A Murder for Miss Hortense is about a seasoned Jamaican implant in England who's been the backbone of the local community and its Pardner for decades. Miss Hortense has stepped away from the Pardner but not the community. She still knows all about the actions and details about what's going on behind the scenes. So when the death of a neighbor threatens to disrupt the community while bringing an old case involving the death of her sister to the surface, Miss Hortense steps in.

Readers, do not let Miss Hortense's age fool you. This woman is armed with an iron will and mysteriously dangerous syringes in her hand bags. There was a contrast to how her character did things in the present day verse in the past regarding the Bone 12 case. In the present day, Miss Hortense seemed to be five steps ahead of everyone; she kept a lot of her thoughts and true feelings to herself. Not even those closest to her knew what she was doing or thinking, with the exception of her old friend Fitz.

I was surprised by this because she was really close to Blossom's character and her nephew, Gregory.

The pacing and the tone of the book does mimic that of your average dark thriller/suspense tv drama on BBC stations. With bits of levity and real life truths woven into the story here and there. As someone familiar with this kind of tone, I did enjoy this book.

However, it got to the point where I felt Miss Hortense knew a bit too much without context to support her theories. And there were a lot of revelations that were packed into the last few chapters and a particular suspect who was mentioned in passing without any clear relevance or connection that suddenly became very important in the end. I felt this was a cheat and really lets the story down. I'm not saying I think the author should have left bread crumbs for everything, BUT a good mystery is about setting up a ton of suspects and going through them to narrow things down. This book sets up the first bit pretty well but the ending was a let down.

I would read more by this author and give Miss Hortense another shot if this becomes a series.

3/5 stars: This is the first entry in Pennant's Miss Hortense series which is a BIPOC Historical Mystery set in England 2000 and follows a retired nurse who turns sleuth after several members of an immigrant Jamaican investor group die and a stranger's murder is linked to a thirty year old case she couldn't solve which she's determined to solve now no matter the fallout. With plenty of twists and turns, Pennant has crafted a mystery that balances the suspects and weaves in plenty of clues and red herrings that will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Pennant's writing and character work are well done; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining likable. Hortense's a tough lady and I enjoy meeting her, her friends and family and the village folks of Bigglesweigh. I really appreciated learning about Hortense's Jamaican community and reading the yummy sounding descriptions of her cooking and baked goods. Pennant's love for her Afro-Caribbean culture can be felt on every page. Pennant touches on some serious subjects; so take care and check the CWs.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and ARC provided by Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Like many immigrant communities in the UK and US, Jamaicans and Caribbeans who came to the UK during the so-called Windrush generation from the late 1940s until the early 1970s were not welcomed at regular banks. They often formed their own informal banks; in this case the Jamaicans called theirs pardners. Miss Hortense was a founder of the pardner set up in the Bigglesweigh area of Birmingham, and served as its banker until she was unfairly squeezed out after only a few years.

Miss Hortense put her head down and worked hard as a nurse, managing eventually to buy her own little house, which she keeps to the utmost level of cleanliness. Though estranged from many of her old Pardner friends, she has her own loyal friends and many in the community who always consult her on health matters. It is now 2000, and Hortense’s longtime friend, hypochondriac, and well-meaning meddler, Blossom, tricks Hortense into a meeting with the pardner, including Constance, the woman principally responsible for Hortense’s ouster back in 1970.

Hortense is a proud and outspoken woman, and this meeting does not go well, with her saving some especially strong words for Constance. The next day, Constance is found dead at her home, and Hortense knows it’s now time for her to take up one of the lesser-known activities of the pardner: its amateur detective work within the community, which they call Looking Into Bones. This case not only reveals a web of present-day deceit, it also brings back terrible crimes from 1970 that were never solved and that led to heartache for Hortense. The story has a lot of complexity and can be a little confusing, but all the threads are pulled together in the end.

I suppose you could see this as another geriatric amateur detective story, but much of its appeal is unique. There is much about the culture of Miss Hortense’s community, its traditions (including recipes!), and its often uneasy relationship with white neighbors and institutions, both in 1970 and 2000. It looks like this will be a series, and one that I think will find a welcoming reading audience.

Playwright Mel Pennant’s debut mystery, A Murder for Miss Hortense, is a delightful spin on the senior sleuth genre. The new crime series (yes, there will be a second book) takes place in a fading, working-class suburb in England’s industrial north. Its protagonists are Windrush-generation pensioners who emigrated to the U.K. in the early 1960s to help the nation recover from World War II. It’s the late 1990s, and the residents of Bigglesweigh, a Birmingham suburb, are weighed down by secrets and petty animosities. And those secrets are ready to blow.

The trouble begins 30 years ago, on a Friday evening in 1968. Eight of Miss Hortense’s friends have gathered for an evening of dominoes, gossip, and Jamaican home cooking. Although they’ve lived and worked in the community since the early 1960s, institutional discrimination is the order of the day. Miss Hortense still smarts from the hostility she faced while in nursing school. Another woman recounts being turned away from a national bank. One thing leads to another, and a community savings and loan scheme, called a pardner, is born. Hortense, the backbone of her community, becomes its president.

Before long, a tool worker becomes a mortician; a storefront preacher builds a church; a community center is built; and Hortense is able to purchase a home. But all is not smooth sailing, as intra-communal conflicts born of jealousy, heartbreak, and betrayal lead to murder, blackmail, and theft. The proud and capable Hortense becomes a pariah, with Blossom her only remaining friend, until trouble re-emerges 30 years later. This time, Miss Hortense is ready to root out the ghosts.

Armed with a rapacious handbag containing everything from a syringe filled with muscle relaxant to hair pins, Miss Hortense airs out Bigglesweigh's dusty cupboards. In the process, she revives a community still reeling from the aftereffects of migration. With Blossom, her nephew, and a could-have-been lover at her side, she braves blowback from bad actors, mends fences, and makes peace with her demons. Her analytical skills, no-foolishness vibe, and creativity (she's a masterful cook), make her a formidable foe for the “dutty” men and women in her midst. They never stand a chance.

Thanks to Mel Pennant’s masterful eye and powerful storytelling, one can see Miss Hortense’s starched white curtains and the wisteria that hangs from her front door; taste the recipes she creates when she’s problem-solving (Pennant provides recipes); empathize with flawed, often criminal, men and women whose early missteps have crippled their lives; and feel the trials the Windrush generation faced. Miss Hortense is a reminder, in these challenging times, that the only constant is change, and the only way forward is through.

Many thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press for an ARC of A Murder for Miss Hortense. I can't wait to return to Bigglesweigh.

I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.


Miss Hortense is a retired nurse. She suffers no fools and comes across as a bit abrasive but all of the small, Jamaican community in Bigglesweigh, UK, knock on her door when they need medical attention. She attends to their various maladies, harvests their secrets in the process and has been storing information for 40 years. It is invaluable for solving mysteries, A MURDER FOR MISS HORTENSE.

With flashbacks to the 1960’s taking up much of the story, debut author, Mel Pennant, introduces the community of Bigglesweigh. There are a lot of characters to get to know and it does take time to sort them out. Every one of them has a part in this complex murder which keeps readers in the dark until the last few pages. The reveal is like a Christie gone slightly wild.

It also takes time to sort out the colloquial Jamaican dialogue that’s used throughout the book. For me, it slowed down the reading for the beginning but became more enjoyable as the phrases were more familiar. There are items used in daily life and references to religion that I had to look up but and happy to have taken the time because it made the story more engaging. Perhaps the author might consider adding a page of phrases and items that are unique to the Jamaican culture to assist readers.

Clearly, Pennant is planning to expand this character into a series of cozy mysteries. Good groundwork has been laid and the quirky, colorful characters in this Jamaican hamlet are excellent fodder for subsequent adventures. Miss Hortense is a unique character on today’s mystery tableau. I wish her well📚

Read and Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

Miss Hortense is a formidable character. Jamaican immigrant, meticulous in home and garden, renowned baker, and retired nurse. And because of her skills, and because many in her circle have limited income, and because many in her circle aren't often given fair treatment by authorities, injuries mild and life-threatening end up on her doorstep which puts her in the center of ugly cases she refers to as the "bones," a reference to dominoes which I with I understood better. It is referred to repeatedly. Bone 12 is the most horrific case and the one that never was solved. Decades later, bone 12 appears to be rearing it's ugly head again, and once more, Miss Hortense is pulled in.

I really enjoyed this mystery set among an immigrant community in England. The plot is continually twisting until you wonder who isn't guilty of something. While it did occasionally slow down my reading, the dialog written with a Jamaican accent certainly added an authentic touch and helped define the characters. The ending tease let's us know that Miss Hortense is going to be back with bone 13. I'm looking forward to it.

"Retired nurse, avid gardener, and renowned cake maker Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet suburb of Birmingham, England, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she's being shortchanged on turmeric before she's taken her first bite of a beef patty. A career in nursing has also left her afraid of nobody, whether an interfering priest or a local drug dealer, and she's an expert in deciphering other people's secrets with just a glance.

Miss Hortense once used her skills to benefit the Pardner network - a local group of Black investors that she helped found. Until, that is, she was unceremoniously ousted from its ranks, severing her ties to the majority of her friends and community. That was thirty years ago. Now, as a new millennium dawns, an unidentified man has been found dead in the home of one of the Pardner members, a Bible quote written on a note beside his body. Suddenly, Miss Hortense finds her long-buried past rushing back, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life - and secrets behind an unsolved crime that has haunted her for decades.

It is finally time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her and the community she loves pushed to their limits. The first novel from a bold, brilliant new voice, A Murder for Miss Hortense introduces a fear-less sleuth whom readers will never forget."

Trust me, this will be a television series before long. Read it now!

The publisher's blurb is an on-target hook for me. As a retired nurse in the US, I am well aware of our ingrained critical thinking, and both inductive/deductive reasoning is easily applied to sleuthing and other sneaky pursuits. Miss Hortense and Blossom are a somewhat mismatched team but make for a lot of sly humor. Nice twisty cozy with a dramatic ending. Loved it and looking forward to more!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected digital galley from Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Pantheon courtesy of NetGalley. Pub Date Jun 10, 2025
#AMurderforMissHortense by @mel_pennant @aaknopf @pantheonbooks @vintagebooks
#mysteryfiction #cozymystery #retirednurse #britain #investigation #debutnovel #jamaicanculture #cozymysteryseries #womensleuths #recipes #moneyschemes #suspense

England, around 2000: Originally from Jamaica (about 40 years earlier) Miss Hortense is a retired nurse, avid Gardner, and baker extraordinaire. Soon after moving to the quiet suburb of Biggleweigh, she helped created a Pardner investor network only to be thrown out of it soon afterwards. Now, in present day, Constance, the woman behind throwing Miss Hortense out of the Pardner is dead, and Miss Hortense suspects murder.

While hugely entertaining, I struggled with this book. Part of the entertaining bits are the Caribbean culture, but those bits also made it difficult for me to read and occasionally figure out what was going on. Having said that, I loved Miss Hortense as a character, how she always seemed to know what was going on and wasn’t afraid to stand up to others. In some books, there’s a scene where the main character does something silly - not Miss Hortense! Never Miss Hortense! When she reveals the villain, it’s in front of everyone, like a scene from a Christie novel.


Recommended. The end of this one sets up the next novel - I look forward to reading it.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley.com which I voluntarily reviewed.

very well-written murder mystery, although at times i could have used some more clarity on some of the chars. the ending was the best. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

**My thanks to Pantheon Books for providing me with an advanced review copy via NetGalley**

5 stars

This book was marketed to me as a cosy mystery starring a sharp and quirky older woman in the vein of <i> Murder She Wrote </i> or <i> The Marlowe Murder Club. </i> I want to make clear that it is NOT that. It is just as enjoyable, but it is so much more than ‘just’ a cosy mystery (and I love a cosy mystery). This is an intelligent, raw, beautifully written, literary work of historical fiction that is also a highly engaging murder mystery novel. The non-linear storytelling, dialogue in dialect, and near ethnographic portrayal of a small black community are more reminiscent of Toni Morrison than Robert Thorogood.

Mel Pennant weaves together a story of a Caribbean immigrant community in Birmingham, England, that has carved out a space for itself over thirty hard-won years. The story is set in the year 2000, but its roots go back to the 1960s, when Miss Hortense and her circle respond to the discrimination they face from English banks and housing authorities by setting up The Pardner, a common fund that first helped the group pool money to get ahead and then was over time invested into the community as a whole.

One refreshing thing about <i> A Murder for Miss Hortense </i> as a mystery is that, though this is the first book in what looks to be a series, this is not Miss Hortense’s first stint as a detective. Miss Hortense is a seasoned sleuth who has been retired from the ‘Looking Into’ business for many years, but is coaxed out of her ‘retirement’ by a new death’s apparent connection to an old case that left deep scars on both Miss Hortense and the community proper.

Miss Hortense has many characteristics of a classic cosy protagonist. She is viewed as an eccentric (and even as bad juju) by many of her community but is also considered someone to go to when you need help. She is a skilled cook, and features her recipes at several times in the story, her working through the hands-on process of preparing a dish mirroring her working through a complicated problem in her case. She is particular, and thorny, and doesn’t suffer fools. However, I would feel it a gross oversimplification to call her ‘quirky.’ Miss Hortense, and all of the characters in the novel, feel <i> real </i> to me, with all the complexities of living people.

The mystery is twisty, engaging, and comes to a satisfying conclusion, and I would give this book a high rating for that alone. However, the present-day murder mystery plot, to me, takes a backseat to the brilliant storytelling style, strong characters, and incredible sense of place.

I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone, from mystery fans to historical fiction fans to literary fiction fans to people who don’t even regularly read fiction. If you only pick up one book this year, I think this would be an excellent candidate.

this was a good mystery and thriller book!! I do think it was well written and how the story progressed!! I liked the idea of this book, there were a few lulls and dull points, but overall I really did enjoy the book

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!