During this surprise encounter the girls are concerned for Topsy after she shares some insights into her life that aren’t quite right.

While Hall tries to make the reader doubt the initial, obvious hints of who the killer is, it comes as no surprise at the end of the story when the killer is finally revealed. The three friends have to be my favourite characters, they were very different from one another but came together to see their sleuthing through and get justice for their friend. The main characters are retired teachers in a primary school and as I worked in primary schools for a lot of years I found the analogies brilliant! If you like a good cosy crime, with emotional and thoughtful undercurrent, this may well be the book for you.

I know that the three women, Liz, Thelma and Pat, were great characters, brought perfectly to life in the audio, and really good to spend time with.

Subtly witty as they try to work out all the elements of the case when to the police it seemed like an open and shut case. There are multiple subplots that seem to take away from this question and serve to create a less than direct investigation. Sit down with a cup of tea, a slice of cake and this perfectly witty, page-turning cosy crime novel. The story is clearly well thought out with lots of characters to keep track of and plenty of subplots to keep the reader engaged.Also it gave a different slant I think to the voices I would have had in my own head reading the book. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. For all ebook purchases, you will be prompted to create an account or login with your existing HarperCollins username and password. It is a study of the impact that age and declining health have on family, the way in which the deterioration of a previously sharp mind is one of the many fears that we all face as we advance in years. Gossiping about family and their old days teaching it's a low stress hour out of their "busy" schedules.

I think, could be Liz) and we come to learn he is “outted” as gay on Facebook by someone from his school. The story was a little slow starting, and I had trouble sometimes keeping the individual identities of our three sleuths straight.Or maybe not … It’s not entirely clear, especially given that the alleged victim, Topsy, a former colleague of the three women was in her dotage and suffering declining health. There must be a thing now with older amateur sleuth stories, as I’ve read more than I had expected to recently. Every Thursday, three retired school teachers have their 'coffee o'clock' sessions at the Thirsk Garden Centre cafe. When an elderly former colleague suffering from dementia dies, it all seems perfectly understandable that she would have mixed up her pills’ dosages and overdosed. The plot is cozy and tricky, with just the right blend of “Miss Marple”, interesting and quirky characters, secrets, unexpected nuance, colorful cardigans, and of course, heaps of tea and warm companionship.

There’s so many subplots and so many words which seemed to be there just to increase the word count. Kol dar jos namuose, kažkiek identifikuoji pagal kiekvienos asmenines problemas, o paskui susirenka krūvon – ir belieka vardai, o kur kuri. I listened to the audiobook and, while I could follow it after a couple of minutes getting used to the reader’s Yorkshire accent, anybody who has problems with accents should think twice before trying this in audiobook form. As each member of the trio investigates, they also deal with real life, like managing their households, dealing with grandchildren and a troubled teenage son. 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.

For this reason the plot seems somewhat uneven, as the story jumps from one issue, or one character to another.