THE PRIME OF MS DOLLY GREENE is the first book in the Tarot Detective series and introduces the eponymous Dolly Greene. Dolly is scraping by after her divorce. She lives in a tiny one-bed terraced house along with her college-attending daughter, Pippa, and makes her living giving tarot card readings.

When she reads the cards for a young woman, Nikki, she foresees bad things for Nikki and even gets a vision of a bruised face. Nikki says she was recommended to Dolly by Dolly's older neighbour, Maurice but Maurice later denies this.

When the body of a woman is found in the nearby Thames, Dolly wonders if it is Nikki. Especially when she cannot get in touch with her.

It's only when there is a death on the street that Dolly starts to detect, with the assistance of a local and handsome police sergeant who is quite willing to keep Dolly up to date with the investigation(s).

The isolated nature of the street that Dolly lives in – with the properties fronting a cycle path – lends the story a village feel with all the residents knowing each other's business and their stories being quite entwined. The Tarot back ground is unusual and interesting and Dolly is a likeable character. The crime story, however, does take a while to get going and Dolly does little to find out if the dead body is Nikki until she is more directly affected. This has a traditional mystery feel to it, as indicated by the gorgeous cover, but it also contains some very modern language and sexual references/activities. The second book in the series, THE CASE OF THE FOOL, is out now.

E V Harte is the nom-de-plume of novelist Daisy Waugh.

I enjoyed reading this light tarot murder mystery. There’s something cosy and very likeable about the way the scene is set and also about the protagonist. Dolly Greene comes across as a warm and genuine main character. Somehow, even her occupation as a Tarot reader, which would normally lend itself to disbelief to more skeptical readers, comes across as real and authentic. The plot development keeps you guessing until the end.

It’s certainly a promising first book and I look forward to reading future publications of the author.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an e-copy of this book in exchange of an honest and impartial review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What an unusual and engaging story! Loved the characters. Raced through this in an evening.

Dolly lives in a tiny house in London, with her 21 year old daughter. So far, so ordinary. But the way Dolly makes ends meet is anything but ordinary. Dolly is a tarot reader and when she hears about the discovery of a dead body, she can’t help but remember a recent client she had a very bad feeling about. But will the police listen to her suspicions? A light-hearted read that combines crime, humour, fantasy and romance in one engaging tale.

“The Prime of Ms Dolly Greene” by E. V. Harte
This was a review copy kindly provided by the publishers in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Righty ho, let’s get straight down to business shall we? What did I think of this book?

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I found it to be a delightful and divertingly easy tale with which to spend an evening or two.

I say “divertingly easy” with no disrespect intended as I thought this was a cracking read. I mention it simply because my reads prior to this one were gritty, dark and violent crime novels. Indeed the book I had finished on the morning of picking up “Dolly” was Stephen King’s “IT”. And, if you have the joy of reading “IT”, you will know that it is quite dark, somewhat lengthy and is the size of a small loaf of unsliced bread, albeit “IT” is somewhat heavier than a loaf.

As much as I enjoyed “The Prime of Ms Dolly Greene”, I must confess to one or two pre-conceptions ahead of reading.

Having read, and hugely enjoyed, many of the Agatha Raisin mysteries by M. C. Beaton, I assumed that this, too, would be a very similar read. Indeed, this book does share similar traits with the Raisin series. Namely, it does have a single, middle aged woman, Dolly, as the central protagonist around which a cast of characters interact. Dolly is a woman to whom life has dealt a poor hand of cards (pardon the pun) and, like Agatha in the Raisin series, she is a determined and resourceful woman. Dolly is quirky, impetuous, loyal, loveable, ditzy and enjoyable. She is feisty, fun and fabulous. I really liked Dolly. I liked her a lot.

Similar to the M. C. Beaton books, E. V. Harte has surrounded Dolly with an assortment of characters to assist in her investigations. There is Pippa, her assertive and independent daughter and an assortment of, quite simply, madcap neighbours and bonkers acquaintances. There is also the hint of potential romance in a “will they/won’t they” liaison between Dolly and Raff, the good looking, heroic policeman. (I for one hope they do!)

Also, whilst “The Prime of Ms Dolly Greene” is set is in London, rather than Agatha’s Cotswolds, this tale has still has a very a cosy English setting. The names Harte chooses for locations resonate with cheeriness. I especially liked the delightfully named Tinderbox Lane.

So far, I have mentioned are all very good things!

My main preconception and, indeed doubt, when reading the blurb on the back cover concerned the tarot reading aspect of our heroine. I will confess to being (rightly or wrongly - you say tomato, I say tomato etc), a tad sceptical of such things. Well, more than a tad. Extremely sceptical. Tarot cards, fortune telling, horoscopes, even massages and reiki, do not interest me at all. If I am absolutely honest I will admit to thinking these things somewhat daft and pointless. So, I was worried about this book. I feared I would simply become annoyed and frustrated reading a novel which featured tarot as a central element.

HOWEVER, this book did not overdo the tarot card details. In fact, I think they were sprinkled with a very light touch - akin to a pinch of seasoning in a recipe, too much and it overpowers the dish but just enough and it enhances the flavour enormously. I think the author wove the tarot details deftly and delicately into the plot. In doing so, E. V. Harte managed to keep this grumpy old sceptic happily engaged throughout.

I was surprised by one aspect of this book, though. Whereas the Agatha books are quite genteel - murders, scandals, intrigues and revenge vendettas notwithstanding - Dolly’s world is quite filthy! There are plenty of sweary bits and sexual references which add an extra layer of enjoyment to proceedings. If you are at all familiar with Beaton's work, just imagine Agatha and Co having a good session on the Jack Daniels and getting a little lairy. All good clean stuff - well almost!

I would heartily recommend this to anyone seeking an enjoyable and welcoming read. This is a satisfyingly fabulous romp with an array of oddball and wonderfully delicious characters. Like Raff, I’m more than a touch smitten with Ms Greene. I do hope Dolly gets to become a series as I have great hopes for her in future books.

Who knows, maybe the cards can tell us?

Thanks Little, Brown Book Group UK and netgalley for this ARC.

Dolly Greene the tarot card reader will have you laughing out loud with delight. This subject of murder is not funny but the characters and situations are hilarious. I can't wait to get back to their world .

This is the first in a series with tarot reader Dolly Greene, who lives in overgrown Tinderbox Lane in one of a small row of houses. Set in the outskirts of South West London, Dolly is feeling old and poor, constantly endeavouring to drum up new clients. Her daughter, Pippa, is currently staying in the tiny house, Dolly cannot help be interested in her neighbours such as the black Maurice Bousquet, and recent arrivals, Fraser and Rose Buck with their two children. One day a woman named Nikki comes to have her tarot reading, having been encouraged by Maurice. Dolly sees a vision of her covered in blood and bruises which leaves her feeling unnerved. Nikki focuses on and worries about the death card in the spread. It never pays to tell a client they are going to die so Dolly plays it down, talking about it representing endings and new beginnings.

Not long after, Dolly gets an urgent phone call from Nikki which leads to nothing. Dolly frets and worries even more when she hears about a body recovered in the river. Fond of her neighbour, Maurice, she offers to do a tarot reading for him which leaves her feeling curious. This feeling intensfies especially when his son, Adrian, turns up for the first time out of the blue. Pippa arranges for her mum to meet Professor West aka Professor Filthy, a lonely man who latches onto Dolly, offering her space at college to explain Tarot and gain new clients. A dead body brings the police to the secluded lane, with Dolly rather keen to assist Sergeant Raff Williams, for personal as well investigative purposes. Dolly has her hands full as she looks into the suspicious Bucks, tries to uncover what happened to Nikki and her neighbour whilst her personal life begins to flourish.

This is a delightful, cozy and humorous mystery with a terrific central character in Tinderbox Dolly, our tarot card reader. She is a warm character around whom events are just destined to occur! She is an instinctive and intuitive tarot reader, who can grasp the central issues affecting a client rather deftly. That is not too say that she does not got confused and led astray, as she does, and she misses clues when she tries to do readings under the influence of drink. Fortunately, she acquires a partner in the police who is not fazed by her occupation and provides criticial support. This is a lovely gentle crime fiction read, with a wonderful array of characters. This is a light, entertaining and enjoyable book. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

I thought for a cosy crime this was lovely a cosy read. Set in London, a tarot reader investigates the disappearance of one of clients and then the suspicious death of her neighbour. It reminded me a little bit of the cosy crimes of M.C. Beaton.

I thought the tarot aspect of it was lovely and very, very accurate. The London setting was nice although as the crime happened in a very close circuit not that much of London was experienced. For a first in a series of cosies, this was really good.