Review: BITTER POISON, Margaret Mayhew

• 
  This edition on Kindle (Amazon)
  
• #5 in the Village Mysteries series
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08N6Z98LQ
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joffe Books cozy mysteries and crime (10 November 2020)
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 156 pages

Synopsis (Amazon)

A BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN COZY VILLAGE MYSTERY FROM A BESTSELLING AUTHOR

An absorbing Christmas mystery

The Colonel (few people call him Hugh) is busier than ever this Christmas. The Frog End Players have enlisted his woodwork skills to build a set for their annual Christmas pantomime.

This year, it's Hans Christian Andersen's dark fairytale The Snow Queen. Local busybody Marjorie Cuthbertson is on the hunt for her leading lady — and who better to play the icy queen than beautiful new resident, ex-model Joan Dryden. But as interested as they are in their new neighbours, the residents of Frog End remain wary of the Dryden family, considering them snooty Londoners.

But tragedy strikes at the village party . . .

One moment, one of the guests is enjoying a festive mince pie. The next, they are on the floor, clawing at their throat.

A tragic allergic reaction or did someone mean to kill?

The Colonel must find out if this was just a terrible accident . . . or bitter revenge.

DISCOVER A BEAUTIFULLY DRAWN PICTURE OF ENGLAND WITH A BAFFLING MYSTERY FOR THE COLONEL TO UNRAVEL 

My Take

I've now finished this series although I read the last 2 books out of order.

If you take them on, do read them in order to get the best out of them. They are quick cozies and seem to capture village life as I imagine it to be.

I have enjoyed meeting the people living in the village of Frog End, and reading through the various scenarios. I did get a little tired of the re-capping of the plots that occurred before books 5 and 6.

My rating: 4.3

I've also read

• 4.2, DRY BONES - Village Mysteries #3
  
• 4.4, OLD SOLDIERS NEVER DIE - - Village Mysteries #1 
• 4.4, THREE SILENT THINGS - Village Mysteries #2 
• 4.3, DRY BONES - Village Mysteries #3
• 4.3, THE SEVENTH LINK- Village Mysteries #4
• 4.3, THE LIFELINE - Village Mysteries #6