The Dinner Lady Detectives: A charming British village cosy mystery: 1 (The Dinner Lady Detectives, 1)

Product Information

The Police have no clues to this murder and Officer Thomas asks them to discreetly look into it as they have so much success in the past. A DNF for several reasons and I gave this about 20% more than I usually would. First, the use of terms other than "said", e.g., she wailed, she hissed, she cried, etc., was distracting to the point of mania. Second, who are these main characters? What am I supposed to feel or think about them? Clementine is a collection of tics and quirks with no anchor, as if the author decided that "take an asshole but make them an old woman" was enough. She is, in my opinion, an emotionally abusive partner and a deeply unpleasant person to spend your reading time with. Margery is a flat cipher - is she an active thinker? I get the feeling that I'm supposed to interact with her like Rose from the Golden Girls but she's such a wet sponge with an inconsistent intellectual presence that I found it impossible to engage with her. Am I supposed to glean information from the fact that her favorite breakfast is tea and plain toast? If yes, what is it?? Why is it?? Finally, the mystery isn't even worth getting into at this point because, truly, at halfway through the book I'm not sure the author or their creations care. Not a recommend.

The Dinner Lady Detectives) - Goodreads Hannah Hendy (Author of The Dinner Lady Detectives) - Goodreads

I cannot wait to read the next book (please say there will be one!!!!!!) and highly recommend this gem.

More in Offers

Once again, I tried my hand at detective work and I was half successful even if it did take me a while to guess the murderer. I loved seeing Seren stand up for herself finally. The side characters of the series all have plenty to bring to the dynamic. I do like Hannah Hendy's characters in this book - all the characters, not just the main two (Margery and Clementine). The book is well written and the plot is up there with the best. Those looking for a light, corny mystery featuring a cranky couple who don't seem capable of solving a crime may enjoy following them along in their escapades. Middle-aged mystery solving dinner ladies - what’s not to like! I loved the idea of this as its so different. I was not disappointed.

The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy | Waterstones

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Canelo via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Dinner Lady Detectives by Hannah Hendy for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. The two dinner ladies, Clementine and Margery are a couple, but I was a long way into the book before I realised that they were supposed to have a romantic relationship, as there were no signs of that between them. They didn't even seem that compatible as Clementine never seemed to listen to Margery and dragged her unwillingly into all sorts of things. I was also disappointed that their detective work also never seemed to lead to any serious clues and it took a nudge from someone else before they found any useful evidence. All in all a bit disappointing. As always the book was well written with a captivating story line and well developed characters that I loved instantly both old and new. I also liked how this book focused on previous things from the other books coming to a head and Margentine as they are lovingly called in my head, accepting that they have been affected and may need some help. Margery and Clementine are enjoying a peaceful life together in the small, idyllic town of Dewstow, and eagerly awaiting retirement (and the next episode of Antiques Roadshow). But their calm life is shattered when their kitchen manager is found dead. The police are adamant that it’s an open-and-shut case of accidental death. But Margery and Clementine are convinced there’s something far more nefarious going on, and they take it upon themselves to investigate. As they inch closer to the truth, it becomes clear that someone will stop at nothing to keep the pair quiet.Finally, the solution was rather out of left field and came in an info dump near the end. All the clues that were followed were pointless, basically.