Midsomer Murders with witches

Paul Cornell's Witches of Lychford is a novella set in a village in rural England. Residents are divided over a proposal to build a new supermarket, and one elderly woman called Judith knows that if the development goes ahead, dark forces will be unleashed.

The story's premise is appealing in that it brings fantasy into a modern, stereotypical village setting; a sort of Midsomer Murders with witches. Its three main characters are likeable: Judith the elderly witch, Lizzie the vicar, and her childhood friend Autumn who runs the local witchcraft shop.

Ultimately tho', I found the book disappointing. The story is told in the 3rd person and jumps from character to character to describe the action. I often found this confusing and couldn't work out if the narration was from a specific character's point of view. The writing style also felt uneven. Some sections, more often than not the dialogue, were really enjoyable and fast paced. Others used unnecessarily lengthy constructions, or lacked enough detail to bring a scene to life.

In addition the novella length was unsatisfying. The structure didn't seem tight enough to be short, nor long enough to really develop character and plot.

I had a niggling feeling that it was not really a self-contained story. Yes, it has a beginning, middle and end, and most of the threads are tied up. But it's clearly written as the first of a series, perhaps with a TV adaptation in mind. I know this is how many writers make money, but as a reader I find it unfulfilling.

Nevertheless, by the end I'd got to know the three women and wondered what exactly had happened in their past to make them who they were. Paul Cornell had dropped several hints, but not enough for me to buy the next book in the series.