I don’t feel it works particularly well as a standalone book as there are a lot of references to the first book, A Spoonful of Murder, so it helps to have read that book first. If you’re looking for cozy mystery books then definitely pick up this series, you won’t be disappointed. A Spoonful of Murder" introduced us to the unlikely crime-solving trio of retired teachers Liz, Thelma and Pat.

I have to admit, I got a little bit confused at the start of the book between Linda and Liz, Pat and Jan, but I soon got them all straightened out as the story (and characters) developed. This instalment was a little busy with characters for me but the saving grace was the narrator Julie Hesmondhalgh.And the theme of the poisoned pen letters and the reasons behind them just didn't quite work for me. It felt like the characters were stuck in the past and I did find myself getting frustrated with how out of touch they were. But, despite the poison pen letters (a stable of classic mysteries) nothing moves this plot forward.

Also, with so many female characters there were times when I found it difficult to identify which 'she' was the subject of a particular sentence, and struggled to keep track of the storyline. The ingredients for the perfect modern cosy crime: intrigue, characters you care about and a good dollop of humour' Ian Moore, author of Death and Croissants ? But when poison pen letters start landing on the doorsteps of friends and neighbours in their Yorkshire village, old secrets come to light with the potential for deadly consequences. I haven’t actually read the first book (it's on my tbr tho) but I enjoyed this cosy mystery and I loved our three main characters Liz, Pat and Thelma. As one by one, careers are ended, marriages destroyed and no one is beyond suspicion, the three friends decide enough is enough.I loved the first book in this series so naturally I was very excited about the second one, and boy it didn’t disappoint in any way.