I fall into the 'it was good' category on this one, as I enjoyed the overall story, but I think I wanted to like it more than I actually did. It felt like I was missing a lot of the story, and the fact that it's a long-running BBC radio play answers that! I couldn't quite fully connect to everything or the characters, as I kept trying to keep up with how everyone already knew each other so well in the 'first in a new series' book.

I hope, however, that there's a second one, as I'd like to see if I can find my feet with the series a bit more, as I overall enjoyed the characters and Mrs Sidhu.

Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone is a delightful cosy culinary crime novel perfect for fans of M C Beaton and Rosemary Shrager.

Caterer Mrs Sidhu loves nothing more than whipping up mouth-watering dishes – and solving mysteries. Mrs Sidhu is as good at sourcing ingredients for her recipes as she is at sleuthing, however, when one particular fiasco has her boss relegating her to the kitchens, she finds herself making endless aubergine bhajis and she is not best pleased about it. When the opportunity to become a private chef at an exclusive celebrity rehab retreat comes up, she jumps at the chance. However, Mrs Sidhu is going to be doing more than cooking at the retreat because a therapist has just been found dead in the quiet village and she is determined to solve this mystery.

As she starts her investigation, it becomes immediately clear that the killer is picking victims through a twisted raffle at the village fete. Yet, Mrs Sidhu cannot help but wonder whether the killer is intent on exacting a horrific revenge for a crime committed years ago – or whether one of the village residents is not who they claim to be and are keeping a deadly secret.

Can Mrs Sidhu solve this case before more bodies are found? One thing is for certain, never underestimate an Aunty because she might just surprise you…

Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone is a delicious cosy mystery I couldn’t read fast enough. Full of warmth, humour, pathos and red herrings that pulled the rug out from under my feet time and time again, Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone is a fun page-turner that will have readers laughing out loud and on the edge of their seats desperate to find out whodunnit.

Readers looking for their next cosy mystery addiction need look no further than Suk Pannu’s Mrs Sidhu’s Dead and Scone.

Charming written foray into Mrs Sidhu's world after being a fan of the radio plays and the very recent TV series. Wonderful to meet up with Mrs Sidhu and friends and get a deeper insight into her mind and her world.

I really wanted to like this but found it hard to get into and it did put me off

I liked the lead character but feel she needs more depth but that come as the series progresses will i be reading it, not sure

I have how watched the tv series and really did enjoy it far more than reading it

I really enjoy a murder mystery and I was really looking forward to this, but I didn’t quite feel that the character of Mrs Sidhu had enough depth. Lots of other quirky characters though..

Mrs Sidhu’s Dead & Scone is the first novel by BBC scriptwriter, Suk Pannu. Regular listeners will recognise Mrs Sidhu from his series, Mrs Sidhu Investigates. After a faux pas during an important wedding, Sidhu’s Fine Catering Services is suddenly unpopular, and Mrs Sidhu is reduced to using her exceptional catering skills on producing bulk aubergine bhajis for freezing and sale in Mr Varma’s cash & carry shops.

Any wonder that the call from Sienna Sampson at the Benham House Retreat telling her that Dr Stephen Eardley (aka Dr Feelgood, Mrs Sidhu has one of his self-help books) has an emergency that requires her talents, she takes the pots off the burners and hops in her Nissan Micra to find out what’s needed. Which turns out to be chef for the annual fete, as the woman who volunteered to do them, therapist Dr Wendy Calman, hasn’t turned up.

Interest piqued by overheard conversations, Mrs Sidhu walks around to her cottage, only to find a rather grisly sight: Dr Calman, throat slit, a pot of jam on the stove, boiled dry, scones in the oven burnt to a crisp, and a trail of coins leading to the garden. DCI Leslie Barton, whom she has helped with a few previous cases (although he might state it differently) is fixated on the Retreat’s gardener as the culprit but, from a few other clues, Mrs Sidhu discounts this. But proving his innocence might prove challenging…

Before the true perpetrator is revealed, there are ancient symbols and a curse associated with standing stones, a residential development, raffle tickets, a stalker, several secrets and lies, a surprise revelation from an Indian aunt, an enlightenment cult, and four more deaths. Mrs Sidhu is good at getting the wrong end of the stick.

In the later chapters, DCI Barton summarises: “What you need to understand about Mrs Sidhu is that there is not a bad bone in her body. She’s an extraordinary woman, whose first and only instinct is to help people who are in trouble. But I think we can all see that she has a problem. A severe problem. She’s nosy to the point of obsession, she’s irritating, and she never listens to anyone. Not only that, her imagination is so wild that she allowed a person with a fragile a grip of reality to convince her of the existence of a cult here in Benham village.”

While this is a somewhat enjoyable cosy mystery: it does have plenty of red herrings and a good twist, it might appeal more to readers already familiar with the protagonist, who may care to read more of this cast.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Harper Collins UK.

A cosy crime novel. This is the first Mrs Sidhu novel which is based on a radio series which I haven’t listened to. It seemed to jump into the story and it felt like I was missing some background information on the characters; however, this didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the novel. A well written whodunnit with plenty of humour.

I didn’t like this one as much as I thought I would, it was a bit of a slog to read.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

📱E-Book Review📱

Mrs Sidhu's 'Dead and Scone'
Suk Pannu

🌟🌟🌟🌟

Before I started reading this book, I was excited by the whole premise of it.
A cosy mystery, chef to the celebs and ameteur sleuthing all put together in one book, I knew I'd love this!
Then I spotted that it was already on TV and that Mrs Sidhu actually had already been established on her own radio 4 show, Mrs Sidhu investigates.
I was then a little concerned that I'd feel as though I'd missed something or that the character would present as fully developed.

I was pleasantly surprised then, to find that this was written in a way that didn't make me feel like I'd missed too much already.
I think having not been a book before, past cases were talked about, but in a way that any first in a series would do and this flowed within the storyline of this book.

Mrs Sidhu was a great character to get to grips with and explore.
Unfortunately, I had seen the TV advert before reading and so I just couldn't help envisioning their chosen actress (I won't mention just in case) - luckily I did find that what I was reading fitted perfectly with this image though.

In her catering role, Mrs S gets involved in the investigation as one of the therapists at the celeb rehab centre is found dead.
I loved that she appears to be a bumbling, comic character - not a great people person in general, but easily able to connect when interviewing or questioning.
These traits made for some real laugh out loud moments and had me smiling throughout.

The case overall was well planned out and delivered and although I had many theories, there was a good amount of twists to keep you guessing for a good portion of the book.
I did work out the killer before the reveal, but as I often say, this isn't always a bad thing. The tying up of the case, the journey that the other characters make to get to this point, generally makes the remaining pages enjoyable still, as in this case.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read with some great characters. I really hope that this continues as a series of books as I'd be keen to see what Mrs Sidhu stumbles across next.

I prefer my cosy crimes to be a bit more fast paced, this was a bit too slow for me, which makes it hard to keep engaged and care for the characters. Not my favourite.

This wasn't a favourite of mine. I like a cosy crime but I also like it to be fast paced. This seemed a little slow.
The main character is a good idea and I see that it's been made into a tv show. Perhaps that is a better format?

This is an intriguing and entertaining mystery with cosy elements: a clever and wise caterer, food, a well plotted and solid mystery
It's a bit slow at the beginning but the pace gets faster after the initial chapters and I couldn't put it donw.
I hope there will be more novels featurhing Mrs Sidhu.
This one is recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A lot of fun, Mrs Sidhu is a lady I would like to meet again.
Boredom is something we can most of us relate to. Thinking we know best is something we can often see in others, and overlook in ourselves. Luckily, in this case, Mrs Sidhu mostly does know best, though she is issued a couple of sharp reminders about the folly of jumping to conclusions.
A slightly darker cosy murder mystery than many I have read, but still immensely enjoyable and definitely one I recommend to fans of the genre.

Really struggled with this and it feels like book is overpowered by the radio/tv adaptations with Meera Syal. The book seemed a bit of a slog to get through and was tempted to not bother a couple of times. For me, the radio versions are best. Thanks to Netgalley.

If you can have a gentle murder story this is it.
An entertaining read for the dark evenings in winter.
Mrs Sidhu a caterer has an interest in crime detection but is struggling with her relatives and her own life..
When a pyschiatrist is murdered baking scones for the village fete and her lodger is under suspicion, Mrs Sidhu has her doubts and starts to look into the strange goings on at the retreat in the desirable commuter village in the home counties.
Is the death connected to two murders several years before committed by the leader of a cult, or is it connected with building plans for the village.

Mrs Sidhu’s ‘Dead and Scone’ by Suk Pannu is a medium paced cozy crime mystery. The story unfolds with our main character's introduction and after a few pages the mystery of murder begins. The plot takes its time to develop which was a little bit slow for me. My interest started developing after reaching halfway through the book. Mrs. Sidhu's character is a next door neighbor with a knack of mystery. The story goes on and off with small tips and tricks. I would say it is worth a one time read.

The climax was good and satisfying. The tertiary characters were well defined and supported the plot well. I would like to give the book 4 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Random Things Tours for providing me with an opportunity to be a part of the blog tour.

Mrs Sidhu is an excellent caterer who has a sixth sense for crime. the bane of the local police, she is also suffering from a lack of clientele after she 'spoiled' a local society wedding to apprehend a thief. Then she is offered a job at a swish retreat for the 'burned out' executive and her sister-in-law, Daljeet the Dalek, comes to stay. Now Mrs Sidhu finds herself investigating a series of gruesome murders that may or may not be linked to a cult and realising that she really misses her husband.
I hadn't listened to the original Radio 4 series but the premise and the writer appealed so I decided to read this book in advance of the TV series. I'm glad I did as I genuinely found the book funny and cleverly done. Pannu was a writer on 'Goodness, Gracious Me', a comedy series that tapped into that uniquely British Asian sense of humour and this is in the same vein. Imagine the setting of Miss Marple and with an Indian Auntie doling out samosas rather than cups of tea and you get the idea. It's quirky and really rather wonderful!

Aubergine bahjis and Mr Varma are the bane of Mrs Sidhu's existence. I enjoyed having a protagonist who was Asian and British, which the mystery genre is sadly lacking and this book is a good addition in helping us get close to the wider representation we need. Suk Pannu's voice is welcome and needed in a genre that is slowly diversifying. Pannu's writing style is unique and brings a welcome breath of fresh air. Mrs Sidhu is quite a character, and I had a tough time getting to like her. I do think it is a 'me' problem, and that many others would enjoy Mrs Sidhu and her observations. I did quite enjoy the mystery itself and found it quite engaging (don't we all love a good premise for a mystery and what better than a health retreat and dead doctor who might have found out something important in a long-ago double suicide?). ***Book provided by Netgalley for an honest review***

I really enjoy a cosy murder mystery and I was really looking forward to this, thinking I was going to get something like the Vera Wong of Slough. Sadly though, I found this one a little bit confusing and I didn’t quite feel that Mrs Sidhu came across fully and made me as a reader believe in her. There were however, lots of quirky characters and some really quite an amusing moments in the book: her toilet office, Daljeet the Dalek, and Mrs Sidhu constantly feeding everyone in true Aunty style.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for a review.

Mrs Sidhu - Auntie, caterer and amateur sleuth!

After recently losing her job as caterer to the rich. Mrs Sidhu finds herself wanting more from her life than an endless job of cooking bhajis for Mr Varma.. A phone call comes at just the right time offering her a catering job at the local celebrity wellness retreat.

On Mrs Sidhu's first day on the job a therapist is found dead. Mrs Sidhu can not let her helpful, (read also interfering 😂) crime solving abilities goto waste and so begins her new adventure. As more bodies start turning up it is Mrs Sidhu's duty to help solve the the mystery surrounding the village.

This book was so much fun, even though the themes were a little dark. Mrs Sidhu is a great character and I loved that she always believed in herself. I also loved her relationship with Burton the local police officer who has to put up with her constantly 'helping,' 😂 with the crime case.

I enjoyed how many twists and turns there were. And the book kept me guessing and was not obvious which is what I want from a Crime mystery book.
I enjoyed the setting and the different characters and what they bought to the story.

If you are up for a cosy crime story to read in the Autumn / Fall. Then this is the book for you!