Disappointing mystery - the police seemed incredibly dull-witted! Jenny Starling appears to be modeled on Miss Marple in her inability to communicate with the police (without Miss Marple's excuse of thinking in village parallels); despite the Inspector's direct request that she share her ideas with him, she consistently avoids doing so.

And, a somewhat petty point: I was very unhappy about the way the author used plural pronouns referring to an individual (such as 'the killer reached their room'). I realize that she was trying to conceal the sex of the killer but it was bad writing. As was the repeated references to Jenny's figure! ( )

Slow moving but interesting plot. Too much unnecessary dialogue. ( )

Jenny Starling has a new summer job, as cook at St. Bede's College, Oxford, to cater for the various conferences being held there. It is not long before she discovers a body. Thankfully the local police officers - D.I. Trevor Golder and D.S. Peter Trent - are happy for any help she can give.
Another enjoyable well-written cozy mystery with likeable characters.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher. ( )

Jenny Starling has a three month assignment in her job as a traveling cook. She is delighted. She has a prestigious job at a prestigious university and she will be soon serving several taxidermists who are there at a convention. While Jenny is thinking up a choice menu, an unnamed person is plotting murder.

When taxidermy president Maurice Raines is found murdered, Jenny quickly slips into her effective role as an amateur sleuth. With all of the conventioneers having strong alibis, both Jenny and the police definitely have their work cut out for them.

As it is, Jenny is dividing her time between cooking and sleuthing, but this time she also has a romantic interest. In this series to-date, Jenny’s focus has never been directed towards romance. It was a delight to see something blooming in that direction. I am not sure what is next for this series, but I certainly look forward to seeing more of Jenny in the future.

Many thanks to Joffe Books, Books n All Promotions and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Formerly published as Deadly Stuff under Faith Martin’s pen name Joyce Cato. ( )

Thanks to Joffre Books and Netgalley for a review copy of this eBook. The views expressed are my own.
This is a slick whodunit murder mystery with a standout amateur detective, Jenny Starlight who is also a professional cook. It is set at an Oxford University college during summer recess when the college does a steady business hosting conferences. Jenny is hired to do the catering for the summer conferences, and later it develops she has some sleuthing talent.
The first conference is a group of taxidermists, the Greater Ribble Valley & Jessop Taxidermy Society. It is run by Maurice Raines who early on is found dead by Jenny in a deserted conference hall, stabbed in the throat. The police are called in and find there's several potential murderers. Maurice was not well regarded and had a penchant for chasing women while away from his wealthy wife. She and her boyfriend are targets of the police investigation. Jenny's reputation as an amateur detective is soon discovered and Detective Inspector Trevor Golder reluctantly decides he cannot ignore her talents. It's a complicated investigation, with numerous red herrings to occupy Inspector Golder and his sergeant, but with perseverance and Jenny's assistance the killer is identified.
Jenny is the star of the show, a witty and assured person, who skillfully manages to help the police without provoking their ire for interfering in their work. The police characters are benign, readers don't get to know about their personal lives at all; the story is not about them unlike some police procedural novels. However, they are competent and pleasant officers. Readers learn a little about each of the suspects, but their backgrounds do not dominant the story. The portrayal of the college's bureaucrats is hilarious, and an accurate.sendup of organizational management. It's essentially a story about the crime and the search for the killer, without a lot of drama, social or political commentary. Norman the chameleon is a good touch of whimsy too. It's the fifth of a series, but can easily be read as a standalone. RECOMMENDED: It's a smoothly written whodunit mystery story that is easy to read and enjoy. ( )