Author: Freya Sampson
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Women's Fiction
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 336
Date of Publication: May 27, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars
A dysfunctional book club must pull together when one of their members goes missing in this bighearted new mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Nosy Neighbors.
The five members of the St. Tredock Book Club disagree on everything, from the books they read to the biscuits they eat. But when one of the group suddenly disappears and a dead body is discovered at his house, these bibliophiles must put their differences aside to solve the mystery.
Having recently moved to Cornwall, Nova Davies started the book club to impress her new colleagues at the community center, but so far it’s a disaster. To make matters worse, six thousand pounds is stolen from the community center during one of her meetings, putting both her job and the whole center at risk.
Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when a dead body is discovered at his house and Michael disappears. The police think he’s simply run away, but the other members have their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove he’s a murderer as well as a thief, while secret romance reader Arthur believes Michael’s eloped with his mistress, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play.
While trying to find Michael and recover the money, each book club member has their own secrets to protect. With inspiration from their favorite fictional sleuths, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and everyone is safe at home where they belong.
Freya Sampson is the author of two novels, The Last Chance Library and The Lost Ticket/The Girl on the 88 Bus. She worked in TV as an executive producer and her credits include two documentary series for the BBC about the British Royal Family, and a number of factual and entertainment series.
The five members of the St. Tredock Book Club disagree on everything, from the books they read to the biscuits they eat. But when one of the group suddenly disappears and a dead body is discovered at his house, these bibliophiles must put their differences aside to solve the mystery.
Having recently moved to Cornwall, Nova Davies started the book club to impress her new colleagues at the community center, but so far it’s a disaster. To make matters worse, six thousand pounds is stolen from the community center during one of her meetings, putting both her job and the whole center at risk.
Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when a dead body is discovered at his house and Michael disappears. The police think he’s simply run away, but the other members have their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove he’s a murderer as well as a thief, while secret romance reader Arthur believes Michael’s eloped with his mistress, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play.
While trying to find Michael and recover the money, each book club member has their own secrets to protect. With inspiration from their favorite fictional sleuths, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and everyone is safe at home where they belong.
MY THOUGHTS:
I love the tagline for this book. They can’t even agree on what to read, so how are they going to solve a murder?
The St. Tredock Book Club, comprising of five members, faces a challenge and at least one of them is in hot water. The group’s founder, Nova Davies, hopes the book club will not only foster a sense of belonging among its members but also contribute to the struggling community center. The recent theft of thousands of pounds has dealt a devastating blow to the center. Will Nova be the one to take the blame for this serious theft?
While Nova is understandably concerned for her job, she is also deeply concerned for the center itself, and especially the people that rely on its services. Over a period of time, funding has become less and less available for the center, and it is only due to fundraising efforts that the funds were even available for an absolutely necessary repair. So this loss is devastating for more than one reason.
One of the members of the book club, Phyllis, an octogenarian always accompanied by her rather annoying bulldog, Craddock, is bound and determined to find the thief and recover the funds. She enlists the help of an endearing older member named Arthur, as well the much younger Ash. Nova can’t help but come along for the ride.
Nova has more pressing concerns than the theft and her job. She’s about to marry Craig, and her upcoming wedding already brings its own stresses. To top it off, since she’s relatively new to the community, losing her job would leave her with few options.
There’s one person that is the most likely suspect, but there are a rapid series of event events that occur that raise even more questions. This makes this small group of people struggle to work together even harder to try to recover the funds. More than that, recovering that money might be just critical as protecting any secrets that might be hidden.
Phyllis stands out as a compelling character in this novel. Her strong admiration for Agatha Christie and her aspiration to be just as effective as the renowned Miss Marple brings moments of levity in this book. However, there are other circumstances that contribute to the overall enjoyment of this well-crafted latest novel by Freya Sampson.
Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
She studied History at Cambridge University and in 2018 was shortlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize.
She lives in London with her husband, two young children and an antisocial cat.
No comments:
Post a Comment