annieb123's Review of A Cornish Seaside Murder (A Nosey Parker Cozy Mystery, #6)

by Fiona Leitch

‘As twisty-turny as a Cornish lane in high summer’

J.M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder

‘A sparklingly delicious confection to satisfy the mystery reader’s appetite’

Helena Dixon, bestselling author of the Miss Underhay Mysteries

A Siren’s call… to murder

Former Met police officer Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker is working a trial period as an auxiliary Detective Sergeant with the Penstowan police force. But living and working alongside DCI Nathan Withers – while still trying to grow her catering company – brings its own challenges, especially when Jodie’s attention is quickly taken up by the suspicious drowning of a local fisherman.

While tourists and locals alike are falling under the spell of the annual mermaid festival with its captivating legends of Sirens luring fishermen to their deaths, Jodie and Nathan fear they may have found themselves in the middle of a very real – and very dangerous – turf war. As the casualties start to stack up, they must face the likelihood that something sinister has been going on under their noses for some time…

Readers love A Cornish Seaside Murder:

‘An absolute gem… Leitch’s characters are as engaging and clever as the mystery she’s concocted’ Lauren Forry, author of The Launch Party

‘Fiona Leitch is on fine form with this wry, twisty tale from the Cornish coast’ M.H. Eccleston, author of The Trust

‘This was a great cosy crime that kept me turning the pages. I can’t wait to see what Jodie and friends get up to next!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Love the characters and the plots. Such an easy cosy read.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Fiona is a great writer. No cheese, realistic dialogue, and great character development.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Another brilliant Cornwall visit.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Law-enforcement, verbal-humor, situational-humor, Cornwall, cozy-mystery, series, foodie, punny, relationships, relatives, murder, murder-investigation, small-business, small-town, caterer, family…’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

A Cornish Seaside Murder is the sixth Nosey Parker mystery by Fiona Leitch. Released 8th June 2023 by Harper Collins on their One More Chapter imprint, it's 270 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is such a fun continuation to a humorous and quick-to-read cozy series. I never once found my interest wandering and the action moves along at a good clip.It's a village cozy and replete with the warm and slightly wonky eccentricities of village life and the inhabitants to be found there. The spelling and vernacular are UK English (flat, tyre, boot, torch) but won't pose any problems in context for readers from North America.

A bizarre murder at the start of a village fete/festival with potential superstitious overtones drags Jodie ("Nosey") Parker into the middle of investigating smuggling and the criminal underworld, such as it is, in their sleepy Cornish village. She's also caught up in trying to juggle her family and her catering business commitments with not-always-ideal results.

Four stars. The mystery is self contained in this volume so it works well enough as a standalone read, but the generally high quality of the series as a whole would also make for a good binge/buddy read. Fans of J. M. Hall, and Peter Boland will find this one a delight.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

17 October, 2023: Started reading

17 October, 2023: Finished reading

17 October, 2023: Reviewed