What a fantastic read! It gave me all the cosy… Really enjoyable characters that you feel like you've known for years once you finish the book. It was the perfect pace, and easy to follow. Love, love, loved this book’ NetGalley review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This book follows ex colleagues Liz, Pat and Thelma as they meet up every Thursday to catch up on each other’s lives. One Thursday they bump into another one of the old colleagues, Topsy, and her daughter. It turns out that Topsy has been diagnosed with dementia that has been getting progressively worse since the death of her husband, and the only person in her life she has caring for her is her daughter. During this surprise encounter the girls are concerned for Topsy after she shares some insights into her life that aren’t quite right. Hazel Wong (Wong Fung Ying 黃鳳英, also known as Ying Ying Ying)- Vice-President and Secretary of the Detective Society But one fateful week, as they are catching up with a slice of cake, they bump into their ex-colleague, Topsy. A Spoonful of Murder is the sixth book in the Murder Most Unladylike series. It is written by Robin Stevens. The story takes place in Hong Kong, where Hazel's family lives.

Hi Amber, thank you so much! I will definitely be writing an eighth book, and it’ll be out in 2019 (I have two books coming out next year)! The eighth book won’t be about Uncle Felix’s wedding, but I know I want to write a short story about it – I hope that one day you’ll be able to read it! I enjoyed as they weeded through the suspects and solved the mystery. Maybe they will be able to solve additional crimes in future books? I would be interested in reading those as well.Some great characterisation especially of the suspects which was fun. I did guess the murderer earlier. Cooper said she was “thrilled” to be working with Pilot Media and Salt Beef TV; the latter will co-produce any adaptation with Pilot. “With a diverse cast, opulent settings and a gloriously nostalgic feel, I always thought this series was perfect for adaptation,” she said. The Murder Most Unladylike series is set in a 1930s boarding school and features schoolgirl detectives Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong. The first three books in the series— Murder Most Unladylike, Arsenic for Tea and First Class Murder." About This Edition ISBN: So next time you’re in your local garden centre café filled with people “of a certain age”, look out. They might just be involved in solving a murder. In the meantime, I’m off to google David Essex on a rug, but you’ll need to read A Spoonful of Murder to find out why! Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks. Home > A Spoonful of Murder is a perfect book for me. Not only am I a retired educator who meets with colleagues regularly over coffee or a meal, but I am a huge cozy mystery fan. As the story starts, we meet Liz, Pat and Thelma, retired teachers and former colleagues of St. Barnabus’s Primary School. They meet up each week to gossip and catch up with each other. One week they bump into Topsy, another ex-colleague, and her daughter Kelly Anne. Topsy is in the early stages of dementia and KellyAnne is her caregiver. While the friends chat with Topsy, they sense that there is something not quite right, especially when Topsy shares some disturbing facts. Within a short period of time, KellyAnne shares that her mother has been the victim of financial fraud and has lost all her life savings. When Topsy is found dead in her home the following week Liz, Pat and Thelma suspect that there might be more to her death than meets the eye. Even though her death is ruled accidental, the ladies are sure there is more going on and they nose around and ask questions. Does the fraud have anything to do with the death or possible murder?

They learn from Topsy’s daughter that recently she had been cruelty defrauded of her life savings by a telephone scammer. By the next Thursday Topsy is dead after apparently muddling up her pills. Yet something doesn’t feel right to her friends prompting them to do some sleuthing of their own. No further details to avoid spoilers.It's always great for me to begin a new cosy mystery series, and this is especially true when the setting is relatively local. The characters were well done and the ending was satisfying. The plot flowed at an even pace, and there were numerous moments of hilarity. Red herrings were plentiful and there was a multitude of suspects who might have been responsible for Topsy's death. Well worth a look if you're partial to cosy mysteries. Cosy mystery at its best with a cast of loveable characters, a truly satisfying read!’ NetGalley review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Overall, A Spoonful of Murder by JM Hall, is a cozy crime mystery about three people embracing their messes and finding justice for an ex-colleague’s unclear cause of death. Interspersed with vignettes of the three former teachers lives, we find Liz worried her bright son Liam will lose his place at Durham University and end up living in a trailer with a baby and his “Celtic poet” girlfriend. Thelma, childless worries who will look after her and her husband when they are old and infirm. And Pat worries about her grandson, obviously on the spectrum and not settled into primary school with the “5 star” teacher Mrs. Bell. Tragedy strikes very close to home, and this time Hazel isn't just the detective. She's been framed for murder.

A Spoonful of Murder was a joy to read, perhaps a little slow to start but once things got going it whizzed past. Three retired primary school teachers bump into an old friend in the garden centre, she seems confused, and the next thing we know, she's dead. I found myself looking forward to each of their chapters equally (a bit unusual for me I know), and the conclusion was oh so satisfying!! Warm characters and wonderful writing... It's steeped in Yorkshire like a mug of hot, strong tea... I loved it' SJ Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot When Hazel Wong's beloved grandfather passes away Daisy Wells joins Hazel on a visit to her family's estate in beautiful, bustling Hong Kong.It's the sixth murder mystery for The Detective Society! This time, though, one of them is the suspect... But they know there’s more to Topsy’s death than meets the eye – and it’s down to them to prove it… But when they arrive they discover something they didn’t expect: there’s a new member of the Wong family. Daisy and Hazel think baby Teddy is enough to deal with, but as always the girls are never far from a mystery. Tragedy strikes very close to home, and this time Hazel isn’t just the detective. She’s been framed for murder!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this free digital book in exchange for an honest review! This book will be out 3/17/22.Poignant and relatable, I want these ladies as my friends!… I enjoyed it very much… Recommend’ NetGalley review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Shame the three worked separately quite so often. It would have been nice to have them together occasionally and made it easier to follow and easier to remember who was who (the jumping was unhelpful at times). The "sleuths" in this story all felt very real--they had insecurities, reservations about "investigating" and relatable pasts--Pat, Thelma, and Liz are all retired teachers which was fun. I can't say that I definitely felt attached to any particular character but I was interested in them throughout the story. The only bit that I struggled with is the nuance of the slang used to create the scene where the story is based in and the generation as I’m in my 30s and these characters are at least a generation if not 2 above me.