If you like the Richard Osman books then you will like this one. Not so many pensioners but a gentle who done it involving a Lake District bingo group. Nice light read.

A really fun murder mystery, and i enjoyed it being set around a bingo hall. First one i have read where that setting has been used. highly recommend.

Really did not enjoy this one and found it very hard to get in to. The characters felt unconvincing to me and the circumstances rather unlikely. Just did not gell with me.

Thanks to HarperNorth and Netgalley for ARC.

This warmhearted odd-couple mystery teams up out-of-work Penrith journalist Jason Brazel with his mother-in-law Amita. One of her bingo regulars is found dead in circumstances that don't seem suspicious, but Amita is sure that something is a miss.
I loved that premise and the setting, in Penrith and rural Cumbria. The plot was wafer thin and the progress all a little muddled. I felt that characterisation wasn't strong and in particular the rest of the family dynamic could have been brought forward. However I think this series could grow as readers warm to the duo.

I had a lot of fun in reading this enjoyable mystery. The characters are quirky and fleshed out, i liked the iteration between David and Amita and the solid mystery kept me hooked and guessing.
I hope to read other books featuring these characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

An enjoyable read. For me, the hook of this book was the interactions between the different characters, especially between the son-in-law Jason and the mother-in-law Amita. In particular, I liked the polarization in the characters Jason and Amita.

After Jason got made redundant from his job at the newpaper, he didn't realise that while being in-between jobs, he would become his Mother-in-law's chauffer! We meet them both as he is taking Amita to her regular Bingo night, but this is not going to be an ordinary evening. When they arrive, the news has just broke that one of their regular members has sadly passed away after a tragic accident, but on hearing the circumstances, Amita is not convinced. She decides to do a little investigating of her own to find out what really happened, with Jason's help, whether he likes it or not!

This really was a lovely read! A cracking mystery to solve, but that is almost a side story to the fabulous Amita and Jason show! They come across as a bit frosty to each other at first, but their foray into the amateur sleuthing really lets their relationship flourish and it really does become the best part of the story.

Warm, funny and entertaining, a wonderful read and I can't wait to read more!

Jason and his mother in law Amita make an unlikely sleuthing duo.
Amita loves bingo and complaining about her son in law Jason . Jason is an out of work journalist and Amita doesn’t let him forget it!
Madeline Frobisher is a member of the bingo club , and she is found dead , it seems to be accidental but is it?
The death sets the amateur sleuths on the path to find the truth.
I enjoyed the story it moves at a fair pace and the main characters are amiable and work well together.
It held my interest and had me speculating about the murderer right until the end.
A great cosy mystery and an entertaining read.
Thanks to NetGalley and HarperNorth.

Eyes Down…
Is there a killer loose in the Lakes? Unemployed journalist Jason, living in the Lakes with family and mother in law Amita, finds himself as chauffeur for Amita when she attends her bingo sessions and soon becomes embroiled in the bingo club’s determined amateur sleuthing. The Penrith Bingo Club are on the case and no one can say that they don’t make an effort. Enjoyable and entertaining cosy mystery with a cast of nicely crafted characters and a plotline suffused with humour.

An irresistible slice of murder and mystery – there’s a killer on the loose in the Lake District, and the members of the Penrith Bingo Club have decided they’re the ones to catch the culprit… The characters are well-drawn and believable. The plot is perfectly paced, holds your interest, and keeps you guessing.

Jason and his mother-in-law make an unlikely detective duo. With Jason's background in journalism and Amita's local community knowledge, it's not long before they're questioning the untimely death of fellow bingo lover Madeline.

Featuring a supporting cast of OAPs, dodgy businessmen and ageing security guards, The Bingo Hall Detectives is a great cosy crime novel. It has got real substance to it though, and you can't help but get caught up in the real lives of Jason and Amita. For them, it's not just about getting their Poirot thinking caps on. For Jason it's about finding life after leaving his beloved local paper. And for Amita it's about finding her place amongst her friends, and family.

I blitzed through this book over the weekend as I just could not get enough. Light and witty I enjoyed every second. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Bingo Hall Detectives by Jonathan Whitelaw

The thing that really struck me about this book was that it was written with love, there is a fondness for the characters and the story itself and that shone through. I really enjoyed meeting Jason and Amita and frankly I want more!!!!

Jason is a journalist who has been made redundant as his newspaper job and is now chauffeuring his mother in law to bingo.. boring but on this particular visit they are met with the news that a member of the bingo club has sadly passed away, the news does not sit right with Amita and she ropes Jason into help her investigate…


A Great mystery and it is really funny…a novel with a lot of heart.. I loved Jason and Amitas relationship its a love hate relationship at the start but it then blooms into a respectful mother /son in law who are on the same side. This is a complete cosy mystery it feels very cosy to read..

I hope to see more of Jason and Amita and I want to see more of their worlds.. so more family and more bingo club..

#Netgalley #TheBingoHallDetectives #cosy #England