Secrets and Suspects..
Aberfal Boys High School, an elite independent academy in the South West, prides itself on many things - that is, it does until the murder in the study. Now, with a murdered headmaster and a school bubbling over with likely suspects, a parents WhatsApp group working double time and a police investigation that uncovers more secrets, suspects and subterfuge than solid results, it would appear that this exclusive school is far from what it first appears. With an eclectic and well crafted cast of characters, a swiftly moving plot and a narrative laced with humour this is an enjoyable, engaging and entertaining mystery which may well keep the reader guessing to the end.

One Bad Apple read a lot like a YA book and was quite a slow-burner overall, but I rather enjoyed this book. I'm not usually a fan of slow-paced stories, but I think it worked really well for this one. It was steadily-paced, smoothly writing, and had my attention from the start. The added WhatsApp messages also gave me a little chuckle here and there.

There were several characters in the mix, but it was fairly easy to keep track of who was who. I wouldn't say I particularly liked any of the characters. Everyone had something to hide in one way or another, and this added to the suspense/mystery of the book.

The ending wasn't something I saw coming... and please tell me there's a second book... I want the goss about the new headteacher?!

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome to Aberfal Boys High School. Independent jewel of academic and sporting excellence in the South-west until the headmaster is murdered in his study. And now the year seven mums' WhatsApp group really do have something to talk about. As the resulting police investigation reveals more and more of Aberfal's long-hidden secrets, the list of suspects who wanted the headmaster dead grows by the day. And from being a glittering jewel of exclusively, tit would appear Aberfal Boys High School is rotten to the core.

Set in one of Cornwall's elite boys schools. It tells us of the bullying and family rivalry in private schools. Some parts are quite predictable, and it reads a lot like a YA book, but it's still an enjoyable, fast-paced read. The timeline jumps back and forth, and it's told from multiple points of view. Who had killed the headmaster? There are a lot of characters to keep up with in this well-written book.

Published 19th September 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #LittleBrownBookGroup and the author #JoJakeman for my ARC of #OneBadApple in exchange for an honest review.

An entertaining black comedy murder mystery set in an elite Cornish school - most of the parents are affluent upper class people who expect the best things in life and pride themselves on choosing an outstanding exclusive school for their precious sons. The book moves across multiple timelines and different voices, from Katy the deputy headteacher who wants nothing more than to be Head and mix things up, to some of the parents themselves as well as some very entertaining parents' WhatsApp groups that reveal more about the relationships in school and out of it.

When the headmaster is found dead in his office just after the end of term cricket match, suspicions fly about who might be responsible and what the motives are.

I enjoyed the story though got a little lost in the cast of characters sometimes - there were a lot of parents and pupils to keep track of.

DNF. I found the book too slow, and there were too many characters to keep track of, so the reader spends more time on trying to untangle everyone rather than trying to solve the mystery, and I didn’t like the messages part, I’d have preferred just normal writing style

One Bad Apple is a school murder mystery set in Aberfal, a private English boys' school, where the murder of the headmaster shakes up the parents and teachers. Plenty of them had motive!

The WhatsApp chats among the parents added a fun twist, it’s literally what those of us who have WhatsApp school/after school club chats would have the parent’s contact detail's down as, and how the threads read - minus the cake incident and dead head.

This book is ideal for fans of cosy mysteries such as Marlow Murder and The Thursday Murder Clubs. It’s an entertaining read about school scandals and secrets.

This was not the book that ai was expecting. It felt a little YA to me and ai really am not a fan of those books. The characters were hard to keep track of, there were so many.

I feel that the story jumped around quite a bit and I struggled to believe the headmaster character in this day and age.

I wanted to enjoy this one more. Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

Having read books by Jo Jakeman and enjoyed them this was great.

I couldn't put it down. Gotta love parents on WhatsApp

Thanks for the opportunity to review the book

Thank you to net gallery and the author for this arc copy I am not a massive fan of the cover for this book it’s seems a bit messed up and all thrown on there to if am been honesty. This was a good book but not the best book I have read it felt a bit slow and boring to me this book. I am sure other people will absolutely love this book and enjoy it more than me. I didn’t really like many of the characters there were okay but not the best. Overall it’s a okay book xx

It might be called One Bad Apple, but it certainly isn't one. I adored this book. absolutely. It's full of fun, yet solid, characters, leads you down plenty of blind alleys, and has just the right amount of humour to entertain you all the way.

Anyone familiar with playground politics or school gate gossip., will find this instantly relatable.

This sounded like a cross between Agatha Christie and Janice Hallett with a touch of real housewives thrown in I couldn't wait to take a bite sadly I was left with a bad taste. This just didn't work for me, I found in the most the characters were all very stereotypical there is no real attempt at developing them they were very flat, the plot had such promise never really took off, I did like the mixture of group messages and actual chapters but the layout within this didn't work. This was okay a quick read but nothing special it didn't stand out from the crowd or bring anything new to genre. It's a shame as it could have been great in the right authors hands.

This a typical YA mystery, good for fans of Karen McManus and Janice Hallett. Enter the world of private education.. scary enough as it is! Add in a murder, a lot of keeping up with the Jones' and gossip.

This one was very predictable but, a decent quick read that you don't have to think about too much.

This was an ok read, although it felt a little cliched at times regarding class stereotypes. I’m afraid none of the characters were really likeable for me either. I finished it and was pleased to find a twist at the end but not one for me.

A bit of a review of two halves, this.

First the good: the whatsapp mums' chat sections are entertaining and actually bring something to the story - too often I feel like this kind of element (e.g. sections of social media posts about a crime) is a bit gimmicky, but these were really well done. The private school setting had loads of potential, albeit I didn't think it was wholly utilised. The final twists to the plot were not ones I saw coming.

However, as an exploration of privilege it fell flat for me, 'beautiful rich people have problems too you know' being the main takeaway of the story. And I felt it somehow both wasn't in-depth enough, and kind of dragged towards the end - I think because of the lack of depth, I just didn't feel massively invested.

Nevertheless, an entertaining cosy-ish thriller.

An enjoyable school-based whodunit, One Bad Apple follows a group of mums at an affluent English high school who are rocked by the murder of the headmaster. While it doesn't rewrite the rulebook on domestic mysteries, it's a page-turner and a half, and fans of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies will find a lot to enjoy here.

If you like books like pretty little liars you will like this book. Not bringing anything new to the genre but entertaining for what it is.

Wow! This book was brilliant! It really touched on the themes of elitism in private schools, bullying, familial conflict and is the embodiment of why I avoid class whatsapp groups like the plague.

A fast-paced quick read full of scandals and catty remarks, with a slightly predictable but fantastic end that leaves you feeling good. Read in one sitting as I couldn't put it down.

Perfect if you like Thursday Murder Club, Agatha Raisin etc.

A fantastic story about a suffering school, parents whatsapp group and a cheeky murder thrown in! Be prepared for the education and twists of your school life!

Independent boys’ school Aberfal has a reputation for excellence… even if the teaching staff and parents don’t always see eye to eye. Amidst the cricket matches and beautifully baked cakes lies a whodunnit of academic proportions. The headmaster is murdered in his study in what appears to be a locked room (study) mystery and the Year Seven school mums WhatsApp group is thriving with accusations and quite far fetched ideas. But does one bad apple make the whole barrel rotten? Read the WhatsApps, listen to the secret conversations and you’ll soon realise that all isn’t as perfect within the school gates and beyond. A really neatly paced drama which I think would work perfectly on screen.