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Reviewed by Stephen Christopher for Readers' Favorite
Jubilee Jones, a successful Sydney chef, is living back in her hometown of Bowral after COVID caused her restaurant to close. One afternoon, while digging in her garden, she finds an old biscuit tin. Inside the tin are some exquisite pieces of jewellery and an old British passport in the name of Jack Hawthorn. Unsure what to do, she enlists the help of her cousin Meg, and the two decide to head to England to find out who the jewels belonged to. A two-week road trip ensues, in which they visit five homes where the jewels were believed to have been stolen from, almost 100 years ago. Along the way, they ruffle some feathers and open up old wounds for some of the people they meet. Can they figure out what happened the night these jewels were stolen, and just how does Jack Hawthorn figure in the story? Read The Jewel Thief by Paula Welch, and all these questions and more will be answered.
I connected with this story so much because it starts in NSW, Australia, where I’m from. I love this recent spate of books where COVID sits in the background. The aftermath of the pandemic is still relevant today, and the actions of Jubilee and Meg are in part due to that. Another thing I love about The Jewel Thief is the way Paula Welch describes the towns and houses in England; it felt like I was there with them as they did their investigating. This is the kind of mystery novel you need to curl up with on a rainy weekend, and don’t put down until you reach the final page. There are twists and turns galore, and I was carried along with the adventure. I enjoyed this story so much and am looking forward to reading more by Paula Welch. Mystery readers who enjoy a UK setting will love this book as much as I did.
