Review: Accidentally in Love

Accidentally in Love by Belinda Missen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Katharine Patterson loves her life in London as an art curator, she has a friends with benefits arrangement with a hot lawyer and a regular Friday night drinks evening with her BFF Lainey, heck she's even got a great flat. Then she gets overlooked (for the third time) for a promotion and (yet again) her firm promotes an under-qualified guy. Thoroughly incensed she quits her job. Then when her FWB guy is less than available she dumps him and decides to move back home to Sheffield and open an art gallery.

But when she visits her father for lunch she's been set up with a supercilious, know-it-all local artist who criticises Katharine's teenage photography and makes sarcastic comments about snobby London galleries. Katharine can't think of anyone she likes less. Until she sees his work and realises he would be the perfect artist for her first exhibit.

I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers, throw in a life-changing decision and family angst and I'm all yours. I've read a couple of Belinda Missen's other novels and her heroines (at least in the ones I've read) do seem to throw over their old lives and start again. But that's not a bad thing.

This was warm, with a charming hero, full of friends and family, art and love (OMG also a man who makes you bread!) and I didn't want it to end.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Strictly Come Dating

Strictly Come Dating by Kathryn Freeman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Maggie is a 37 year old divorced mother of two, a doctor, and (naturally) super-organised, she lives and dies by her to-do lists.

Seb is Maggie's best friends' younger brother. He's single and carefree, only returned to the UK from his worldwide travels because of his father's heart-attack, living with his sister Sarah.

Every Saturday night Maggie and her BFFs: Hannah (the nanny); Sarah and her twin sister Alice meet at one of their houses with the children and pizza to watch that staple of early Saturday night entertainment, Strictly Come Dancing. Maggie has always loved dancing and longed to visit Blackpool, that mecca for ballroom dancers, but her ex-husband Paul said it was tacky.

Egged on by her friends, Maggie joins a ballroom dancing class on Wednesday evening, but sadly the only males on offer are short and bald. Then Seb steps up to the rescue.

This is a very low-key gentle romance, centred on Maggie and her two daughters, the dance lessons, Seb and his volunteering at a local youth centre, and Saturday night Strictly. I did enjoy it but I also wanted something more to happen, some interaction outside of the small group of characters, even some insight into Maggie's work as a GP. Heck, Hannah just seemed to be a plot device because we barely saw her working as a nanny to the children. If I say all the characters other than Maggie and Seb (and maybe Maggie's children) were sort of out-of-focus, does that make sense?

I enjoyed Kathryn Freeman's novel The New Guy and I thought that had more oomph than this one.

Overall, if Strictly is the highlight of your Saturday night and a romance about family is your thing then I think you will love this, I just wanted a bit more edge, some angst, some drama (said in a loud over-emphatic way).

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Notorious

Notorious by Minerva Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Drusilla has been helplessly in love with her best friend Eva’s half-brother Gabriel for five years. But since he is a notorious rake and unbelievably handsome while she is more ordinary, she hides her feelings. She hides them so well that Gabriel thinks she dislikes him.

But when Gabriel’s enemy Lord Visel places Drusilla in a compromising position the only way to silence the gossip is for Gabriel and Drusilla to marry, despite Gabriel courting the beautiful Miss Kittredge and Drusilla following the writings of Mary Wollstonecraft who opposed marriage.

The young couple face numerous obstacles, including Gabe’s mistresses, Lord Visel, Eva, one of Drusilla’s admirers and their own feelings.

This was a fast-paced, sexy historical romance. My only criticism would be that some situations were set up and then nothing happened, I can tell from the teaser for the next book in the series that there is a reason for at least one of these but it was a bit disconcerting.

There is a lot of backstory, which I now see is because Gabriel’s mother had her own book Dangerous, however it was easy to read this as a stand-alone and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Fall

Fall by Karina Bliss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When a nice guy rock star gets dumped by his paralympic girlfriend he mopes, but when she announces that she's engaged to be married only a few months later Seth is devastated. A lot of alcohol and joking later, Seth and the band's PA Dimity end up in bed. But what started out as a one-night stand, never to be repeated and never, ever to be mentioned again, becomes a little more complicated when Dimity offers to pose as Seth's girlfriend to see if he can win his ex back.

Dimity has been managing her life, and her mother's ever since her diplomat father left them. Since then her mother has been a leech, taking all Dimity's money and relying on her 100% to fix everything. Now her mother has finally given up trying to get her father back and is marrying another man, Dimity is free at last and what better way to celebrate than by having a few drinks and picking up a stranger in a bar? But when Seth gets the bad news from back home she knows she has to be his wingman.

I wanted to read Seth and Dimity's romance when I read the first book in this series, Rise, the juxtaposition of the ruthless, scheming PA and the good guy rocker was just too fun to miss. And boy was I right!

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Review: What the Librarian Did / LA Cinderella

What the Librarian Did / LA Cinderella by Karina Bliss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

TBH I only read the Karina Bliss novel.

Devin is a former rock star and alcoholic who collapsed on stage and nearly died. Now he's turned over a new leaf and is going back to college.

Rachel is the university librarian. She has no idea who Devin is when he walks into the library, she just thinks he's a mature student.

Who doesn't love an opposites attract romance? Especially as it includes a bad boy rock star and a librarian who's obsessed with vintage clothing. But Rachel has a secret and it could come between her and Devin.

I read Devin's brother's story before this one and I was intrigued to see a bit more background to Xander before he reformed - I wasn't disappointed. Okay, you can see the Mills and Boon imprint in the writing and the plot but I loved it anyway.

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Review: The Shadow Commission

The Shadow Commission by David Mack
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I am too ashamed to tell you how little I read before I decided I couldn't read any more of this book.

First, and in my defence, this is book three in a series, and not really the start of a spin-off series as NetGalley led me to believe. Consequently, the narrative bounced between (I kid you not) monks in Nepal, four elderly oligarchs plotting in London, two magicians running a magic school in Greece, talk of Nazi magicians and some sort of FBI style magical agent in the US. There's a supernatural murder and an rumour of an attempted assassination of President Kennedy. I'm sure if I had read the two preceding books some of this would have made sense or at least I might have recognised some of the characters.

Second, mixing recent history with magic and a murder mystery plot seemed like at least one element too many.

Finally, I found the writing style to be laboured, the Sam Spade style of speaking, the downloading of all the backstory which is just lobbed at the reader in indigestible dollops. I don't care about what musician's music is playing in the background, or what flavour icing someone is putting on the cake, or minute details of the inner workings of a character's mind.

I must have started and given up on this book six or seven times and given up after a few pages. Eventually I decided it just wasn't for me.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Ancient Enemy

Ancient Enemy by Katie Reus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rhys is a dragon shifter who has been waiting thousands of years to get vengeance on the witch who killed his sister and he has a hatred for all witches. But when he accompanies some wolf shifters to invite a witch to help the Alpha of New Orleans rebuild the city, he is bowled over by the young witch Dallas and her dragonlet.

Dallas has rejected blood magic and spends her days improving the yields of plants and crops on her farm. Witches aren't well regarded by shifters and she tends to keep away from others, but the brooding dragon shifter somehow brings her a sense of peace.

PNR novellas are a bit like Marmite, you either love them or hate them. Yes they are formulaic, yes everyone is uniformly good-looking, if they have any defects they are of the adorable variety. There's lots of insta-lurve and fated mates etc, etc. If you don't like that sort of thing then don't buy this book. But if you do like a dragon shifter (and frankly, why wouldn't you) then this is a fun romp from an assured author who understands her genre. It's sexy, fun, fast-paced and the plot keeps you engaged from start to finish. While the novella format doesn't give the plot room to grow, it also helps to avoid the J.R. Ward-style repetition which other PNR novels fall into.

Loved it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Rise

Rise by Karina Bliss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zander Freeman is a rock legend. Frontman for the rock band Rage, he rebuilt the group after an ugly split with the other members, including his own brother. Now he's risked every cent of his own money on a world tour and he is hiding a serious medical issue that could jeopardise everything. I first met Zander in Bring Him Home when he was the obnoxious rock star that Nate was bodyguarding (is that even a word?). Apparently he also appears in What the Librarian Did, which features his brother Devin, but I haven't read that one.

Elizabeth Winston is a serious historical biographer so when Zander asks her to write his memoir she's amused and dismissive. But when she realises that he has actually read some of her work she thinks she could write something about someone who is alive, for a change.

Elizabeth forces Zander to take a good hard look at himself in the mirror, and he realises that he has sacrificed friends and family to his ego and arrogance. Heck he couldn't even remember his girl-friend for a year's real name!

As the attraction between them grows can their fling remain a dirty secret? Or could a rock legend be falling in love?

I like Karina Bliss' novels. Even her shallow, narcissistic heroes are erudite and thoughtful at times. The build up to Zander and Elizabeth's first 'encounter' was slow and sultry, I think it was about halfway through the book, and felt like extended foreplay as they danced around each other with looks and words.

If that sounds a bit tame, see a rock god negotiate with a little girl in a tiara and look after a screaming baby. Watch him enthral crowds at stadiums across Europe and the US, feel the electricity in the air as he comes off stage and hear the deep thrum of the music.

If you feel like reading a romance with a feisty, independent heroine and a jaded rock star, a great storyline and a stellar supporting cast then look no further, I've found your next read. You're welcome.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Eighth Detective

The Eighth Detective by Alex Pavesi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thirty years ago mathematician Grant McAllister devised a set of rules which defined all murder mystery stories, eg there must be at least one victim. He then also self-published a book of short stories called the White Murders which explored the way in which these rules interact eg if there are only two suspects. Now Julia Hart, a book editor, has come to visit Grant and persuade him to republish the book.

Like Scheherazade, Julia reads each short story aloud to Grant (and the reader) but then points out inconsistencies with each story, she also draws out references to an unsolved murder of a woman thirty years ago which the newspapers referred to as The White Murder. Did Grant have something to do with that murder?

I can only liken this to the film The Usual Suspects because of the way you think you are reading one thing, then Julia exposes the issues with the short story which makes you think something else. And then there are further twists and turns which throw everything into disarray.

I think it is fair to say that this book contains pretty much every possible murder plot variation and keeps the reader confounded right up to the end. I started off reading this and not being very interested but by the end I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the next rollercoaster twist and turn.

Dark, twisty, intellectual, challenging and deeply satisfying.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: A Seagull Summer

A Seagull Summer by Jane Lovering
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Meet Leah, a 34 year old scientist lacking social skills spending the summer in Devon collecting seaweed samples for a research project. Joined by her gender-fluid research assistant Tass she runs into an Australian tourist called Brendon, spending the summer researching his long lost great-grandfather.

Leah and Brendon are chalk and cheese but his persistence and good nature lead Leah into sharing secrets about her life with him, secrets she's never shared with anyone except her best friend Claire, who died a year ago from cancer.

If you want a feel-good summer romance with a few laughs and a few tears, some self-discovery and a deranged seagull called Roger, then this is definitely the read for you.

I read the firChristmas Secrets by the Seast book in this series and loved it. This is pretty much tangential to that book, the only connection is that Davin O'Riordan lives and is filming his TV series in the village below Leah's accommodation (and well maybe a bit more).

If you like STEM heroines and good-natured heroes, family issues and warm Devon summers then this is definitely the book for you.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Casting Shadows

Casting Shadows by L.R. Braden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After reading a series of disappointing books that had me DNFing left, right and centre this was a breath of fresh air.

Set in a world where humans and the fae were at war and are now in an uneasy peace, with pure human bigotry on the rise, when werewolves and vampires are still a secret, one young woman stands at the centre of it all.

Alex Blackwood, our halfer blacksmith is back. After the events of the last book it is only a matter of time before the videos of Alex confessing she is immune to iron and Sophie transforming into a werewolf are broadcast.

Then May’s little sister goes missing and Alex discovers she’s been abducted by a fae. What follows had enough magic, battles, vampires, strange creatures and intrigue to keep me glued to my Kindle.

If you used to love PNR and/or Urban Fantasy but you’ve read all the books by your favourite authors and the others are all a bit meh, I highly recommend this series which is just getting into its stride.

I cannot wait for the next book, but I fear Alex’s love life may not be all plain sailing ...

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Jake Ryan Complex

The Jake Ryan Complex by Bethany Crandell
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 49%.

I loved the film Sixteen Candles so I loved the premise of a woman desperately seeking her very own Jake Ryan, complicated by the fact that she's told her overbearing mother that she has a boyfriend who is also a doctor. Maybe that second bit should have been a warning signal?

Mackenzie Huntress is an obstetrician who struggles to find a guy to date more than once, even when her so-called friends set her up with guys they turn out to be cry-babies, or open-mouthed eaters, or over-users of innuendo. Mac's younger sister is getting married and now she has to produce her fictional boyfriend in less than two months to avoid her mother creating a scene and ruining the wedding.

So there were three things that made me give up with this book:

1. Mac is a doctor with her own practice but she acts like a tweenager
2. Mac is comparing every man to her teenage crush, who was a fictional character, I get having a soft spot for a swoon-worthy character but not comparing every man to him!
3. the ludicrous way Mac's mother decides that a man she's never met can babysit an awkward aunt at the wedding FFS

I'm almost halfway through and the characters are grating, so I'm giving up.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.


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Review: The Best Next Thing

The Best Next Thing by Natasha Anders
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Charity Cole's husband was a monster but no-one would believe her if she told them, so she has changed her name and given up her career to be a housekeeper for a billionaire at his holiday home. Her boss and his family rarely visit so she can stay holed up, rarely venturing into town, hidden away from the world.

Miles Hollingsworth is a self-made billionaire who looks after his family as best he can, but after he nearly died from a virus he ignored, the doctor has advised him to take a complete break for several weeks and Miles decides to stay in his holiday home where the dour Mrs Cole keeps everything running with military precision. But when he arrives unexpectedly, he finds that the woman he has always seen as a middle-aged, repressed, buttoned-up, automaton is actually a gorgeous woman with amazing legs helping herself to a snack from his refrigerator.

Cut off in the house by storms and the bridge being washed away Miles and Charity give in to their passion, but can they keep this as a holiday romance?

See my other recent reviews, I've been a bit of a Debbie-downer and I've DNF'd more books than I would like, so at least I finished this one, right? I just didn't feel this one, I am so tired of abusive exes and billionaires and contrived situations, I love Natasha Anders but this one was just okay for me.

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Review: Hollywood Flirt

Hollywood Flirt by Alexa Aston
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 27%.

The blurb sounded intriguing (okay the cover didn't hurt either) for this but over a quarter of the way in and I already find both main characters boring.

Sydney Revere is the daughter of a big Hollywood producer and an actress dubbed the most beautiful woman in the world. After her mother died of cancer when Sydney was only nine and her brother committed suicide just a year later, Sydney became a bit of a Wild Child until she married a contemporary of her father's in a Vegas wedding. Sadly he died just four months later in a car crash. Sydney then reinvented herself, changed her name, died her hair, went to college, qualified as a lawyer and married a fellow lawyer and New York blue blood. When she finds out her husband has been cheating on her Sydney moves to Boston but soon realises that she's done hiding in the shadows and decides to return to Hollywood and her old appearance.

Dash DeLauria is an up-and-coming actor who wants to break into the big time, and how better than working for the great Monty Revere in his latest new film. A love 'em and leave 'em guy Dash is instantly attracted to Sydney and feels a deeper connection than just a one-night stand. Also, Dash is responsible for caring for his brother Herc who has the mentality of a five year old child.

Years ago I had a YA/NA checklist of irritating traits that characters in nearly every book seemed to have, I know one of them was stupid names, another was having more money than god, being an orphan/having a parent die from cancer/growing up in a home was another. You get the picture. Well this book just fell into the same rinse and repeat formula for me, I didn't warm to either Dash or Sydney, they were both too beautiful, too perfect, too plastic.

Maybe I'm just in a book slump but this didn't work for me and when I could see the first kiss turning into something else I bailed. I could see there was a plot involving the ex-husband stalking Sydney but honestly I didn't care.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: Lessons: Part 3 (Maggie Adair #3c)

Lessons: Part 3 (Maggie Adair #3c) by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was hooked when I saw the blurb, like Malory Towers for grown-ups, and it really is.

Maggie Adair is a schoolteacher from a rough inner city comprehensive in Glasgow who swaps it all for a position at an exclusive girls' boarding school called Downey House in Cornwall.

The second book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger for Maggie and David, the English teacher from the boy's boarding school just over the hill from Downey House and book 3 starts with the fall out from those events.

I have no idea why I bought this in three parts when the book was available so I am just going to review the whole thing. Neither school is happy with what happened and David has been forced to leave, Maggie has been instructed not to contact David in any way if she wants to keep her job. Both of them face massive upheaval (which I totally won't spoil) and there is a new scholarship girl joining the school.

So if you wished that Enid Blyton had written books for adults then this lovely series could be the one for you.

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Review: Lessons: Part 2 (Maggie Adair #3b)

Lessons: Part 2 (Maggie Adair #3b) by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was hooked when I saw the blurb, like Malory Towers for grown-ups, and it really is.

Maggie Adair is a schoolteacher from a rough inner city comprehensive in Glasgow who swaps it all for a position at an exclusive girls' boarding school called Downey House in Cornwall.

The second book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger for Maggie and David, the English teacher from the boy's boarding school just over the hill from Downey House and book 3 starts with the fall out from those events.

I have no idea why I bought this in three parts when the book was available so I am just going to review the whole thing. Neither school is happy with what happened and David has been forced to leave, Maggie has been instructed not to contact David in any way if she wants to keep her job. Both of them face massive upheaval (which I totally won't spoil) and there is a new scholarship girl joining the school.

So if you wished that Enid Blyton had written books for adults then this lovely series could be the one for you.

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Review: Lessons: Part 1 (Maggie Adair #3a)

Lessons: Part 1 (Maggie Adair #3a) by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was hooked when I saw the blurb, like Malory Towers for grown-ups, and it really is.

Maggie Adair is a schoolteacher from a rough inner city comprehensive in Glasgow who swaps it all for a position at an exclusive girls' boarding school called Downey House in Cornwall.

The second book ended on a bit of a cliffhanger for Maggie and David, the English teacher from the boy's boarding school just over the hill from Downey House and book 3 starts with the fall out from those events.

I have no idea why I bought this in three parts when the book was available so I am just going to review the whole thing. Neither school is happy with what happened and David has been forced to leave, Maggie has been instructed not to contact David in any way if she wants to keep her job. Both of them face massive upheaval (which I totally won't spoil) and there is a new scholarship girl joining the school.

So if you wished that Enid Blyton had written books for adults then this lovely series could be the one for you.

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Review: Class

Class by Jane Beaton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was hooked when I saw the blurb, like Malory Towers for grown-ups, and it really is.

Maggie Adair is a schoolteacher from Glasgow. She teaches at the rough school where she herself was taught and is living with her high school sweetheart, but when her sister starts making plans about Maggie teaching her two sons Maggie feels stifled by the inevitability of her life and on a whim applies for a position at an exclusive girls' boarding school called Downey House in Cornwall. But how will a bolshie, left-wing, inner city school teacher cope with the rarified atmosphere of a school in a castle (with real turrets), pupils whose parents are diplomats and rock stars and snooty teachers?

Maggie gets the job and is appointed form teacher for an unruly bunch of girls that includes the usual Malory Towers mismatch of girls, a scholarship girl from an Armenian family, a girl who doesn't want to be there, a girl who is out to cause trouble etc. There's a chain-smoking, glamorous french teacher and a boy's school just over the hill with a charming English teacher (who has a lovely dog) who may just be Maggie's soul-mate.

I have to confess I binge-read all three books in a few days so my recollection of the events of individual books is a little hazy - I think this is the one with the scavenger hunt - but I know I loved them.

So if you wished that Enid Blyton had written books for adults then this lovely series could be the one for you.

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Review: Entangled Secrets

Entangled Secrets by Pat Esden
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 47%.

I really liked the second book in this series and so when I saw this book available for review I jumped at the chance, unfortunately the heroine, Chandler, never really grabbed my attention and her love interest, the human journalist Lionel Parker (who of course turns out to be a special snowflake after all) just came across as a bit wet.

Chandler had a one-night stand with one of the scions of the High Council's son which resulted in her son Peregrine, her son's father refused to speak to Chandler when she tried to tell him she was pregnant and almost immediately made a dynastic marriage. Peregrine is showing signs of having a dangerous magical talent, the ability to see through faerie glamour, something he inherited from his father and a 'gift' that has led to many witches being killed by the fae.

Chandler's former fellow coven witch placed a curse on Lionel which allows him to see fae, or so they think but when the coven try to lift the spell they discover a shocking secret about Lionel's past.

Oh, and there's also a plot involving Peregrine's half-brother Aidan who is in a coma and the coven believe that they can restore him to health. Even writing all of this I want to know how it all pans out - but I don't want to read any more of this book, I just don't feel engaged by Chandler and Lionel at all. So at 47% I feel I've given it a good shot and I'm giving up.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: A Village Vacancy

A Village Vacancy by Julie Houston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

I can't decide about my feelings when it comes to this book. I've read three of Julie Houston's previous books in what I would describe as a series although it isn't listed as such, all set in the same small village.

This book sort of centres on Grace's love life, although the plot barely involves Grace. If Grace were working class she'd be described as a feckless single mother, but because she's a middle-class teacher it seems fine that she had an affair with a much younger man, the son of her former school-girl crush, which resulted in a baby, then got back with her husband after he had an affair, adopted a baby and now, as this book opens she realises that she and her husband are no longer in love and need to separate.

Returning to work as a part-time teacher Grace is given the most challenging class in the local school. Then an erotic encounter becomes an embarrassment when her one-night stand turns out to be the married father of one of her most unruly pupils. If it wasn't for the friendship and support of her son's grandfather, the impossibly handsome and recently widowed David, Grace doesn't know how she could cope.

All the ins-and-outs of Grace's love life are mixed in with serious issues affecting even the smallest villages in the UK. Okay there was reliance on quite a few coincidences to drive the plot and I thought some of the big reveals were either telegraphed or actually stated earlier in the book, so not much of a surprise TBH.

But overall, a fun read with plenty of humour.

I was invited to read a free copy of this novel by the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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Review: The Thursday Murder Club

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Picture the scene, an expensive retirement village in Kent (think pilates, Zumba, a gym, a swimming pool and cafe), called Cooper's Chase Retirement Village, built on the site of a former convent and four retirees meet every Thursday to try to solve old murder cases.

Then the retirement village's shady owner Ian Ventham decides he wants to expand by digging up the nun's graveyard and cutting out his builder and minority partner Tony Curran, the retirees are up in arms and Tony Curran is found bludgeoned to death in his own home. Soon there is an embarrassment of murders, old and new, for the club to solve, working alongside local detective DCI Chris Hudson and PC Donna de Freitas. There are red herrings galore and it is all set in my corner of the world (I don't know why it gives me a thrill when characters are on a train that stops in my home town of Orpington, but it does). Think Miss Marple but with an iPad and brought right up to date with modern concerns. It had a plethora of engaging characters, all with interesting backstories.

I had two niggles with this book. First, Richard Osman writes in the present tense a lot and it can be difficult to determine whether one of the characters is speaking/writing or whether the author is speaking directly to the reader, then he mixes his tenses, like this:

Ron had come to her with the photograph that Karen Playfair had seen. Karen would have been young at the time, but she was sure. Elizabeth had tried to piece it all together in her head. It seemed impossible at first. But the more she thought about it, it began to seem horribly true. She worked out the steps, one by one. Ibrahim had come back an hour ago, with the final piece of the jigsaw, so now is the time. The case is solved and only justice remains.

I could follow it but the changing tenses pulled me out of the story to be honest.
My second niggle may merely be a formatting issue with my ARC, scenes changed and the character changed within the same paragraph with no warning. One minute Elizabeth and Ron were talking in the Jigsaw Room and the next sentence features Chris and Donna watching TV and can take a sentence or two before you realise the change. Now, as I say this could be formatting of my ARC, I seemed to lose the chapter numbers partway through the book so it could be that the final version doesn't have this issue.

Overall, loved this quirky gang of octogenarian sleuths, able to find out what the police cannot (just like Miss Marple) and would love to read another one.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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