annieb123's Review of Artful Antics at St Bride's (A Gemma Lamb Cozy Mystery)

by Debbie Young

The brand new instalment in Debbie Young's brilliant Gemma Lamb Cozy Mystery series.

When English teacher Gemma Lamb’s school flat is wrecked by storms, maverick headmistress Hairnet insists the girls must fund its repair by setting up their own businesses – the start of a series of hilarious unintended consequences.

Meanwhile Gemma’s worries are compounded by the arrival of bossy new girl Frieda Ehrlich, sponsored by a mysterious local tycoon whose wealth is of dubious origins. Fearful for the school’s reputation, Gemma recruits an old friend to help investigate the tycoon’s credentials, jeopardising her romance with sports teacher Joe Spryke.

What is Frieda hiding? Why is her sponsor living in a derelict manor house? Why is his chauffeur such a crazed driver? And what has become of McPhee, Hairnet’s precious black cat? With a little help from her friends, Gemma is determined to solve these mysteries, restore her flat and save the school.

For anyone who loved St Trinian’s – old or new – or read Malory Towers as a kid. St Bride's is the perfect read for you!

Readers love Debbie Young:

'A cracking example of cozy crime!' Katie Fforde

'A delight from start to finish' Juliette Lawson

'An affectionate glimpse of traditional rural English life… A warm page turner that puts the cosy into cosy mystery. Well worth a read!' T.A. Williams

'I am just love, Love, LOVING this series, and this is another wonderful installment. I devoured it and couldn't get enough of it' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

'This funny, warm, lovely story will keep you entranced and entertained from the first page' ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Artful Antics at St Bride's is the fourth Gemma Lamb cozy mystery by Debbie Young. Released 29th July 2023 by Boldwood Books it's 226 pages (electronic) and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, 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. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU.

This is a fun, sweetly humorous, character driven "school-time" cozy set in a girls' school at an undisclosed fictive locale somewhere in the Cotswolds. All the staff (even the school cat) are harboring secrets. English teacher (and amateur sleuth) Gemma is up to hear ears with stress when her school flat is wrecked in a natural disaster, mysterious benefactors aren't on the up and up, and McPhee (the school cat) has gone missing.

Four stars. The language is clean and there's no questionable content. There's a sweetly nostalgic Enid Blyton vibe. With four books extant in the series (all available on kindle unlimited), it would be a good candidate for a long weekend binge or buddy read. It's nice to find a nice "safe" well written cozy series to enjoy, and this is a humorous, gently written one.

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

Reading updates

27 January, 2024: Started reading

27 January, 2024: Finished reading

27 January, 2024: Reviewed