There’s an underlying theme of change that ties in neatly with the ‘under new management’, as the retired ladies struggle to accept difference in the education environment since they were working there and also struggle with changes in their home lives – each of Thelma, Liz and Pat having some version of marital problems going on in the background of their reluctant investigation. Sitting in the conservatory with her after-lunch cup of tea she tried to rake her thoughts in the same way as she'd planned to rake leaves, but whenever she gathered ideas from one thought, along came a gust of another idea, scattering them again. If you’re looking for cozy mystery books then definitely pick up this series, you won’t be disappointed. The author has found his writing style and I hope we will have more books with these wonderful characters.

Extremely well-drawn characters… the plot is carefully assembled… the writing is so good… I loved this story! The plot, the characters, the community he’s created is so 3-dimensional and real that I find myself utterly immersed in the story he creates.Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, author of A Murder of Crows --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. However, there are enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages and the three protagonists are likeable, so all in all an, it’s an enjoyable read.

Hall’s own knowledge of and experiences as a deputy head in a primary school seamlessly emanated throughout and this really added another level to this book. And the theme of the poisoned pen letters and the reasons behind them just didn't quite work for me. It had a lot to say about educational system, where nowadays it is way more about the business side of things and money and not about children. His plays have been produced in theatres across the UK as well as for radio, the most recent being Trust, starring Julie Hesmondhalgh on BBC Radio 4.I won’t talk too much about the plot other than to say it resolves (as the title indicates) around poison pen letters, and that delving into the who,what, where, why and when allows Hall to show us all over again why retired primary school teachers are really superheroes! I understand that the author was a teacher and therefore there's a connection to the UK school system, but it was so in depth that it was boring. A gently quirky cosy mystery with plenty of twists and turns, and an intriguing cast of characters ? This book is set in a town in Yorkshire with three retired primary school teachers Liz, Pat and Thelma as the main characters. The book is let down by common sense, (it was inconceivable that various bodies and the police were not notified).