Hazel Smith (5)

I received an epub copy of this book as part of the author's ARC.

When April May - there are jokes about whether she has a sister called June July - inherits a lakehouse from a grandmother she never met, she goes to the small town intending to simply clean it out, claim her special heirloom, sell the house and use the funds to make a mid-life crisis change of career.

Nothing goes to plan. The house is a dump, the heirloom is missing, there is a stray dog sick in her yard that she feels show more obligated to look after until the obligatory "dreamy" vet can find a home for it, and she finds a stack of old letters in the house that indicate her grandmother was being threatened, perhaps even murdered.

As well as the usual group of small town characters, there is a pair of mysterious and sinister property developers, and her grandmother's ex-suitors - one nasty, one not so nasty, and her new best friend, who introduces her to the joys of crocheting.

There is a menagerie of suspects when a series of poisonings hits the town, and April must rely on the vet and her new best friend to prevent herself becoming the next victim, and to find the missing heirloom.

As cosies go this is an enjoyable romp, with interesting characters and an intriguing mystery. I for one will be pleased to read Book 2 in the series when it comes out. show less

Let me start by revealing that I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

As a rule I do not read that many "cosy" mysteries, but this one seemed interesting from the get-go: an American transplanted to the UK, working as a maid in a five-star hotel, where a murder occurs and just like the movies all the characters are forbidden by Scotland Yard to leave by until the crime is solved.

Throw in the fact that the hotel was going full with all the guests for an upper-class show more wedding, and that the victim was the father of the groom, you may think you are heading into soap opera land like "Grand Hotel", or a comic-horror story with everyone trapped in the old dark house with a murderer.

But I knew I was on safe cosy mystery territory with lines like "I never expeceted being a maid at a posh London hotel to come with a side of amateur sleuthing. Still, if I can get the job done, I might as well solve a mystery or two while I work. Two birds, one stone." and "Hopefully, the girls and I can hurry things along with our unofficial consultation" with the police.

You will enjoy the humour in the three maids' investigation, using their unique positions to search for clues missed by the police, while there is a touch of romance too for Ivy.

The other thing I found interesting is that everyone seems to own a dog, and being a dog owner and lover their talking of their dogs struck me as realistic.

While not part of the story in the book, I also enjoyed the addition of a couple of recipes at the end, and particularly the readers' Pet Cameo, which while somewhat sad shows the real love between the reader and her dog.

Highly recommended. show less

I have read some of this author's other books, including in this series, and find them at times twee, but in the main a refreshing change from the more hard-boiled crime fiction that I usually read.

The characters are quirky, their relationships between them well-defined, and the banter is realistic.

I didn't guess who the killer was in this one until right at the end, and the provision of the final clue and saving of our heroine at the last minute a bit deax et machina-ish, but it was still show more an enjoyable, light read.

The sort of crime novel you wouldn't mind your young daughter or sainted aunt reading, with little violence, and a mild touch of (clean) romance.

Oh, and my wife loves the recipes at the end too.

I received this book as an ARC, and this is my honest opinion. show less

Another enjoyable outing in the Maid Ivy Cosy Mystery Series.

In this book a Pooch Pageant comes to the glamorous hotel where Ivy is the headmaid, and wouldn't you know it, one of the champion breeders drops dead during the competition. And it's not from the excitement, it's poison.

But who could the culprit be? There's plenty to choose from with the dead woman's competition all apparently having an axe to grind, her nephew who doesn't like dogs but puts up with the ill-treatment from his aunt show more if he might inherit her fortune, the judges who have secrets of their own.

I will be honest and admit I didn't guess it until just before the grand reveal. Avid readers of the series know that there will be plenty of repartee between Ivy and her posse of fellow employees, and that somewhere along the track one or the other of them will chance upon a clue while spying on the guests of the hotel, and that Ivy will have to save the day in the end even at the risk of her own life.

A quick and enjoyable read to take your mind off the real world.

I received an early copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. show less