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This is the fourth installment of the Dinner Lady Detectives series, and despite having not read any of the previous books I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I had no issues understanding what was happening, and thankfully didn't feel like I was missing out by not having read the first books.
The Dinner Lady Detectives: Someone in Dewstow Has an
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! Highly recommended for those of you who want a break from all the doom, gloom and violence in many crime fiction books and who don't mind a bit of dark humour. I clearly read far too many dark and twisty books, as this wasn’t quite there for me in terms of thrills, BUT it wasn’t meant to be - and for that, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Clementine and Margery Butcher-Baker work together at the least popular school in the area. They are also married. Their history of solving murders leads a local police officer to ask for their help in his latest case. He needs one last success - and the school needs the bad publicity to go away. All in all, this is a brilliant cozy mystery and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series!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. Best Friends with a different personality, Clementine and Margaery as two cute best friends who have different personalities give me all the feelings. Clementine is more talkative with a hint of rudeness, an unorganized person, and a person who has ”You only live once” motto on her forehead. Then, Margaery is a more composed person compared with Celementine’s personality. But those two have my heart. Especially this Clementine’s, I Adore Her. What a fun mystery . I would definitely call this a cozy mystery on the line of Murder, She Wrote ! I love the dinner ladies and their interactions. I love the relationship between Clem and Margery.' NetGalley review ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Dinner Lady Detectives (4 book series) Kindle edition The Dinner Lady Detectives (4 book series) Kindle edition
Margery and Clementine are a hoot. They live in a small village in the English countryside and are Educational Centre Nourishment Consultants (aka Lunch Ladies) at the local school. They are partners, and sleuthing partners end up being their second “day job” as they attempt to get to the bottom of, what they feel, is a mysterious death of their less than perfect coworker, Caroline. As they stumble their way into an investigation, we can see a few twists, turns, and a true mystery unfold. I was surprised a few times, and really enjoyed how the story unfolds. The plot is a bit different now that the ladies are helping the police for real. I also love that it’s set during Halloween. It’s gives the book a bit of more mystery. A delightful, quintessentially British cosy mystery perfect for fans of SJ Bennett and Robert Thorogood.This is, in my humble opinion, a very successful debut and definitely a series that I am looking forward to keeping up with. It is described as "a delightful, quintessentially British cosy mystery" and that's exactly what you get. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Canelo via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. One thing I did really love about this book is that the relationship between Margery and Clementine isn't explicitly stated through most of the book. We find out they have been a couple for years, but it's not much more than hinted at for a while. I'm a strong believer that stories about LGBTQ people should not need some sort of disclaimer or "coming out" section because they shouldn't be needed in real life. We need to normalise this. A lot of respect to the author for taking this route. I mean, just look at this striking cover! Matching the other 3 books in style, but a new bold colour - these are going to look amazing on my shelf! I love it! Margery & Clementine are fabulous. I adore them so much. They are hilarious, sweet, gutsy and adorable. The bond and love they have for each other, (and the representation), made my heart smile.
The Dinner Lady Detectives | Book by Hannah Hendy | Official The Dinner Lady Detectives | Book by Hannah Hendy | Official
The Police have no clues to this murder and Officer Thomas asks them to discreetly look into it as they have so much success in the past. The main characters, Clementine (fantastic name) and Margery were... just okay. Deep characterisation is hindered by incorrectly utilised humour, and they didn't really seem like a couple to me. I know they've been together thirty years and I'm not expecting them to be all lovey-dovey like they're in the honeymoon period, but I expect some chemistry. I love Margery and Clem. They are perfect for one another. They are hilarious…the banter, wit, sarcasm, and one-liners are laugh out loud and beyond sassy. There is a perfect balance between heartfelt sentiment and dark humor. MY THOUGHTS: There have been a few good muder-mysteries released this year featuring older protagonists. I was hoping that The Dinner Lady Detectives was going to join the group but it became evident very early on that this was not to be.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. The mystery itself was pretty good. No absolutely insane twists or anything, but it keeps one guessing (or it kept me guessing, at least), and it wasn't too unrealistic. Praise for The Dinner Lady Detectives 'This cosy crime novel has some hilarious moments and is perfect to curl up with .' Heat Small Town people see the Big Town - London especially, I was wondering why with this people have a grudge over the people in a big city like London. Because in this book mentioned several times about it which makes me laughing well. Maybe because of the comparison of a crime happening and some neighborhood going between Dewstow and London has many different in some department (?) It was a dark and stormy night. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled across the sky. Rain spattered a mysterious, hooded stranger who peered over the hedgerow at the darkened, quiet house.”
The Dinner Lady Detectives | Hannah Hendy | 9781800326484 The Dinner Lady Detectives | Hannah Hendy | 9781800326484
I did try to persevere, but the dumbing down of characters was too much. I didn’t find humour in it.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!
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