Category: Cozy mystery

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Hattie Goes To Hollywood by Caroline James: a quacking good read!

Phew. Unforeseen technical problems put the Books Are Cool website out of action for a couple of days, but now we’re up and running again. Apologies to Caroline for running late with this review.

Hattie Goes to Hollywood

A Cumbrian Village…
Three suicides…
A red-hot summer…

Join super-sleuth Hattie as tempers and temperatures rise in the Cumbrian village of Hollywood. With mischief and shenanigans aplenty, will Hattie discover the truth?

A funny and intriguing mystery – the first in a new series by Caroline James

When recently bereaved Hattie Mulberry inherits her aunt’s dilapidated cottage in the village of Hollywood in Cumbria, she envisages a quiet life. But retired hotelier Hattie is bored and when her neighbour asks her to investigate a suspicious suicide, Hattie’s career takes a new direction and H&H Investigations is born. During the hottest summer for years, Hattie discovers there have been three recent suicides in Hollywood and she determines to find out why. Temperatures rise as she throws herself into village life and, with mischief and shenanigans aplenty, Hattie has her work cut out. But will she establish the truth?

 

My review

It’s wonderful to meet Hattie, a character from Caroline James’s ‘The Best Boomerville Hotel’, again, but even if it’s your first encounter with her, you’ll still love her! She’s lively, indomitable, likeable and a brings a gale of fresh air into the village of Hollywood.

She’s surrounded by a host of equally fascinating, vibrant and eccentric people, some great, some ghastly. There’s even a duck to add even more novelty to the cast!

The setting of village life in Cumbria is warm and convincing, and the brisk plot is clever and keeps you on your toes. There’s lots of wit and humour in the writing, and taken altogether this is an absolutely brilliant cosy mystery with everything we expect from and love in this genre.

A quacking good read!

 

Purchase Links:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hattie-Goes-Hollywood-Shenanigans-intrigue-ebook/dp/B083V16G5D/

US – https://www.amazon.com/Hattie-Goes-Hollywood-Shenanigans-intrigue-ebook/dp/B083V16G5D/

 

Author bio 

Best-selling author of women’s fiction, Caroline James has owned and run businesses encompassing all aspects of the hospitality industry, a subject that often features in her novels. She is based in the UK but has a great fondness for travel and escapes whenever she can. A public speaker, which includes talks and lectures on cruise ships world-wide, Caroline is also a consultant and food writer. She is a member of the Romantic Novelist’s Association, the Society of Women’s Writer’s & Journalists and the Society of Authors and writes articles and short stories, contributing to many publications. In her spare time, Caroline can be found trekking up a mountain or relaxing with her head in a book and hand in a box of chocolates.

 

 

Books by Caroline James:

Coffee Tea the Gypsy & Me

Coffee Tea the Chef & Me

Coffee Tea the Caribbean & Me

Jungle Rock

The Best Boomerville Hotel

Hattie Goes to Hollywood

 

Social Media Links –

Website: www.carolinejamesauthor.co.uk

Twitter: @CarolineJames12

Facebook: Caroline James Author

Amazon Author Page

 

Giveaway to Win a cuddly Drake toy! (Open INT)

Be in with a chance to win Drake, Hattie’s faithful pet duck! Tall Drake & Handsome

– A gorgeous soft toy who will be your friend for life.

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494346/#

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Cherry Slice by Jennifer Stone

Synopsis

Reality TV turns deadly in Cherry Hinton’s first case

When Kenny Thorpe, a contestant on Expose TV’s Big Blubber, the hot new celebrity weight-loss show, is murdered on live television in front of 3 million viewers, the case seems pretty watertight. After all, everyone saw Martin do it – didn’t they?

Cherry Hinton knows there’s more to this than meets the eye. As an investigative reporter, she went undercover on dating show Caravan of Love… but after getting in too deep with one of the other contestants, she was caught knickerless in front of the nation. Humiliated, fired and heartbroken, she has fled to Brentwood, where she opens a cake shop, and tries to forget all about Expose.

Until Kenny Thorpe’s sister walks into her shop with a letter that turns Cherry’s world upside down. Is Martin innocent? How is infamous gangster Leon Solent involved? Is Expose to blame, and is there a killer still on the loose?

Cherry is the only one in a position to find out

 

My review

The cosy mystery genre is one that’s meant to be tongue in cheek. Its central premise is that extremely unlikely protagonists manage to solve crimes that defeat that the experienced police force, and whilst that may occasionally happen in real life it’s not an everyday occurrence. This is what gives the genre its energy and allows authors to pull out all the stops imagination-wise.


Cherry Slice is a wonderful example of an imaginative cosy mystery. It’s an ingenious reworking of the locked room mystery, the type that Agatha Christie made famous. This time the action happens in a reality TV setting. And instead of Christie’s high society characters, we have a true Essex Girl, Cherry, as our chief sleuth, and the murder suspects are a group of wannabe celebs with weight issues.

Cherry, like all good amateur detectives, comes with emotional baggage. She used to date the victim, and she’s under a black cloud for some undercover work she did as a journalist. She now works in her parents’ bakery, famous for its tasteless (metaphorically speaking) gimmicky cakes.

As you’d probably expect from this description so far, there’s plenty of humour, wit and quirkiness in this novel. The characters are all larger than life, and not just the ones on the Big Blubber show. There are shady underworld figures, glitzy bimbos and plenty of almost-ordinary people but with something a little absurd about them to make them fascinating.

The Essex setting is convincing, especially for someone like me from just over the border in  south Suffolk and knows the area, and the plot is original and cunningly thought-out. If you like a cosy that makes you chuckle, occasionally wince and be thoroughly entertained from start to finish, then this is for you.

Pre-order the book here: www.amazon.co.uk/Cherry-Slice-PI-Mystery/dp/1788421655

 Review copy received from the publisher via NetGalley and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

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A Messy Affair by Elizabeth Mundy

A Messy Affair

The only way is murder…

 Lena Szarka, a Hungarian cleaner working in London, is forced to brush up on her detective skills for a third time when her cousin Sarika is plunged into danger.

Sarika and her reality TV star boyfriend Terry both receive threatening notes. When Terry stops calling, Lena assumes he’s lost interest. Until he turns up. Dead. Lena knows she must act fast to keep her cousin from the same fate.

Scrubbing her way through the grubby world of reality television, online dating and betrayed lovers, Lena finds it harder than she thought to discern what’s real – and what’s just for the cameras.

 

My review

This is a wonderfully enjoyable cosy mystery. Hungarian immigrant Lena is a likeable and very interesting character. Her situation as something of an outsider lends her sharper observation skills and she has a keen eye for the ridiculous that only someone not part of a certain society can clearly see.

There lots of humour as well as a riveting mystery to solve, set around the very modern topics of reality TV and online dating. We meet more of Lena’s relatives in this story (it’s the third in a series) and all the characters we encounter are fascinating in one way of another. There’s plenty of drama and suspense – never a dull moment. This author delights in delighting her reader with her imagination, tight plotting and top quality writing skills.

 

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Messy-Affair-Lena-Szarka-Mysteries/dp/1472126394

US – https://www.amazon.com/Messy-Affair-Lena-Szarka-Mysteries/dp/1472126394

Author Bio – Elizabeth Mundy’s grandmother was a Hungarian immigrant to America who raised five children on a chicken farm in Indiana. Elizabeth is a marketing director for an investment firm and lives in London with her messy husband and two young children. She writes the Lena Szarka Mysteries, featuring a Hungarian cleaner as detective.
www.elizabethmundy.com

 

Social Media Links –

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @ElizabethEMundy

www.elizabethmundy.com

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Chickenlandia Mystery by Daisy Pettles: just brilliant!

Synopsis

Pawpaw County, Indiana, is all atwitter about Ma and Peepaw Horton’s annual Chickenlandia Festival. The mood turns dark though when the Horton’s prize-winning rooster, Dewey, and his best laying hen, Ginger, vanish, leaving behind no clues except for a trail of tail feathers. Also missing: Gertie Wineagar, local sourpuss, and BBQ chicken cook-off queen. Odder still: the festival’s reigning chicken dance champion, Billy Bob Burris, is run down by a speeding pickup truck with suspicious out-of-state plates. Senior sleuths, and lifelong gal pals Ruby Jane Waskom and Veenie Goens suspect Hiram Krupsky, Pawpaw County’s self-proclaimed Chicken Wing King, of launching the crime spree as an attempt to sabotage the Horton’s free-range chicken ranch. The senior sleuths, who need a way to spy on Krupsky’s chicken empire, and search for clues, get an unexpected “in” when Hiram slips into his best leisure suit and commences to court Ruby Jane. Follow the Hoosier snoops as they attempt to sort the good eggs from the bad in this hilarious smalltown crime mystery.

 

 

My review

This is another book of lovable nonsense from our pair of senior sleuths Ruby Jane and Veenie. I use ‘nonsense’ in an admiring way in that it’s all larger than life, a little bit nuts and over the top, but with this pair of characters any less just wouldn’t cut it! It’s a fast-paced, laugh-aloud read packed with wit and clever writing. It’s wonderful entertainment from start to finish.
And it features chickens which, being something of a crazy bird lady, means it’s pretty much perfection.
The characters are all eccentric in one way or another, which makes them memorable and fascinating. It also reflects real life, even though there’s a touch of exaggeration. I mean, how many totally normal people do any of us know?
The plot is tight and exciting. A brilliant read.

Published by Hot Pants Press. Available at Amazon.

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The Case of the Reincarnated Client by Tarquin Hall

When a young woman comes forward saying she’s the reincarnation of Riya Kaur, a wife and mother who vanished during the bloody 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Vish Puri is dismissive. He’s busy enough dealing with an irate matrimonial client whose daughter is complaining about her groom’s thunderous snoring. Puri’s indomitable Mummy-ji however is adamant the client is genuine. How else could she so accurately describe under hypnosis Riya Kaur’s life and final hours?

Driven by a sense of duty – the original case was his late father’s – Puri manages to acquire the police file only to find that someone powerful has orchestrated a cover-up. Forced into an alliance with his mother that tests his beliefs and high blood pressure as never before, it’s only by delving into the past the help of his reincarnated client that Puri can hope to unlock the truth.

 

My review

I’m kicking myself that I’ve only now discovered this fabulous series. But better late than never!

The Case of the Reincarnated Client is the fifth novel featuring Vish Puri as its hero. Or rather anti-hero, since he’s an unassuming, kind man who much prefers the quiet life and really doesn’t want to be called on to do heroic acts. He is very much at the beck and call of Mummy-ji, who is actually the driving force behind this novel in that she insists that Vish takes this case on. Poor man, he has no choice!

The setting is modern-day Mumbai and the atmosphere is one of endless noise, colour and activity. The pace of life is frenetic, yet somehow it doesn’t sweep Vish along with it. He takes his time, especially over meals, and remains sedate, almost ponderous, but resolute.

Not only are we thoroughly entertained in this book but we learn some Indian history and get a revealing glimpse of its modern culture too.

All the characters we come across are fascinating, most of them borderline eccentric if not beyond, and they are all a joy to encounter. There’s lots of humour and quirkiness in the novel and it’s one that really gets under your skin and won’t give you any rest until you’ve finished it. You just have to know what unexpected thing is going to happen next!

An excellent book that I wholeheartedly recommend.

 

Purchase Links

UK –


US – https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0727888781

About the author

Tarquin Hall is a British author and journalist who has previously lived in the USA, Pakistan, India, Kenya and Turkey. He now divides his time between the UK and India and is married to BBC reporter and presenter Anu Anand. He is the author of four previous Vish Puri mysteries and The Delhi Detective’s Handbook.

Social Media Links:

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Pride, Prejudice and Poison by Elizabeth Blake: a clever, understated cosy mystery

Synopsis

In this Austen-tatious debut, antiquarian bookstore proprietor Erin Coleridge uses her sense and sensibility to deduce who killed the president of the local Jane Austen Society.

Erin Coleridge’s used bookstore in Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire, England is a meeting place for the villagers and, in particular, for the local Jane Austen Society. At the Society’s monthly meeting, matters come to a head between the old guard and its young turks. After the meeting breaks for tea, persuasion gives way to murder—with extreme prejudice—when president Sylvia Pemberthy falls dead to the floor. Poisoned? Presumably…but by whom? And was Sylvia the only target?

Handsome—but shy—Detective Inspector Peter Hadley and charismatic Sergeant Rashid Jarral arrive at the scene. The long suspect list includes Sylvia’s lover Kurt Becker and his tightly wound wife Suzanne. Or, perhaps, the killer was Sylvia’s own cuckolded husband, Jerome. Among the many Society members who may have had her in their sights is dashing Jonathan Alder, who was heard having a royal battle of words with the late president the night before.

Then, when Jonathan Alder narrowly avoids becoming the next victim, Farnsworth (the town’s “cat lady”) persuades a seriously time-crunched Erin to help DI Hadley. But the killer is more devious than anyone imagines.

 

My review

This is a very clever, understated cosy mystery. And I mean understated as a compliment in that, as with Jane Austen’s own books, everything is subtle and underplayed which just makes it all the more effective. For example, this book is gently humorous. It’s not a ‘laugh out loud’ type read, but more of a ‘frequent quiet smile’, which I actually prefer and which is harder to sustain since it doesn’t rely on slapstick or cheesy situations for comedy .

The characters are equally subtle. Their personalities gradually emerge as they book progresses, rather than being described in full to us at the beginning. We get strong hints as to what they’re like – Farnsworth is a cat lady and Sylvia is bossy, for example – but there’s a lot more to them than that and we watch them all develop nicely. Erin is an interesting heroine, very much a Jane Austen heroine in that she’s not the sort that’s cut out to play a lead role. She’s an intelligent, thoughtful woman who prefers the quiet life. She’s likeable and we enjoy following the events that unwind around her.

Interactions are great. As in any group of people, within the very dedicated Jane Austen Society there are friendships and animosities, organisers and followers-along, ambition and apathy. The bickering and niggling is extremely life-like – well, it is for me living in a small French village where committee meetings see the full gamut of emotions being run through!

The use of quotes from Austen’s novels is a witty touch. As always the author has a light hand with this and doesn’t overdo it, just throwing in an appropriate quote to add a little richness.

Well worth a read, whether you’re a Jane Austen fan or not.

Purchase Link

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The Hocus Pocus Magic Shop by Abigail Drake: a sparkly romp-com!

Synopsis

When chemist Grace O’Leary finds a book of magic spells hidden in her Aunt Lucy’s run-down magic shop, the scientist in her itches to try them out. She mixes up a batch of love potions as a joke, and has to face the consequences when they actually seem to work.

Her dream of becoming a professor is in peril, and time is running out to finish research for her dissertation. She can’t handle any more distractions, but the magic shop is on the verge of closing, her aunt has become forgetful and confused, and a handsome reporter named Dario Fontana keeps sniffing around for a story. The last thing she needs is for him to find out about the love potions and expose her as fraud, but she begins to trust him, and the sizzling chemistry between them is soon too powerful to deny.

With her personal and professional life in chaos, and her budding relationship with Dario in jeopardy, Grace is faced with a difficult choice. Fixing what is broken means going against every logical bone in her body. Can Grace learn to silence her scientific brain long enough to accept the truth about magic…and also about herself?

 

My review

This is most definitely a romcom with a difference! I actually think I’d call it a romp-com as it’s a romp of a book with lots of fun and sparkle!
It’s not always easy to mix magic with cozy mystery because fans of one might object to the inclusion of the other element but it works really well here. The author herself is magic as she writes in a wonderful, light and light-hearted way. Her style is friendly and welcoming and it makes it so hard to put the book down!
The characters are all slightly eccentric, which makes them that much more fascinating and delightful – apart from the baddies, of course. They’re just fascinating.
The plot is ingeniously original and fresh. A super book.

Purchase Link

 Also available on Kindle Unlimited.

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Baby Daddy Mystery by Daisy Pettles: just brilliant!

Synopsis

It’s Spring in Pawpaw County, Indiana. Everybody has a bad case of hanky-panky pants. Senior sleuths Ruby Jane Waskom and Veenie Goens are on the run, chasing down cheating heart Jezebels and shaking child support out of deadbeat baby daddies.

Everybody in the small town of Knobby Waters knows Avonelle Ollis, cantankerous President of the First National Bank. After Avonelle’s husband, esteemed dentist William Apple, passes away, she receives a child support letter from a self-proclaimed mistress. Suspicious, she hires Ruby Jane and Veenie, of the Shady Hoosier Detective Agency, to determine if her late husband was a philandering baby daddy.

The case seems simple until Avonelle’s son, Bromley, heir to his father’s dental empire, and well-known king of the Pawpaw County Hanky Panky Husbands Club, pops up dead in a scarecrow costume. No sooner does the crime-cracking duo get sucked into solving Bromley’s death than Fussy Jones, Commander of the White River Boat and Gun Club, is found with a gig in his chest, literally dead in the water.

When a mysterious new Romeo rolls into town and begins seducing the ladies out at Leisure Hills Retirement Village Veenie’s father, Pappy Sneed, calls for help to retain his reputation as an oldster stud puppy. Ruby Jane bemoans that no one in Pawpaw County can keep their pants on or their skirts down as her own grown daughter, Joyce, begs for help chasing down her philandering husband.

The mounting romantic mysteries come to a surprise head as the senior sleuths outrun shotgun showers to close in on the answers at the Moon Glow Motor Lodge, the Original Home of Hillbilly Hanky Panky. Veenie and Ruby Jane have to buy an extra case of Ben Gay and a buttload of BBs just to keep up with the romantic excitement in this humorous crime classic.

 

My review

Well, this book is an absolute hoot. It’s brilliant, packed full of wit, comedy and delightfully eccentric characters.
Ruby Jane and Veenie are private investigators working for Harry Shades, whose inability to resist women means he’s temporarily had to leave town. The two mature ladies therefore take on a case concerning the Apple family – or rather, cases. They throw themselves into their duties with energy and determination, and whilst their means might be a little unconventional they’re certainly effective.

The plot bubbles with cleverness, with just the right amount of craziness, and as I’ve mentioned the people we meet in the pages of this novel are wonderful, whether it’s wonderfully awful or wonderfully genuine. The humour dances off the pages and it’s impossible not to chuckle as you absorb this madcap, exciting and entertaining story.

 

Published by Hot Pants Press, priced from €2.99 (Kindle)

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Every Dog Has His Day by Chloe Grace: an imaginative escapade

 

Synopsis

They say every dog has his day.

Well, today I’ve certainly had mine.

Hey, I’m Albertus Eagle and it turns out I’m an unwitting pet detective. I haven’t always been such a successful legal beagle, but when I’m confronted with a case that is so personal I can’t ignore it, I discover I have a passion for finding those who don’t want to be found.

Cleo the cat. Well, she came along for the ride too.

So, sure I’ve had my day today, but not in the sense of being past my prime. To the contrary, the fun is just starting. And I am buzzing with a new purpose, mixed with a tiny amount of vindictive elation.

Why?

Because, I’ve not only found myself a new home after the untimely demise of my previous owner, but I’ve also made amends with the cat. It turns out she’s not that bad, really.

On top of that though, and this is what really sends shivers racing all the way down my spine to my paws, is that we’ve fingered a killer.

How?

Because you humans, you underestimate us animals. And while you go about your business ignoring our very existence, the cat and I are listening and taking notes.

This is the first full length novel in the Albertus Eagle detective beagle series of animal cozy mysteries, starring Albertus Eagle, and his two sidekicks, Cleo the cat and Bella Schuhmann, the smart human who actually understands him. In this wonderful full length book packed with humour and satire, we see the world of murder and intrigue set up through the eyes of a loyal dog turned amateur sleuth.

 

My review

Well, this is certainly a book with a difference! It’s a lively cosy mystery with a dog as the sleuth. In the cosy genre, there’s generally a dog or other pet animal in the mix somewhere, but they don’t often take centre stage. Albertus, or Albie for short, is our hero.

We generally associate talking animals with children’s literature or films, but when done well, as in this book, such characters are successful when aimed at an adult audience. There’s a tongue in cheek tone, but also some very sharp, to-the-point observations about our less-than-perfect human ways. Our canine companions don’t miss much, it seems.

They may have four paws, in most cases, but the characters we meet are rounded and convincing and with very distinct personalities. They’re a talented bunch too. Cleo the cat and Albie make for a formidable crime-fighting team. The plot is clever and interesting, and will keep you guessing to the end.

If you like a lively read from a whole new perspective, then this book will brighten your day. It certainly did mine!

 

Purchase Links:

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NP9VVXK

US  – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NP9VVXK  

Author Bio – Chloe Grace is the cozy mystery pen name for romantic mystery author, Karen Botha. While she doesn’t understand animals quite as well as Bella in the Albertus Eagle Detective Beagle cozy mysteries, she does chat along to her rescue dog, Shadow, pretty much all day.

And she’s sure that he chats back.

Chloe lives with Shadow and her hubby in a small outpost of London city—funnily enough it’s a little like where Bella and Albie live. As a family they like to go on walks in the local woods and throw a tennis ball until their respective arms ache, which is usually before Shadow shows any hint of exhaustion.

While her first romance novels were inspired by true life events, the Albertus Eagle series are complete imagination – although her conversations with Shadow can’t be ignored.

Social Media Links –

SIGN UP FOR MAILING LIST – https://dl.bookfunnel.com/jgeib0362x
VISIT HER WEBSITE – http://www.karenbotha.com/meet-karen/chloe-grace-cozy-mysteries/
FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/ChloeGraceMysteries/?modal=admin_todo_tour
INSTAGRAM – https://www.instagram.com/karenbothaauthor

This tour has been organised by Rachel’s Random Resources. I’m unable to load all the tour-related graphics and author pic due to who knows what reason, but I’m still working on it!

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The Ghost of Hollow House by Linda Stratmann: entertaining and enjoyable

Synopsis

Mina Scarletti is invited to ancient Hollow House to investigate reports of ghostly occurrences.

A determined sceptic, Mina’s main concern is for Kitty, whose health appears to be dramatically sinking under the strain of all that is going on.

With the help of her trusted adviser, Dr Hamid, and her lively friend, Nell, Mina must get to the heart of the mystery.

Have the maids merely been frightening themselves with tales of the macabre? Is there a rational explanation for what is being reported?

Or will Mina be forced to admit to the presence of a ghost in Hollow House?

 

My review

This book is part of the Mina Scarletti Mystery Series, one that I wish I’d discovered earlier since this novel is absolutely delightful. It works as a standalone but I’ve no doubt there will be added richness if you follow the series from the start.

The book is set in the Victorian era and that’s obvious at once from the clever use of language. Both the way the characters speak and the author’s own narrative reflect this, but never overdo it! An air of genteelness comes over well, and there’s also a hint of frustration on the part of the female characters who are rather constrained by their times. Our heroine Mina is also constrained physically by her scoliosis, but, as with the social mores of the time, this doesn’t affect her sharp mind and intelligence.

Kitty, a friend of a friend of Mina’s, has recently married and gone to live in Hollow House with her new, much older husband Mr Honeyacre. However, there are strange goings-on and whilst Kitty is largely sceptical, her servants are becoming worked up over the presence of ghosts. Mina has a track record in routing out fake spiritual mediums, and so she’s the ideal person to visit and work out what’s actually happening.

And she does, and it’s all thoroughly entertaining! Mina is also a novelist writing under the male pseudonym of Robert Neil, so we get to see not only Mina but also Robert at work. His version of events is a little different from what Mina experiences. This clever touch adds even more sparkle to this lively, interesting and very enjoyable cosy mystery. Definitely one to read.

Published by Sapere Books. Available at http://getbook.at/HollowHouse