Thank you to net galley and the publisher for this arc copy. I feel I missed out on the enjoyment that other people have had when reading this book. I really couldn’t get into the story and a I read the book until the end it felt like a massive slog. Miss Hortense is a ok character but I didn’t warm to her at all. The plot seemed so so complicated but not interesting at all it just lacked for me. Also
I would have liked a little more Miss Hortense herself in this book as she wasn’t in it much. Overall a ok book but not for me xxx

A solid addition to the ongoing cosy crime trend and one which provides a new approach so it doesn't just retread the same old tropes. Hortense is a great character, not automatically likeable but someone whose loyalty can only be admired. The pardner network was the perfect background to uncover intrigue and deception within a close community and it was interesting to see how it could evolve and even spin out of control over decades.

At times I felt there were too many sub plots going on though and I got some of the background characters a bit muddled since there was a lot of reporting back what they'd said or done vs. directly involving them in the action (eg. Hortense's neighbours or her contacts back in Jamaica). However, I thought the threads were brought together nicely in the end with the waterfall of reveals so there was some payoff to the confusion!

Definitely a good read for someone who enjoys reading detective books but maybe too convoluted for people who only dabble in the genre.

I feel I missed out on the enjoyment others have had when reading this. I really couldn’t get into the story and although I persevered until the end it felt like a chore. Miss Hortense is a worthy character but I didn’t warm to her. The plot seemed complicated but not interesting.
Thank you for the ARC

In some ways this novel may fit into the cosy murder category, as hinted by Lenny Henry's endorsement on the front cover, but Cabot Cove this is not, and Miss Hortense has faced up to a great deal more heartache, difficulty and prejudice than Jessica Fletcher would ever have known.
Drawing on the experiences of the Windrush generation and painting, originally, a picture of a tight supportive community, looking out for one another in the face of a society, at best wary, and at worst,badly prejudiced, Mel Pennant has created a redoubtable, and very believeable character in Miss Hortense.
As layer after layer of deception is peeled back and secret after secret is revealed, the sense of community is gradually picked apart, before skillfully being sewn back together, stronger once the " bad apples" have been exposed and, where necessary, expelled.
Jamaican patois is used frequently and I feel that adds to the authentic feel for the characters, as does the deep seated yearning for sun and an escape from the dreich cold days of British weather, even after all the years spent away from Jamaica! One very touching moment in Hortense 's back story refers to the time she packs her bags to return "home" to Jamaica, only to acknowledge with sadness that, for the time being, neither Jamaica nor the UK are her " home" any more. It is perhaps, this realisation, that drives her to look out for, and protect her community as it builds up over the years, for here is where she builds up an undoubted sense of her own home.
Miss Hortense and her friend Blossom are the polar opposites of one another in many ways, but each one has such heart, and Hortense is so very protective of her friend, and indeed so many in her community.
The plot is quite involved and there are many twists and turns and hints of shadows from the past. All very readable and involving, and I am looking forward to a second outing, of what I believe was a five book deal, for Miss Hortense as she unmasks another murderer, all the while spending very useful time in her kitchen cooking up some delicious sounding food for those she watches over.
Thank you to NetGalley and John Baskerville, the publishers for an earc copy of this title.

A murder mystery with a difference. It is firmly based within an imaginary West Indian community and looks at events from many years ago and the ramifications those events have on more recent times. I found it fascinating. It was certainly hard to work out who to trust and who was double dealing in some way. The characters were well drawn, some events were unexpected but it does give a depiction of what life must have been like for those who followed the Windrush Generation. The question remains has it improved?

Uniquely Miss Hortense…
Meet Miss Hortense - retired nurse, cake maker, gardener and… sometime amateur sleuth. She takes pride in her home, in her surroundings, living in a suburb of Birmingham since her emigration from Jamaica back in the 60’s, she is afraid of nothing and of no one. Suddenly, something arrives on the horizon that needs her deft attention… and fast. Miss Hortense is about to solve a mystery that no one saw coming. Nicely penned with a deftly drawn cast of characters populating a pacy plot and with a delightfully delicious protagonist.

Miss Hortense, what an addition you are to the cosy mystery genre! Miss Hortense is a retired nurse, living in Birmingham. She is originally from Jamaica. Miss Hortense is involved with her community in a pardner. I had never heard of this and it was interesting to learn about it. She is removed from the pardner, after an incident and quietly gets on with her life, solving a mystery here and there. Miss Hortense is friends with a lady named Blossom, who I absolutely adored. She is a great character and if there is a second book I hope she features more. There is a lot of characters in this book and sometimes it was hard to keep track of who was who. I liked the use of the Jamaican dialogue. It gave it a more authentic feel. I hope this is just the beginning for Miss Hortense and her friends. I would definitely be diving straight in to the next book.

Thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press, Baskerville for giving me the opportunity to read this fab book.

Miss Hortense is an interesting character to read about. Having emigrated from Jamaica, she has lived her life here in the greyness of the UK, working as a nurse for over thirty years, and helping her community through the pardner. I'd never heard of pardner schemes before the book, so it was interesting to learn about how it worked, and still works, as a way of helping communities build up funds.

There is quite the cast of characters, and it was sometimes difficult to keep track of who was who (especially when they weren't who everyone thought they were...) But I mostly managed to keep up! I liked hypochondriac, talkative Blossom. And the book builds a real sense of the community that Miss Hortense has been living in for so long. You get a sense of each person as you read, and the slang helps build the picture and feel of the community too.

I would have liked perhaps a little more Miss Hortense herself - she is a little like Sherlock in that we see some of the things she does, but we're not privvy to all the thinking and working out she is doing. I had no idea what was going to play out in the book, and it finishes with rather a grand all-in-the-room reveal (a la Christie) where the plot was layered upon layer. If you asked me to explain what had happened, I'm not sure I'd give a very clear account of all of the ins and outs, because it did keep twisting and turning. But I don't think that matters too much! It was enjoyable to read, and I'd very happily come back to see what mystery Miss Hortense solves next.

What a great addition to the amateur sleuth genre. Miss Hortense is a retired nurse, living in Birmingham at the end of the 20th century. Her retirement is far from sedate and despite her upright manners and politeness, she's certainly not to be trifled with. She's a force of nature. Forget girl power, this is older woman power. She's Miss Marple but with a handbag full of back up items in case she needs to disable an attacker.

I absolutely loved Miss Hortense. What a great character I tore through this fantastic book. It's such a novel and fun story. The characters are distinct and singular and the story was fiendishly clever. I really enjoyed the writing style and the slang/patois of the dialogue, along with the multiple cultural references. This felt fresh and new and was a great book. I hope this is a series.. Mel Pennant has written a blinder here .