Tag Archives: novels set in Cornwall

#BookReview ‘The Cornish Campsite Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

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Strictly speaking, the title of The Cornish Campsite Murder by Fiona Leitch should really be ‘Murder at a Cornish Music Festival’. This is a fun, quickly-read murder mystery involving some great named pies, a few ageing rock stars and one dead body on the beach. Fiona Leitch Seventh in the Nosey Parker cosy crime series, Jodie and fiance DCI Nathan Withers have the weekend off. Like all their friends and family, they’re heading to the local music festival where Jodie and Nathan will run a friend’s catering van, Pie Hard. Of course the pies are named after Die Hard characters. First there is Jodie’s discovery that a couple she recently catered a dinner party for are actually old rockers – Caz Harper, bass player with The Burners, was a teenage idol of Jodie’s – and that the band, now called The Burnouts, will be playing at the festival. Except the band members are squabbling amongst themselves. And then the body is found.
Nathan, off duty and cooking pies with Jodie, keeps an eye on the investigation. The victim is the former lead singer of The Burners, Lee Roskill. But did he die in a drunken or drugged fall onto the rocks, or was he attacked. Lee, it turns out, had recently accused his fellow band members and manager of cheating him out of royalties. Was he killed to keep him quiet? Jodie, unable to accept that her heroine Caz is capable of murder, is determined to unearth the truth.
This story is on all levels all about first impressions, prejudices, acceptance and open-mindedness. Assumptions are made about the band members because they are known to take drugs. Jodie isn’t keen on her mum Shirley’s new friend because Jocasta is introducing Shirley to reiki and CBD oil. Paul Dyer, the local drug dealer who wears his signature hoodie with the snake motif, must be selling dodgy pills to teenagers. Teenagers like Daisy, Jodie’s daughter, now fifteen, enjoying her first festival and all the new experiences on offer. Shirley, Daisy and Jocasta all add their suggestions about the murderer and likely motivations.
I read The Cornish Campsite Murder when I was full of flu and feeling sorry for myself, so it’s a testament to Leitch’s writing that it made me chuckle. Read in 24 hours, it is sufficiently twisty and unpredictable without being confusing. Just what I needed. And yes I was suspicious of the guilty party but only on instinct, without evidence. That’s up to Jodie and Nathan to figure out.

Here are my reviews of the first books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER #4NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER #6NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CASTLE MURDER #8NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘A Snapshot of Murder’ by Frances Brody #10KATESHACKLETON
‘Big Sky’ by Kate Atkinson #5JACKSONBRODIE
‘An Expert in Murder’ by Nicloa Upson #1JOSEPHINETEY

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8Km via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Katie Daysh

#BookReview ‘A Cornish Seaside Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

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I charged through A Cornish Seaside Murder by Fiona Leitch, finishing it in two afternoons. After reading some difficult emotional novels, this was like drinking a long glass of water on a hot day. Familiarity helps. This is the sixth in the Nosey Parker cosy mystery series. Fiona LeitchThe story starts and ends during events at Penstowan’s Merrymaid Week celebrating the legend of the Penstowan Siren, the seaside village’s very own mermaid. Part-time caterer Jodie Parker is now an auxiliary detective sergeant reporting to her partner DCI Nathan Withers. When a fisherman is found dead, and the church’s mermaid statue disappears, the police are at a loss to explain what is happening. The mystery is somehow connected with the village’s fishing businesses, the boats are now spending more time taking tourists on sightseeing trips than fishing. As always Jodie either directly knows the people involved, went to school with their sister or knows someone who knows them. Nathan, as the Liverpudlian outsider, is alternately a humorous or serious foil for Jodie’s quick wit. Awkward questions are asked as always by Jodie’s mother Shirley and daughter Daisy, making Jodie stop rushing around and reconsider her assumptions.
The first theory is that one fisherman is invading the territory of another or illegally fishing in protected waters. Then smuggling is considered, for centuries isolated Cornish beaches have been the secret locations for smugglers and wreckers. Or perhaps it is drugs. The plot moves quickly and there are a lot of theories and suspects. Meanwhile Jodie and Nathan are getting more serious, Daisy is growing up and becoming more independent, and Shirley has an admirer.
A quick, light-hearted read, well-written with good character progression from book to book. Jodie is a heart-warming character, straight-talking, sometimes impulsive, who is juggling life as a single mother while holding down two jobs. Perhaps something will have to give?

Here are my reviews of the other books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER #4NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER #7NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CASTLE MURDER #8NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Marlow Murder Club’ by Robert Thorogood #1MARLOWMURDERCLUB
‘Murder in the Belltower’ by Helena Dixon #5MISSUNDERHAY
‘A Death in the Dales’ by Frances Brody #7KATESHACKLETON

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8eF via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Conn Iggulden

#BookReview ‘A Cornish Christmas Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

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Christmas was long gone when I started to read A Cornish Christmas Murder by Fiona Leitch but it didn’t matter. Although this is a murder tale starting three days before Christmas, the festive season is a background theme rather than being key to the story. Fiona LeitchFourth in the Nosey Parker cosy crime series featuring ex-Metropolitan Police caterer Jodie, this is a closed room mystery in a snowbound country hotel high on Bodmin Moor. Jodie, mum Shirley, daughter Daisy and friend Debbie have got a last-minute catering job at Kingseat Abbey, a country mansion being renovated into a hotel. A charitable foundation, run by a millionaire with a notorious bad boy reputation, has hired the hotel as venue for a Christmas party for local children. The party is a success but after the departure of the children, the weather turns nasty. Jodie and friends are snowbound with the hotel’s owner and staff plus the millionaire, his son and charity manager. They are soon joined by people lost in the snow; four Japanese girls whose car is in a ditch, and a mysterious couple who are rather vague about who they are. While Jodie rustles up food for the group, hotel manager Lily – who grew up in Penstowan with Jodie – attempts to find beds for the unexpected guests in the partially-redecorated hotel. Next morning, one of the group is found dead in a locked bedroom.
The police are informed but, because of the snow, are unable to get to the remote hotel. Jodie’s boyfriend DCI Nathan Withers, stuck in Penstowan, reminds her that the murderer is most likely still in the house and urges her not to start investigating. Of course she ignores his advice. While Daisy proves herself to have inherited her grandfather’s sharp eye for clues, Jodie tries to keep all the guests in the house without frightening them. But the hours pass without the police arriving.
This is a great locked room mystery in a house with a sinister history, a hidden priest hole and secret passages, and the brooding silence of the snow-covered moors around them.
Despite there being too many toilet jokes – I don’t remember noticing them in the earlier books –  this is an easy read with enough laughs and unpredictable elements to keep me guessing until near the end. Oh, and there are some tempting Christmas recipes at the end.
The baking theme continues in book five, A Cornish Recipe for Murder, to be reviewed here soon.

Here are my reviews of other books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER #6NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER #7NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CASTLE MURDER #8NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘The Secrets of Gaslight Lane’ by MRC Kasasian #4GOWERDETECTIVE
‘Murder at the Country Club’ by Helena Dixon #9MissUnderhay
‘A Death in Valencia’ by Jason Webster #2MAXCAMARA

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7Yf via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Helena Dixon

#BookReview ‘The Perfect Cornish Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

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After reading a series of dense historical novels, I turned to Fiona Leitch for some Cornish escapism. The Perfect Cornish Murder is third in her Nosey Parker series about Jodie Parker, ex-policewoman in London now caterer, living again in her hometown, Penstowan. Fiona Leitch
When a film crew rolls up, complete with famous soap star and sexy leading man, the whole village lines up to be cast as extras. Jodie, initially reluctant, accompanies mum Shirley and daughter Daisy. If the fictional actors remind you of real ones its because they are ‘of a type,’ not just the soap star but an ageing roué, young high maintenance American star with miniature dog, the handsome romantic lead. But as the story progresses, Jodie discovers the truth behind the actors’ masks.
The love triangle from the previous book continues, with Jodie torn between Cornish best friend Tony and incomer detective chief inspector Nathan. But briefly torn between Tony’s Mr Darcy impression in a wet shirt, and Nathan’s gorgeous smile, Jodie suddenly finds herself spending more time on the film set when the owner of the catering van has an accident. Taking over the cooking gives her opportunities to people watch. But Gino’s mishap is not the first, a series of unexplained accidents are waved away as a curse until one of the star actors dies. Which means Nathan visits the film set every day.
There are plenty of chuckle moments, my favourite is Shirley’s definition of the different types of love according to shoes.
This maturing series does what it says on the tin. The Perfect Cornish Murder is a cosy mystery that combines humour, romance and murder without violence. It’s heartwarming, funny and moreish.

Here are my reviews of other books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER #1NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER #4NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER #6NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER #7NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CASTLE MURDER #8NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘Or The Bull Kills You’ by Jason Webster #1MAXCAMARA
‘The Killing of Polly Carter’ by Robert Thorogood #2DEATHINPARADISE
‘A Snapshot of Murder’ by Frances Brody #10KATESHACKLETON

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7hE via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-  John Boyne

#BookReview ‘The Cornish Wedding Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #crime #cosycrime

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Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker, former Metropolitan Police officer, has moved home to Cornwall with daughter Daisy. When she agrees to do the catering for an ex-boyfriend’s wedding, she doesn’t expect to find herself involved a murder investigation. The Cornish Wedding Murder is first in the Nosey Parker cosy crime series by Fiona Leitch. A while ago I stumbled on the second book in this series and enjoyed it so much I decided to start at the beginning. Fiona LeitchDoes Jodie find murder and mayhem, or does trouble find her? When Tony Penhaligon’s fiancé disappears on the eve of their wedding, and his ex-wife is found dead in the grounds, he is arrested. Jodie, who has taken an instant dislike to the flashy bride-to-be Cheryl, becomes peacemaker as Mel, Tony’s ex, publicly accuses her successor of marrying him for his money. Never one to stand on the sidelines, Jodie steps in to calm the situation.
This is an enjoyable, easy read. Perfect for when you want something to sink into and forget the world outside. Yes, it’s a murder story. But it’s also funny, full of twists, turns and a main character who is impossible not to like. Jodie is the sort of friend everyone wants. Meddling, well-meaning, gung-ho and giggly, she has a sensitive nose for wrongdoing and a clear idea of what’s right and wrong. Aided by an adopted fluffy white dog and loaded down with leftover wedding food that must be eaten, Jodie is determined to uphold the concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty.’
A well-written mystery that introduces the setting and characters of the future books. Jodie is likeable. Flawed, but in a nice way that makes her seem a real person. Ably supported by her Mum and daughter Daisy, everywhere Jodie turns in the village someone remembers her as the daughter of respected and much-missed Chief Inspector Eddie Parker. That’s quite a reputation to live up to. Looking for a peaceful life, a new start with her daughter away from London, she manages to find trouble around every corner. She pursues every clue she finds, instead of telling local detective DCI Withers who despairs [or pretends to] at her interference.
Close to the end, I was still guessing the identity of the murderer. The conclusion of the romantic sub-plot is also unsure. A nice mixture of amateur sleuthing and romance. You’ll finish it wanting to read more.

Here are my reviews of other books in the Nosey Parker series:-
THE CORNISH VILLAGE MURDER #2NOSEYPARKER
THE PERFECT CORNISH MURDER #3NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH CHRISTMAS MURDER #4NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH RECIPE FOR MURDER #5NOSEYPARKER
A CORNISH SEASIDE MURDER #6NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CAMPSITE MURDER #7NOSEYPARKER
THE CORNISH CASTLE MURDER #8NOSEYPARKER

If you like this, try:-
‘Murder at Catmmando Mountain’ by Anna Celeste Burke
‘The Art of the Imperfect’ by Kate Evans #1SCARBOROUGHMYSTERIES
‘Magpie Murders’ by Anthony Horowitz #1SUSANRYELAND

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE CORNISH WEDDING MURDER by Fiona Leitch https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-64h via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Natalie Haynes