Three retired schoolteachers enjoy coffee and cake each week at the Thirsk Garden Centre café. It’s a chance to relax and have a gentle gossip about their nearest and dearest. Until one morning when they meet an ex-colleague, Topsy, a woman who was so well put together when working, and who has failed terribly since the death of her husband. Her daughter, KellyAnne, is there to help but Liz, Pat and Thelma appreciate it must be difficult. However, by the following week, Topsy is dead. The three friends know that there’s more to their ex-friend’s death than meets the eye, and don’t believe it was natural or a byproduct of her recent onset confusion. So what do you do in that case? Well, accidentally get entangled in a murder, naturally, and work together to get justice – and resolution – for their deceased friend. This feels like a cosy crime mystery but with added bite, and cake. Liz, Pat and Thelma are curious and inquisitive and you’ll warm towards them and their sometimes unpredictable ways of discovering clues.

A Spoonful of Murder is a debut book by J.M. Hall.

Three retired schoolteachers regularly meet at a local garden centre for cake and coffee. On one of their outings, they bump into an old colleague, Topsy Joy and her daughter.

Topsy announces that people have been in and out of her house, Kelly, her daughter, explains that her mother keeps getting confused, muddles her medicines and is generally declining mentally.

Thelma, Liz and Pat decide to go and visit Topsy, where it's revealed she has been defrauded of a substantial amount of money. Within a few days, Topsy has been found dead, a tragic accident with the mix-up of her meds, or is it something more sinister......

I really enjoyed this book, liked all the characters, and the family dynamics that also ensued.

The majority of loose ends were tied up, but did I skip over what happened with Mandy??

Highly recommended and look forward to reading another one by this author.

A Spoonful of Murder by J.M. Hall is a great cozy mystery that takes a trio of retired educators and turns them into amateur sleuths…a murder/mystery novel that was quite the enjoyable ride.

I really enjoyed reading along as the three friends and retired school teachers work their way through an unintentional post-retirement position: amateur sleuths solving a murder/mystery plot involving an ex coworker. Not what they had planned…but stumbled into nevertheless.

I enjoyed learning the backstories between the three main characters: Liz, Pat, and Thelma. Learning how the characters have become how they are, and how they are currently connected gives then depth and a sense of realism. Each has their own issues, but getting to the bottom of a suspicious murder…well that takes precedence.

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.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Avon Books UK for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/17/22.

This really just wasn’t for me. I love cozy mysteries so I was excited to read this, but it fell flat. I felt like the characters were all interchangeable and I never could tell them apart. The mystery itself was fine, but I didn’t enjoy this very much.

Although the retired women are not officially detectives, they try to solve the reason for the death of a friend. I was put off immediately by the titles of the chapters…I was trying to determine what they meant instead of just enjoying the novel…the characters are quirky and down to earth…although the story moves slowly, the journey is delightful…this book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review…leave off the titles…

A very good debut novel. Three former primary school teachers run into an older colleague, Topsy Joy, at the garden center. They are dismayed at her apparent senility. To assuage their guilt and worry over their old friend, they take to visiting her in turn. Unfortunately she reveals some worrisome things, they find she has been conned out of her life savings of £475K, she also has a dodgy builder harassing her and claiming payment. Daughter KellyAnne is beside herself with worry for her mother’s future. Within a week, Topsy is dead. “A muddle over her pills” is KellyAnne’s explanation. Thelma, Liz, and Pat are not convinced and they start investigating.
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.
A sad and yet funny adventure as the three ladies trap the dodgy builder, solve the £475K theft, and find the killer. Poignant and relatable, I want these ladies as my friends!
A bit slow going at first, getting to grips with all the characters and the back stories, it is well worth pursuing. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this advance copy. Recommend.