Hot on the heels of her last solved murder and job, Jenny Starling is now employed at an Oxford college for the summer to cater for the conferences scheduled to take place.
But death follows her here too and the head of the taxidemist society is found murdered. There are plenty of suspects but all with alibis. Who could have killed him? A jealous taxidermy rival? His wife or her lover?
Jenny Starling is a great lead character and I loved her matter of fact attitude in the last book as well as this. She is a fab amatuer slueth in the same vein as Miss Marple but considerably younger!
Once again, and just like Miss Marple, the police are reluctant to ask for help but soon find that they rely on her insights to solve the case.
The book is easy to read, feels comfortably and traditionally English, full of red herrings and interesting characters.
The Oxford Mystery kept me guessing until the end and I look forward to seeing where Jenny ends up next…
THE OXFORD MYSTERY by Faith Martin
Discover a new series of whodunits by million-selling author Faith Martin. These charming mysteries will have you scratching your head to work out who the murderer is.
Meet Jenny Starling: travelling cook and reluctant amateur detective.
Please note this book was first published as “DEADLY STUFF” under Faith Martin’s pen name JOYCE CATO.
Jenny Starling has a summer job cooking at a prestigious Oxford college. But she’s not expecting murder on the menu.
Then womanising taxidermy society president, Maurice Raines, is found with a knife in his neck in the dining hall.
Everyone is in classes at the time of his death. So, frustratingly it seems they all have an alibi.
However there are many suspects, including Maurice’s wife and his lover.
The college and police need Jenny’s help to solve this perplexing case. But can Jenny keep her concentration with a budding romance on the cards?
This is the fifth in a series of enjoyable murder mysteries with a great cast of characters and baffling crimes which will keep you in suspense to the final page.
Perfect for fans of classic whodunits by authors like Agatha Christie, LJ Ross, TE Kinsey, and J.R. Ellis.
JENNY STARLING
In her late twenties, Jenny Starling is an impressive woman. Physically, she stands at 6ft 1inch, and has shoulder-length black hair and blue eyes. Curvaceous and sexy, she’s a modern single woman, living the lifestyle that suits her – that of a travelling cook. Her famous (and now very rich) father, is a ‘celebrity’ cook, divorced from Jenny’s mother.
Jenny drives a disreputable cherry-red van, and is happy travelling the country catering events and cooking great food. She is on a one-woman crusade to bring back ‘real’ food. And definitely doesn’t like having to divert her attention from achieving the perfect Dundee cake or creating a new sauce recipe by having to solve a murder. She finds crime very distracting, especially when there is chocolate to temper or pike to poach.
Nevertheless, she is very good at reading people, and with a quick and agile brain, becomes very good at unmasking killers. And her always-undaunted sense of humour goes a long way in keeping her sane when all around her people are dropping like flies.
THE AUTHOR
FAITH MARTIN is the best-selling author of the DETECTIVE HILLARY GREENE mysteries, which have sold over 1 million copies globally in just over a year.
JENNY STARLING MYSTERIES
Book 1: THE BIRTHDAY MYSTERY
Book 2: THE WINTER MYSTERY
Book 3: THE RIVERBOAT MYSTERY
Book 4: THE CASTLE MYSTERY
Book 5: THE OXFORD MYSTERY
More JENNY STARLING mysteries coming soon. Join the Joffe Books mailing list to be the first to hear about the next in the series.
FAITH MARTIN
Faith Martin was born in Oxford, and has spent all her life within twenty miles of the university city, even working at Somerville College for five years before turning to writing full-time. The author of the popular DI Hillary Greene novels, she also writes more classic-style ‘whodunits’ under the pen name Joyce Cato, but began her writing career as Maxine Barry, winning an award for penning romance novels! A popular writer for over 25 years, she has had nearly 50 novels published so far. Her hobbies include walking her now ageing dog, wildlife-watching, reading and (reluctantly) gardening.
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