The fourth instalment in this lovely cosy mystery series, centred around a group of retired primary school teachers, and imbued with admiration for their motivation, resourcefulness and capability.

This time our unlikely heroines are investigating the death of an Ofsted inspector, ostensibly from natural causes but there are several things which don't add up.

A lighthearted, compassionate and humorous read, drawing brilliantly on the author's experiences as a Deputy Headteacher.

Superb narration by Julie Hesmondhalgh

A Brush with Death by J.M. Hall is a well written cozy mystery story.
I really enjoyed this book, loved the writing style and plot.
The characters were engaging and very entertaining.
An easy read which kept me guessing. I would highly recommend.

A brush with Death is the fourth book in J.M. Hall's Liz, Pat and Thelma series. Retired school teachers and crime solving trio are brought into a new investigation by a friend after the death of her ex husband, Neville Hilton. The police are uninterested in investigating what seems like an ordinary heart attach. Convinced that there is something else going on Liz, Pat and Thelma set out and begin to quickly uncover the secrets that may have lead to Neville's murder.

I was unaware that this was a series when I started but had to problem jumping into the story. I really enjoyed getting to know these three friends and thought the book did a great job balancing the mystery with interesting details of our lead's personal lives. The mystery itself was easy to follow and had some interesting twists. I will immediately be seeking out the first three books in the series and will be keeping an eye out for the next installments.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So we’re back with the ladies, Pat, Thelma and Liz, yes you heard right – the retired teachers are back in this fourth sleuthing adventure.

As you will know, if you have been following the blog, I’m a big fan of the series and have previously reviewed the other books. You can catch up with my reviews of the previous books, Book 3 A Clock Stopped Dead and Book 2 A Pen Dipped in Poision. See my review of Book One, A Spoonful of Murder

I adore the three main characters who are so well drawn, and I always find myself enjoying what is going on in their lives as much as the plot. I did find the opening of the novel to be a bit slow with new characters introduced who weren’t particularly holding my attention. Also, I thought at the beginning, the theme of educational issues initially took over from the investigation.

However, once the novel got going and the three main characters started properly investigating, things picked up pace, and I found myself drawn into the main characters’ lives. This brought out the northern, warm-hearted nature of the novel that I love.

For me at least, the plot of a cosy crime doesn’t have to be all dramatic action and this novel was one of the ones that are a bit more subtle with the characters driving the action, finding things out through conversation and their own deduction skills. Overall, this intrigued me as more about the community surrounding the murder victim came to light.

The suspects had understandable motives, but when the big reveal came… I felt it was abrupt and missing a twist. I had guessed this person earlier on, but put it to the back of my mind as the plot did a good job of guiding me towards other suspects.

Although not my favourite of the series, the main characters shone through for me as they always do. I love catching up with them.

It is a delight to be back with retired Primary School Teachers - Pat, Thelma and Liz. It is great to reconnect with these women especially at Thirsk Garden Centre on Thursday mornings for their cuppa and a natter and setting the world to rights! The story begins with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Neville Hilton, an Ofsted Inspector, but is it really a heart attack or something more sinister? The ladies have been friends for years and it shows in their chemistry and how they gel so well. The first Mrs Hilton, Jaz, asks them for help in why the current Mrs Hilton - Ffion is acting oddly and aloof. The ladies set off to investigate the clues that leads them through various twists and turns to a surprising ending! My only downside was I finished the book far too soon!!! More please!

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like cozy crime books? Then this one is for you!

Retired schoolteachers Pat, Liz, and Thelma don’t know what to think. The death of Neville Hilton is not a crime. Just your standard, if tragic, heart attack. At least that’s what the autopsy shows.

But his ex-wife isn’t convinced. She’s sure his current wife was involved – maybe she wasn’t at some horse event, as she told police.

And so the three friends step away from the Melmbury slice to investigate.

As the trio delve into the village’s secrets, they uncover more than they bargained for – angry residents with old grudges and the echoes of a damning report that ruined lives all those years ago…

In the sweltering summer heat, can our unlikely trio untangle the web of lies and uncover the truth before the killer strikes again?

I read this in 2 sittings and was thoroughly hooked to it to find out the culprit. If you put on your thinking cap and use the clues presented you can just about solve the case along with the characters. Hopefully there's more from this series! I loved the gathering of the clues and helping solve the case.

Retired teachers Pat, Thelma and Liz are back in another tale from J M Hall. When a former co-worker ropes them into investigating the death of her ex-husband, the ladies find themselves immersed in the murky world of education bureaucracy. They're thoroughly normal people with their own lives, but as former colleagues, they stay connected through coffee at the local garden centre every week.

Neville Hilton was a former Ofsted Inspector, whose role was to assess schools and report on their efficacy. As a man who followed the rules to the letter with no flexibility or interpretation, he didn't win many friends. In fact, no one seems sad about his demise. Not the staff at the school who was forced to close after his report, not his current colleagues in the local school academy trust and not even his current wife. Which makes investigating his death a challenge as no one is willing to help. The only people looking for answers are the distraught cleaner who found Neville's body, and her boss - his ex-wife, Jax.

Pat, Thelma and Liz don't mean to get involved in the case, and yet they do, because they can't resist pulling at the threads of unanswered questions. Was the death as natural as the police report claims? Why is Neville's current wife so hostile and acting so suspiciously?

The author is someone who clearly feels passionate about education, as passionate as his main characters. During their investigation, they see the fall out from school inspections and the anger caused by seemingly unfair inspection reports leaps off the page.

What we get is a richly drafted story, every motivation examined and explored, and I found myself unable to stop reading, willing the ladies to find the solution. The lead characters are richly drawn, and you really get to know them. They're fully developed, human flawed, which makes them even more formidable and likeable, and it's easy to become totally immersed in the world created by J M Hall.

A Brush with Death is out on March 13 from Avon Books

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley and Avon Books for the digital advance copy for review.

An intriguing cosy mystery set in Yorkshire. Three retired teachers find themselves investigating the death of ex-ofsted inspector Neville. Police say Neville died of a heart attack, but why has a pale yellow line been painted down the wall of the room where he died?

Jax, Neville's ex-wife, thinks that Nev's current wife, Ffion, had something to do with it. She ropes Thelma, Pat and Liz into an unofficial investigation.

I liked the idea of retired teachers solving mysteries, but having three ladies with quite similar personalities did confuse me a bit. The POV of the story changes quite often too as each lady goes off on different strands of investigating. This did leave me a bit lost in some places.

As this is the 4th book in the series, I perhaps would've connected better to the characters if I'd read the previous books. But it does work as a standalone too.

The mystery itself was intriguing and something a little different, as the characters questioned if it was technically even a crime.

I enjoyed the rural Yorkshire setting and also the references to education and ofsted.

Great cosy mystery that fans of the Thursday Murder Club would enjoy.

I’ll admit, I jumped into this series at book four, but luckily, I didn’t feel like I needed to read the earlier books to enjoy this one. I never felt lost, although I’m sure I missed a few fun little Easter eggs along the way.

The story features three retired teachers Thelma, Pat, and Liz who’ve swapped their classrooms for crime-solving. Thelma was definitely the most memorable to me, with her curiosity and sharp instincts making her a standout. Liz and Pat are both lovely characters, but I found them a little harder to tell apart at times. Still, together, they make a charming and fun trio.

Hall really knows how to balance humour with suspense, keeping things light yet intriguing. The mystery is filled with clever clues and just enough misdirection to keep me guessing, without feeling overly complicated. Even though I figured out a few things early on, the deeper layers of the case especially the ‘how’ and ‘why’ kept me hooked right until the end.

If you enjoy cosy mysteries with quirky, sharp characters and a plot that keeps you guessing just enough, this book is a perfect pick. I had a wonderful time reading it, and I’ve already added the other books in the series to my TBR list.

Despite thinking that the third book was one too many in this series, I did pick up this fourth instalment even so - and I'm quite glad, as it's better than that one. It's still not as good as the first, and I still think when amateur sleuths get involved in more than one serious crime credibility goes out of the window. But if you can put aside your incredulity that three retired teachers from a small town in Yorkshire would be as busy sleuthing as Poirot, then the actual book isn't bad at all.

In this outing, the three are asked by a former colleague to look into the death of her ex-husband. Apparently, Neville Hinton died of a heart attack in the holiday cottage he owned. But the cleaner who found him points to unexplained oddities about the crime scene - why was there a yellow line painted randomly on the wall? Why had the obsessively tidy Neville left a wheelie bin the wrong place? Why was the place so clean? So the trio start nosing about and soon find that there are indications that Neville may not have been alone when he died - so did someone induce his fatal heart attack, and did they do it on purpose?

The plot is barmy, as tends to be the case with these stories - in fairness it's no more ludicrous than is standard for the genre. Pat, Liz and Thelma are likeable enough characters - I find Thelma quite interesting, whereas Liz and Pat are pleasant but largely interchangeable in my mind. As usual there's a bit of minor drama in the personal lives of the three, although it felt that those plot lines didn't dominate as much. I also found it quite fast paced and I seemed to get through it very fast. The writing style is super readable and good quality - it's not fancy in any way, but there's nothing annoying or laboured about it.

Ofsted inspections (the school inspection regime in the UK) are one theme of the story, and there are some powerful messages about the flaws with the system of the time which I know from having been a school governor. I was reminded often throughout of the tragic story of Ruth Perry, a headteacher who took her own life after her school was rated 'inadequate' on a paperwork technicality. Although she isn't mentioned in the acknowledgements (which surprised me, as I felt sure her story must have been an inspiration), I thought of her and her family often as all the unfairness of the system that led to her tragedy is clearly demonstrated. For readers who are less familiar with how the system disrupts the running of schools and how blunt its judgements are, this novel will give a good insight.

So despite wanting to criticise the over-flogging of an idea and the general implausibility, I did enjoy reading and it does make a good point as well as being a readable whodunnit. If you enjoy cosy crime, it's worth giving this series a try.

Retired teachers Pat, Thelma and Liz are back, but is there actually a crime to solve? Neville Hilton has been found in his rental property after dying from a massive heart attack, but why was he there? As with the previous books in the series, the ladies get stuck into finding out what really happened, and this time it's a subject close to their hearts. The dead man was an Ofsted inspector, and a pretty brutal one at that - was that a factor in his death?

Alongside the main story, there's plenty of character development for Pat and Thelma, which is a great addition to the series. Perfect cosy crime, I can't wait for the next installment!

\J.M. Hall continues his series about three plucky retired teachers solving mysteries in “A Brush with Death.”

When cantankerous Neville Hilton is found dead in his holiday let, apparently from a heart attack, there seems to be more than meets the eye. So when Liz, Pat and Thelma get called to dig into the situation, they work hard to reveal some interesting tidbits. Will they determine if someone is actually responsible for his death somehow? And if so, why? And will the solve the small mysteries they each seem to encounter in their own personal lives?

Hall again does a good job of creating humor and tense situations to create a fun mystery with fun and intriguing characters. He throws in plenty of clues and misdirections to keep the reader guessing.

One disclaimer: this novel does contain some occasional usage of coarse language.

Fans of series like Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club,” Robert Thorogood’s “The Marlow Murder Club” and Peter Boland’s “The Charity Shop Detective Agency Mysteries” will love “A Brush with Death,” which is due out March 13.

Five stars out of five.

Avon provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book.

When Jax wants to look into the death of her ex Neville, who she feels was killed, she asks Pat, Liz and Thelma to help her.

The three once again begin their investigations in their own way to solve the mystery of how Neville died.

I recommend this book.

This 4th book in the series was a really nice mystery! I didn’t figure out the twist, but not because it fell from the sky and wasn’t possible to figure out, no, because I didn’t pay enough attention to the little sprinkles of details that were in the storyline. I won’t comment on what it was to not spoil the fun for everyone who will read the story, but I’ll say as much: every little detail counts in this story! The characters were again a little bit more distinguishable than in book 3 and hence I again see progress. All 3 are retired teachers and very cute characters. I still liked all of their personalities, and this time especially Thelma and Liz were playing a bigger role for the story compared to book 3 where Pat got more of the spotlight. The only little thing maybe would be that some of the information planted throughout the story felt a bit random at times and knowing the solution to the mystery now, were not needed in that amount. All in all I really hope this wasn’t the last book in the series, as I really like the characters and the mysteries a lot.

This is a brilliant entry in the series with lots of twisty clues that will keep you guessing right up the very end.

Thelma, Pat and Liz are back!

I love this series about three retired schoolteachers who keep getting drawn into solving mysteries. This time, much to their annoyance, their help is enlisted by a former colleague rather than them having a personal connection to the mystery. "Who does she think we are, a Miss Marple tribute band?" Grudgingly, they agree to help the perennially irritating Jax, but curiosity gets the better of them in the end and they settle down into doing what they do best: poking around.

I think this was my favourite of the books so far, and it was very interesting the way things turned out. As usual there were plenty of red herrings and I smugly assumed I knew the killer by the 60% mark - only to be proved completely wrong. I do like, though, how the author drops hints and clues so that sometimes you are a couple of steps ahead. It's very satisfying to be able to work things out, even relatively minor clues, and right before the culprit was exposed I did come to the right conclusion.

This is one of my favourite mystery series and I hope there are many more to come. Do start at the beginning and read in order, though: the characters have arcs that it would be a shame to miss out on.

I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Jax knows her ex Neville was a slug and she doesn't think he just died- she thinks his current wife killed him! Pat, Liz and Thelma, our intrepid trio of retired school teachers now sleuths are back on the case in this latest installment in the cozy series that can easily and enjoyably be read as a standalone. As always, the trio have a snappy way of dealing with others (and among themselves). American readers should know that British educational procedures etc are at play here but you'll understand the issues. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. The mystery, the characters, and the storytelling are good making this a fine read.

I must start by thanking both NetGalley as well as the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The best yet. This cozy English Mystery bring the wonderful group of Liz, Pat and Thelma into the realm of those whom l would love to share a wonderful garden centre tea with. The quest to solve has become much more then just who, but also why.

When a previous colleague asks for their help in looking into the death of her ex-husband, Pat, Thelma and Liz are a bit reluctant. When Jax explains that her employee Chelsee found the body, they agree to help to give her closure.
What follows is the usual haphazard collection of thoughts and tangents. They do work out most of it, but have trouble tying it together. Until they do. Another easy to read cosy Yorkshire detective story.

Review posted on Goodreads and Storygraph. Coming to my blog on March 11th.

As some of you may know, cosy crime isn’t typically my thing. I tend to prefer my crime fiction dark, disturbing and more gruesome. But there is just something about these three unlikely sleuths that won me over from the very first book, and I’m thrilled to have had another opportunity to hang out with Thelma, Pat, and Liz. 

Neville Hilton is found dead from a heart attack in one of the cottages he rents out to holiday makers. Nobody seems too upset about his untimely demise. Apparently, he was a nice chap, but nobody liked him. The three former teachers are invited to Neville’s funeral by his first wife, Jay, who used to be a colleague. Jax is adamant that Neville’s death was not from natural causes. She believes he was murdered and has no qualms throwing suspicion in the direction of wife number two.

Thelma, Pat and Liz don’t really think there is anything here to “detectivate”, but they decide to take a look into things regardless. The young woman who found Neville’s body is so distraught that she can’t work, believing she should have done something that might have saved his life. Thelma, Pat, and Liz are determined to make her see none of what happened was down to her.

Once again, J.M. Hall manages to explore another thought-provoking topic. And as former teachers, it is one that is very close to the hearts of Thelma, Pat, and Liz. School inspections, where the focus is no longer on what’s best for the children. Neville was a school inspector, and it is definitely true that one of his inspections had dramatic consequences. Did the three ladies accidentally stumble upon a mystery to solve? 

The clues as to what did happen are not that hard to pick up on. I was surprised that our three amateur sleuths missed them so easily. But then, true to form, they have so many other things going on. Thelma is hiding a secret, something she feels incredibly guilty about. Pat’s son and his girlfriend have moved in, but all doesn’t seem well. And Liz is struggling to keep her sugar intake down because her grandson gets very angry when she doesn’t.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. At this point, these three fabulous women feel like friends and I would absolutely jump at the opportunity of having coffee and cake (definitely the cake) at the garden centre with them on a Thursday. J.M. Hall manages to find the perfect balance between their personal lives and their “detectivating”. This cozy crime fiction series is wonderfully entertaining and engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Thelma, Pat, and Liz, and I genuinely hope there’s more to come.