I love cozy mysteries set in a British town and an older character has to work it up. I was quickly caught up in the story and could not put it down til the very end. I loved this! I can't wait to see what Morweena gets into next!
I just reviewed Foul Play at Seal Bay by Judy Leigh. #FoulPlayatSealBay #NetGalley
https://www.netgalley.com/book/295492/review/

Foul Play at Seal Bay by Judy Leigh

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

It was meant to be the start of quiet season in the sleepy Cornish village of Seal Bay, but not for sexagenarian librarian and wild swimming enthusiast Morwenna Mutton. Because when a local businessman is found on the beach with a bread knife is his back, bungling police officer DI Rick Tremayne is soon out of his depth. Morwenna knows it’s going to be down to her to crack the case. The list of people the victim upset is long, the evidence is slight, and an arrest illusive. Morwenna has plenty to occupy her time what with ghostly goings-on at the library and skullduggery at her granddaughter’s school, but she could never resist a challenge. And even the most ruthless of murderers should quake at the sight of this amateur sleuth getting on her bike to track them down.

My Opinion

I like Judy Leigh's writing and crime books, so this book was already off to a good start. This is Judy Leigh's first try and a mystery and it shows a lot of promise. The lead character Morwenna Mutton is very likeable and as a bonus for book lovers, she is a librarian. Reading this I could just imagine Morwenna flying about town on her bike.

A lovely, light-hearted cosy crime that is a great introduction to a new series. As is common in a Judy Leigh book, Morwenna is an older character but that doesn't mean that this book is missing the daring investigation. I am looking forward to spending more time with Morwenna and her family in my next visit to Seal Bay.

Rating: 4/5

Foul Play At Seal Bay by Judy Leigh is a contemporary light-hearted crime novel that I really enjoyed. It is the first book in A Morwenna Mutton Mystery series which promises to be fabulous. I cannot wait for the subsequent books.
Judy Leigh has once more created an eclectic mix of characters who entertain the reader. The leading lady is sixty one and her mother is eighty. Both are a breath of fresh air with their energy, enthusiasm and unconventional ways. They refuse to be put in a box marked ‘old’. Both are bundles of energy. Growing old does not equal being staid.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is a delightful six year old girl, whose mannerisms have been perfectly captured by Judy Leigh. I loved her soft-toy doggy companions named Oggy 1 and Oggy 2 who had to accompany her wherever she went. Her innocence and zest for life were a pure delight.
After a crime is committed, Morwenna Mutton figuratively puts on her amateur sleuthing hat. She believes, and proves, herself to be far more competent at crime solving than the local bobby.
There is a wonderful community feel to the novel. Judy Leigh’s descriptions make it easy to picture the Cornish village and its residents.
Judy Leigh has created amateur sleuthing at its finest. I think the novel would make a fabulous television cosy crime drama. It was highly entertaining, most enjoyable, fun and light-hearted. I pictured Port Issac as the setting for the village in my head. I cannot wait for more of this fabulous series.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

The Mutton women and their friends and family are mostly “proper” Cornish, with their vocabulary of regional words for which there is a handy glossary. Three generations, all fiercely independent, Lamorna, her daughter Morwenna and her granddaughter Tamsin run the local teashop and are fighting off a buyout offer from ruthless local businessman and emmet (outsider) Alex. Then during Tamsin’s engagement party to decorator Jack on the beach at Seal Bay, Alex is murdered. The whole family come under scrutiny from the rather incompetent DI Rick Tremayne. After all, Lamorna threatened to kill him, Morwenna found the body and it was Tamsin’s bread knife that became the murder weapon. Despite a lack of evidence, there are plenty of other good suspects, including a gambling addicted son, a greedy wife and a jealous mistress, and the police are stumped. Morwenna decides that she needs to step up to solve this crime and clear her family’s name but soon finds herself in the killer’s sights. Will she work it out? And will anyone solve the mystery of the haunted library?
This is a cosy crime story with some gentle sleuthing, although things do turn pretty hair-raising at times for Morwenna. I did guess whodunit part way through but there are plenty of red herrings for the reader to stumble over. The inhabitants of Seal Bay are charming, vibrant and humorous and they really grew on me as the story unfolded leading to a great ending.

Morwenna Mutton is proper Cornish. Her family and Morwenna are often the subject of village gossip. A dynamic woman, she enjoys wild swimming on Sundays, works at the library in the mornings and her family's tea room in the afternoon. A proud mother and grandmother, she has mixed feelings about her daughter's engagement but still throws her a beach party, which has a dramatic conclusion. Excellent characters are paramount in a cosy mystery, and these are believable, complex and vibrantly written. The Cornish setting is a character too. The mystery has many suspects but little evidence and more than a hint of danger. I worked out the antagonist, which shows how immersive this cosy crime novel is.
I like the story's characters, setting and the sleuthing.
I received a copy of this story from the publisher.

Sixty-something librarian and wild swimmer Morwenna Mutton looks forward to the quiet times in her sleepy Cornish village, once the tourists have departed for the season. But this year things are different. A local businessman is found stabbed on the beach and the local police are hopeless. Morwenna will have to find the killer for herself, if the villagers are to be kept safe. Can this most unusual and unassuming of amateur detectives crack the case before it is too late?

Morwenna is an interesting character. She’s colourful, a free spirit and not afraid to speak her mind to authority. She’s also fiercely protective of her family. But when she asks too many questions, she puts herself in danger. I really warmed to Morwenna. She’s a feisty lady who won’t give up.

I loved the community feel too - lots of friends and neighbours to help. I could really believe in these characters. As the mystery deepened they all became involved, and this added an element of danger and purpose to the investigation.

The tension  and excitement built as the story progressed. It went in directions I had not expected, and was skilfully and expertly written. I enjoyed every minute, and I hope there are many more in the series. I can’t wait to join Morwenna for more sleuthing adventures.

My Review: Now I might be slightly bias, as I love Judy Leigh books and those of her alter ego Elena Collins. I have to say that I do love a good Cozy Crime and Judy has created a fabulously funny and endearing character in Morwenna Mutton and her bicycle. Seal Bay is a lovely, cosy place to be, wild swimming, nosey locals, wild swimming and a lot of fun, gossip coupled with togetherness. The victim certainly wasn't liked that much. There are false arrests and accusations, I laughed out loud at the sentiment that *The Breadknife's gone missing* perfect. Morwenna reminded me of Jessica Fletcher. The DI is written with good humour. Recommended as an easy to follow, fun read which will make you smile, laugh and feel at home with.

I really like Judy Leigh books, she always features characters from all generations and this new book is no exception. Love the feisty great gran love Mowenna and her colourful leggings and it's a mystery too. What's not too love. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

Another gem of a read from Judy and one that made me smile so many times.

Morwenna Mutton and her family have run the seaside tea shop in Seal Bay for over thirty years. Most is done by her daughter Tamsin who lives with her partner Jack and her young daughter Elowen. Morwenna helps out and also works in the local library. The teashop has been struggling and local businessman Alex is trying to buy it as he has done with several local businesses but the family are not budging. At her daughter's beachside engagement party Alex is stabbed and it's Morwenna who finds him. The local police have little to go on and Morwenna is determined to find out who did it not only to clear her family but to also put the village at rest.

This is such a wonderful cozy crime with Judy’s talent for characters that leap out of the page like old friends. Each one is different and perhaps colourful (depending how you see life?) but there's a down to earth feel good atmosphere of wanting to do the right thing and help others whilst trying to live your best life. There’s a camaraderie and smiles and descriptions which put the reader at the heart of the drama as well as in a Cornish seaside village (with a few Cornish words explained for us emmets) I'd love a sea swim dreckly! A wonderful fun read I highly recommend.

For more reviews please follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog

#blogtour
_____________________

Having loved Judy's previous books, I had reservations of a change in genre. However, this turned out to be a lovely book, with hints of Miss Marple. Highly recommend.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, couldn’t put it down.

Morwenna has always lived in the Cornish village of Seal Bay. At her daughter’s engagement party, someone is killed. The police are trying to find who the killer is, but aren’t getting any closer to finding them.

So Morwenna decides to do her own investigation and find the killer. The story had twists and turns, which kept you guessing as to who it might be.

I loved Morwenna’s character, her colourful way of dressing. The supporting characters were also brilliant, and how they were linked to each other.

I can’t wait to find out what else Morwenna gets up to.

I highly recommend this book.

What a great book that had me racing to the end! Morwenna Mutton lives in the Cornish village of Seal Bay. When a murder is committed at her daughter’s engagement party on the beach, and the local police don’t seem to be making any headway in catching the killer, Morwenna takes it upon herself to do her own sleuthing and solve the case. Every time I thought I’d worked it all out there was another twist and I had to rethink my ideas. Morwenna is a great character and I could easily picture her in her colourful clothes, riding her bike. I thought that this was a great murder mystery with a brilliant cast of characters. It was easy to work out how they were all connected and although the ending tied up the loose ends it did still leave it open for more books in the series. Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC

The first book in a new series, set in Seal Bay
With a sexagenarian sleuth with a lot to say!
Morwenna Mutton is independent and bright
Her colourful clothing combinations is quite a sight!

In the mornings the library is where she'll be
Then from lunch on, she's at her daughter's café.
She travels round the area on her trusty bike
Though her legs are tiring, so it is sometimes quite a hike.

When her daughter's engagement is celebrated on the shore,
An unpopular local businessman's death shakes her to her core.
With a murder mystery, poltergeists and danger
Is the perpetrator a local - or a total stranger?

DI Rick Tremayne is in charge of the case
But his bungling ways make him seem out of place.
With help from family and friends in the community, too,
Morwenna has some investigating to do.

With family drama and unexpected danger, too,
This is a great start to a mystery series that is new.
For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

I was attracted to this book because it promised an older protagonist as the detective and in Morwenna Mutton, it certainly delivers that. Morwenna's interesting past provides the reader with a cast of supporting characters who add a sense of community to the book. Her ex-husband, Ruan is by far the most likeable and there is a definite sense that both of them regret the fact they are no longer together, even if Morwenna doesn't want to admit it to herself.

All the things you would expect to find in a book set in Cornwall are present in abundance - pasties, cream teas, emmet-hating locals and a proliferation of Cornish dialect words. In fact, at times, it seems as though pasties and scones are the only thing available to eat in the village. The delights (and dangers) of sea swimming are also loudly lauded and with friends who are also converts to this activity, I found myself laughing at Morwenna's attempts to convince everyone around her that it's a wonderful form of exercise.

When it comes to the actual mystery, there is the usual long list of suspects, any one of whom would have made a convincing protagonist and the usual prejudices come to the fore when the village is rocked by an unexpected event. However, it was interesting to see how these were confronted by the characters. Whilst it's true that in life the vast majority of people hold prejudices of one kind or another, it's unusual to see this portrayed so openly in a cosy crime novel. There are times when the characters become very insular in their outlook, even to the extent of expressing dislike of anyone who comes from a different part of Cornwall to them.

The ending was satisfying in the sense that everything was resolved in terms of the immediate plot, but character arcs were left so that they can be further developed as the series continues, which is exactly as it should be. Whilst I'm fairly sure that Ruan and Morwenna are destined to return to each other, it will be interesting to see how their relationship develops and whether or not they will actually find their way home again.

I was so happy to read this book. A new "cozy" series is always great to find. The main character Morwenna Mutton is so endearing. She is 61 and rides her bicycle all around Seal Bay. She likes to do Polar Bear dips at the beach once a week, and she and her mother and daughter run the local cafe.

Alex owns half of the village and wants to buy the cafe so he can turn it into a pizza shop. Tamsan considers it because they have a hard time making ends meet in the off season, but her mother and grandmother convince her they will get through it as a family.

Her daughter Tamsan is engaged to Jack and also has a daughter Elowen from a previous relationship. They throw an engagement party on the beach, and a murder is committed. The murder used the bread knife that they brought from the cafe, so the local police chief has the whole family as the prime suspects.

It's up to Morwenna to clear their names and find the real killer. She is a wonderful main character and reminds me of characters like Jessica Fletcher and Miss Marple. I love that she is a bit older and the fact that it is set in Cornish Village is an added bonus. I am looking forward to spending more time with Morwenna and her family in Seal Bay. A wonderful start to a new series.

As a big fan of Judy Leigh books, I was really excited to read this new venture!!
Morwenna is the central character who works in a library part time, swims all year round and supports her daughter at the local tea shop. She was great but not very convincing as a sleuth. I may have read too many books of this genre……
Sadly for me this book didn’t quite work, the characters weren’t very believable, the story a bit predictable in places, and as someone who has Cornish roots, I found the Cornish language a bit over egged.
Wish I could have given a better review as I have loved other Judy Leigh books, this one just not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for the early read.

It seems several British books are talking about Wild Swimming lately, as does this one. But with a well crafted mystery and a well written story, this one really delivers on all fronts.

This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more of her books in the future!

Morwenna Mutton's first exposure to a murder might well be her last. In this first book in a new cozy series, our protagonist is an interesting Cornish woman in her early 60s. Recently separated from her fisherman husband, who now lives in the cottage across the street, they celebrates their daughter's engagement with a beachside party for most of their small coastal town. When the resident real estate developer turns up dead on the beach, Morwenna's Mum is first on the suspect list since he'd kept trying to purchase their struggling tea shop in town and she'd threatened to kill him. Between the upcoming nuptials, their struggling business and the murder, Morwenna's main solace and thinking space remains her 'wild' swims in the (very cold) ocean. Great first book, setting the stage with interesting characters and potential for growth.

I've been interested in this author's books for a while, so I was excited to review this.

This is the first in a series of books featuring Morwenna Mutton, and it was delightful to read. I quickly warmed to the characters and the setting. Initially I found it quite humorous, a little bit like a Richard Osman book, but there were some lovely serious moments too. I think I would be interested in reading the others.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

It's time for a new cozy adventure and this time it's a brand new series from Judy Leigh, the Morwenna Mutton Mysteries.

Morwenna comes from a family of wild and independent women. She loves her life as part-time librarian, part-time working at the family tea shop, and wild swimming enthusiast! However her quiet life in the Cornish village of Seal Bay is about to take a turn for the worse when local entrepreneur, Alex Trescott, is found murdered, just mere metres from her daughter's engagement party on the beach. With the local police determined to pin the crime on one of the Mutton women, it's up to Morwenna, with a little help from her friends, to investigate and find the real killer.

I love British books. Growing up in Australia I was raised on Agatha Christie and British comedies and that's where my reading tastes tend to go. I was thrilled to discover a new mystery series set in Cornwall. Let me say.... this one is an absolute delight!

With a very Cornish feel, it is easy to imagine yourself next to Morwenna, enjoying the picturesque landscape and trying to solve the mystery. This book is so authentically Cornish! The author provides a glossary at the beginning of the book to help with the Cornish terms, and after finishing the mystery I definitely felt like I wanted to escape to Cornwall for a weekend of mystery and mayhem!

The mystery itself was wonderful. Alex Trescott was not well liked in Seal Bay. Before his death he was trying to buy the tea room, and given how much the Mutton women didn't want to sell, they naturally became prime suspects in his death. However there was a lot of people that had a grievance against the victim, and it was fun trying to pick up the clues and solve the murder.

If you're looking for a little seaside escapism you can't go wrong with Foul Play at Seal Play. It has all the mystery and intrigue that I've come to expect from British mysteries and it's a delight from the first page to the last.