An Unfortunate Christmas Murder

LoveReading Says

Part of The Dinner Detective Ladies series, Hannah Hendy’s An Unfortunate Christmas Murder sees Welsh dinner ladies Margery and Clementine (the Mrs Butcher-Bakers) undertake an investigation of the most sinisterly seasonal kind when a teacher is killed by collapsing stage lights during a run-through of the upcoming Christmas concert.

While the weather outside is chilly, Margery’s spirits cannot be dampened as she starts her new role as manager of the school kitchen, bursting with excitement about overseeing the Christmas menu while other members of staff are determined to put on a concert that’ll put paid to them playing second fiddle to a rival school (again). While the loveable couple are very keen to avoid all show-associated shenanigans, they have little choice when Mrs Large the music teacher is fatally felled by a light and it becomes apparent that this was far from a tragic accident.

Enlisted, in the first instance, to clear a friend and colleague’s name, the Mrs Butcher-Bakers throw themselves into a thrilling festive investigation involving suspected sabotage while grappling with questions around whose word they can trust. Brimming with eccentric characters and amusing moments, An Unfortunate Christmas Murder is cosy crime at its most charmingly entertaining — a book to curl up with on a chilly winter’s eve while candles flicker and Christmas lights twinkle.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen’s lifelong love of reading and writing began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, and very much wished that witches (and Mrs Pepperpot) were real.
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