Book Review: The Cream Tea Killer by Judy Leigh

I’m so excited to be welcoming Judy Leigh back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, The Cream Tea Killer – book three in the Morwenna Mutton Mysteries series. 

Morwenna Mutton should be living the quiet life of a librarian and grandmother in Cornwall’s beautiful Seal Bay – if only dead bodies would stop turning up…

After the excitement of her last investigation, amateur sleuth Morwenna is looking forward to things getting back to normal. When local DJ Irina asks to meet however, desperate to share information she has discovered regarding nefarious goings-on, Morwenna can’t resist.

But Irina never arrives for their drink – instead her body is washed up on the beach, an apparent victim of an accidental drowning. At once keen wild bather Morwenna knows something is amiss as Irina was a strong swimmer who knew the local conditions well. What had Irina uncovered and who would want her dead?

When the local news dubs Irina’s murderer The Cream Tea Killer in honour of Cornwall’s famous delicacy, the clock starts ticking. Now the murderer knows Morwenna is on their trail, no one in her family is safe. She must get to the truth before the killer gets to her…

If you love The Thursday Murder Club, Agatha Christie and Richard Coles then you’ll love The Morwenna Mutton mysteries.

*****

Morwenna Mutton has gained a name for herself as a sleuth in her home town of Seal Bay in Cornwall. It’s not long before her skills of deduction are needed again. When a friend of hers is found dead, Morwenna is in. race against the clock to find The Cream Tea Killer. 

I am a big fan of Judy Leigh and so I got very excited at being invited onto the blog tour for her latest book, The Cream Tea Killer. 

Although I have read some of Judy Leigh’s previous novels, this is my first visit to Seal Bay and my introduction to Morwenna Mutton. 

If, like me, you’re starting with this book and have not read the previous two tales in the series, don’t worry. This can be read as a standalone. Books one and two are being added to my TBR pile though. 

It’s amazing how quickly I fell in love with Morwenna and the people of Seal Bay. There are some really strong, funny, loveable characters. There were also some I didn’t like as much. That’s all I’m saying about that. The author does do a really great job at representing a diverse amount of people and ages. 

I really enjoyed the overall mystery of this book. The tension, suspense and clues continuously build until there’s an end you don’t see coming. This is the type of puzzle solving novel I really like to escape into when we have this really cold weather. 

I don’t know what else I can say without giving everything away. 

I’ll just finish with this… The Ice Cream Killer has plenty of mystery, drama and humour to keep you engrossed from beginning to end. 

I have fast become a fan of this series and look forward to Morwenna’s next adventure. 

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood Books for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Judy Leigh –

Judy Leigh is the USA Today bestselling author of The Old Girls’ Network and Five French Hens and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction.

She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.

Say hello to Judy via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Bookbub. Click here to sign up to her newsletter. 

The Cream Tea Killer is book three in the Morwenna Mutton Mysteries series and was released by Boldwood Books on 4th January 2024. Click to buy on Amazon and Waterstones. 

by

Laura

I'm Laura. I started Novel Kicks back in 2009 as I wanted a place to discuss books and writing - two loves of my life. As someone who has anxiety, these two things give me, and I am sure countless others, a much needed escape.
There is a monthly book club, writing exercises, prompts, reviews, author interviews, competitions and guest posts. I cover many genres and I hope there is something for everyone.
I grew up by the sea in Dorset and currently live in Poole with my husband, Chris and three cats. I love writing and have a BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from Falmouth University. I am writing my first book. If only I could stop pressing delete. Chris has threatened to stop it from working. Haha.
I have always loved creative writing since I was in first school and would very much like to meet my teacher, Miss Sayers, to say thank you for all the encouragement she gave me then.
When not writing, I love reading, cats, Disney, singing (I can't sing but this doesn't stop me,) and falling into a good TV show or film. If I could step into any fictional world, it would be amongst the characters in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
I love reading many genres and discovering new authors.