Helena Marchmont – Page 2 – Carol's Notebook

Murder at the Magnolia Inn by Helena Marchmont

October 14, 2021November 12, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

I really enjoy the Bunburry stories. The characters are fun and quirky and the setting is a typical, lovely small town, with an incompetent police sergeant. This time around Alfie, Liz, Marge, and Emma agree to help the two women who are developing the old manor house into a hotel. At first, they're dealing with vandalism, then a man is killed. The characters are what bring me back to this series. Alfie is funny and in this one his women troubles are mostly set aside. Marge and Liz are smart older women and I wish I had their fudge recipe. Emma is caring and I don't know how/why she puts up with the sergeant. Oscar has an interesting part too. I'm hoping we start seeing him around Bunburry more. The mystery was a bit rushed, but the solution made sense and I liked that it took all of our investigators to find the various bits that came together in the end. I'm looking...

Sinners and Saints by Helena Marchmont

August 19, 2021August 18, 2021 by Carol2 Comments

Sinners and Saints was a fun addition to the series. And do read them in order. They are short and you get to know the colorful cast better that way. Here we get to know a bit more about the vicar, Philip, who has been a good friend to Alfie, but has a pretty big secret. This time around the crime is a theft and vandalism, and while Philip is a suspect, Alfie and the crew can't quite believe it. I don't understand why Harold Wilson is still a police sergeant, he's worse than incompetent. Yes, cozies often need bumbling police, but Wilson is a little over the edge. Thankfully, this series relies more on characters than plot. I was disappointed that the culprit didn't show up at all until the very end. He walks into the scene, admits he did it, and Emma takes care of the situation. Sorry for the spoiler, but you knew the vicar didn't do it....

Deadlier than Fiction by Helena Marchmont

August 14, 2021August 11, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

This time around much of the action is center on the new Bunburry public library Alfie has helped set up. It's in the massive home of Mrs. Radford-Jones, who is a wonderful character, caring and proper and rich. A widow comes to the "Bunberry Triangle" convinced her husband was frightened to death, so scared of something that he had a heart attack. Turns out the man was the second member of a book club to die. The story is good and I love the new characters. Alfie doesn't actually do much investigating, more stumbles onto things. And really should stop worrying about Betty, who has still not come back or communicated with him. Liz and Marge have very little to do this time around either. While I loved the new characters, the plot was a bit lacking. There was too much "we just happened to be talking about this yesterday," and "I just happened to wander past her empty cottage." Really...

Sheep Secrets by Helena Marchmont

August 12, 2021August 11, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

In Sheep Secrets, Emma convinces Alfie to join an outdoor survival class in order to help save a friend's good name. A man who was taking the course was found dead at the bottom of a quarry, presumably an accident, but still a threat to the business. I kind of wish Alfie's love life, or lack thereof, were left out of the books. Should he date Emma? Should he hope Betty comes back? I don't really care honestly. The characters and setting are fun and quirky enough that I don't think it needs Alfie brooding about women. I know a budding romance is a feature in most cozy mysteries, but it's also the part that is most likely to annoy me. Oscar gets to help out a bit in this mystery. The dead man had co-workers in London, so Oscar does a bit of talking and digging, which makes a nice addition to the investigation in Bunburry. The mystery was...

Sweet Revenge by Helena Marchmont

August 11, 2021August 10, 2021 by CarolNo Comments

I enjoy these Bunburry novellas. This time I listened to three back-to-back. I've been listening to the series in order. There's no reason not to, each is so short, and they do build on each other rather well. Alfie returns to London, which is good, but it's because Liz and Marge need his help.is in London and miserable after the disastrous movie wrap party in book 6 and called back to Bunburry to help Liz and Marge. Their famous Bunburry fudge is part of a police investigation. The guests of a society wedding became ill during the reception and of course the fudge was part of the spread. Liz and Marge risk losing the fudge business if Alfie and Emma can't clear their name. This is such a cozy mystery - no one even dies in this one, although it's close. The characters are fun and quirky and caring. The clues are presented without being overly obvious. It's just a light, enjoyable...

Murder in High Places by Helen Marchmont

November 15, 2019November 14, 2019 by Carol4 Comments

I've been enjoying the Bunburry novellas, but I really think for Murder in High Places it's helpful if you've read a couple of the earlier ones. We finally meet Oscar! He comes down to visit, drawn by a party. To understand how kind of awesome that is, you need to know a little more about Oscar than this episode gives you. He's Alfie's best friend, but thinks living in the country and not London is ridiculous. And of course everyone in town acts like they already know him, since they've heard so much from Alfie. Alfie, Betty and Oscar go to the party. Alfie and Betty have some major communications errors and Alfie acts like an all-around jerk. Granted, Betty's not much better, but at least she isn't blatantly flirting with anyone else. And then we have a murder. Sergeant Wilson immediately arrests the most obvious suspect, but, since this is a cozy mystery, that's clearly not the right solution. The...