The audiobook was just a joy and the narrator Julia Hesmondhelgh deserves a great deal of praise for her ability to make you feel included in the story. It did not, the novel frequently hints at scenarios that could lead to murder or lead to a body, that kind of thing but then these scenarios end up being nothing at all.

Hall’s own knowledge of and experiences as a deputy head in a primary school seamlessly emanated throughout and this really added another level to this book. Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK Audio, Avon for allowing me to listen to the ARC of this novel. They each had their own stories outside of the mystery and I liked how this was shown to intertwine with each other. When Kayleigh Brittain, the new head teacher, receives the first of what will be a series of nasty letters targeting teachers at the school, Thelma thinks it’s an isolated and unpleasant incident.

You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. However, there are enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages and the three protagonists are likeable, so all in all an, it’s an enjoyable read.

This story dragged about someone writing pen letters in the school that the ladies used to teach in. The school setting is interesting as themes relating to changes in the education system are explored as part of the main plot. I loved the first book in this series so naturally I was very excited about the second one, and boy it didn’t disappoint in any way. One if the biggest reasons I love cosy crime is the quick pace of it so for the storyline and “action” as it were to only kick in towards the end was a bit of a turn off.Retired schoolteachers Liz, Pat and Thelma are great friends and I was looking forward to catching up with them in A Pen Dipped in Poison. But as they work to uncover the truth, they begin to wonder just how far someone will go to silence this poison pen? The staff there have been receiving poison pen letters and the ladies have to work hard to solve the mystery. Then Liz finds out from Jan, a friend and teacher at the school, that Jan is struggling to meet Kayleigh's requirements for results in class.