I was hoping for more Thursday Murder Club vibes and it didn't completely hit the mark. It was fun at times, but I felt like the main characters were caricatures but a bit boring at the same time.

A cozy brit mystery focused around 3 protagonists. I enjoy these type of books, they are a comfort, however this seemed very predictable for me despite all the red herrings. I found the writing to be awkward and made it a slow read.

Reading this book was up and down for me. I struggled with keeping track of all the characters, as there were quite a lot and I couldn't seem to keep them apart and create a clear separate image of them.

To me it felt like the book could've been a lot shorter than it is. It dragged on on certain parts and my attention was not there anymore. I felt I was starting to skim over pages and that might've also contributed to not fully getting into the book.

I did appreciate the topic of scamming older people in the book. The focus on how older people are tricked into giving money away or their bank account being emptied. It's something I haven't seen that many times yet in mysteries.

At times I was able to get into the story and I enjoyed those parts a lot. Unfortunately not during the entire book.

The storylines were complicated and got tangled up with no resolution. The characters all merged together and it was hard to tell people apart. The ending was weak and lacklustre

Not very cosy, and very little mystery for me - without trying unduly hard, I guessed all of the subplot “mysteries”. I couldn’t picture the three women as I don’t remember much in the way of description, and as for the overdose of parentheses… dear Lord.

Take this example:

“Keys lost, timings muddled, meals burnt, doors left unlocked. Not that KellyAnne minded as such (At the end of the day when all’s said and done she’s my mum) but you could love someone and still find something a ball ache (Pardon my French). They’d finally managed to penetrate the labyrinthine system that was the Hambleton Memory Clinic (twice they forgot her appointments) but by the time the clinic had finally given them a diagnosis–‘an Alzheimer’s related condition’ (whatever that means when it’s at home)–it was a good few months after everyone else knew that something was seriously amiss.”

I very nearly DNFed early on, but persevered.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

Nice cosy mystery! Enjoyed this for what it is, there a few books similar at the moment but this one does it well.
Thanks!

This was a DNF for me unfortunately. The premise as enticing and I’m grateful for the copy in exchange for a review. I found the characters to be a little older, which is fine! But it’s just not an age I can relate to. I like to really be able to connect to the characters in the books I read and I wasn’t able to achieve this. Still highly recommend as it wasn’t a bad book, it just wasn’t for me.

3 retired teachers meet an old friend from their school days. When she is found dead from an accidental overdose this is not the friend they remember and agree to check out the circumstances.
This is a cozy mystery in the Thursday Murder Club vein. Very much down to earth ladies see the little clues in people's lives that will bring together the answers they need to if it really was murder.
The pace of the story is a bit on the slow side but is worth reading to the end.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A Spoonful of Murder tried its best to be The Thursday Murder Club. There was a flood of octogenarian novels set around this premise that the group would solve crimes that are taking place around them. The problem with this novel is that it lacked a propulsive plot and characters that you were rooting for.

Bank holiday weekends are for coffee shops, tea and cake and a good book. It was such a treat to have a relatively chilled bank holiday weekend and enjoy some quality reading time.

I’m really enjoying Cosy murder mysteries at the moment and after watching The Mousetrap at the theatre last week I was totally ready to get my inner detective on again with J M Halls A Spoonful Of Murder.

I wanted to love this, the plot sounded great, but I couldn't connect to the story. These women were all a bit dull and acted like they were in their 80s rather than their 60s. This one was a miss for me.

A good debut novel from J.M. Hall. I found the pacing on this mystery a little slow for the first half of the book but it did pick up in the second half and I enjoyed the reveal. That moment of "aha!" when that last piece of the puzzle clicked in to place, you could almost see the characters faces in this scene.

This lacked interesting characters and was hard to read. It dragged on and I didn’t finish reading it

A Spoonful of Murder is the debut novel of J.M. Hall. It is a British cozy mystery featuring three kind, smart, and curious protagonists who have extra time on their hands since they retired.

I wanted to like this one, but the writing is overly descriptive.

I really wanted to enjoy this book considering the reviews likened it to Richard Osman books but I felt something as missing. I didnt gel with the characters and unfortunately did not finish.

Thank you for the arc.

I loved this book. The depictions of English life are spot on and, as an expat, they made me yearn for garden centres, the Edinburgh Woolen Mill and all things English. The story starts gently but is totally gripping and the characters sympathetically and humanly drawn. I really would recommend it to any armchair sleuth!

Based on its premise, I really wanted to love this book. It gave off “cosy murder mystery” vibes and this is exactly what it tries to be. Unfortunately, the writing fell absolutely flat for me.

The main problem is that there is neither plot-twist or a surprise regarding the mystery nor are the main characters interesting or fleshed out. Other reviewers mentioned they started confusing the three ladies that act as protagonists and unofficial investigators and the very same happened to me. Each of them seems to have one defining character trait but that’s about it.

The conversations in the book are extremely repetitive. There are some instances in which the three female protagonists discuss an event or a theory amongst themselves and then a few pages later one of them recounts a very similar sentiment individually to one of the other characters! The plot consists of different “sub-mysteries”, which are fairly predictable in themselves. The conversations therefore often feel pointless and reading the book read a bit like chewing gum… long and slow, with a hint of the flavour that could have been.

The book tries to tackle some interesting issues. One subplot concerns cyberbullying, this is as precise as I can be without spoilering. The parents of the person being bullied eventually finds out about it, but the reasons for the bullying or the bully themselves are never really addressed. It is dealt with very awkwardly. Another subplot that is shoehorned in a very odd fashion towards the end is a miscarriage and resulting childlessness of one character. Again, the topic is not really given any time to develop, it’s just randomly mentioned as part of a flashback that feels out of place. I did like that the book addresses the vulnerability of the elderly and this is perhaps the only issue that is treated with the respect it deserves.

All in all, I really struggled to finish this book but as I had received a review copy, I felt obliged to do so. If I had acquired the book for myself, this would most likely have been my only “did not finish” of the year. I’m giving it two stars as one star is the minimum possible review score and it’s not like the book was offensive or problematic. It was just incredibly predictable and repetitive.

I’ve actually treated my mum to a copy of this one for Christmas – shhh! Don’t tell her! – as the main characters are ex-teachers and as an ex-teacher herself I know she’ll get a kick out of how well J. M. Hall has captured the profession!

That was actually one of my favourite aspects of the book – how their teaching experiences coloured their perspectives and behaviours, giving them people- and practical skills, and a different approach to the psychology of people’s actions (a bit like Miss Marple, with her village-life perspective).

Quite a lot of the plot features the various scams which are used to prey on the elderly – catalogues, phone cons, dodgy door-stepping builders etc – which may be distressing to some, but which I also thought was very useful information to keep in mind for anyone who has elderly or vulnerable loved ones.

Overall this is an excellent quality cosy mystery. It is touching and funny throughout, with engaging and complex characters and a well-constructed and nicely-paced plot. An all-round great read for fans of the genre!

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

A Spoonful Of Murder is an engaging amateur sleuth mystery and series debut by J.M. Hall. Released 17the March 2022 by Harper Collins on their Avon, UK imprint, it's 331 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. 

For fans of quirky fair play mysteries with non-traditional amateur sleuths, there's a lot to like here. The main characters are a trio of retired primary school teachers who are drawn into sleuthing when a former colleague dies under murky circumstances. The pacing is careful, and a bit slow, but does pick up toward the middle/later parts of the book. The background and interrelationships are built up gradually; I suspect the following book(s) in the series won't be as leisurely. 

One thing I found distracting, although I'm a huge sinner myself in my personal writing is that the author is -very- fond of parenthetical commentary throughout the book. Third person omniscient point of view provides temptations aplenty for side comments and the author hasn't resisted any of them (said Nonstop Reader in the privacy of her own mind). Readers who are irritated by small asides in third person PoV will likely be dragged out of their suspension of disbelief every page (not an exaggeration, she said with an earnest look). 

That's the only complaint I had with the book. The plotline is diverting and well constructed, the protagonists are competent and well-meaning, and the denouement and resolution are satisfying and well written. 

Four stars. This would be a good choice for fans of Osman's excellent Thursday Murder club books, as well as Laurien Berenson's new Peg & Rose series. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you to @avonbooksuk for the advanced copy of this title. I’m really enjoying this genre of stories currently that centre around older people, being nosy and solving crimes - it’s so entertaining to me! This story centres around 3 friends, coming together following the death of a former colleague - and something doesn’t seem right to them! They take it upon themselves to investigate and get justice for their friend. This book really highlights to vulnerability that elderly people have, especially when there are people out there trying to take advantage of their sometimes lonely situation. This was written with a lot of wit, compassion and humour which made it very easy reading.