A Frightfully Fatal Affair: A funny and unputdownable village cosy mystery (The Dinner Lady Detectives Book 4)
£2.80
Cloaked strangers and danger abound…
Margery and Clementine Butcher-Baker are coming to the end of another busy half term as dinner ladies at Summerview Secondary school. The school is abuzz with chatter about the upcoming break, the local harvest festival, and the fact that maths teacher, Mr Weaver, hasn’t turned up to work in days.
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.
As the nights grow darker and the mysterious symbols continue to appear around Dewstow, the Dinner Lady Detectives are pulled deeper into the case. Can they solve the mystery as deceit and chaos reigns, or will their killer pull off another deadly trick?
A fun and charming cosy mystery, perfect for fans of J.M Hall and Fiona Leitch.
Praise for Hannah Hendy
‘Hannah is at the top of the tree of modern whodunnits. The characters, bar none, are real; the settings are glorious and the plots are devilishly clever’ Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants
‘Who knew being a dinner lady could be so dangerous – but so much fun?! With a plot that’s twistier than school dinner spag bol, Clem and Margery are the only school dinner ladies guaranteed to give you belly laughs rather than indigestion’ Fiona Leitch, author of The Cornish Village Murder
‘Hendy is, by far, one of the very best cosy writers we have – and A Frightfully Fatal Affair sees her on sparkling form’ Jonathan Whitelaw, author of The Bingo Hall Detectives
‘Twisty, delightful, and laugh-out-loud funny. I fell in love with Margery and Clementine from the first page’ Antony Johnston, author of The Dog Sitter Detective on The Dinner Lady Detectives
‘I really enjoyed this – a terrific zesty look at the dark underside of a modern-day secondary school’ J.M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder
‘A captivating murder mystery’ Women’s Own
‘Great to catch up with the dinner ladies and their detective skills. A fantastic read, roll on the next instalment!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
‘This sucked me in from the beginning with its relatable characters and really original plot! I will be reading more by Hannah Hendy for sure, I love her writing style.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
‘The characters and descriptions are well written. It’s a fast paced and easy to read book. I was surprised by the ending. I will be recommending this book.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
‘I love this series and I have a rather big soft spot for Clementine and Margery. This book has the right mix of mystery, laughs and murder. If you are a fan of murder mysteries and cosy crime then please give this series a go.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
‘It was hard to put this one down before I turned that last page. A really good cozy. I’ll be back for more in this series!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review
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Additional information
| Publisher | Canelo Crime (5 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 3268 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 255 pages |
by DPW
A worthy addition to the Dinner Ladies series.
by Kitty Kat
Middle-aged mystery solving dinner ladies – what’s not to like! I loved the idea of this as its so different. I was not disappointed.
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.
When maths teacher Mr Weaver goes missing, gossip reaches a crescendo. On an evening walk Clem and Margery find his dead body in the woods, with an odd symbol pained on a tree nearby. What can the symbol mean – and how did Mr Weaver meet his end? As the symbols continue to appear all around the town, the sleuths must solve the case before the killer carries out another murder.
I loved the humour and camaraderie of this book. The ladies don’t take themselves too seriously -and their workmates are a constant source of support. By working together, mysteries can be solved, and the reputation of the school can hopefully be saved. The whole team of dinner ladies and friendly teachers make all the difference.
I liked the school setting and particularly the dinner hall. It makes a refreshing change and allowed readers to relive a few memories of our own schooldays – hopefully without the murder!
The mystery is well constructed and the story well written. I found myself slipping back into schooldays and would love to read more of their exploits.
by Amy
I’ve had the pleasure of reading all the books in this series so far, I’ve loved all of them but this is by far the best one yet. I was hooked from the moment I started reading. The writing/ plot is similar but there’s definitely a more sinister tone to it. I loved the storyline, the mystery remained a mystery until the big reveal. It was great to read it as it’s set during this time of the year. I have a real soft spot for the dinner lady detectives, they’re so entertaining but they had more of a vulnerability in this story which was refreshing by to read. Overall so enjoyable, full of fun and I absolutely loved it.
by Rebecca Clarke
So I was really looking forward to this book as I loved the first book in the series – however I was a bit worried about whether I could just straight back in as I had missed the next couple of books in the series. However I really wasn’t disappointed at all.
This was the perfect cosy crime book to get stuck in to and the characters are just so good! I love how there is humour mixed in with the mystery of the crime and I honestly adore Clementine and Margery.
I felt like maybe I missed out on some character growth from the 2 books I had missed from the series – however I did really love the writing style again and it’s just made me want to go back and read the rest of the series.
If I had my way I’d be hopping in the car to Dewstow to go be friends with Clementine and Margery and the rest of the cast of characters as I honestly just loved it! Cosy crime at its finest!
by sheena mcneill
For me, this is the perfect wind down read, with enough happening to keep you interested and engaged. Also, the background figures are involved enough without intruding into the main narrative (which I personally find annoying!). It’s probably not for people who like really tense, dark plots.
by Chris Hobrough
I have read the whole series and I was full of anticipation for this the fourth book. Though you could read it as a stand alone I would highly recommend going through the books in order . The first being the Dinner Lady Detectives . That is because there is follow on in the plotting and the characters develop through the series . This is set in the Autumn so a perfect time to come out and to read it , with Harvest Festivals and Halloween prominent . I won’t spoil the plot but what I particularly like about this instalment is it brings in the students more. Hannah has built a whole world in Dewstow and as such relatively minor characters reoccur and add to the atmosphere . As well as introducing us to a whole new cast . Without spoiling the book there is allusion to Ofsted hanging over the school, unsurprising given the murders piling up in three of the four books .But i know more are planned and I will be there for it. Murder has never been as fun as this , terrific.
by Trainmad
Fast delivery and I really good read. More please!
by Amazon customer
Lovely gentle series . Great characters and a good story line.