The Dinner Lady Detectives: A charming British village cosy mystery: 1 (The Dinner Lady Detectives, 1)

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This sounded like a promising cozy mystery involving two older schools dinner ladies solving the murder of their manager but it didn't turn out to be quite as much fun as I thought it would be. The kitchen manager was talked about as if she was a really fun person who liked to play funny pranks on people but most of the 'pranks' were mean and horrible and not at all funny. You'd think that might have been the reason she was found dead in the kitchen's walk in freezer but no, the police mark it off as an accidental death, despite there being copious amounts of blood spread all over the freezer and scratch marks on the door. To be fair, this was a much-needed palette cleanser after quite a few rather heavy books! It was light,, funny, quirky and had Richard Osman-style vibes - a cosy, autumnal read! I really did like the main characters, and the mystery was certainly fun to go along with! It is the fourth book in a series which did worry me slightly, as I haven’t read the others, but apart from spoiling the previous books (to be fair you can’t have a series without referencing past outcomes!) it worked as a stand-alone which I was grateful for! I did like Clementine and Margery, a couple of some thirty years living quietly in the tiny village of Dewstow, South Wales, but I sometimes had difficulty distinguishing between them. The rest of the cast was problematic in that few held much appeal, including the victim who had a fondness for mean-spirited pranks. Reading this made me realize that I don’t read many cozy mysteries, and I should definitely change that! I also get why its called “cozy”. Snuggled up with a blanket and my drink, this was a perfect read. There was a murder to be solved, but there wasn’t the “terror” normally accompanied with thrillers, that are looking to reach the same whodunnit goal. Instead, you are just following around these Dinner Lady Detectives as they try to figure out the murder using the resources a civilian has. And boy, the way they go about things is humorous. Yes, there is suspense, as there are risk with dealing in catching a murderer, but not the same level as a horror thriller. I could tell I was missing some context, as I have not read the prior books, and some of it was spoiled, but that’s okay. That’s on me. Nevertheless, I still loved these ladies.

A Frightfully Fatal Affair by Hannah Hendy | Goodreads

The characters are faintly ridiculous, with nothing realistic nor relatable about them. I initially thought that I might begin to like them better as the book progressed, but that was not to be either. They just irritated me even more. Mr Weaver the maths teacher from Summerview secondary school is missing , and unfortunately is found dead. Margery and Clementine are dinner ladies, or to give them their official title 'Education Centre Nourishment Consultants' (really? is that what they're called now?!?!?!), and they are an absolute blast. Their relationship absolutely shines through from start to finish, it's beautiful and very authentic feeling. The two main characters, Margery and Clementine are not interesting at all. I couldn't even like them at the start of the book, they seemed like nasty older ladies and even to each other. They're both in their early 60's but it's clear the writer has no idea what that means. The author mentions one of them having an ear horn and they sit and watch Antiques Roadshow and knit and not much else. At one point they even mention that telephone operators don't plug calls in anymore. That stopped before either of the women were born. This is a super cute, easy read. Some readers guessed the murderer pretty early on but I didn't! I enjoyed the fact that the characters where multidimensional and there was an open discussion of mental health and the impact of being close to crimes, it was very thoughtfully done!I thought the story had a really good plot and there was a few plot twists I didn't see coming which is good and the story didn't feel dragged out or chaotic. The ending was good (although I was suspicious and worked it out early) there was still other twists that were explained.

The Dinner Lady Detectives | Book by Hannah Hendy | Official The Dinner Lady Detectives | Book by Hannah Hendy | Official

This is a fun series. I enjoy all of the characters, their interactions, their personal growth, and the evolution of their relationships. There is a generational aspect to the book, with Margery and Clementine being older and some of their co-workers being younger, with the students younger still. In this book, aspects of the generational divide in terms of how everyday life is lived were an interesting part of the story. There is humor here as well. All in all, a very enjoyable cozy mystery with two wonderful main characters surrounded by a quirky supporting cast. Well worth a read! When the pair embark on an evening walk, they discover Mr Weaver's body in the woods, with a mysterious symbol painted on the tree beside him. Something suspicious is clearly afoot. It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky. Rain spattered a mysterious, hooded stranger who peered over th British Culture, showed everywhere throughout the book in the perfect amount of understanding as a non-English. Especially the iconic thing about British people love when it comes about "Tea"All my life I lived with my grandmother until her passing a year ago, and I was raised on a steady diet of Miss Marple, Murder She Wrote, and Rosemary and Thyme. These two facts combined mean that I have an extremely soft spot for the elderly, especially senior citizens getting in trouble and solving crimes, and that's probably the only reason I'm giving this 3 stars instead of 2.

The Dinner Lady Detectives: A charming British village cosy

The two dinner ladies, Clementine and Margery are a couple, but I was a long way into the book before I realised that they were supposed to have a romantic relationship, as there were no signs of that between them. They didn't even seem that compatible as Clementine never seemed to listen to Margery and dragged her unwillingly into all sorts of things. I was also disappointed that their detective work also never seemed to lead to any serious clues and it took a nudge from someone else before they found any useful evidence. All in all a bit disappointing. Margery and Clementine are enjoying a peaceful life together in the small, idyllic town of Dewstow, and eagerly awaiting retirement (and the next episode of Antiques Roadshow ). But their calm life is shattered when their kitchen manager is found dead. The police are adamant that it’s an open-and-shut case of accidental death. But Margery and Clementine are convinced there’s something far more nefarious going on, and they take it upon themselves to investigate. As they inch closer to the truth, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep the pair quiet. This is my first dinner lady detectives book and although reference was made to previous books in the series, the book explained in enough detail the premise of what happened so you were able to get the jist of what had happened. This one is a cozy set in Wales, and the featured sleuths are a lesbian couple in their sixties. Margery and Clementine work as dinner ladies in the cafeteria at a local comprehensive school. As the book opens, we learn that their kitchen manager has been found dead in the freezer. It's written off as an accidental death, despite the large amount of blood in the freezer. The deceased sounded like a mean-spirited prankster, so it was clear that there could be any number of possible suspects even if the leads were the only ones who seemed to think there had been any wrongdoing. Praise for The Dinner Lady Detectives 'This cosy crime novel has some hilarious moments and is perfect to curl up with .' HeatMargery and Clementine are enjoying a peaceful life together in the small, idyllic town of Dewstow, and eagerly awaiting retirement (and the next episode of Antiques Roadshow). But their calm life is shattered when their kitchen manager is found dead. The police are adamant that it’s an open-and-shut case of accidental death. But Margery and Clementine are convinced there’s something far more nefarious going on, and they take it upon themselves to investigate. As they inch closer to the truth, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep the pair quiet.