Fun and fluffy...lots of food eaten, a rotter murdered who comme d'habitude with La Xarissa just flat needed killin' and nobody shoulda done more than tut unconvincingly about these awful modern times and scarfed another jammy dodger or two and left it alone. I hope Aunt Bessie has occasion to delve into the murder of someone who's decent instead of another craptastic creep.

The setting, an archaeology conference about Manx history, was very interesting; several people from this story will be returning or I have lost my spidey-senses along with my left side; and a big ol' hint about who'll end up in some bad trouble eftsoons got plonked before us. The British obsession with tea remains opaque to me. Stuff's nasty, yet these folk swill absolute hogsheads of it, even polluting it with sugar and milk like it wasn't foul enough already. Still and all, they're good company are Bessie and her Scoobygroup, and the stories feel so genuinely honestly reflective of the author's worldviewthat I look forward to my next outing with them. ( )

I started reading the Aunt Bessie books by Diana Xarissa (The Isle of Man Cozy Mysteries) last year. They are very cosy indeed and perfect for when I just want to relax and need a comfort read.

Aunt Bessie is an elderly lady who resides in a cottage on the beach on the Isle of Man. She reads crime books, drinks tea and eats cookies, she is always there for her numerous friends (many of them younger, hence the honorary title of 'aunt') - and from time to time she solves a murder.

Apparently Bessie has another hobby and does some research on the history of the Isle of Man. In this book she intends to give a talk as part of a conference taking place in a historical museum, but of course, things do not go as planned when a scholar who is about to present a very important discovery is found dead.

The setting of the museum is a very good one - on the one hand because I simply love museums and enjoyed reading a story taking place in one, on the other hand because it provides for a locked-room mystery, which is always good.
Just like in the first two books, I loved the characters of Bessie and her friends. The case itself was rather weak this time, even for such a very cosy mystery, and I would have liked things to gather a bit more speed. It seems like the characters talk and talk and talk about the same details, and suddenly Bessie knows who did it - I would have wanted to see how she got there and to see an actual solving of the case.
Apart from these flaws, I think that the writing has improved in this third installment, and anyway, I read these for the atmosphere and the vibes and not foremost for the plot. This novel provided that again: It was like sitting down with a few very good friends, cuddling a hot water bottle, eating chocolate and drinking my favourite tea. ( )

I started reading the Aunt Bessie books by Diana Xarissa (The Isle of Man Cozy Mysteries) last year. They are very cosy indeed and perfect for when I just want to relax and need a comfort read.

Aunt Bessie is an elderly lady who resides in a cottage on the beach on the Isle of Man. She reads crime books, drinks tea and eats cookies, she is always there for her numerous friends (many of them younger, hence the honorary title of 'aunt') - and from time to time she solves a murder.

Apparently Bessie has another hobby and does some research on the history of the Isle of Man. In this book she intends to give a talk as part of a conference taking place in a historical museum, but of course, things do not go as planned when a scholar who is about to present a very important discovery is found dead.

The setting of the museum is a very good one - on the one hand because I simply love museums and enjoyed reading a story taking place in one, on the other hand because it provides for a locked-room mystery, which is always good.
Just like in the first two books, I loved the characters of Bessie and her friends. The case itself was rather weak this time, even for such a very cosy mystery, and I would have liked things to gather a bit more speed. It seems like the characters talk and talk and talk about the same details, and suddenly Bessie knows who did it - I would have wanted to see how she got there and to see an actual solving of the case.
Apart from these flaws, I think that the writing has improved in this third installment, and anyway, I read these for the atmosphere and the vibes and not foremost for the plot. This novel provided that again: It was like sitting down with a few very good friends, cuddling a hot water bottle, eating chocolate and drinking my favourite tea. ( )

1304 ( )