I listened to the audiobook version of this story and I have to say Julie Hesmondhalgh‘s narration really makes this story. She does a beautiful job and kept me engaged throughout.

The only problem for me was that I found I couldn’t relate to the characters very well and at the beginning of each chapter there were always moment of confusion trying to work out which character was in action.

However I still enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for letting me listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The narration was excellent on this title but the plot didn't light my bookish soul up. It was a cosy mystery as such but I didn't feel wholly engaged with the characters. There was a lot going on with these ex-colleagues turned amateur slueths both from a plot sense and relationships. The plot didn't always hold my attention and I think if this hadn't been on audio, I wouldn't have rated it as highly.

If I was to sum this book up in one sentence I would explain it to be A cross between Thursday Murder Club and Elizabeth is Missing.
It was in parts amusing and in others poignant as we hear about older widowers being taken advantage of for money.
I enjoyed following Pat, Liz and Thelma as they meet for coffee to reminisce about their pasts as teachers and then as that escalates to trying to solve the potential murder of their friend Topsy.
At times the threads all got a bit muddled for me as I listened to the audio, but I did like how everything came together in the end.
I expected this to be light and breezy, but as mentioned before it was quite sad and anger inducing in places as Dementia is a big focus of the book. I thought it was treated with sensitivity throughout.
A fun read with added depth.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Audio UK, Avon and J.M Hall for an Audio-ARC in return for an honest review.

This is a delightful and quirky thriller. The characters are a pure joy and the plot is good. Julie Hesmondhalgh does a superb job narrating and adds more character to the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend to everyone.

This is perfect for Agatha Christie and Richard Osmond fans!

The narrator for this audiobook gets 5 stars from me for keeping me listening through the rather sad circumstances that begin the story - an older lady living with the early signs of dementia being targeted by scammers and conmen. When this former primary school nursery nurse dies, supposedly having taken too much of her medication, her three friends and former colleagues begin to think that all is not as it should be. The tone lightens a great deal, particularly when the over the top daughter of the deceased, Kelly Ann recedes into the background for a while as they begin to wonder about the events leading up to Topsy's death. Their investigation is haphazard to say the least involving male strippers, toy boys and zumba classes, (no mean feat for a woman of a certain age).Along with managing their own lives, planning meals, teenage sons and rebellious grandchildren they finally piece together the clues to solve the mystery and put certain elements of the world to rights.
It ends up being quite fun and enjoyable to listen to although at times a little too close to real life and still with that tinge of sadness about growing old.

I love a cozy mystery. This is a beautiful and wonderful story. I loved the snap shots of life and the stories of Jacob and his troubles at school. I adored this sooo very much.

Wonderful read!

I loved Julie Hesmondhalgh narrating this book It really added to the cosy crime aspect and the subtle humour present throughout which she brought through so well when reading. Also it gave a different slant I think to the voices I would have had in my own head reading the book.

All the characters were so believable and certainly were in my experience true to type for their ages. It wasn't until the book ended that I realised the author was a man. The voices of the women were so well written he has closely observed mannerisms and figures of speech. I found out at the end of the book that he is a primary school teacher and so he obviously drew a lot on that with the ladies all being retired teachers.

The book also relates to dementia and scams against the elderly. Again so very well written and true to life. I've been to most of the towns described in the book and I really liked that I could visualise where they were.

If I had one tiny criticism about the audio is that I kept getting confused with who was speaking out of the three ladies. The name was soon mentioned though and I was able to follow the story. I would sum up this book as Agatha Christie meets Victoria Wood.

At the end of the audio the author read the acknowledgements and I really enjoyed this part and also the interview between him and the narrator. It brought so much more to the book and I hope other audios include something similar in the future.

I loved this book! The characters are so cute, savvy, but so likeable. The plot twists round and round, so you’re not quite sure which direction the book will go, but on the way you get to know the characters so well. Many different topics and issues are covered, fraud, murder, love and friendships- so much crammed in.
I listened to this book thanks to netgalley - the narrator (a well know Corrie actor) just made the story come to life - loved her too.

A Spoonful of Sugar centres on three retired Primary School teachers, Thelma, Pat and Liz, who meet weekly for a coffee and cake catch up at the Thirsk Garden Centre cafe. One week they bump into Topsy, a former colleague, and her daughter at the cafe. Thelma becomes concerned about Topsy after the chance meeting and one week later Topsy is found dead. The trio come together and investigate Topsy’s death, also uncovering how the vulnerabilities of the elderly are exploited.

Thelma, Pat and Liz are highly organised and motivated and more than capable amateur sleuths! It was lovely to have three women of a certain age taking centre stage and leading the investigation into Topsy’s untimely demise.

The tone is quite cozy, full of Yorkshire warmth, humour and plain-speaking. The dialogue having echoes of Alan Bennett and certainly made me smile and laugh at times.

Excellent narration by Julie Hesmondhalgh, who really made the book come alive.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins UK Audio, for the audio ARC for a fair and honest review. Look forward to reading to more JM Hall books.

This book was the ultimate in comfort - listening to it was like curling up in a blanket on your favourite chair, with the sun streaming through the window and a nice hot cup of tea in hand. The main characters were likeable and perfectly how I imagine ex primary school teachers to be in retirement. The narrator was perfect for the audio book, and encapsulated the spirit of the story and made it easy to listen to, but very engaging. The smaller characters were a great combination of 'good and bad' - doing bad things but for reasons you kind of understand, reflecting the infallibility of human nature. The plot meandered along - it didn't feel too fast paced which again reflected the main characters well - but there was always something happening so it never felt staid or boring. I was going through a stressful time when I started listening to this and found myself looking forward to my drives home when I could switch off from a bad day and immerse myself in this world, where bad things happened just like in real life, but there were kind hearted people who cared and would put themselves at risk to help get to the truth. I only hope I have friends like these when I retire! Thoroughly enjoyed this - thank you!

This is a great whodunnit audiobook. Every Thursday three retired school teachers Liz, Pat and Thelma meet for coffee until one day their friend Topsy is murdered. The three friends swap gentle retired life for amateur sleuth life and become three Miss Marples in the making!! Full of quirkiness and narrated by Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley from Coronation Street) who does a grand job on this gem of a book! The audiobook is out on the 17th of March looking forward to seeing what J M Hall will deliver to us next! Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for my gifted copy.

A spoonful of murder is a murder mystery where a group of elderly women were investigating into the mysterious death of their friend, Topsy Joy.

It took a while for the story to pick up the pace, I almost DNFed (Did Not Finish) the book like alot of reviews also said. Ultimately I'm happy I finished it, but would probably not read any other book by this author.

I liked how the book focused on how vulnerable the elderly are when it comes to scams and fraud, it's a topic not explored in fiction.
The narrator really bought the story to life.

The last thing Liz, Thelma and Pat imagined was that they would become involved in a murder.

But they know there’s more to Topsy’s death than meets the eye – and it’s down to them to prove it…


The narration has good pace and flow,and the narrators voices seemed right for the characters they were portraying. I listened to this as an audio book and felt the narrators really helped bring the story to life. The narrator narrated the book beautifully, and I loved the depictions of the different characters.

This book was such a cosy, immersive murder mystery with major Thursday Murder Club vibes. From the get go, it drew its hooks in and I couldn’t wait to keep reading on to see what would happen.

It follows a close group of ex-teachers who are thrust into a murder mystery when one of their friends meets an untimely end. With the victim in the early stages of dementia, it looks like an accident with no foul play. But it’s a good thing the group doesn’t take that at face value…

I also loved the narrator who voiced this book and it really brought it to life. It was performed so well and was really done brilliantly.

There’s plenty of red herrings and twists and turns and just when you think it’s all over, it’s not. 3/4 of the way through the book I thought it had finished and was surprised when there was a fair but more of the book to go! But I enjoyed loosing myself into this book and it was certainly entertaining.

I am sorry but I could not connect to this soup at all. Nothing make sense to me. It was simple not for me. I guess I can not choose the right books for me all the time

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollis Audio for this opportunity.