A Spoonful of Murder
by J.M.
3 stars
Every Thursday three retired teachers meet for coffee Liz, Thelma, and Pat. On Thursday they bump into an old friend Topsy. They decide to go visit Topsy since her dementia seems to be getting a little worse and it seems that Topsy daughter is having a hard time with it. One week later Topsy is found dead, cops fear foul play and so do the Three ladies. Liz, Thelma, and Pat all work together to figure out what happened and what went wrong.
For me, the beginning is all a jumbled mess you have thoughts coming from everyone and how everyone is feeling, and the narrative is off, it was easily confusing who was thinking what and just felt scattered. Halfway through it did get better and started to pick up the pace and flowed a lot easier. It's a cozy mystery just needs to flow a bit better in the beginning.

Thank you, Net Galley, for this ARC for an honest review.

If you have ever wondered what makes a cosy crime story, this is a quintessential example; plus you get three Miss Marples for the price of one. The three, Thelma, Liz and Pat, are retired primary school teachers who meet every Thursday, at the Thirsk Garden Centre, for coffee and cake and a natter about families and friends and life in general. Their background and experience have given them sharp minds and caring temperaments, coupled with pragmatism and a deep psychological understanding of human nature. In particular, they know that personalities developed in childhood still rule the adult. On this particular Thursday they run into Topsy, once a formidably well organised and proactive colleague, but now in the early stages of dementia. She is with her daughter, Kelly Anne, a fortyish bubbly blonde who is becoming increasingly enveloped by the role of carer. The mother daughter relationship is especially strained because a cold caller had managed to persuade Topsy to transfer all of her savings, £475K, to a ‘secure’ account from whence, of course, it has vanished.
After the meeting, they undertake to see more of Topsy, partly driven by that “there but for the grace of God” feeling. However, a week or so later, Topsy is found dead – apparently due to accidentally mixing up her pills and overdosing on her heart medication. The three friends find this suspicious, partly because Topsy had told Thelma that she had heard someone say it would be better if she were dead. Did someone actually this and if so who and why? Was it connected to the scam, or the daughter, or her boyfriend, or the daughter’s best friend, or the dodgy builder, or the cleaner, or the cleaner’s son? A surfeit of suspects – assuming there was actually a crime, of course.
The three women are all very different and extremely well drawn characters, with detailed family backgrounds that clearly show why they act, individually and collectively, in the way they do when sleuthing. The plot is carefully assembled, rather like a patchwork quilt, with each element placed just so. As a mystery story it is not particularly complicated, but the writing is so good that you find yourself invested in these women and their progress. Put simply, it is a believable tale about three women you would like to meet.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

A great debut novel!
Three retired school teachers meet at the garden centre every Thursday , one week they meet another ex colleague Topsy with her daughter.
Topsy is displaying signs of confusion and dementia and this hits Thelma, Liz and Pat hard.
Not long after Topsy is found dead , is it accidental or murder?
The three unlikely sleuths begin to look in to Topsy’s death in the way only retired teachers can .
Although this is an easy to read cosy mystery it hits on some important subjects such as fraud on vulnerable members of society, financial manipulation and the care of the elderly.
The protagonists are likeable and down to earth ladies , all with their own unique attributes making these story a delightful read.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK.

I enjoyed reading and listening to this book alongside each other and am so grateful for this proof copy! I had major thursday murder club vibes whilst reading this and enjoyed the characters and it did make me laugh out loud, but I just felt like there was something missing from it for me to give it more stars.

I did find myself getting confused with the characters (probably rated to the reading via audiobook) so I just didn’t connect with the characters.

I’d still recommend reading it if you liked thursday murder club and definitely don’t let my opinion put you off 😊

3.5⭐️ rounded down.

As the story begins, we meet Liz, Pat and Thelma, former colleagues and retired teachers of St. Barnabus’s Primary School who meet up every Thursday at the Thirsk Garden Centre café sharing gossip and tidbits about their lives and families. On one particular Thursday, they bump into Topsy, another ex-colleague, former nursery nurse at the same school, and her daughter Kelly Anne. Topsy is in the early stages of dementia , a condition that has worsened since the death of her husband . KellyAnne is her only caregiver. While the friends appreciate KellyAnne’s taking care of her mother and sympathize with their situation, they also sense that there is something that is not quite right when Topsy shares some disturbing facts . This prompts the friends to visit her at her home. They come to know that recently Topsy has been the victim of financial fraud and has lost all her life savings. 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.

Though Topsy's death is attributed to her “muddling” her medication , the friends take it upon themselves to investigate both her death and the bank fraud which occurred prior to the same, all the while dealing with their personal family concerns. Added to the mix is Paula, Topsy’s cleaner and former employee at the school where Topsy and the ladies were employed who has nothing good to say about KellyAnne , Paula's stripper/call center worker son, a real estate agent with dubious intentions, a builder with a corrupt agenda and a bank employee who is definitely hiding something.

J.M.Hall’s debut novel, A Spoonful of Murder is a charming cozy mystery with three smart, inquisitive and determined protagonists, a good dose of humor and an interesting premise. The story touches upon issues such as elder care and financial exploitation of vulnerable individuals by fraudulent entities, both of which are important issues. However, the narrative does take a while to pick up the pace, and only does so after the halfway mark. I found the writing a bit long-drawn and repetitive in parts and it took a bit of effort to focus as I waited for the mystery to unravel. There are multiple red herrings and numerous sub-plots which are a bit difficult to keep track of and do distract from the primary track. Though my attention wavered at points I was happy with the way the story is ultimately wrapped up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books, UK for the digital review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Unfortunately a DNF for me. Feels like someone has jumped on the Thursday Murder Club bandwagon with retirees meeting every Thursday (not even a different day for goodness sake) and a crime to be solved. Even the cover smacks of Osman-itis.

I’m sure a lot of readers that love Mr Osman’s books will love this but opening chapters full of mentions of Tesco and Edinburgh Woolen Mill just didn’t do it for me.

A cozy crime caper it might be but not enough meat on the bone for me I’m afraid.

What a fantastic read! As an avid historical romance buff, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy a mystery, but I couldnt say no when I saw the cover - and it seemed like a great start to introduce myself into the mystery genre. This book was incredibly well written, and engaging throughout. It gave me all the cozy that I love from romance, but with the added tension and suspense that will keep your eyes locked until you're done reading. Really enjoyable characters that you feel like you've known for years once you finish the book. It was the perfect pace, and easy to follow. Love, love, loved this book.

As a huge fan of Bob's Burgers and their episode about Topsy the elephant, I had to read this book as it has a Topsy! Lots of red herrings in this book, you are constantly questioning everyone in this book. I like the multiple point of views, the author did a good job of writing them differently as well, sometimes you have a book with more than one POV, and the author is bad at making sure they have different speech patterns or different body language or something, and I have to go back and make sure I have the right character in mind as I'm reading.

A good book to curl up with.
I love the fact it was based on and around places I know and love, Thirsk, Ripon ect.
The story was good and I love the 3 main characters, slightly older, normal/average females, with every day worries as well as trying to solve the mystery of their friends death.
Well written and I'm so looking forward to reading the next book.
Thank you netgalley

A Spoonful of Murder does what it says on the tin. It's a decent cozy mystery, good escapist fun.

It's not Richard Osman though. I think he's spoiled me for the genre; he does it so well.

Still, if you're all out of Richard Osman and need a new fix, this'll probably do the trick. Enjoy.

When retired primary school teachers Pat, Thelma and Liz bump into their old colleague, Topsy, they are shocked by the rapid decline in her health. A week later Topsy is dead. As a result of a couple of comments that Topsy made when they had met the women think she may have been murdered and set out to find out the truth.

A Spoonful Of Murder will join the many cosy crime novels springing up at the moment. This is a well thought through whodunit, with plenty of red herrings. Whilst I struggled with the writing style I did like the main characters. Years of dealing with primary school children give Pat, Thelma and Liz the skills needed to investigate and interrogate. Combined with their plain, straightforward Yorkshire personalities no-one is safe from their gaze.

Absolutely everyone is a suspect and the ladies cover the gamut from pensioners luncheon clubs to Zumba Insanity and male strippers. Who knew that the life of retired primary school teachers in Yorkshire was so exciting?

Whilst trying to solve the murder the lead characters uncover other crimes and have to solve problems closer to home, this made Pat, Thelma and Liz seem more real.

I was looking for some cosy mystery and that's when I found A Spoonful of Murder. I was disappointed though, it wasn't for me.

The story is interesting, but apart from that it didn't have any other positive points for me. I did struggle to keep reading, I was interested in how it ends which was just okay.

There are a lot of positive reviews for the book though, so I think it might appeal to other readers.

Thank you Netgalley, author J.M.Hall and publishers for the ARC.

When three retired ex- teachers meet for tea they meet another one of their colleagues, Topsy with her daughter Kellyanne. Then Topsy suddenly dies, a large amount of money has been taken from her account, her daughter gone for the weekend and the three teachers-- Liz, Thelma and Pat decide to investigate.

This wasn't bad but this was OK cozy thriller. I have done reviews on cozy reviews before. The writing was good, there were funny parts that crack me up. But unfortunately, there were too much characters that I was slightly confused at some parts, which maybe it was just me. Liz, Thelma and Pat are likable characters and do like the fact that how these three old women get together to solve a mystery of the death of their colleague which they think is a murder. Overall, it was an OK cozy thriller. Worth three stars. Since the writing was great, I look forward to read more books from this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

What really happened to Topsy? The retired teacher who had been dealing with dementia with the help of her daughter KellyAnne, was the victim of fraud,, among other things. Her former colleagues Pat, Thelma, and Liz, with commentary from her cleaner Paula, go looking for a real explanation beyond a mixup of her medicine. These intrepid women are terrific- never discount the retired set. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good characters and a regrettably topical plot made this a good read.

I gave A Spoonful of Murder 3 stars. It was an okay read but it didn't stand out.
I struggled to get into this one because it was a little bit difficult keeping track of the characters.

I love reading about old cool ladies in cozy mysteries, so that is something I liked about this book.

The cover also remind me of The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman, but that is just a reflection I made and nothing that made me want to read the book more or less.

A cozy mystery with three retired teachers as the protagonists. I struggled to get into this one, which disappointed me because the premise sounded so good! The characters didn't feel separate enough from each other early on, which I think is what made me struggle to get into it.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 64%

I couldn't get into this one which is a shame because the synopsis sounded like my kind of book. It was too detailed and long winded for me, I just wanted to get to the action side of the story.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

An enjoyable cozy mystery set in Yorkshire, England with three retired schoolteachers who find themselves involved with a murder. Thelma, Pat and Liz are enjoying their weekly coffee date at the Thirsk Garden Centre Cafe when they run into a former colleague, Topsy, who seems to be in the early stages of dementia. A week later Topsy is dead after having apparently muddled up her medications but her three friends are convinced that there's more to her death than meets the eye. The narrative alternates point of view between the three determined women who each have their own approach to figuring out what really happened to Topsy and the story involves important social issues such as elder care and the prevalence of fraudulent schemes directed at seniors. The pacing is a bit slow at first and there are quite a few secondary characters to keep track of but still an enjoyable read for fans of this genre.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC.

I quite enjoyed this, it was an easy read and there were plenty of plot threads to keep things fun. There was a great sense of humour all the way through, and I chuckled regularly. It was a little bit difficult keeping track of the characters in the beginning but they developed quickly. I think this will be a favourite with fans of cosy crime and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

This was a very quick and easy mystery to get into.

Even though I was able to discover the plot, that is a testament to the author's ability to lay the groundwork and seamlessly integrate the hints into the plot. All you need to do is pay attention and you'd be able to tell who the murderer is, even as you watch the ladies muddle their way through the investigation.

I was infuriated by the way the women were infantilized by those around them, made to feel as though they were confused and obsolete, meanwhile they were the only ones making strides in the case.

I don't often read books where the protagonists are older ladies so I don't have much to compare it to, but it felt like a genuine depiction of how that group would be treated irl. The pacing also reflects the ladies' access to information and competency with tech so I didn't mind that it was a slower realization rather than constant chunks of information throughout.

For fans of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series.