In Fitness and in Health deepens The Louisa Moss Mysteries by taking DI Moss out of drawing rooms and inheritance disputes and into something far more unsettling.

A young jogger is found bludgeoned to death in an ancient wood — a setting that immediately lends the story a quiet menace. On the surface, the victim’s life appears enviable: happily married, physically fit, seemingly content. But as DI Moss begins to peel back the layers, it becomes clear that appearances are not just misleading — they are actively deceptive.

What I appreciated most here is how J. C. Jones uses contrast. The natural calm of the woodland setting clashes sharply with the brutality of the crime, while the image of a “perfect” life fractures under scrutiny. The investigation unfolds patiently, allowing motives to emerge through contradiction rather than exposition.

DI Louisa Moss continues to be a strength of the series. She approaches the case with empathy rather than cynicism, and her steady presence keeps the story grounded even as it ventures into darker emotional territory. She doesn’t rush to judgement — and neither does the narrative.

Jones’s writing remains clean and unfussy, which works particularly well here. The restraint allows the horror of the crime and the emotional fallout to speak for themselves. This is not a sensationalised murder mystery; it’s a measured examination of how little we truly know about the lives others lead.

As a second installment, In Fitness and in Health builds confidence in both its central character and the series as a whole. It signals that The Louisa Moss Mysteries is willing to explore darker spaces — without losing its sense of control.

You can find my Goodreads review here. 

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