When a retired teacher dies three of her retired teacher friends get wrapped up in the mystery, with family dramas and their own secrets to keep hidden this plot is thick with mysteries.

Good story but can get confusing with which character is talking at times. I grew up in the U.K. and now live abroad but this book definitely took me back to the U.K. and felt like a nice stroll down a familiar path.

It is missing some of the quirky charm of a cosy mystery with the plot being very slow at times though many mystery’s were solved with plenty of red herrings along the way.

This is a completely different style of book to what I’m used to. The base story is great, a suspicious death, lifelong friends, who did it!

There seemed to be a variety of characters that all played their part well.

Unfortunately I wasn’t overly keen on the book (my personal opinion only) it just wasn’t by style of writing, I found it very quirky and too ‘busy’ but I can see why others would enjoy it.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity.

There was something about the pace of this book that made me really appreciate it, not too fast or fancy or all. those. turns and twists you've sometimes got in a whodunnit. All three women were interesting characters with their human flaws and surprising actions. And how Liz made me smile with her intervention when it came to a certain wall. Very pleasant read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

I'm afraid this just seems to be jumping onto the bandwagon of a gaggle of pensioners solving various crimes. There seems to be a glut of these now, all of varying quality. For me, this is rather at the lower end. Will occupy a wet afternoon. Thanks to Netgalley.

It said ‘for fans of the Thursday murder club’ but I am a fan of Thursday Murder club and found this book to be very boring. It’s incredibly rare that I think about leaving a book unfinished. I did plough on with this but it was hard work. I’m really sorry but it wasn’t my cup of tea at all.

A Spoonful of Murder by J M Hall

This book is a joy, I really really loved it.. I really liked the three ladies and I was invested in their lives.

Every Thursday, three retired school teachers have their 'coffee o'clock' sessions at the Thirsk Garden Centre café.

But one fateful week, as they are catching up with a slice of cake, they bump into their ex-colleague, Topsy.

By the next Thursday, Topsy's dead.

At first it looks like a accidental death caused by the dementia that Topsy is suffering from but something is not sitting right with the 3 ladies and they start to making enquiries into Topsys life and her nearest and dearest.

It is about small close communities and everyone being connected and knowing everything about each other.

What I liked most was the juxtaposition of the absolute mundane routines of these ladies lives such as watching garden rescue, planning for the families dinner, making lists for a shopping trip with the extraordinary - trying to solve the murder.. life goes on even when murder is involved

I totally recommend this book, it is a contemporary murder mystery with 3 older protagonists who investigate murder while balancing their ordinary lives.

A five star read

#England #Mudermystery #cosy #modern #Aspoonfulofmurder #Netgalley

When 3 retired school teachers bump into an old friend little did they realise that in less than 24 hours she would be dead, wanting to know if it was murder or an accidental death our 3 plucky retired ladies decide to investigate

Whilst this sounds like a captivating read i did struggle at times to keep track of what was happening but persevered and did finish

Three retired school teachers enjoy their “coffee o’clock” sessions every Thursday at the Thirsk Garden Café center. Until one day, they bumped into a former colleague, Topsy Joy.

Next Thursday, they found out that Topsy was dead.

“Was she murdered?” or “Was it a tragic accident?”

For Pat, Liz and Thelma, they think the questions never quite feel resolved. It’s for them to find out what have really happened to Topsy.

It’s cute and charming to have elderly people teamed up to solve a crime. Although the beginning of the story is a slow-paced for me, I’m glad to be entertained by these three nosy retired teachers who have involved themselves in solving a mystery.

As the story progresses, I find it difficult to keep myself attentive in the story. Each chapter all throughout, there are new characters or code names introduced. It makes me confused who is who. Even if I take down notes of the important characters (and clues) to help myself solve the mystery, the author's writing style has managed to make me engaged in the story as I follow the journey of the main characters to reach the revelation. In the end, I have made myself extremely annoyed. The author has created a good villain that I will never like.

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.

If you are looking for a crime adventure without those dark disturbing violence, this could be a good read for you.

Many thanks to @netgalley and Avon Books UK Publisher for providing me an e-ARC in exchange of honest feedback.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me as it was near so ridiculously slow! I had high hopes for this book having loved Richard Osman’s series, and seeing a slight synergy with this, but I only got to about 12% of the way through before I gave up as the events mentioned on the blurb hadn’t even happened at that point, so I felt the introduction was unduly long, which would rush the meat and ending of the story

A Spoonful of Murder is a cosy murder mystery with quality writing not often found in its genre. I was delightfully entertained with its determined bunch of characters who took it upon themselves to investigate a crime and bring justice to a former colleague. The writing was witty and sensitive, with gentle humor evident throughout the story. However, the only complaint I have for this book is the whiplash of characters that were introduced in the first part of the story, which was difficult to contend with. I believe it takes skilled hands to properly handle this specific matter, which the author clearly fell short of.

I absolutely loved this cosy mystery story. I really enjoyed how the characters had their own lives layered into the storyline, and how relatable they all were. The writing reads well and keeps you turning the pages. It's an easy read and perfect for these cold winter nights.

Quick, cozy little read. The pacing was a bit slow for me, but it was an okay story. The story and characters fell a little flat for me, but I'd be willing to try another book from this author.

I want to try to read more cozy mysteries to get a handle on the writing styles and see if its they're a genre I might be interested in more.

Thank you to Avon UK and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have really enjoyed recent cosy murder mysteries featuring older people such as The Thursday Murder Club and The Marlow Murder Club and thought this might be similar.

There are a lot of characters in this book. Liz Thelma and Pat each have their own lives and families as well as the victim, her family and their friends. There are a lot of different elements to the mystery and it takes a while to put them all together.

Because of this the pace was a bit slow for me. And while the old characters are experiences memory loss and trying to stave off the onset of dementia, I found the repetition a little tiresome although it was sin keeping with the characters.

The book certainly highlights how vulnerable some of the elderly can be to unscrupulous tradesman and fraud.

Overall this was a decent enough mystery that I’m sure lots of readers will love.

Thank you to Netgalley for the gifted digital copy of A Spoonful Of Murder

I requested this title on @netgalley because I am a big fan of Richard Osman’s books and this sounded similar. Well, it’s certainly going for the same crowd - the gang who set out to solve the crime even meet on a Thursday! This book was a gentle read, definitely in the cosy crime genre, which is just what I was looking for when I picked it up. If I am being 100% honest, the gang who solve the crime were completely interchangeable to me. Even now I couldn’t tell you their individual names. I think I would have preferred it if there was just one well developed sleuth in this book instead. The actual mystery part was entertaining though, and I didn’t guess whodunnit. All in all I have mixed feelings about this book and if it becomes a series, I am not sure I will continue the series. Just an okay read for me.

Cosy With An Edge…
When three retired teachers bump into an old colleague at a garden centre a catalogue of bizarre events ensues not least involving a death and, possibly, a murder. A cosy crime with an edge as the tragi-comic events unfold with a credible and well crafted cast, a keen sense of wry humour and of character and an entertaining, immersive storyline. Enjoyable reading.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Avon Books UK and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Wonderful debut! I look forward to many more from J. M. Hall.

Even though the three friends aren’t detectives they get together to solve the murder. Took me longer to read and get into, but once I had it was enjoyable.

Rating: 2.0/5

Unfortunately, this cosy mystery failed to hold my attention. According to its billing, it should appeal to fans of Richard Osman's, "The Thursday Murder Club" and there are certainly some obvious parallels - not least the group of pensioners who get together for their regular "coffee o'clock sessions" in the café at the local garden centre on a Thursday! However, I think it is unlikely that "A Spoonful of Murder" will go on to enjoy anything like the success that Richard Osman's creation has achieved.

It isn't that this book doesn't have its merits. The writing is generally of a more considered quality than is often found in cosy mysteries. It avoids the overtly cheesy style that is often utilised in the genre. There are pleasant moments of well-observed human behaviour and some warm, gentle humour is also in evidence. But against that, it is also quite protracted and excessively pedestrian.

It doesn't help matters that there are a lot of characters to for readers to contend with. It is easier to get away with having a large cast in a television drama, where the audience has more cues available to help remember who everyone is, but in a novel it is much more difficult. It can be done, but it takes skilled handling on the part of the author to pull it off successfully. Failing that, the writer relies on the reader being prepared to make copious notes along the way, which isn't everyone's idea of an enjoyable way to read a book.

Sadly, in spite of having some plus points, I found this becoming too much like hard work - and that is one thing that a cosy mystery can never afford to be if it is to work well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

This is the story of three retired school teachers who meet for coffee once a week at their local garden centre and end up getting involved with solving a murder, the theft of £425K and a suspicious builder. Pat, Liz and Thelma are all upset by the death of their friend Topsy but certain things don’t make sense to them, Topsy thought someone wanted her dead and the three sleuths want to see if she was right.
There are some great moments in this book, I loved the Zumba Insanity class, I could definitely relate to that! I also like how the characters get their own chapters meaning we can have an insight in to their own personal stories and the back stories are beautifully written.
However, I did struggle when I started with this book though as it has a lot of characters being introduced throughout. There are the three main ones, then their partners and families, we then meet ex colleagues and ex pupils and their families, along with a lot of other people including cleaners, the over 60’s social group and even male strippers! I had to have a little who’s who written down next to me when I was reading to keep track. Don’t let that put you off though, the story itself is a delight to read touching on some very emotional subjects as well as a giggle or two.
I don’t think this will be the last we here of Pat Liz and Thelma.