Don;t worry if you haven't read the preceding books In this long running series- you'll be fine with this as a standalone. Miss Seeton, our intrepid cozy heroine, not only solves murders, she also rides to the rescue of pensioners who have been to put it politely, scammed. it's a good light read.

This started out a little confusing, but I started getting it around middle., but after reading a few chapters the pace picked up and I was able to enjoy the book. The books are being republished and quite different from what I'm use to reading but enjoyable minus the over explanation of forensic science

Sweet Miss Seeton is volume 20 in this reissued series about the remarkable retired art teacher turned detective. In this volume, a popular new artist wants to purchase Miss Seeton's beloved cottage with an intent to turn it into a chocolate work of art, elderly pensioners are dying suspicious deaths after being relived of their savings, and a beautiful red haired artist staying at the local hotel paints the local area and makes friends with Miss Seeton. This was not my favorite Miss Seeton book, but I have enjoyed the series.

Returning to the form of a true mystery, this book is one of the best in the series. It begins by something being brought to Superintendent Brinton's attention --many old people seem to be running out of their savings quickly & unexpectedly.

But is this a crime, if no one is reporting it?

Brinton & his assistant Foxon are intrigued enough to investigate. It still looks fishy,similar things are happening elsewhere but it takes awhile to figure out what is happening. The murder doesn't happen until more than 2/3's through the book.

Although there is a great suspect for the murder, is it related to the old folks' problems? Can MissEss help figure it out? You'll have to read it to find out.

Again, a lovely read. I enjoy reading about Miss Seeton's links to investigations.

I have enjoyed other books from this publisher, so was looking forward to this. It's not the book's fault, and certainly not the writer's, it's just part of a detective sub-genre I've never quite managed to get into. The reference to humour in the description tempted me, but it turns out I'm too much of a Chandler/Hammett man, and not enough of an Agatha aficionado. My bad - I'm sure many others will love it!

This book, in the beginning, had smooth writing that was easy to follow.

However, once I got a couple of chapters into it, something shifted and that's when I started tuning out. I could not get back into the book, there wasn't any spark anymore. It had a pacing absolutely SSSSLLLOOW. With that being said, it got quite boring and lacked my interest quite clearly. It would've been better if there were more interesting scenes, but that didn't really happen. Nothing was going for me. I was trying to pay attention, but was hanging on by a string of a thread. It was as if all the words went through my eyes and out in the trash. I kept wanting to put it down and never pick it up again. If not for the fact that I'm reviewing this book, I would have d-n-f this book faster than a blink of an eye. In the end it didn't do much for me and made me question why I had used so much time just trying to get through it.

Therefore, I started skimming. Even doing that, I was barely getting through it.

A couple of times throughout the book, food was unexpectedly mentioned. This made me hungry and I enjoyed those parts.

After I started reading this, I found out it was apart of a series. This, however, didn't effect the plot and nothing seemed to be spoiling previous books if I had wanted to read the entire series.

I did not care for these characters at all. Nobody seemed distinct except for Miss Seeton and Antony Scarlett. If her name wasn't in the title I would have probably forgotten about her too. Antony kept appearing and seemed negatively, crazily annoying. By the end I just put together that Miss Ess is Miss Seeton which was one of the reasons I got confused.

Overall, this book took too long and did not stand up to my "high" expectations.

A nice, solid cozy mystery, this, featuring the redoubtable Miss Seeton in a somewhat more background role as excellent police legwork and coordination of information help uncover the "chummies"; but it is, of course, artists' clues which identify the bad guys. I am more upset about the victims than usual--one rather wants to see a villain get his own.

Whenever Prelude/Farrago (publisher) offers a new re-release (awkward, ain't it?) through Netgalley I am among the first to sign up to read it and thank them for the opportunity. The opinions expressed are my own (otherwise I'd have to use quotation marks and footnotes). This is a wonderful series, well-written and edited, and although it is a delight to read each of them in order and follow the various characters, each title stands well on its own with sufficient background and context offered to leave no confusion. I look forward to the next tale's (re)release!

A light funny cozy mystery where Miss Seeton is pestered to sell her cottage so the buyer can fill it with chocolate and tear it down. No other cottage will suit the artist's plans. Meanwhile, the local police are baffled by pensioners starving themselves and unexplained injuries. These are nicely brought together to form a tale. I recommend this book and series.

Disclosure: I received a free copy from Prelude Books for an honest review. I would like to thank them for this opportunity to read and review the book. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you.
Enjoyed it. Good read.
Will get copies for family and friends

I would like to thank Netgalley and Farrago for an advance copy of Sweet Miss Seeton, the 20th outing for Heron Carvic's innocent catalyst of the untoward and the 12th written by Sarah J. Mason using the pseudonym Hamilton Crane.

It is all quiet in Plummergen in the weeks after Christmas but not so in Ashford where, apart from the usual, Superintendent Brinton is mulling over the case of the starving pensioners. It's not a case as such because nothing has been reported but he has been made aware that several pensioners appear to have lost all their money with no obvious reason and are in such dire straits they are starving.

Sweet Miss Seeton is not as action packed for Miss Seeton as some of her previous adventures. She does one drawing but mostly spends the novel in a more nurturing role until she has to show some steel, which she does admirably. Instead, the plot concentrates on Superintendent Brinton and his subordinate DC Foxon and their investigation.

There are the usual vignettes of the Nuts drawing ridiculous conclusions about Miss Seeton, which are getting a bit tiresome but will amuse new readers.

I enjoy this series and Sweet Miss Seeton is another good addition. The change of focus rings the changes to prevent the series getting stale. I have, therefore, no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

I am a great fan of Miss Seeton's, but prospective readers should be aware that they are 80% whimsey and 20% mystery. The fun of the series, for me, is Miss Seeton innocently falling (and occasionally, literally falling) into criminal situations.

This book amused me more than most because she ventured from her little village in to London to visit a gallery showcasing an avant grade artist's chocolate sculptures. She is billed as an artist herself, but the reader is quickly aware that she is probably the most modest of "Sunday painters" with limited imagination and talent. That is, until her almost "magical" or sub-c0nscious paintings take over . . . . .

But, Miss Seeton's adventures in the world of modern art were wonderful---particularly her horrified reaction when the realistic chocolate nude was defiled---eliminating its "manhood" --- that alone made the book worth reading for me. She openly reflects (throughout the book) that she has a limited sense of humor, so her search for meaning in the neutered nude was very very amusing.

The mystery itself doesn't bear much discussion, but I doubt if any of Hamilton Crane's readers are picking these books up for the sake of the mystery. They just want to spend some time with Miss Seeton and her pet policemen. And, so do I.

Sweet Ms Seeton is a wonderful book. The retired art teacher and her wild collection of umbrellas makes this series enjoyable.
Mysterious deaths, a bizarre request to purchase Ms Seeton's home and sketch pad in hand, join the colorful sleuth as she works to unravel these quirky cases.