Death at the Festival: A twisty amateur sleuth murder mystery

by Hilary Pugh

Accident or Murder?Jonny Cardew expected a restful few days at the Reimagine the Light Festival listening to enlightening discussions and enjoying good wholesome food. But sleeping in a tent is not as restful as he hoped and while his wife attends a session on women film directors, Jonny opts for a quieter event where a right-wing speaker reads from her latest book. Not being particularly right wing himself, Jonny hoped to sit quietly in the back and catch up on some sleep. He hadn’t bargained for an overheated tent, an aggressive heckler, and a speaker who falls off the stage unconscious. A victim of poisoning by deadly mushrooms. The Breakfast Club Detectives embark on a hunt to find out where, when and how Clarissa Mayberry ate her fatal last meal. Initially thought to be an accidental death, suspects are revealed, most with a reason to wish her dead. Can the detectives get to the bottom of this, or will the death remain a mystery?

Genres: Cozy Mystery

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2024

Reviews

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so onto a winner unputdownable read with this book. Brilliant immersive cosy Mystery! The Breakfast Club Detectives are on the case once again. When a speaker at a Light Festival suddenly keels mid speech,the closest to assist apart from a bungling inept organiser is Jonny Cardew who is there with his wife on vacation for a few days . Clarissa Mayberry ate a last fatal meal, the question is when and what was it done her in? Was it purposely self ingested? Did someone want her dead or was it merely a prank gone terribly awry? These questions and more are on the lips of spectators , police and sleuths alike . The constabulary could certainly do with an assist. What could they have missed? Then there’s the heckler who didn’t give a jot when he thought was he a murderer or not. Did she have heart failure being attacked so badly or was it just his luck who knows sadly… This certainly is one case that proves how special the diverse team is. The Breakfast Club with so many skill sets make fast work before the killer/ killers set to strike again. Wonderful writing, relatable fun characters , the descriptions give depth and Hilary Pugh surpasses with the realistically portrayed storytelling prowess she does best. I was forwarded the book and I’m leaving my review voluntarily and in my own thoughts

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔎🍄Mushrooms & murder? Or pure mishap? Good plot with some charming detectives😊

4.5🌟stars
Another engaging addition to the breakfast club detectives of Windsor series, I really appreciated spending more time in this cozy mystery with retired packaging executive Jonny and his wife of forty years. What a nice example of a content couple who support each other's interests but continue with their own individual pursuits. And their activities as a couple put them in the right place at a crucial time more than once!

Just like in previous books in the series, author Hilary Pugh kept me guessing and changing my theories on the death through almost to the end. The teamwork is great, displaying each detective club member's strengths as they divvy up suspects and tasks to uncover the truth of conservative Clarissa's poisoning and sudden death right in front of Jonny after she speaks at a local festival Jonny and his wife are attending.

Easy to read prose, a good plot and an interesting variety of characters made this an entertaining read.

I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

[Leis Phinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series continues to win praise from me for it's characters and storylines. The four very different people are accepting of each other's strengths and weaknesses. Their characters continue to develop with each book, and the peripheral characters are also developing, which I think contributes to maintaining my interest in the series.
This story focuses on a death by poison, apparently accidental. However the sleuths do great job of investigating and discover the truth, that it wasn't an accident. Then they have to figure out the who and the why, without much information or help. The pace felt a little slow to me in the middle of the story, but that might just be because I was frustrated by the lack of solid information, as were the detectives! The revelations start to come together and the ending was exciting and complete.
I had an ARC of this book and this is my honest opinion. I recommend this series for those who enjoy authentic English mysteries, collaborative sleuthing, and Google plotting.

[Robin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonny and Belinda are on holiday at a Festival when, witnessed by Jonny, an author collapses and dies during her presentation. Even though the death is ruled accidental, Jonny is not so sure. When the Breakfast Club Detectives are hired to find out how the woman ingested the poisonous mushrooms, Jonny gets his chance to investigate. I like this series, each member of the Club gets to use their own skills to take part in the investigation, and each section is told from that different characters’ point of view. Kept me guessing until the end, this series keeps getting better!
I received a free copy from the author, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Anne Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonny (one of The Breakfast Club) is at a talk by Clarissa Mayberry. Then she falls off the stage & is gasping for breath. She later dies in hospital, poisoned by death cap mushroom. The police think it’s just bad luck, not murder, but our club thinks differently. They set about finding things out, who might want her dead, etc. It seemed that a lot of people disliked her. People in the village helped with things they’d noticed & in the end, it all becomes very clear. A good read.

[Sandy T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy reading this series with the breakfast detective club gang. They are a diverse group, all likeable with different strengths. The story moves along quickly with each character telling their thought process while analyzing and developing the case. The mystery has a few twists to keep you guessing. This book was entertaining and I look forward to the next one.
I received a free advance copy of this book via the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clarissa Mayberry - wife, mother, author, activist - sounds great, but like many people, the persona hides many other faces, not all of which are good. And one of these has got someone's back up enough to bump her off.

Another intriguing mystery for the breakfast club detectives. I do enjoy reading about them, each one being so different and yet the y work so well together to get to the truth. Great stuff!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pugh has excelled with the storyline in this fourth installment of The Breakfast Club Detectives. Suspects, motives, and opportunities abound in Death at the Festival. Clean, cozy, insightful mystery that I can recommend happily. It's also a fairly fast read, as the story moves quickly and there's not a lot of dialogue 'fluff' included.

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

[Lavender Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A skillfully written story with delightful characters and a cleverly constructed plot. A welcome addition to the wonderful Breakfast Club Detectives series!

A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

[lloyd tewcragg · Rating 5 out of 5]

another very good read

I have enjoyed this series and looking forward to October when the next one come out. I love the characters and the mystery.