I got this softcover from Barnes and Noble, intrigued by the premise - which involves a klutzy detective and the doings at a local Richard III society - and delighted by the title!

Later: Very entertaining book! It's in the "cozy mystery" category, with beleaguered mother Nell Forrest coping with her five daughters, her troublesome mother, her job as writer of a weekly musings-on-life column for the local paper - and with the discovery of a dead body in the burned-out ruins of her mother's garage... The setting is a small Australian town, for an entertaining change of pace; I've read a number of novels set in Australia but this was my first cozy-mystery, and I enjoyed the casual references to kangaroos (where a US mystery might mention a sighting of deer) and the hot-weather-at-Christmas, among other things.

While the plot features many standard cozy-tropes - amateur (and reluctant) sleuth stumbles across body, picks up a piece of evidence against all common sense, takes an interest in the police detective on the case, etc. - I found the writing a notch better than is typical of the genre, and the protagonist's personality entertaining and sympathetic (if sometimes exasperating).

While the tie-in to Richard III was minimal, there was a very entertaining sequence set at a society meeting, in which Nell finds to her shock that her sister - whom she thought rather feckless with regard to a knowledge of history - can romp through the increasingly-tough "Richard III trivia" quiz!

The climax to the story is rather shocking, and while it did strain credibility I appreciated the way the author worked through the painful details - including the post-traumatic elements, something that many such books shrug off.

I want to read more about Nell and her family now!

I'm sending this to BCer J4shaw in Idaho, as part of the US/Canada wishlist-tag game. Enjoy!

*** Released for the 2017 What's in a Name release challenge, for the embedded "Ari" in the title. ***

*** Released for the 2017 D for December release challenge. ***

Received as part of the ● US~Canada Wishlist Tag● ☆ 2017 . This book has been on my Wishlist for a number of years, and I'm very looking forward to reading it.
Thanks GoryDetails!

MY REVIEW: Read 10 February 2018
Oh how much better is my week having read this joy of a book.
Nell Forrest is a lady I'd like to have a wine with.
I found everything about this book refreshing; the plot, humour, and setting of rural country Victoria. The mother/daughter dynamic in this novel boldly breaks the social norm - Yen was truly one of the best things about this book - and I really enjoyed the interaction between these 2 characters.
I'm not normally a cosy mystery fan, as I prefer a little more "grit" but this is certainly a series I will be reading in full.
A true Aussie classic.

Off to Scotland today as part of the Wishlist Tag Game.
Sorry it's rather overdue!

(I always add physical postage stamps to my packages. If you are not a collector yourself, check out the I collect postage stamps because... thread to find them a happy home.)

Thanks for this and the rest of the awesome parcel. You really made my day. :-)

I thought this book was a really interesting combination of cosy mystery and slightly more realistic crime fiction. I thought the characters were great and I liked how the family all jostled against each other, just like real families do.
I hope to find another appreciative reader for this one soon.

And off it goes to the winner of the tea and mystery sweeps. Happy reading!

Many thanks for the book! It's a first-in-the-series, which is always good. And many thanks for the heather tea - I'm very curious to tasting it! Some years ago, a friend gave me Scottish-Heather-seeds, but I never got around to growing them, given the very complicated instructions (even involving fire!)... ;-)
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Nell Forrest will not become a regular on my bookshelf, I'm afraid. She is middle aged and a mother of five but often reacts like a very naive young person, if not plainly stupid. And I'm sick and tired of the 'fact' that women time and again are made to believe, that they only can be attractive or even 'elegible' when they put loads of chemicals in the face. Grow up and get sensible - there are so many more fantastic things to engage in than to worry about (not) getting laid!
Gilt für
ABC Challenge 2024, Buchstabe I
Hazel's Cjhallenge 2024, Punkt 23
efell's Challenge 2024, Punkt 1

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