Member Reviews

After jodie by Barbara Whitnell.
An atmospheric thriller set in Cornwall, from a popular author When Prue's childhood friend Jodie dies in what appears to be a tragic accident on a Cornish cliff, Prue is devastated. But as a single mother with a young toddler, in desperate need of employment, she is persuaded by her landlady Mary, and Mary's brother Ian, to apply for Jodie's old job at the exclusive Boscothey Manor Hotel. Though her new employers, Paul and Delia Ransleigh are demanding, and some of her colleagues not altogether welcoming, Prue finds her new post stimulating, and sees it as a fresh start for herself and little Jamie. Then she comes across a mysterious letter written by Jodie just days before she died, which hints at dark secrets. With Ian's willing help, Prue determines to unravel the truth behind Jodie's death...
Very good read. Different story. 4*.

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Prue & Jodie are best friends. Jodie mysteriously dies in a tragic accident. Prue is the single mother to two year old Jamie. Prue takes over Jodie’s job in a fancy hotel. It’s at this hotel that Prue notices that there are some things that are not quite right with the staff. Jodie takes to playing detective to try and figure out what really happened to Jodie.

I didn’t care much for this book. It was boring & I could not get interested in it.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion!

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Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel had everything set up to be a cracker of a mystery novel. Unfortunately it fell flat. Very mild mystery and 'whodunnit' scenario which seemed to be pretty straightforward and predictable. Bit of romance in the book also, but even that was a bit.. nothing. Hit and a miss for me.

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Thanks Netgalley. Sorry soft mystery and very soft romance, but liked the setting for this book

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This is purported to be a mystery romance novel, but what it really is a half-hearted attempted at a mystery that leaves key components out of the story and leaves a lot to be desired.




Prue is supposedly the best friend of Jodie, who has mysteriously died in a tragic cliff landslide accident but is the last person in the town to find out through the grapevine. She is the mother to two year old Jamie, the child she conceived with a pathetic no-hoper that she married too fast and who then left her after leaving her deep in debt, high and dry as a single parent living in a friends cottage basically rent free. Jodie worked in a super fancy hotel in her village and after much inner searching Prue takes over her job which is a perfect fit because it was so close to where she lived and childcare could be conveniently worked out. It’s at this fabulous hotel that Prue notices that there are some things that are not quite kosher with the staff and takes to playing detective to try and work out what really happened to Jodie. Also part of the story is a loose love story between Prue and the brother of another girlfriend. That’s it. That’s basically the story.




It feels as if this is just a first draft and that much of the detail has been left out of the story that the author neglected to put in during later edits. There is little to no anticipation in the mystery part of it. The love story is weak and I don’t mean the feeling weak in the knees kind of weak. Rather, it is just a so-so with a little bit of heavily disguised hanky panky in the mix. The drama highlight involves a gun and a child, but even that isn’t enough to rouse any real emotion in the reader. This book is devoid of any real excitement and sadly, it inspires little more than a ‘meh.’

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great read and easy to follow story line. look forward to reading more books from this author.

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Set in Cornwall, England this is a classic style mystery. When Prue's best friend is found dead at the bottom of a cliff she is sure it's not an accident. When a letter shows up several weeks after Jodie's death showing concern about illegal activity at the hotel where she works, Prue and Max investigate. The mystery is well written with enough clues to enjoy their hunt. Prue's young son is an interesting side characters within the story. I've never read books by Barbara Whitnell before and she has a nice concise style that I enjoy.

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I was given an ARC of this book in return for an honest review. This was definitely more mystery than thriller and it felt a little bit more "romantic fiction" than I usually go for - but I really enjoyed the story. An easy pleasant read.

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