by Suk Pannu
SYNOPSIS
Mrs. Sidhu – unofficial Aunty to everyone, caterer, and amateur sleuth from Slough – spices up the lives of Berkshire's elite with both her mouth-watering dishes and her sharp detective skills. But when she stirs up trouble among the rich and ruthless, she finds herself an outsider in her own community.
Banished to the kitchen by her boss and sentenced to an endless loop of aubergine bhajis, Mrs. Sidhu seizes the opportunity to whip up a new recipe for success – getting a job as a private chef at an exclusive celebrity rehab retreat. But when a therapist is found dead in the quiet village, Mrs Sidhu’s appetite for mystery is rekindled.
As the plot thickens, it becomes clear that the killer is picking victims through a twisted raffle at the village fete. Is a vengeful spirit returning to exact a horrifying revenge, or is there an impostor among the residents hiding a deadly secret?
REVIEW
Mrs Sidhu spends her days in an endless production line of aubergine bhajis. After losing her husband, and a previous work related disaster, she doesn't have many other options despite the fact that she is sure that she is capable of much more. For that reason, when she receives a strange phone call from an exclusive and very expensive wellness retreat, she jumps at the chance to take a trip over there and find out what was going on. Events quickly spiral and it's not long before somebody turns up dead.
I read a lot of dark thrillers, detective stories and murder mysteries (and I love them!), but I’m also one of those people who believes that there is a place for humour in crime fiction and there is also a place for the cosy crime sub-genre. I only have two requirements - Firstly, just because a story is classed as cosy crime, doesn’t mean that I want the mystery to be boring or really easy to solve. Secondly, I want a really strong protagonist who I can get behind and champion throughout the case or mystery. I’m very happy to say that Mrs Sidhu provided both of these elements.
The main storyline was actually very complex. There were a number of characters who could be seen as potential suspects (and potential future murder victims) and the backstory involving the cult was really interesting. I think I was as excited to find out what had happened as Mrs Sidhu!
I know that this isn’t her first appearance but it’s my first time reading about her so apologies if I’m going over old ground, but Mrs Sidhu herself was such a fantastic character. Stuck in a monotonous and demeaning job with no real prospects, I could really relate to her feeling that she was capable of achieving more. Despite the fact that many of the villagers, her employer and the police believing that she was just a busybody, I felt like what she really wanted was a bit of excitement in her life. Involving herself in the murder investigation gave her the opportunity to see what things might have been like for her if her life had taken a different path. No matter what anyone else thought of her, she was the one bringing in the breakthroughs and results which speaks for itself.
For me it was the characters that were the standout in this book. They were unusual, memorable and incredibly well developed. They really carried the story and allowed it to be funny, surreal, interesting and poignant at different points throughout the investigation.
Thanks to Random Things Tours - @RandomTTours, Suk Pannu @sukpannu and Harper Collins - @fictionpubteam for the opportunity to read and review.
Publisher: Harper Collins Genre: Thriller / Cosy Crime
ISBN: 978-0008562922
Pages: 352pp
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