Milne led a shocking secret life – the twists and turns that lead to its uncovering are some of the better parts of the book, as they detail her rather sordid activities with numerous male visitors and her boasts of frequent love affairs.
Bringing together issues of sex, money, class and, most centrally, murder, the book is a bit of a slow burn in places, but those readers who are fans of informative and detailed case studies will no doubt lap this up as investigators find themselves challenging the case, and one another, in their efforts to find the killer.
This book isn’t for everyone and isn’t the easiest read, but nevertheless, Nicoll has produced a solid piece of work that looks set to gain him a lot more fans and attention.
The Secret Life And Curious Death Of Miss Milne is available on Amazon now.
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