This is the first of this series I have read , but a narrative by a cat & dog was very appealing. Set in the 1950's, Primrose Oughterard is an artist and a lady with a healthy curiosity with acquaintances in many places! She has connections with the local prep school where the place is in uproar with the expectation of a looming inspection & the news that the recently employed under matron has been found dead in a swanky hotel. Naturally this makes the place full of questions & theories.

I thought the author captured the spirit of the age she was writing about. The characters were many & varied keeping the readers interested & I loved Maurice & Bouncer (I'm sure I wasn't the only one whose thoughts wandered to Ramsey Street when they heard that name!) Parts of the narrative came from the school secretary s well as the gym mistress. As usual with whodunnits I had no idea who the murderer was!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. It was a fun read.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series from the off. I will say that I preferred Francis to his sister Primrose but his demise in an earlier volume makes his return somewhat unlikely! Once again we are joined by the cat and the dog who both have a distinctive voice and add much to the comedic aspects of these books. The easygoing nature of the writing makes these books a pleasure to read and you can easily lose track of time when reading them.

A different setting for this book from previous outings gives much to enjoy and the flustered nature of the teaching staff who are about to undergo an inspection is entertaining but the death of a member of staff puts something of a spanner in the works.

A solid 4 out of 5 for this book.

Something is afoot at Erasmus House - it's about to be inspected, they've put Primrose's paintings in storage, and now the assistant Matron as been - wait for it- murdered! A humorous British cozy set in the 1960s. this sees an intrepid amateur sleuth work with Maurice the cat and Bouncer the dog ( I know) to solve crime and untangle mysteries, Hill, thankfully, gives a precis of the earlier books (I'd only read one), which helps to sort things out. I like Primrose and her attitude and who doesn't like animals ! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

After reading a couple of non-mystery stories at the start of June, which did not turn out as well as I had hoped, I decided to return to a series I was fond of. On the 2nd of July, A Lurking Primrose, the next book in the Francis Oughterard series is being released, although by this stage Francis is no longer around and his sister, Primrose, has taken over being the series protagonist. However, the main attraction and stars of the series, for me, has always been Francis’ (now Primrose’s) pets: Maurice (a cat) and Bouncer (a dog). The early books of the series see these two directly involved in main events, trying to keep Francis from landing in prison and we often see things from their perspective. Their relationship with one another is great and contains much comedy gold. There is an author’s note at the start of A Lurking Primrose which gives a summary of the series so far, to help get new readers up to speed, but you might prefer to read the earlier books first; I would certainly argue they are the strongest.

Synopsis

‘Erasmus House, a prestigious prep school for boys in Lewes, is in uncharacteristic disarray over a looming visit from Her Majesty's inspectors. Convinced that inspectors dislike old-established schools, headmaster Mr Winchbrooke devises a cunning plan to drag Erasmus House into modernity – by replacing the rustic paintings of eccentric local artist and amateur sleuth, Primrose Oughterard, with more 'challenging' abstract works. But Primrose's paintings are the least of Winchbrooke's worries when the school's assistant matron, Miss Memling, is found dead in a Brighton hotel room, clutching an empty gin bottle. Was there more to dull Aida Memling than met the eye? As one of the school's trustees, Primrose springs into action. With her late brother Francis's pets Maurice and Bouncer by her side, can Primrose solve the Memling mystery?

Overall Thoughts’
This is a series which started in the 1950s, but is now in the 1960s, although as I have said in other reviews, it is hard to notice the historical setting. It took me several books to realise it myself.

The initial drama is not murder, but a forthcoming school inspection for Erasmus House and rumours have it that the inspection will be tougher than previous years. The opening chapter sees the headmaster trying to convince his colleagues of this:
‘“But I can't see what the problem is,” his deputy persisted. “After all, the school passed the last inspection with flying colours; the chap awarded us praise and ticks all round.”
“Yes, and he has since been dismissed for incompetence,” Winchbrooke said dryily.’

One way the school decides to give the false impression that they are forward thinking and modern is to hire some new paintings for the walls, putting Primrose’s more traditional sheep paintings into storage. This is a minor element of the plot, but it provides an amusing end note and it is also an entry point for other characters within the fictional universe to be linked to main plot.

The majority of the story is narrated by Primrose, which is a shame as I find her voice less appealing, and I preferred the stories in the series where the animals narrated more. Primrose’s chapters are prone to over-the-top descriptions. I really don’t need to know, for example, how the car tyres coped with traversing someone’s drive, in lots of detail. Furthermore, she can come across as quite stuffy and too wordy when she is setting out to do something. There are also moments of irritating over reaction, such as when someone puts sugar in their beverage, she ‘instinctively flinched’, as she dislikes sweet tea.

Dotted through the novel are short chapters which are letters from Emily Bartlett (school secretary) to her sister. These epistles do not add anything new to the plot and tend to regurgitate all the information the reader has just been told. Looking back on the book as a whole I can’t really see the point of them. We must wait until chapters 6 and 7 to get a chapter each from Maurice and Bouncer. These alas are very short and unlike previous entries in the series, these chapters, and the others that follow, add little to the story. At best they become an ineffectual Greek chorus, and it is sad to see the pair in such a diminished role. Aside from the ending, their inclusion in the story seems to lack purpose.

The death of the assistant matron, the main mystery, is not particularly interesting and I don’t think Primrose does a good job of convincing us otherwise. Some facts are told repeatedly from different points of view, which is perhaps due to Primrose struggling to access information, since she cannot openly amateur sleuth. Consequently, the pace of the mystery suffers, as everything takes a long time to emerge and there are aspects of the case which get little attention. The police are in the background of the narrative, and Primrose doesn’t interact with them much.

The solution is thrown out at the reader and despite Primrose being nowhere near reaching the truth, the guilty party think otherwise and invite her round for a drink. The plan is to bump her off, although not without fully informing Primrose about what they have done first. Given the cluelessness of the amateur sleuth in this case, a killer confession is somewhat necessary, although I think the reader will have their eye on the guilty party ahead of the denouement. The rescue party from the animals lacks drama and has annoying elements to it, such as only one animal going to save Primrose, as another canine friend is too busy having a wee. Seriously? Unsurprisingly, the book concludes with a whimper rather than a bang.

Rating: 3/5
Source: Review Copy (Severn House via Net Galley)

Primrose Oughterard is a great character, Maurice the cat and Bouncer the dog a couple of amateur investigator I love.
I love Suzette Hill's mystery as they're always witty, full of sharp observation about humans, and solid mysteries.
This one involves the death of a matron of a local school, twists and secrets, plus a lot of pets and fun.
Well plotted, great storytelling: a page turner I couldn't put down.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Quirky Mystery..
Primrose Oughterard, artist and amateur sleuth delves into a new mystery in Lewes. The head of local boys school has recently replaced Primrose’s paintings with more abstract choices in an effort to modernise - problems are compounded when the school matron is discovered very dead in a hotel room. Enter Primrose - who just happens to be a school trustee. Something does not sit right with our sleuth. Let the investigations begin - with Maurice and Bouncer along for the ride. Enjoyable, quirky mystery, engaging and rather delightful with a likeable protagonist, a colourful cast of supporting characters and laced throughout with a gentle humour.