Review: THE MODEL MURDER, Amanda Hampson

• 
  this edition published by Penguin Books 2026
  
• ISBN 978-1-76135-034-4
• 324 pages  

Synopsis (publisher)

Never underestimate a tea lady.

Sydney, 1968. When a popular local man is murdered, police are quick to pin the blame on his glamorous model fiancée, who has since disappeared. But Hazel suspects a criminal cover-up and rallies the tea ladies to investigate; a quest that brings danger right to her door.

Meanwhile, Merl’s long-buried family secret threatens to unravel her carefully constructed life. When she stumbles on evidence that her detective son-in-law is corrupt, she’s forced to swallow her pride and reunite with the other tea ladies, enlisting their help to expose him.

Betty becomes immersed in a local theatre group where there is more drama offstage than on it, further complicated by her infatuation with the enigmatic leading man.
Irene aspires to a new career as a debt collector but her first case has more frustrations and obstacles than she bargained for, even with the help of a new weapon. 

My Take

Although a cozy, I found the plot had too many strands, and I seemed constantly to be getting the main characters muddled up.

My rating: 4.3 

I've also read

4.4, THE TEA LADIES

4.4, THE CRYPTIC CLUE 

Review: THE CRYPTIC CLUE, Amanda Hampson

• 
   this edition published 2024 by Penguin
• #2 in The Tea Ladies series
  
• ISBN 978-1-76136-102-1
• 323 pages

Synopsis (publisher)

Look who’s back in hot water! The delightful and witty second novel in The Tea Ladies mystery series. Ideal for fans of Richard Osman and Bonnie Garmus.

In ZigZag Lane, in the heart of Sydney’s rag-trade district, tea ladies Hazel, Betty and Irene find themselves in hot water. Having already solved a murder, kidnapping and arson case, and outwitting an arch criminal, they have proved themselves a useful resource and earned the respect of a local police officer. Now he needs their help to solve a plot that threatens security.

As if that’s not enough, Irene gets a coded message directing her to the spoils of a bank robbery, which sends the tea ladies on a treasure hunt with an unexpected outcome.

There’s also trouble brewing within the walls of Empire Fashionwear, where an interloper threatens not just Hazel’s job but the very role of tea lady. It’s up to Hazel to convince her friends to abandon their trolleys and take action to save their livelihoods – before it’s too late. 

My Take

Sydney 1966. The building of the Sydney Opera House has begun and local feeling is running high about what many feel will be a white elephant. Pounds, shillings and pence are a thing of the past, and many are confused about the swap to decimal currency. 

Things are changing on the tea lady front too, A new fangled thing known as a Cafe Bar has appeared and is threatening their jobs.

While for me this was a bit of a slow read, I enjoyed the interplay between the main characters, the hint of romance in Hazel's life, and the historical setting with it's several themes.

My rating: 4.4

I've also read

4.4, THE TEA LADIES

Review: THE TEA LADIES, Amanda Hampson

• 
  this edition made available by my local library
  
• ISBN 9-78176-04385
• 368 pages
• Penguin Random House 2023   
  

Synopsis (publisher) 

A wickedly witty cosy crime novel set in Sydney in the swinging sixties, ideal for fans of Richard Osman and Bonnie Garmus.

They keep everyone's secrets, until there's a murder...

Sydney, 1965: After a chance encounter with a stranger, tea ladies Hazel, Betty and Irene become accidental sleuths, stumbling into a world of ruthless crooks and racketeers in search of a young woman believed to be in danger.

In the meantime, Hazel’s job at Empire Fashionwear is in jeopardy. The firm has turned out the same frocks and blouses for the past twenty years and when the mini-skirt bursts onto the scene, it rocks the rag trade to its foundations. War breaks out between departments and it falls to Hazel, the quiet diplomat, to broker peace and save the firm.

When there is a murder in the building, the tea ladies draw on their wider network and put themselves in danger as they piece together clues that connect the murder to a nearby arson and a kidnapping. But if there’s one thing tea ladies can handle, it’s hot water.

My Take

Angela Hampson is obviously an accomplished writer but this is my first outing with her. It takes us back into the 1960s in Sydney with a bunch of observant tea ladies who become accidental detectives. 

The glue who holds together a group of tea ladies who work in adjacent buildings is Hazel Bates. Hazel also provides an observant link between all levels of workers and management in Empire Fashionwear. It is Hazel who first notices "the woman at the window" in the bond store next door. It is Hazel who reports her observations to the police and raises the alarm when the bond store is torched.

Hazel is the ring leader of a group of tea ladies who work for neighbouring firms, and organises meetings where they compare notes on their observations.

There are lovely character sketches of each of the tea ladies, and touches of humour too. A satisfying read. I can see myself looking for more by this author..

My rating: 4.4

About the author

Amanda Hampson grew up in rural New Zealand. She has lived in London and Sydney, and now lives in Melbourne. Writing professionally for more than 20 years, she is the author of The Olive Sisters, Two for the Road, The French Perfumer, The Yellow Villa, Sixty Summers, Lovebirds, and the bestselling cosy crime novel The Tea Ladies. Her forthcoming novel is The Cryptic Clue.