Hannah Hendy’s protagonist Clementine takes a rare seaside holiday to celebrate the first wedding anniversary of she and wife Margery. We dive right into the action – and drive right into disaster as soon as they arrive at the village hotel. The latest entry in her Dinner Lady Detectives series, Hendy has written a great mystery with marvellous character work and a perfect blend of clues and red herrings that will have you scratching your head till the end.

As in all cosy mysteries, there is a murder (of a mayor, no less), and the holidaying couple find themselves ensnared in some amateur sleuthing. While on the surface, there’s a warmth to A Terrible Village Poisoning’s characters in general – notably Margery and Clementine, though the ladies of the school kitchen crew are incredibly funny and lovable – running in tandem to this is Clementine’s friendship with Rose, of which Margery disapproves. A darker emotional undercurrent emerges as we learn of Clementine’s personal story. 

The moral core of this novel focuses on family, albeit in whatever way one might function, and the element of difference is celebrated in the village of Hendy’s construction. This being the third Dinner Lady Detectives book, you may wish to catch up with the first two first, although you can appreciate this on regardless.