Funeral Fatalities…
The third in this enjoyable series of mysteries featuring, event caterer, Francesca Eve and Shropshire village based. Francesca has a new event to cater - a sumptuous funeral supper and whilst death is obviously at the forefront of everyone’s mind, murder is most definitely not. With the greedy relatives battling for an inheritance, it’s clear that no one can be trusted. With a nicely crafted cast of characters, likeable protagonists, twists and turns aplenty and a well plotted storyline this is another entertaining, enjoyable, fun read and a worthy addition to the series

Fran is employed by old school friend Olivia to cater the funeral of Clarence, a wealthy man with a penchant for games. He has left a will, in which he describes a set of puzzles and games for his three child to follow. Is it as clear as that however? Someone commits murder and refuses to play fair, but who? Can Fran and friend Adam solve the puzzles set by Clarence to find the murdered, and can they stay safe as they do?

A fun cosy mystery, I loved trying to solve the puzzles along with the characters. I'll definitely be looking out for more in this series, Fran and Adam are a great partnership.

Absolutely the most brilliant Adam and Eve adventure yet.

Roped in by an old school friend to cater for her employer's funeral of all things, Francesca Eve finds herself dragged into a treasure hunt designed by the deceased to bring his estranged family together. So of course she co-opts Adam onto the team, because puzzles are exactly his thing.

There's an awful lot at stake. And money too. And things inevitably get out of hand.

Can anyone actually be believed?

This series gets better and better! The best cosy mystery I've read for a while with enough complexity and intrigue to keep you gripped and guessing. Already looking forward to number 4!

friction, friendship, family-drama, series, caterer, caretaker, lawyers, greed, resentment, cosy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, game-developer, wealthy, rural, verbal-humor, situational-humor*****

Francesca is the amateur sleuth/caterer who is called by an old friend to cater a funeral meal for a famous elderly author/gamester. The man's offspring are rather poisonous gits who don't want to do as the will demands but are too greedy to let it go at that. Let's just say that cooperation is not their strong suit. Fran is there to serve as witness and her friend Adam comes along for support and sleuthing. Loved this fairly lighthearted whodunit!
I requested and received a digital ARC of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I should have known when the description read cozy but I always enjoy English country house mysteries so I thought I would give it a try
Well, I didn’t make it too far: a plodding pace, pedestrian dialogue and uninteresting characters sunk this one for me

This is such a fun book. When an elderly rich man dies, he leaves a plan for his loved ones to inherit his estate...a puzzle if you will...they can work together to inherit...they can work separately to get it all. This is just a quick read with quirky likable characters...puppets of the deceased...he has left clues for them to follow, and they do...one step at a time...not easily discerned. I liked this book. It is a cannot put down book of mystery and intrigue written by a talented author. I really liked this book and the characters...I said that already, but it must be said again. Settle on a comfy sofa with a cup of steaming herbal tea and enjoy this book...try to solve the puzzle. The novel was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the electronic copy.

When Clarence Lightman dies, his heirs are ready to claim his millions. Only Clarence had another idea. He put together a series of riddles and puzzles for those whom he was willing to bequeath his fortune, both family and employees. Whomever solves them first is the heir…and everyone is on their game!

Only one person isn’t playing by the rules, they’re trying to eliminate the competition and Francesca is sure they’re going to keep eliminating the others until they win. Now it’s become a game of staying alive rather than solving the clues. Can Frances protect the others and keep herself alive as well? Only time will tell.

A FABULOUS mystery that has you trying to solve the riddles and puzzles along side the others. Once you have the piece click together, you’ll realize the clues were there all along…but you’re so focuses on trying to solve the clues along with who’s not playing fair that you missed a few things. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read in a while!

Puzzles. Riddles. Puzzles within puzzles. If you enjoy figuring out word puzzles, this one is definitely for you. There's even a murder to figure out. Two, in fact.

I'm loath to give away even teasers for this one as part of the fun is trying to figure out the various clues as they pop up. Clues to what? Good question. Elderly millionaire Clarence has died but rather than leave a simple will, he's left his family a series of clues for a treasure hunt. To win they must solve a complicated series of difficult clues, clues leading to more puzzles and clues.

Although there originally as caterer, Fran discovers that Clarence's caretaker, who was in charge of setting up the dinner, is an old friend, Olivia, who to her surprise is also eligible to win the inheritance. As a result,Fran is drawn into the game to help Olivia against the obviously angry, surly, money hungry children. Realizing game oriented puzzles aren't her strong point, Fran ultimately pulls her brilliant but quirky young friend Adam into the game.

An avid gamer, who knows and loved Clarence's work, he's in his element and, in fact, rather quickly figures out the first clue. It's been a delight to see the growth of Adam as this series has progressed. From the shy, uncertain young man that Fran first encountered hiding in a closet to avoid company, he's made huge strides. That said, it made me smile to imagine the look on his face as he got to visit what he probably viewed as a shrine of sorts to Clarence's work. He's quick to focus on the task, however, and proves his worth. As he points out to Fran, words are important in clues. Then, oh, my, Fran discovers a body.

No more hints. I'm not going to ruin the fun of you trying to sort out the puzzles on your own. As I write this, one of the hottest shows on tv is "Only Murders In the Building", which has lately been showcasing jig-saw puzzle pieces in the show. This book made me flash to that idea, that it's all there but your just have to put it together in the right order to see the whole picture. That is true of this book, too. Who do you trust?

Read this one. You won't be sorry. You'll like not just main characters Fran and Adam but enjoy watching Adam's brain spinning as he thinks. Fun and relatively quick read that works nicely as a stand-alone.

Thanks #NetGalley and #Bookouture for inviting me to spend some more quality time with Adam and Fran/Eve. I'm not the best at puzzles so it's a good thing Adam was around.

When elderly millionaire andeccentric entrepreneur Clarence Lightman dies, his nearest and dearest gather one final time at Justice House, Clarence’s beautiful country estate, for the reading of his will. But the day ends in uproar when it is revealed that whoever solves a series of complex clues will inherit everything. Will one of Clarence’s disagreeable children outwit everyone else for the fortune, or could his devoted housekeeper or even Francesca herself win the day?

It is a first-rate crime novelist's ability to lead his readers up the garden path….
A gripping thriller/mystery that starts on simmer and builds to a boil. Dazzlingly clever, twisting and constantly surprising. An unputdownable rollercoaster of a read.