Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this arc.

I really enjoyed this # 2 Jenny Starling story. Kept hearing echoes of Miss Marple during my reading. It wasn't a fast paced book, yet it was a very compelling read. I love Ms. Martin's characters and especially Pooch and the goose in this one. A very nice cozy read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Winter Mystery, the second novel to feature travelling cook and amateur sleuth Jenny Starling.

With no lucrative catering jobs on the horizon Jenny takes a job as temporary cook for the festive season at the Kelton farm in rural Oxfordshire. As soon as she gets there she realises she’s made a mistake as tensions are simmering in the Kelton household and the atmosphere is distinctly unpleasant. This culminates in a murder on her second day there and doesn’t get any better when Inspector Moulton, called in to investigate and feeling out of his depth, recognises her name and starts expecting her to solve the case for him.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Winter Murder which is an interesting mystery with a very likeable protagonist. I must admit, however, that the plot is more transparent than the previous novel and it wasn’t long before I had a good idea of how it was going to turn out. This did not, however, spoil my enjoyment of the novel in the slightest as it is Jenny’s interactions with the other characters and Ms Martin’s warm, inviting writing style that provide the fun in the novel. The plot is fairly standard, multiple suspects with no alibi, no visible motive and secrets to untangle, all of which Jenny handles with aplomb and a certain verve.

I said it in my review of The Birthday Mystery and I’ll say it again with more conviction in this review. There is little, apart from job and status, to differentiate Jenny from Ms Martin’s other character, DI Hillary Greene. They are both tall with ample hourglass figures, an easy air that leads to confidences, a tough, no nonsense approach which inspires respect and ability to put the facts together in a coherent manner to catch the perpetrator.

The Winter Mystery is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I got this as a arc e book from this site. I enjoyed reading it. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
This new series by Faith Martin features professional cook and amateur sleuth Jenny Starling who travels to different venues cooking for clients' special occasions.
This time she's hired for a two-week stint over Christmas by a farming family. The family is ruled by an overbearing, brutally controlling man. Even though we're in the 21st century, the family lives in conditions more suited to the 1800's.
When a murder occurs, it's surprisingly not the man who's disliked or hated by everyone, but a kind, mild member of the family. The local force, not used to murder cases, gets help from a reluctant Jenny.
This is a mildly enjoyable book, but I couldn't get too invested in the story or the characters...Jenny is ok, but not all that likeable -I don't know why.
Recommended for lovers of cozy mysteries, but I don't think I will read any next in the series.

The second in the series of Jenny Starling mysteries. Jenny is a travelling cook, who seems to be jinxed, wherever she goes a murder happens. Thankfully she has a very ordered mind and keen eyes - as any good cook would. She doesn't miss much and is capable of separating all the ingredients in the murder and finding how it was all melded to a conclusion by the murderer, whose signature recipe she can then see and explain.

A good book, I enjoyed it.