helen_t_reads 's review for:

A Murder for Miss Hortense by Mel Pennant

3.5

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: Complicated

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Retired nurse, avid gardener, renowned cake maker and fearless sleuth Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet Birmingham suburb, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she’s been short-changed on turmeric before she’s even taken her first bite of a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody – be they a local drug dealer or a priest – and an expert in deciphering other people’s secrets with just a glance.

Miss Hortense uses her skills to investigate the investments of the Pardner network – a special community of Black investors, determined to help their people succeed. But when an unidentified man is found dead in one of the Pardner’s homes, a Bible quote noted down beside his body, Miss Hortense’s long-buried past comes rushing back to greet her, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life, one which her community has never let her forget.

Sir Lenny Henry describes this book as "Murder She Wrote, as you've never seen it before". Add a dash of Miss Marple and its setting in a quiet Afro-Carribean community in a Birmingham suburb, and you have an instant image of this debut Murder mystery, which is the first in a new series!

With its authentic Jamaican vernacular dialogue, we're taken straight into the story without any preamble, and the reader has to get to grips with its fairly large cast of characters very quickly. This initially feels a little overwhelming and bewildering, but eventually you work out who is who, and you're off and away .

As this is a spoiler free review I'll just say is that it's intricately and cleverly plotted, and Miss Hortense explains it all in a final, Clouseau-like grand reveal to the assembled group, as they gasp in amazement and kiss their teeth.

I really enjoyed the way Mel Pennant realised her characters. They are so well observed, with their various individual tics, characteristics, clothing choices and attitudes, and
 they vividly come to life in your head. Miss Hortense is a formidable character with a well hidden soft side and another, very welcome, older main character. The relationship between her and Blossom is especially entertaining with their chalk and cheese dynamic.

With its twists and misdirections, its characters and plotting, and its distinctive voice and setting, this is a new and refreshing addition to the Cosy Crime with and Edge genre!

Thank you to Baskerville Books, an imprint of John Murray, for my AD-GIFTED proof copy, and this is my honest and impartial review.