[review] Murder on the Menu by Fiona Leitch

Murder on the Menu is the first book in Fiona Leitch’s Nosey Parker Mysteries, a new cozy mystery series set in the Cornish village of Penstowan.

Title: Murder on the Menu
Author: Fiona Leitch
Series: The Nosey Parker Mysteries #1
First Published: January 15, 2021
Publisher: One More Chapter
Genres: Mystery
Acquired: from the publisher via Netgalley

*** Thank you to One More Chapter, for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. ***

Still spinning from the hustle and bustle of city life, Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is glad to be back in the Cornish village she calls home. Having quit the Met Police in search of something less dangerous, the change of pace means she can finally start her dream catering company and raise her daughter, Daisy, somewhere safer.

But there’s nothing like having your first job back at home to be catering an ex-boyfriend’s wedding to remind you of just how small your village is. And when the bride, Cheryl, vanishes Jodie is drawn into the investigation, realising that life in the countryside might not be as quaint as she remembers…

There are so many things to love in this new cozy mystery series

I’m always both excited and wary when starting a new cozy mystery series. With so many books being released in this genre on a monthly basis, I find I have to be pickier than usual with what I add to be To-Be-Read list. And if it’s the first book in a new series, it better grab my interest enough for me to want to keep tabs on future releases.

Imagine my delight when I read Murder on the Menu – a book that I not only read in one sitting, but a murder mystery that made me chuckle and eagerly look for the publication date of book 2.

So, why does this cozy mystery stand out? For several reasons:

The humour. Yes, this is a murder mystery, but it’s a nice, light-hearted one and absolutely had me laughing out loud at certain points in the story. Honestly, I had been in a bit of a reading slump (this was the first time I even opened a book since the year began) and even though I had only half-heartedly thought I would read for about 30 minutes, I ended up devouring this entire book in one sitting.

The British-ness of it all. I may have just been in the mood for something so obviously British. I’ve been binge-watching Midsomer Murders for the past several months (hey, it takes a while to get through 21 seasons!) and so my mind is definitely stuck in a quaint English village with DCIs and tea and fun British slang. This book just hit all the right spots for me.

The pacing. This book just zips along. The character introductions were seamless and the action moved along quite nicely. I was never bored and things kept happening at such a nice pace that I didn’t really have a pause where I wanted to put the book down and leave it “for another day”.

It’s the characters in Murder on the Menu that makes this a standout for me

All of them, from the main character, Jodie “Nosey” Parker, to her family and friends, are absolutely charming in their own individual ways.

Jodie, who earned the nickname “Nosey” as a kid, is very different from most amateur sleuths found in cozy mysteries. First off, she’s a retired cop who spent almost 20 years in London with the Metropolitan police. She’s divorced from her jerk of an ex-husband, PC Richard Doyle, and after re-training as a caterer, she moves back to her old hometown (village) with her young daughter, Daisy. Jodie’s mom, Shirley is an independent firecracker, while Jodie’s deceased father, Chief Inspector Eddie Parker, is still a legend in the village.

As we get to know a few of the villagers, including Jodie’s old school friends, Tony Penhaligon and Callum Roberts, we see the joys (and pitfalls) of living in a small village – everyone, and I mean, absolutely everyone, knows your business.

The future looks bright

There were two mysteries to solve in this book – a murder and a disappearance (which was considered a potential murder). While I had kind of guessed most of the solution before the reveal rolled around, the book was just so darn entertaining, I found I wasn’t really trying to figure out whodunnit as aggressively as a usually do with mystery books.

And as much as I am generally not a fan of love-triangles, I think that one may be happening between Jodie, Tony and the new DCI Nathan Withers and I am there for it! I’m usually pretty quick to take one side over the the other, but this one is still too early to call. I’m looking forward to watching this romance unfold.

I have to admit that whenever I read the first book in a series, it’s always a 50-50 chance that I’ll be interested enough to look for the second book. But this is definitely one of those times when I can’t wait for the next book in the series (which just happens to be A Brush with Death and comes out on February 12, 2021!)

Read Murder on the Menu for yourself

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