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3.8 AVERAGE

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious relaxing fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Miss Hortense is a retired nurse living in Bigglesweigh in Birmingham, having emigrated there from Jamaica in the 1960s. She is a fearless and formidable woman that the local community has relied on for many years. Back in the 1960s they set up a Pardner, which is a way in which people could pool their resources in order to buy property without the need for a bank - a necessity when the black community was not supported. But over the years the Pardner network has also investigated murders, or Bones, that the police ignored because of deeply ingrained racism. The unsolved Bone 12 has always been on Miss Hortense's mind, and it seems that for some reason history is repeating itself and this time they'll need to solve that series of events.

This is fantastic debut novel with lots of potential for a good series to follow it, even ending on a cliffhanger to allow for that. Miss Hortense is shrewd and methodical but exudes warmth in a way that is part Agatha Christie plotting and part Thursday Murder Club (never underestimate a retiree!). Blossom's haphazard sleuthing was hilariously clueless at times in contrast to Miss Hortense, and I loved the Poirot-style "let's have a gathering to reveal the murderer" at the end. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator is just perfect, really nailing the accents in a way that gets you into the dialogue. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
mysterious reflective
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
mysterious sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
adventurous challenging funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
dark funny mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated