A summer fete ending with a bang…

Synopsis

A fete worse than death…

After finding the killer of Lucy Roth six months ago, life has settled back to normal for bookshop owner, Nancy Hunter, and her grandmother, Jane. The annual Dedley End village fete is just around the corner, and Nancy is delighted when bestselling author, Thomas Green, agrees to launch his first new novel in ten years there.

But then a series of sinister events lead Nancy to realise someone is trying to sabotage their fete, so she, along with Jane and their journalist friend Jonathan, must turn detective to discover who isn’t at all thrilled about the return of Thomas Green.

When a body is discovered at the summer fete, the death scene mirroring that in Thomas’ latest bestseller, they realise that there’s another killer in Dedley End, but can they outsmart someone who appears to have pulled off the perfect crime?

The clues are right under Nancy and Jane’s noses, if only they can find them. Because the answers to life’s questions can always be found in a book…!

A twisty, unputdownable cozy mystery that fans of Richard Osman, S.J. Bennett and The Marlow Murder Club will love.

My review

Six months ago, Nancy Hunter and her grandmother Jane unravelled the truth about the murder of Lucy Roth. While life now goes on like before, the bookshop owners surely miss a little bit excitement.
But there is one thing Nancy is looking forward to, and that is the annual Dedley End village fete. Especially as bestselling author Thomas Green has agreed to launch his latest novel during the fete!
However, in the run – up to the fete, it’s clear that someone is determined to sabotage the fete and Thomas Green.
And when a body is discovered at the fete, scene mirroring the one described in Thomas’ latest book, Nancy, Jane and friend/ journalist Jonathan, are determined to figure out who the culprit truly is.

Sometimes I enjoy reading about murders and deceit and mystery. But the more macabre bits give me shivers, so this cosy mystery gave me just everything without freaking me out!

I was very happy to return to Dedley End, and was very curious to see how my dear friends were doing, after the deadly event six months ago.
And yes, while that murder surely has things shaken up, our main characters haven’t let that event drag them down.

While reading, I felt like I never left the place, and I immediately was submerged into the whole new adventure.
For someone who doesn’t know our power team, it may seem that Nancy, Jane and even Jonathan are crazy, being excited over sabotage, mystery and murder. But as someone who knows these people, we know they don’t think like that because they are evil or mad.

I loved how not only Nancy, Jane and Jonathan are joining forces to discover who the murderer is, but several other inhabitants of the community make an important input.

The road to the truth isn’t an easy one, as a lot of deception is involved.
Even if the real murderer was someone I suspected all along, I wanted to know the why’s and how’s of it.
And even while it would seem the perfect murder has been committed, of course the culprit had to make a stupid mistake, making it easier for our main characters to point the finger in the right direction.

Beside the whole intrigue of the murder, it was a warm story, because of Nancy’s and Jane’s background, a best friend whom I secretly hope will become more than just that, and a community sticking together, managing to organise the impossible.

And this lightness in the story turned this tale which could easily be much darker, an enjoyable read. I found myself investigating along the main characters, but also laughing and nearly sipping tea with them too!