So excited to see there are other books in this “set” as I really liked the unusual blend of cozy mystery with police procedural. The characters are amazing, although there seem to be quite a few to keep track of, but the strength is in the mystery itself which really draws the reader in and gets them thinking.

Fenella Wilson, the president of the Richington Ladies Guild and an illustrator of children’s books, is miserable in her home life. Her mother-in-law Ida bullies her and treats her like an unpaid servant and husband David Wilson blindly supports his mother no matter how she behaves. He believes that it is his wife’s job to clean and cook for them all, even though the house they are living in is hers. It’s a tense situation. Something has to give. And it does.

Egged on by best friend Judith Kelly, Fenella decides to get rid of Ida. Judith thinks of an ingenious way to commit the crime and not be found out. But before they can go ahead with their plan, Judith decides a trial run is called for, so they can get an idea of just how much poison is to be administered. The experimental dose ends up killing a Rastafarian named Jericho.

When Fenella seeks to poison Ida, the attempt goes horribly wrong.

Meanwhile, Ludovic de Coleville runs the Coleville gallery, a profitable business rendered even more lucrative by the side business of forged art he conducts along with his friend, for the mob. Since the number of crimes is down, Detective Jack Dawes of the Metropolitan Murder Investigation Team is roped into investigating the forgeries.

When fate bursts in to entwine the Wilsons and the Colevilles together, and consequently the crimes too, will the police solve the varied crimes of arson, art fraud and murder? Or will Fenella get away?



The style is that of a cosy mystery combined with the grit of a police procedural. But the mystery quickly escalated. The author maintained the balance, but the book kept swaying from one genre to another, without losing reading interest. For instance, when Cynthia, Corrie and Carlene decide to investigate the fiasco of Cynthia’s dinner party, it’s back to cosy mystery again. The description of the food and the vibes of the restaurant gave the book a warm and homely feel.



Even though the identity of the killers is known to us from the beginning, the author does a great job of keeping the tension high, as we watch the police attempt to figure things out.



It was nice to see so many female characters being so enterprising. Fenella is a book illustrator, while Corrie and Carlene run their own food businesses. Judith is a car mechanic, successful in what is traditionally a male-dominated profession.

While they all ran their own enterprises, I wasn’t sure of my feelings for any of the characters. Fenella, in particular, wasn’t likeable at all; there were extenuating circumstances, but I still didn’t feel sympathetic towards her.

My feelings towards the characters were mixed. Ida was the stereotype of an Indian mother-in-law, blustering, over-dramatic and deceitful. While David was a soft sod who worshipped his mother and rode roughshod over his wife. These two were easy to dislike. I couldn’t approve of what Fenella did but I could understand her motivation.



The Prologue was entirely unnecessary, merely providing local colour and history to the King’s Market.



One error: In an altercation between Ludovic and his wife, Sasha, the narrative tells us that David’s backhander knocks Sasha down to the ground.

A cosy mystery doesn’t really leave scope for the delineation of character, and yet this book managed to do just that. Fenella and Judith were both remarkable examples of amoral characters. Neither of them felt any remorse or regret for their actions. Neither woman spared a moment to think about whether it was right to take away a life. How there was no going back after a definitive act like that. Even after their actions lead to the death of Jericho, they express no regret for the death of a man who had done them no harm at all.

As readers, we are left to contemplate the manner in which events play out. The inevitability of certain actions, the inexorability of fate, and how you cannot escape the consequences of your actions.

Fenella and Judith, what a scary couple, having worked out every detail of their plan, they then did a test run, showing no remorse, for what they did to old Jericho. I’m ashamed to say, I agree with Fennella, but she was correct, her mother-in-law needed to be put in a home, it was the ideal thing to do, the sane and right thing to do, but alas nothing seemed to be going her way, she placed her in the wrong home. A story with many parts and each character having their own agenda, turning this murder mystery was like a merry-go-round. It was hilarious, intriguing, engaging, and entertaining.

How many of us out there fantasise and imagine ways to kill and get away with it those who we despise or who drive us mad

This is how Fenella and her friend spend their time, plotting to get rid of Fenella's irritating mother in law Ida, the pair practice with their homemade jam and antifreeze on one of the local market stall holders but just when they think they have the perfect dose age the unthinkable happens the jam gets into the wrong hands

Thoroughly enjoyed this read and although it is wrong i was actually cheering Fenella on to get rid of the mother in law from hell

It started off sort of interesting but, I'm afraid, soon downgraded to something akin to a Brian Rix farce which was a shame. Two reasonable detectives and that side was reasonably well-written and thought through. The murders just became farcical though - the 'trial' run which killed rather than just incapacitated, the next where an innocent died in error, the third .... and so on. All mixed up with a lot of catering events, stalls and jam with some art laundering/fraud going on at the same time. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is the sixth in Frances Lloyd's DI Jack Dawes and DS Mike 'Bugsy' Malone series set in King's Richington in Richmond, but I found it works reasonably well as a standalone. Dawes who is unmistakably a cop, is happily married to Coriander with her catering firm, and Malone, along with the rest of the police team, have a poisoner on their hands and a rising number of deaths, and have a London Met Detective Inspector from their Art and Antiquities Unit chasing art fraud and the gang responsible. The King's Market is a weekly event, sporting traders running a wide variety of goods at their stalls. Artist Fenella Wilson is married to David and has the mother-in-law from hell in the form of the bullying Ida, an unreasonable, demanding and nagging woman who lives with them. Ida makes Fenella's life a misery, and she has reached the end of her tether, particularly as the spineless David often supports his mother, so with friend, Judith, hatches a plan virtually guaranteed to not work out well. Jericho, a Jamaican music stall holder dies after which matters deteriorate further. This is not a subtle, nuanced or complex crime read, but it is entertaining, fun and humorous at times and there are some larger than life characters, Thanks to Joffe Books for an ARC.

The Kings Market Killer by Francis Lloyd is the sixth in the DI Jack Dawes and DS Mike (Bugsy) Malone series.They work in the Metropolitan Murder Investigation Team in Kings Richington, Richmond.These two together make a cracking team. Jack is married to Coriander, who sometimes comes to his aid as well as running a catering company. Bugsy has just got engaged to Iris, a wonder in itself as this was one man whose sole outlook on love was Arsenal!
This story sees Fenella Wilson who has had it to the back teeth with her mother -in- law, she even went on their honeymoon! C'mon can't blame her! Even her husband constantly sides with his mother. So Fenella and her friend Judy, make a plan...to poison her jam. As always things don't go smoothly. Dawes has this and all the other crime to deal with, so he ain't exactly resting on his laurels!
A fantastically well plotted and entertaining story, although I do love Dawes and Bugsy. I thoroughly enjoyed the extra special additions of the wonderfully described food too. When Fenella's plan goes crazily wrong and the precision of her planning really shows just how precise... especially as people start to die. Well what can I say? Dawes certainly has plenty to get on with.
As always in a Francis Lloyd book, the characters are certainly colourful and larger than life, this adds to an already entertaining story and always has me glued to the book, beginning to end.
Thanks to Joffe Books and netgalley for the copy of the book for my review today.

I have a little confession to make- yes yet another one. Although I have the previous five books in the series featuring Detective Jack Dawes on my ‘to be read’ mountain, I haven’t actually read one of them…..until now that is. When I was invited to take part in the blog tour for ‘The Kings Market Killer’ I thought that it would be an ideal opportunity to become acquainted with Detective Jack Dawes. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Kings Market Killer’ but more about that in a bit.
It didn’t take me long to get into this book. In fact by the time I got to the end of the first few pages, I knew that I was going to be in for a cracking read. I must admit that the book was different to the book I was expecting it to be- in fact it was even better than I had expected. The quirky characters and the places mentioned put me in mind of an episode of ‘Midsomer Murders’. I couldn’t turn the pages of the book fast enough. I was intrigued by the crime, by the characters and the way in which the characters seemed linked to each other. I sped through the story and before I knew what was happening I had reached the end of the story, which I was disappointed about. I wasn’t disappointed with how the story ended but I had enjoyed reading the book so much that I just wish the book had been longer. I soon cheered up when I realised that I had the previous books in the series to catch up on.
‘The Kings Market Killer’ is well written. Frances certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and draws you into the story. That’s how I felt at any rate. For me, ‘The Kings Market Killer’ hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. I was gripped by the story from start to finish and at times I was on the edge of my seat. I felt as though I was part of the story and that’s thanks to Frances’ very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘The Kings Market Killer’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Frances’ work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Happy I read this book because I discovered an entertaining and engrossing series.
Good character development, a solid mystery that kept me guessing and an interesting setting.
I want to read the rest of this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Vibrant Market Turns Deadly....
Book six in the Detective Inspector Jack Dawes series. The bustling, colourful and always entertaining Kings Market is a vibrant place, that is until a death takes place and suspicion abounds. Engaging lighthearted mystery laced with more than a touch of dry wit and sparky dialogue. The whole series featuring Jack Dawes has been enjoyable, mostly completely far fetched but thoroughly entertaining.

DI Jack Dawes #6

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

You can get anything at kings Market which is full of stalls and bustling traders, each with their own colourful stories. Fenella Wilson has had enough of her rude sniping mother-in-law, Ida. Her husband always takes his mothers side. So Fenella and her friend cook up a plan to put antifreeze into her homemade jam. Jerico, the elderly owner if the Jamacian music stall is found dead. Was it a suspected heart attack? Or something more sinister?

This is the first book that I've read in this series but it did read well as a standalone. Set in a small Market town called Kings Richington where a Market is held every weekend. There's a lot of deaths occurring along with an investigation into fraudulent art works. There's also some humour thrown into the mix. There's some great characters in this book. Thisnis a nice cosy read .

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #JoffeBooks and the author #FrancesLlyox for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the sixth in the highly popular series featuring DI Jack Dawes and his sergeant DS Mike "Bugsy" Malone of the Metropolitan Murder Investigation Team in Kings Richington, Richmond, and what a great team they make! Jack is married to Coriander, a clever lady who runs a highly successful catering company and occasionally "helps" him with his investigations. Bugsy used to be a confirmed bachelor whose only love was Arsenal football team, but recently has met and got engaged to Iris, bringing more very welcome additions to the superb cast of characters. The story begins in the historic Richington Market, now known simply as Kings Market, in the affluent town of Kings Richington, where all manner of high and low end items can be purchased. Particularly popular is the stall run by the Ladies’ Guild where their homemade produce simply flies off the stall. The market is the last place anyone would expect to find a killer. Fenella Wilson is one such lady who supplies the stall in her free time. Not that her nagging sniping mother-in-law Ida gives her much time to herself. Ever since she and David were married, Ida has lived with them and demanded Fenella waits on her hand and foot. David can’t stand up to his mother and Fenella has finally had enough. Fantasizing about a life without the old harridan, she and best friend Judith, a mechanic, decide that Ida needs to die and contemplate the best method of murder. Antifreeze seems a good choice and the friends select a target for a dummy run. After all, they need to get the dosage right! Jericho, the owner of a reggae music stall on the market, should make a good subject and he’s not going to die from a tiny drop, is he? Meanwhile at the police station things have been pretty quiet for the team which includes regulars DCs Aled Williams, Gemma Fox and ”Mitch” Mitchell. Not too many people have been attempting murder and manslaughter lately, but that all looks set to change. Also in the story we meet Ludovic and Sasha de Coleville, the glamorous owners of a local art gallery. Ludovic is up to no good and needs the help of a private detective, but just what has he got himself involved with? DI Ash Banerjee from the Met’s Art and Antiques Fraud Unit comes to Kings Richington on the trail of forgeries and shows the detectives there how art crime has some very serious links to ruthless organized gangs. Enlisting Jack and Bugsy’s help, he sets off to rattle a few cages and make some people very nervous indeed. Soon we start to see how all these different characters are mixed up with each other, as events take a sinister turn and people start to die. Everyone seems to have something to hide and there is some wonderful black humour as their many nefarious schemes go wrong causing panic amongst them and events quickly spiral out of control. Will Jack and his team spot the killer before anyone else gets hurt? There are some fantastic warm and loveable characters featuring in this “not quite cosy" police procedural series ranging from Big Ron (Dr Veronica Hardacre) the pathologist with her voluminous knickers and Chief Supt George Garwood ever panicking that he might not look so efficient if Jack ever left, to Carlene with her fierce loyalty to the Dawes, and there are some real laugh out loud moments and phrases. As always, it was most enjoyable wondering if the various culprits would go undetected and get away with their crimes as Dawes and his team ploughed their way through a remarkable array of red herrings, secrets and surprise discoveries. Despite the fact that there are some serious crimes going on, there is a lot of humour and charm in the conversations and interactions between the characters, making these books an absolute pleasure to read. One of my very favourite series!! 5*

The Kings Market Killer is the sixth instalment in the Detective Inspector Jack Dawes Mystery series, set in the fictional town of Kings Richington in the Borough of Richmond. This is a series that is best described as cosy mystery crossed with a police procedural and as each instalment has a self-contained plot, it isn't necessary to have read any of the previous five before diving into this one. The Kings Market is renowned for its vibrant, noisy multitude of stalls offering fresh artisan produce each and every weekend. Should you visit on a Saturday or Sunday you'll find everything from florists with their glorious, colourful offerings to interesting antiques and from tasty street food to stunning vintage fashion. Fenella Wilson is a local artist and children’s book illustrator who is fed up to the back teeth of her interfering mother-in-law, Ida, and her bullying behaviour. She often supplies the stall belonging to Richington Ladies’ Guild with homemade jams and chutneys to supplement her income. Fenella and friend Jude decide to take vengeance on both Ida and her soft touch husband, David, who always supports her actions no matter how infantile, by poisoning their strawberry jam with antifreeze but the situation swiftly spins out of their control...

This is a compelling, interesting and well-plotted mystery which was extra enjoyable due to the mouthwatering and delectable descriptions of food, and what was a planned poisoning predictably starts to kill unintended targets much to Fenella’s dismay. Jack Dawes, who is already busy with a rising crime rate in the local area, finds himself thrust to the helm of a serious and rather sizeable investigation, and as a former Scotland Yard officer who is now a well-respected member of the Murder Squad, he earned his stripes by being a career copper until he met his wife Coriander, or Corrie, during a money-laundering investigation. He is a likeable and intelligent chap who has extraordinarily accurate gut instincts. Corrie is a superb and affable communicator, so when their skills are combined they make a formidable team. I loved the market setting, the well-sketched characters and the perfect pace at which it moves and there is a few surprising twists and turns throughout the narrative. It's a quick, easy and thoroughly entertaining mystery and one I highly recommend to cosy fans, in particular, yet there's enough action and exciting developments to keep any crime reader gripped and absorbed. Many thanks to Joffe for an ARC.

You can get almost anything at the Kings Market. There are plenty of stalls full of food, drink, clothing .. almost anything at all.

Some people are getting more than they bargained for .....

The owner of the Jamaican music stall is found dead... supposedly of a heart attack. And that is only the beginning....

Body after body falls .... the culprits have no idea what they are doing.

Detective Jack Dawes and his team are called to investigate and finds multiple people with varied motives .. including his beloved wife.

I have never had so much fun reading a murder mystery. My first thought was .... a comedy of errors .... a series of events made ridiculous by the number of errors made. This book has it all .. cheating spouses, a harridan mother-in-law, an art forgery ring, murder, attempted murder, food poisoning, accidental death, a drive-by shooting, arson and more.

The author has done a bang-up job in writing a well-plotted story with multiple solidly drawn characters with entertaining twists that will have the reader chuckling along the way. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Books n All Promotions / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction / mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

A mixture of frivolity and dramatic gangland action. Two ladies who become mass murderers killing with a seemingly unique method finally get caught out. It almost a novel of two halves, the second half involving gangland art forgery. An intriguing and enjoyable story.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Kings Market Killer, the sixth novel to feature DI Jack Dawes, set in the fictional town of Kings Richington in the borough of Richmond.

Fenella Wilson has had enough of her bullying mother-in-law, Ida, and her husband, David, who always sides with Ida, so she and her friend Jude hatch a plan to poison Ida’s strawberry jam, but things don’t go according to plan. What with that and other crime around town DI Jack Dawes has his hands full.

I enjoyed The Kings Market Killer which has a fun plot and more dastardly deeds than is fitting to sedate Kings Richington. This is the first novel in the series that I have read and it’s a whirlwind of action and developments. I need a rest now to recover, because it’s not just Fen and Jude’s plot, there are other bodies, killers and crimes.

This is not an introspective novel, more a constant series of events and outcomes. It’s not really my kind of reading as I prefer either more meat or more grit in my reading and I like to have a guess at the perpetrator rather than knowing it all as it happens. Having said that, it is good at what it does, poking fun at incompetence and entertaining the reader.

The Kings Market Killer is a good read that I can recommend.

Jack and Corrie Dawes are mixed up in yet another puzzling set of murders, centred around the Kings Market.

Jamaican music stall holder Jericho is found dead. Not much of a surprise, given his heart trouble.

Unpleasant mother in law Ida is poisoned by her daughter in law.

But what's going on at the gallery?

As ever, tremendous fun with these brilliant characters

Oh if Enid Blyton wrote murder mysteries!
In a posh little village where people with names like Fenella, Barnaby, Lobelia, Coriander and Ludovic live the women's guild decide to poison their homemade jam in the most "jolly hockey sticks" manner imaginable!
Definitely not a thriller, mystery or police procedural, this book is a rather ridiculous crime caper with a perfect plot for a cheesy daytime tv show

My first book from this author the kings market is vibrant and crammed a very popular place to visit Saturday's and Sunday's in Richington.
This starts off as a planned death going wrong, plenty of characters are added in this book, and mouthwatering chapters.
But I found myself lacking the stories as I was reading and struggled to the end. Sorry this book just wasn't for me.