Macarons and Mayhem

Excitement blossoms through Peridale when a prestigious gardening magazine picks the village as the spotlight for their next issue, but that joy quickly turns to dread when members of the local gardening society, The Peridale Green Fingers, start dying one by one after their obituaries are sent to The Peridale Post the day before their murders. Julia is asked to bake macarons for the magazine's unveiling of 'The Best Garden in Peridale' party, but with death striking the village, she has more important things to worry about. Is somebody killing The Green Fingers’ to better their chances of winning the title as well as the cash prize, or is there something more sinister happening? With her old friend and newspaper reporter, Johnny, by her side, Julia must uncover the truth before every member of the club is crushed like an unwanted weed.

Delicious!

Espresso and Evil

When a coffee shop opens in the village, Julia is surprised when her customers flock to the new business, leaving her café almost empty. A failed protest against the corporate chain store leaves Julia wondering if her cafe can survive, but she suddenly has bigger fish to fry when the owner of the coffee shop is poisoned, and she is framed for his murder.

As Julia attempts to clear her name, she is stopped in her tracks when an unwanted familiar face arrives in Peridale. Her past and present crash together, threatening to jeopardise her blossoming relationship with Barker. Julia's history is back to haunt her, and she is forced to deal with the consequences of her actions before its too late. Somebody is trying to frame Julia for her rival's murder, but can she juggle her most challenging case yet with her complicated love life before she loses more than just her café?
Le 6e tome me plait autant que les précédents.

Shortbread and Sorrow

Amazon:

When Julia’s gran, Dot, wins an all-inclusive spa trip to Scotland, Julia finds it difficult to refuse the offer of a relaxing week away from her café. Along with her sister, Sue, they pack up her tiny vintage car and drive all the way from Peridale to Seirbigh Castle, ready to be pampered. The last thing Julia expected was to be caught up in another murder investigation, but when the cruel owner of the family-run spa, Henry McLaughlin, is shot dead, she can’t resist ditching the facemasks and massages in favour of cracking the case.
Julia quickly befriends the young cook and talented-baker, Blair, and acquires a job in the kitchen so she can observe the strange family in the wake of the murder. Henry’s wife and children are acting suspicious, and with an incompetent young Detective Inspector on the case, Julia makes it her mission to discover the secrets held within the ancient walls before Seirbigh Castle claims another victim.

Ca me plait toujours autant☺(5e tome).

Doughnuts and deception

Julia never expected to be caught up in another murder investigation, but when she discovers that homeless people are dying suspiciously and the police aren't investigating, she can't sit back and do nothing. After promising her young lodger, Jessie, that she will do everything she can to help, Julia finds herself diving headfirst into the case, aided by her new Detective Inspector boyfriend, Barker. Sure there is a serial killer preying on the vulnerable residents of an old burnout warehouse, Julia must act quickly to get to the bottom of the mystery, but can she crack the case before more bodies turn up?

3e tome - nouvelle enquête, toujours sans description de scène de crime sanglante et très peu de violence.  

L'histoire des personnages principaux continue d'un tome à l'autre sans précipitation, leurs relations s'établissent à un rythme réaliste et les personnages secondaires continuent à exister après l'intrigue qui les concernne.

J'apprécie particulièrement que le tome ne se termine pas abruptement sur la solution de l'énigme.  C'est ce qui manque souvent à d'autres intrigues: une bonne fin.

Lemonade and lies

When the entire village is invited to a garden party for a mysterious ‘special announcement’, nobody expected that party to end with a man being thrown to his death from a window. The murder is committed at Julia South’s estranged father’s manor, so all eyes in Peridale turn to her to solve the case. In a race against the clock, Julia must juggle her blossoming romance with Detective Inspector Brown, and her young lodger, Jessie’s, sudden strange behaviour, to uncover the truth behind the man’s untimely death. With members of her own family in the frame, will Julia like what she discovers?
Book 2 in the Peridale Cafe Mystery series! Can be read as a standalone, but enjoyed better as part of a series. A light, cozy mystery read with a cat loving and cafe owning female amateur sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky characters. No cliffhanger, swearing, gore or graphic scenes!

Le 2e est aussi savoureux que le 1er.

Pancakes and corpses

Soon to be divorced Julia South never expected to be caught up in solving a murder, until she discovered the body of her cafe's most awkward customer. With a new smug Detective Inspector in town who underestimates her every move, Julia makes it her mission to discover the real murderer, before her village friends are dragged into the frame, and more bodies are discovered.

A light, cozy mystery read with a cat loving and cafe owning female amateur sleuth, in a small village setting with quirky characters. No cliffhanger, swearing, gore or graphic scenes.

Un bonne énigme policière, dans un univers savoureux peuplé de personnages sympathiques.