A Murder for Miss Hortense - Large Print by Mel Pennant (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In Bigglesweigh, old people are starting to die.

Retired nurse, avid gardener, and renowned cake maker Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet suburb of Birmingham, England, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she's being short-changed on turmeric before she's taken her first bite of a beef patty. Thirty-five years of nursing have also left her afraid of nobody, whether a local drug dealer or an interfering priest, and she's an expert in deciphering other people's secrets with just a glance.

Miss Hortense used to use her skills to benefit the Pardner network--a local group of Black investors that she helped found. That is, until she was unceremoniously ousted from its ranks, severing her ties to the majority of her friends and community. That was thirty years ago. Now, as a new millennium dawns, an unidentified man has been found dead in one of the Pardner member's homes, a bible quote noted down beside his body. Suddenly, Miss Hortense finds her long-buried past rushing back, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life--and secrets behind an unsolved crime that has haunted her for decades.

It is finally time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her, and the community she loves, tested to their limits. The first novel from a bold, brilliant new voice, A Murder for Miss Hortense introduces a fearless sleuth who readers will never forget.

Review Quotes

"If this delightful murder mystery is anything to go by, then the formidable Miss Hortense will be your new favorite literary sleuth! Fresh, original and intriguing from start to finish!"
--Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Examiner and The Appeal

"I really enjoyed this! Funny, clever, and so entertaining. I'm looking forward to the sequel."
--Jessica George, New York Times bestselling author of Maame

"I wouldn't mess with Miss Hortense, but I would trust her with my life. Who else is as good at making a black cake as solving a murder? What a wonderful, original crime novel."
--Louise Hare, author of Miss Aldridge Regrets

"A clever, funny, and suspenseful debut with unforgettable characters that anyone from a Caribbean family will recognize--unique, compulsive, and laugh-out-loud brilliant! Miss Hortense is a brilliant addition to crime fiction."
--Nadine Matheson, author of The Jigsaw Man

"Mel Pennant's debut, A Murder for Miss Hortense, is not only an expertly plotted, page-turning mystery, it's also a vibrant tribute to a particular kind of woman who will not let injustice rest."
--Jessica Bull, author of the Miss Austen Investigates series

"Miss Hortense is sharper than Poirot, tougher than Vera, and a better cook than Columbo! It's Murder She Wrote as you've never seen it before."
--Sir Lenny Henry

About the Author

MEL PENNANT is a playwright, screenwriter and novelist. She graduated in 2014 with an MA in Screenwriting from the London College of Communication. In 2013, she won the Brockley Jack Write Now 4 award with her play, No Rhyme, and was involved with the Tamasha Theatre Company--writing for the Barbican Box. Mel has written audio plays with Tamasha and the National Archives and, in 2018, she was awarded a place on the Hachette X Tamasha scheme for aspiring playwright novelists.