Really enjoyed this book. Great plot and engaging, believe characters. I was drawn right into the story. Would definitely recommend.

The Oxford Mystery, is #5 in the Jenny Starling series by Faith Martin and having read the previous four and really liked them I couldn't wait for this one for which many thanks go to Netgalley for me being approved.

Great plot, relatable characters and a thoroughly great cosy mystery series. I have just moved #'s 6 and 7 to the top of my Netgalley TBR.

Though I read this book a long back, I still remember the important plot points which is its biggest victory in my view point.

This is my first introduction to Jenny Starling, the 'junoesque ' cook , a total contrast to frail Ms.Marple.

Jenny Starling is a currently unemployed cook looking for a summer job that will offer a steady income and a roof over her head for a brief while. When a catering job comes her way, she quickly jumps into the pan preparing for a long, restful and boring term. Little does she know that she is going to plunge head long into a murder case !!

Maurice, an unpopular but powerful fellow who loves to wield his power over his minions is found stabbed in the dining hall . Maurice Raines has lot of 'friends' who would rather see him dead and a wife who is on a secret liaison with another man. And then we have a harem of women with whom Maurice had affairs .

Who among these killed him? Is the murderer among these menagerie or is he/she someone not in plain sight?

Jenny Starling finds herself in the middle of the murder mystery and at odds with the local police who first view her and her deductions with suspicion. They then get into competitive spirit to find the criminal before Starling can and ultimately have to cede to Starling's intuitive deductive skills.

The book is a interesting mix of taxidermy, food and mystery and stays to the spirit of Cozy Mystery. I particularly loved the fact that all the clues were out there but one is unable to stitch it together to form a logical pattern until Jenny Starling shows how.

Thankfully the romantic interlude was kept to the minimum and the focus was more on the mystery which made the book whole lot enjoyable.

The final reveal will leave you surprised for sure..

Over recent months I've become a great fan of cozy mysteries so, when I saw this fifth book in the series featuring Jenny Starling being launched, I knew I had to read 'The Oxford Mystery'. Also, it has a culinary theme which I love and a little light humour. The first three books - The Birthday Mystery, The Winter Mystery and The Riverboat Mystery were all so good, I knew it was likely that Faith Martin had written a winner with this book, too, and I was right!

Best-seller author Faith Martin has also written the ‘Detective Hillary Greene’ mysteries.

Faith Martin’s writing skills set the scene beautifully for this novel and in this case, the drama takes place at a prestigious Oxford college. Her character development was wonderful, particularly that of Jenny, living and loving life as a travelling cook. She is happy travelling the country catering for different events and cooking great food. She doesn’t like having to divert her attention from baking delicious cakes or creating a new sauce recipe by having to solve murders. She is great at reading people and unmasking killers, always with a good dose of humour.

There are many suspects in this mystery, with clues and lots of red herrings to keep the reader guessing. It was a thoroughly satisfying read and I often found myself asking the same questions as Jenny and I was kept in suspense to the end. The pacing in The Oxford Mystery was very good and I never lost interest, as it wasn't long before something intriguing would happen. Things came together for a marvellous denouement and wrapped everything up very neatly.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next novel featuring Jenny Starling and other books by the author, Faith Martin. The Oxford Mystery whets your appetite for more to come.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my request, from Joffe Books via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is the second of the Jenny Starling books I've read and it was an entertaining mystery taking place in Oxford, one of my favorite cities in England. Most of the story takes place in one of the colleges, so Oxford itself is kind of a backdrop rather than a player.

Jenny's itinerant cooking business has her feeding a conference of a society of taxidermists, and a more unloveable crowd of people you could not find. I couldn't find any one of them I would welcome as a friend. That apart, the mystery of who killed the society's president, and why, was intriguing and plausible.

I do wish that the author wouldn't constantly make reference to Jenny's shape and size - I am tired of staturesque and Junoesque descriptors and frankly find this bordering on obsession by the author. It weakens the story, too, in my opinion.

Others may not find this objectionable, and I wouldn't say NOT to read the book because of it. This cozy's an enjoyable way to pass the time. Readers who have not read any others in the series will not be at a disadvantage - there is sufficient backstory that you can read this as a stand alone.

A really fun, entertaining read. I haven't figured out why Jenny doesn't have a TV series, unless they would have a hard time finding someone to fit the very detailed description of our heroine that Faith Martin has built for us. The career Jenny has carved out for herself gives her plenty of opportunities to get into trouble, of course she does. I watch for Faith martin's books to come out so I don't miss any. in this one, she takes a taxidermy convention and uses it as the scene of the crime. Jenny is just there to cook but as usual, trouble finds her. Lots of good development of the characters and back stories will have you smiling and/or gasping as the story advances.

As always a Faith Martin novel is never going to let you down. Fantastically easy reading and good storylines with well developed characters and plots. Always my go to books for mellow reading. Love these books.

Traveling chef Jenny Starling has a summer job cooking at St. Bede's, a prestigious Oxford college.
While the faculty are away for the summer, the college hosts various conferences including a group of taxidermists. The taxidermy society president, Maurice Raines, is a pompous womanizer who is found dead with a knife in his neck. All the taxidermy members who either in lectures or partaking the free lunch at the time of Raines' murder. The college and the local police need Jenny’s help to find the killer. At first, the police's prime suspects are Raines' wife and her lover Simon Jenks but Jenny points out various flaws in their investigation. The reader has to suspend disbelief about the killer's spur-of-the-moment murder and timing.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Joffe Books with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Description
THE OXFORD MYSTERY by Faith Martin Discover a new series of whodunits by million-selling author Faith Martin. These charming mysteries will have you scratching your head to work out who the murderer is.

Meet Jenny Starling: travelling cook and reluctant amateur detective.

Please note this book was first published as “DEADLY STUFF” under Faith Martin’s pen name JOYCE CATO.

Jenny Starling has a summer job cooking at a prestigious Oxford college. But she’s not expecting murder on the menu.

Then womanising taxidermy society president, Maurice Raines, is found with a knife in his neck in the dining hall. Everyone is in classes at the time of his death. So, frustratingly it seems they all have an alibi. However there are many suspects, including Maurice’s wife and his lover. The college and police need Jenny’s help to solve this perplexing case. But can Jenny keep her concentration with a budding romance on the cards?

This is the fifth in a series of enjoyable murder mysteries with a great cast of characters and baffling crimes which will keep you in suspense to the final page.

Perfect for fans of classic whodunits by authors like Agatha Christie, LJ Ross, TE Kinsey, and J.R. Ellis.

JENNY STARLING In her late twenties, Jenny Starling is an impressive woman. Physically, she stands at 6ft 1inch, and has shoulder-length black hair and blue eyes. Curvaceous and sexy, she’s a modern single woman, living the lifestyle that suits her – that of a travelling cook. Her famous (and now very rich) father, is a ‘celebrity’ cook, divorced from Jenny’s mother. Jenny drives a disreputable cherry-red van, and is happy travelling the country catering events and cooking great food. She is on a one-woman crusade to bring back ‘real’ food. And definitely doesn’t like having to divert her attention from achieving the perfect Dundee cake or creating a new sauce recipe by having to solve a murder. She finds crime very distracting, especially when there is chocolate to temper or pike to poach. Nevertheless, she is very good at reading people, and with a quick and agile brain, becomes very good at unmasking killers. And her always-undaunted sense of humour goes a long way in keeping her sane when all around her people are dropping like flies. THE AUTHOR FAITH MARTIN is the best-selling author of the DETECTIVE HILLARY GREENE mysteries, which have sold over 1 million copies globally in just over a year.

My Review:

The fifth in the series, and by far one of my favorite. I loved this book. Easy to read and how can you not enjoy a good story about a murder in oxford.

This book kept me glued to every page until the very end. Excellent work and I cannot wait until the next installment.

This book was provided to me for free in exchange for my honest opinion.

So, go out right now and buy the book, it is a great mystery and you will not be disappointed.

The fifth in a series of mysteries and just as good as the first, the mystery keeps you guessing and the characters were engaging and likeable, I recommend to any mystery fan

One of my new favorite books! This author has such a way with words the pages flew by in no time! I can’t wait to see the next work by this author! This was such a joy to read!

A wandering Chef, with an in built clause in her contract of at least one murder to solve. A bit formulaic but non the less eminently readable series without being taxing if you like a lighter, non to dark, murder mystery. Locations and plots always interesting and this Chef is the turn to cook when police are grilling suspects. Pads out the characters quite well and I find, is just enjoyable to read.

A murder mystery in Oxford, and you automatically think of ‘Inspector Morse’, neither detective, in Faith Martin’s Oxford Mystery, are of this calibre, but thankfully for them, Jenny Starling, Cook, people watcher and amateur sleuth is.

The strange world of taxidermy is the theme for this mystery, a conference at Oxford during the Summer break, with a cast of quirky characters and a sinister crime ready to unfold.

Clues and misinformation are plentiful, and despite the gravity of the crime, there is a strong humorous streak in this story. Although the plot has the appearance of simplicity, it isn’t, and the actual murderer, although in plain sight is not easy to spot.

Jenny Starling remains an enigmatic presence and there is even a touch of romance for her in Oxford, but this is hinted act rather than explored.

I received a copy of this book from Joffe Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the fifth story in the excellent new series from this author featuring travelling cook Jenny Starling, and was previously published as "Deadly Stuff" under Faith Martin's pen name Joyce Cato. Jenny is in her late twenties and stands around 6 feet tall. With her blue eyes and shoulder length black hair she cuts a curvy and attractive figure which captivates a lot of the gentlemen she meets. Jenny's mission in life is to serve good food, in fact food comes above anything else in her eyes. Unfortunately in her travels as a cook-for-hire she has become embroiled in several murder investigations and her uncanny ability to read people has helped her root out the culprit putting many a CID detective to shame! In this story Jenny's ancient cherry red van is making its way to the dreaming spires of Oxford University, She has taken a summer job at St. Bede's college which hosts conferences and events during the holidays. The advertising for these events boasts fine cuisine, so who better than Jenny to fill the position, and a lengthy contract with accommodation thrown in is not to be sniffed at. First up on the guest list is the Greater Ribble Valley & Jessop Taxidermy Society, or Great Jessies as Jenny thinks of them, a rather mixed bunch of individuals with a shared hobby. They are led by their womanising president Maurice Raines who wastes no time in getting himself murdered. Seemingly they all have motive of a sort but infuriatingly all have alibis, and our reluctant amateur detective is dragged in to aid local police in establishing the truth once again. Another baffling murder mystery story with a great cast of characters to keep the reader guessing to the last chapter.

I love Jenny Starling series! I have been following this series from book #1 and so far, From solving a mystery at the birthday party to encountering a ghost in the castle (which later turned out to be a tortoise) to a part-time cook at the Oxford College, Jenny's journey so far has been adventurous.
The welcoming change in this book was no doubt a tinge of romance in Jenny's life! James Raye! I hope James makes an appearance in the next book!
Overall, this was a good read. I did find the story to be a tad dull and Jenny wasn't as enthusiastic as she used to be in the other books. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

An engaging and intriguing murder mystery, with Jenny Starling and her eye for details way of investigating. A well-planned murder that was outdone by one of passion, speaking of passion Miss Jenny finally found a guy that sets her burner on maximum heat.

I am totally enchanted with the protagonist, Jenny Starling. While I somehow missed the other books in this series, that is a mistake I will soon remedy. This was a quick, entertaining read with a strong female character and an interesting mystery to solve. I recommend this book without hesitation and look forward to reading more books with this character.

Another good entry in the Jenny Starling series by Faith Martin. What I like about this series is that each entry is set in a different locale, which almost acts like another character. It was nice to see Jenny find a little romance, and hope this continues in future books.

Enjoyable murder mystery with Jenny the cook way ahead of the police. With a bit of thought it is obvious who was the killer but lots of mystery on the way. Could have been set in any university city as not a great deal about Oxford as such except that some names and streets do tally.

A clever plot! An enjoyable cozy mystery! Faith Martin never disappoints.

A taxidermy society is holding their conference at a university in Oxford and Jenny is hired to cook for the attendees during their stay.
The body of Maurice Raines, the somewhat tyrant president of the society who also was known to be a womanizer, is found in the university hall, stabbed in the throat.
As usual there are many suspects; the ones who have been bullied by the victim in different ways and would like to see him dead. But something is wrong with the crime scene. Who was the victim expecting, since there were two untouched coffee cups on the table? Why was the victim so adamant that all the attendees should partake of an uncharacteristic free meal offered by him?

Thanks to the author, Joffe books and the NetGalley for providing me with a copy.