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. 

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Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.