Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Aunt Bessie believes that Moirrey Teare is just about the most disagreeable woman she's ever had the misfortune to meet.

Elizabeth Cubbon, (Aunt Bessie to nearly everyone), is somewhere past sixty, and old enough to ignore the rude woman that does her best to ruin the first session of the beginning Manx language class they are both taking. Moirrey's sudden death is harder to ignore.

Aunt Bessie believes that Moirrey's death was the result of the heart condition that Moirrey always complained about.

The police investigation, however, suggests that someone switched some of the dead woman's essential medications for something far more deadly.

Aunt Bessie believes that she and her friends can find the killer.

But with Doona suspended from work and spending all of her time with the dead woman's long-lost brother, Hugh caught up in a brand new romance and Inspector Rockwell chasing after a man that might not even exist, Bessie finds herself believing that someone might just get away with murder.

My Review: I didn't care who killed Moirrey, I wanted her dead, and felt as though a wee tiny bit of blind-eye-turning would've improved the story 1000%. I disliked The Twist which wasn't one, and felt completely underwhelmed by The Reveal, which pretty much got telegraphed early on too. A new favorite character gets foregrounded, of course, that's the good bit about cozies, but on the whole I'm glad I've already got 3 & 4 for free or I'd be weighing my options after what I consider to be a lazy piece of plotting marred the many and still fun pleasures of spending Aunt Bessie time.

I will recommend to you that you not read these books while peckish or you'll be the size of a zeppelin before you finish this book. They eat well and often, these characters! ( )

It's a cute story but my goodness, what a lot of padding. Every minute detail of every pot of tea made has been included. Aunt Bessie is the Isle of Man sleuth who does most of the investigation over tea. The plot was very simple and easily guessed from the beginning but in my opinion a mystery author cheats by wrapping up the case with a confession. ( )

Elizabeth Cubbon or Aunt Bessie as she is known is not too upset when Moirrey Teare is found dead, until the death is deemed to be murder. Although many people disliked her what could be the motive.
Fairly easy to work out the murderer. ( )

As this is the second book, I knew what to expect: Aunt Bessie is an elderly lady living on the Isle of Man who resides in a cottage on the beach, bakes delicious treats, reads crime novels, and - as of late - helps the police solve crimes. As she is friends with most of the people in her village, knows everyone and has all the time in the world to visit people and nose around, she is the perfect source of information.
This book feels like a warm blanket and a cup of hot cocoa, and quickly I was swept into Aunt Bessie's world. While I missed the beautiful descriptions of her daily life that were a bit more prominent in the first book, I enjoyed the actual case much more in this one. It was an interesting story.
There are still several chapters where a good editor is missing, but I like this series so much, despite its flaws, that it doesn't bother me too much.
One thing I'd like to see in the future installments is the actual solving of a case. In this book, once again the murderer at one point just turns up and tells Aunt Bessie that it was him, thus saving the police from actually solving the crime. I didn't like this feature in the first book and I hope that it won't happen in each and every story! Although, if it does, I'll still read on because I just love the setting and the atmosphere. ( )

Feel like a bit of light reading? This gentle cozy may be just what you are looking for.

The setting is the Isle of Man, the narrator Aunt Bessie Cubbon. Aunt Bessie has been a refuge for the island's youth for decades, a place where they can go to stay when they have had enough of their parents. And so Bessie has her finger on the pulse of most happenings on the island, and lots of people trust her and owe her favours. She is also part of the island's "skeet" network, a group of friends who are quick to update each by telephone on the latest news and gossip. The local police find her an invaluable source of information and tips.

The author encourages the reader right at the beginning to read these books in order. She explains the origins of the series, which now numbers 7 titles (see Amazon) and the connection of the series to an earlier Romance series. Apparently some of the characters in the Romance series, including Aunt Bessie, have made their way across into the mystery series.The language is British English with some Manx words and terminology interspersed. A glossary is provided in the final pages.

A delightful read. ( )