A Pen Dipped in Poison: A witty and cozy mystery story, perfect for fans of Richard Osman

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Overall, I enjoyed this mystery and I look forward to any future work with these sleuths. A huge thank you Avonbooksuk for this review copy. And as the story is partly about the relationship amongst the friends, which was painfully strained for much of the book, this made this entry in the series somewhat less enjoyable read. That said, I still liked this book. The ingredients for the perfect modern cosy crime: intrigue, characters you care about and a good dollop of humour' Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants

Just like with their last outing, there is much more going on than merely solving this mystery. Each one of these friends is dealing with issues at home, and while they may be friends, it seems they are reluctant to share any of it with each other. There is lots of talk about retirement (of the husbands), there are children who can't seem to settle in life, there are health issues, and as they grow older there is that feeling that time is running out. Not exactly something you just throw out over cake and coffee on a Thursday. A charming read with a cast of characters you'll really connect with' Faith Martin, author of A Fatal End Three Miss Marples for the price of one! Extremely well-drawn characters... the plot is carefully assembled... the writing is so good... I loved this story!' NetGalley review I could not put this book down! What a perfect book...! I loved the three main characters... I highly recommend.' NetGalley review Sitting in the conservatory with her after-lunch cup of tea she tried to rake her thoughts in the same way as she'd planned to rake leaves, but whenever she gathered ideas from one thought, along came a gust of another idea, scattering them again.”There are two aspects to the storyline. There is the search for the writer of the poison pen letters, but this search also raises questions about modern teaching and academy schools. A charming read with a cast of characters you’ll really connect with’ Faith Martin, author of A Fatal End But when poison pen letters start landing on the doorsteps of friends and neighbours in their Yorkshire village, old secrets come to light. After reading and listening to the brilliant A Spoonful of Murder by J.M. Hall, I just had to request A Pen Dipped In Poison. Thankfully the publishers, Avon Books UK, have allowed me to read the next in the series, so I thank them for that. If you are a fan of the Richard Osman books, this should be the ideal book for you. It has all the ingredients necessary for an excellent little cosy mystery. Suspense, drama and skulduggery are woven into a great storyline which features retired schoolteachers Liz, Pat and Thelma as they embark on another adventure.

After reading and listening to the brilliant A Spoonful of Murder by J.M. Hall, I just had to request A Pen Dipped in Poison. Thankfully the publishers, Avon Books UK, have allowed me to read the next in the series, so I thank them for that. If you are a fan of the Richard Osman books, this should be the ideal book for you. It has all the ingredients necessary for an excellent little cosy mystery. Suspense, drama and skulduggery are woven into a great storyline which features retired schoolteachers Liz, Pat and Thelma as they embark on another adventure. A Pen Dipped in Poison is far less entertaining than A Spoonful of Murder was. The humour is missing, as is the tight friendship of the characters. Each of them is dealing with their own problems and, instead of sharing them as they usually do, they are keeping things close to their various chests, placing a strain on their relationships. I really liked Kayleigh Brittain, the new headmistress. She is wealthy, driven, enigmatic, confident and influential. She has a clear vision for the school and will stop at nothing to ensure it is achieved. She doesn’t care what others think of her, which may make her slightly callous, especially as a head teacher and she doesn’t endear herself to the children or parents, but I admired her determination and strength. A truly strong female lead character. THE AUTHOR: J.M. Hall is a 20-something PR executive based in New York City. A Philadelphia native, he began writing fiction during his time at the University of Miami before embarking on a career in corporate communications. During the day, he can be found getting top-tier press for his clients in outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fortune and USA Today.I really enjoyed A Spoonful of Murder and this book is the sequel (although both do stand alone as mysteries), featuring the same ex-school staff investigating mysterious goings on in their LEA. Only this time, instead of an unexpected death it is a series of threatening poison pen letters that are disturbing the peace at their local school, which is under new management. A cruel letter to the Headmistress is assumed to be a one-off, until a spate of others target random teachers. Who? Why? Those are the obvious questions but, as Pat reminds her friends, Liz and Thelma, the questions in the rhyme they all taught to their pupils also contains, How? Where? and When? Although less obvious, answering the last three will turn up the clues needed to solve the first three. “How” is easy, the letters are computer typed and printed on the school’s stationary; “Where” is also easy, they turn up in various locations within the school, “When” is more complicated, the first one was found during the setting up for the Summer Fayre, the last event of that academic year, all the rest turn up individually during the first term of the next academic year. The school, St Barnabus Primary, is now part of Lodestone Academy Trust, and is run by the new headmistress Kayleigh Brittain, designer clad, perfectly coiffed, powerfully efficient. Are the letters someone’s plan to disrupt the school and get her fired? The three retired friends start to investigate, despite the protestations of their husbands. Ron, Liz’s husband, recently recovered from cancer, is looking to retire having lost a contract linked to Lodestone; Derek, Pat’s husband, is a teacher at the “College for Vicars” which is possibly under threat of closure (by an organisation linked to Lodestone) ; Teddy, Thelma’s husband, is Head of that College. Could a scam of some kind be involved? The start of the autumn term, the new school year was to clearly demonstrate that it wasn’t as they start appearing with increasing regularity. The letters are being sent across the school, teachers and administrators; nobody is immune. The content is more vexatious than vicious but clearly unpleasant for the recipient, but they are also souring the atmosphere as people become suspicious and defensive. Not ladies to just stand by our three heroines decide to dig deeper.