A charming and cheeky murder mystery, perfect for fans of Phryne Fisher, The Thursday Murder Club and The Tea Ladies. A twist PI Edwina 'Ted' Bristol's latest case is proving complicated. Ballerina Giselle Tereiti is the target of a stalker, but she's also the ex-wife of Ted's new flame homicide detective Spike. While the case is a win for Ted's agency, it means she's forced to distance herself from Spike. A turn As Ted goes undercover via the dating apps in pursuit of suspects, the stalker ups the ante with a disturbing break-in at Giselle's home. Meanwhile, talented crafter Cicely Bunting is desperate to locate her husband, Duncan, who disappeared while surfing a year ago. Cicely refuses to believe that he's dead, and she's counting on Ted to find him. A dance with murder … As Ted closes in on the stalking culprit and her relationship with Spike hits rock-bottom, Cicely's case takes a bizarre twist – and then a murder turns everything upside down.
Elizabeth Coleman wrote her first novel when she was seven – that’s if you can call four pages in an old exercise book a novel.
She was a huge Enid Blyton fan and didn’t let the fact that she’d never been out of Australia deter her from writing a story about an English boarding school, full of girls having midnight feasts in the dorm and saying stuff like: ‘I say, we’re off to Cornwall for the hols!’
When her mum and dad gently suggested that she try writing about an Australian school, Elizabeth was appalled. Who cares about an Australian school? Not a midnight feast or a scary but benign matron in sight.
Elizabeth is the author of four published plays, including the smash hits Secret Bridesmaids' Business and It's My Party (And I'll Die If I Want To). Her theatre writing has also appeared in several anthologies. As a screenwriter Elizabeth adapted Secret Bridesmaids' Business into an award-winning ABC telemovie and has written for many of Australia's most popular dramas, including Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Bed of Roses, which she co-created with Jutta Goetze. Losing the Plot is her first novel.
A Dance with Murder (Edwina Bristol PI, #2) by Elizabeth Coleman
Synopsis /
A twist PI Edwina 'Ted' Bristol's latest case is proving complicated. Ballerina, Giselle Tereiti is the target of a stalker, but she's also the ex-wife of Ted's new flame homicide detective Spike. While the case is a win for Ted's agency, it means she's forced to distance herself from Spike.
A turn As Ted goes undercover via the dating apps in pursuit of suspects, the stalker ups the ante with a disturbing break-in at Giselle's home.
Meanwhile, talented crafter Cicely Bunting is desperate to locate her husband, Duncan, who disappeared while surfing a year ago. Cicely refuses to believe that he's dead, and she's counting on Ted to find him.
A dance with murder … As Ted closes in on the stalking culprit and her relationship with Spike hits rock-bottom, Cicely's case takes a bizarre twist – and then a murder turns everything upside down.
My Thoughts /
Small time private investigator, Edwina (Ted) Bristol and her miniature schnauzer sidekick, Miss Marple, are back in A Dance with Murder and ready to solve another case for Edwina Bristol Investigations.
After introducing us to Ted and Miss Marple in A Routine Infidelity, author, Elizabeth Coleman has the crime solving duo of EBI returning, doing what they do best, being kick-arse PIs and solving mysteries.
This instalment sees Giselle Tereiti, a ballerina with the Australian Ballet Company, knocking on the doors of Edwina Bristol Investigations (EBI), desperate for Ted’s help. She's been having problems with an anonymous stalker who has been hacking into her social media accounts and has now started to leave handwritten notes in her letterbox. When Giselle returned to her car one evening after rehearsals and found a lamb's heart on her bonnet with an arrow in it, and a note saying See what you're doing to me? she started to fear for her safety and engaged Ted to locate the stalker.
Not certain who is responsible for the notes and the arrowed pierced heart, Ted will need to go undercover in an effort to draw out this toxic stalker as the contacts seem to be escalating. Making things a little more complicated is the fact that Giselle's ex-husband, police officer, Spike Tereiti is Ted's current romantic interest, and Giselle has sworn her to secrecy.
If you can remember from book #1, Ted is one of nine siblings. She has seven brothers - Kerry, Kym, Leslie, Robin, Mel, Pip and Lee; and one sister, Roberta (Bob). Needless to say, with a family of that size, there's always someone in a crisis.
Teddy often said, aptly, that the collective noun for their clan should be a chaos of Bristols.
In this instalment it's Bob. Her florist business 'Blooming Beautiful' is doing well and she's expanding, renting out the floor space next door. The previous tenant Cicely, whose missing husband is about to be pronounced dead, couldn't keep up with the rent and Bob has taken the place over, and Cicely is about to come into quite a large chunk of money once her husband is formally pronounced dead. However, things take a turn for Cicely when one of Ted's current PI investigations turns up that Cicely's husband Duncan might still be alive.
Book 2 in the Edwina Bristol P.I. series and may there be many more!
Edwina, who calls herself Ted, is hired by a ballerina called Giselle to find out who is stalking her. This causes many problems as the identity of the stalker turns out to be a huge and unexpected issue plus Giselle is Spike's ex-wife. And Spike is the man of Ted's dreams.
This is an excellent follow up from book one. The writing is funny and smart leading to a very entertaining reading experience. Ted's faithful friend, Miss Marple (her dog) is a superb character who saves the day on several occasions. Totally good fun and I am giving it five stars.
Edwina Bristol (Ted) and her miniature schnauzer Miss Marple, ran EBI - Edwina Bristol Investigations - and was currently searching for a stalker. Her client, Giselle Tereiti, was terrified as the stalking had escalated with a break-in and more. Giselle was the ex wife of a detective, Spike, who Ted had been seeing, so she had to step back from their relationship. Meanwhile, a friend of Ted's sister, Cicely Bunting, was grieving and hired Ted to find her husband Duncan, who had gone missing while surfing twelve months prior.
With the two cases running side by side, Ted found herself very busy. But that faded into insignificance when she found a body, viciously murdered. Suddenly she had three cases to solve, and while the local detective, Maven, ordered Ted to stay out of the murder investigation, Ted did what Ted does - alongside Miss Marple of course. Would she solve each of her cases?
A Dance With Murder is #2 in the Edwina Bristol PI series by Aussie author Elizabeth Coleman and it is my first introduction to this author. It was fun and entertaining - especially the inclusion of Miss Marple - and I enjoyed it very much. I'll have to check out #1 now, but reading this one stood easily on its own. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Pantera Press for my ARC to read and review.
A Dance With Murder is the second book in the Edwina Bristol PI series by Australian playwright, screenwriter and author, Elizabeth Coleman. The audio version is narrated by Caroline Lee. The latest case for Edwina Bristol Investigations, discovering who is stalking ballerina Giselle Tereiti, is not exactly progressing satisfactorily: each time Ted Bristol investigates a potential suspect, their alibi holds up.
It’s frustrating because Giselle insisted on a non-disclosure agreement, meaning Ted can’t tell the police or Giselle’s ex-husband, Senior Detective Spike Tereiti, and Ted feels she can’t advance her budding romance with the gorgeous police detective without being completely honest.
Her other major case involves the search for the missing husband of her sister Bob’s grieving friend and ex-retail neighbour, Cicely Bunting. Failed gym owner, Duncan Bunting disappeared while surfing at the notorious Cheviot Beach a year earlier, with only a shredded leg-rope and an Apple watch washed up later. Cicely just wants closure: is Duncan stuck somewhere on a Bass Strait Island? Or did depression over his financial situation drive him to take his own life?
With the assistance of her niece Chuck’s unparalleled IT skills, Ted and Miss Marple, her extremely smart, highly intuitive miniature schnauzer, discover clues to Duncan’s fate, but when it all falls into place a little too easily, Ted begins to second-guess her conclusions, and starts to look deeper. Her imagination certainly offers up some creative scenarios in the case before she finally settles on the obviously correct one.
Ted manages to make a huge faux pas when her concern for Bob’s welfare leads her to organise covert surveillance on Bob’s new beau, Raj Dalal, a betrayal that threatens the most important relationship in her life. It’s her first use of an eager but somewhat inept young surveillance agent, Cody Venables, likely to make further appearances for amusement value.
The playful mutual sledging between Ted and Spike at Swordcraft, the Bristol family’s unisex names, and the interpretation of looks between Ted and Miss Marple all add humour, as do some of Coleman’s descriptive phrases: “Ted’s brain was spinning at ten times the speed of a rotisserie chicken” and “Ted’s synapses exchanged glances” are examples.
In this instalment, Ted manages to solve two murders, boosting EBI’s total to three, goes above and beyond to save the man she’s discovered she loves from a prison sentence, steals an expensive knife, visits a bookmaker, wears a dress more than once, gives an interview, and digs up a body. Some of her evidence-gathering stretches the credibility a bit, but the cliff-hanger ending promises a welcome return of this quirky cast. An addictive, fun cosy crime series. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pantera Press.
A Dance With Murder by Elizabeth Coleman is a coolly entertaining and wonderfully written cosy crime mystery which incorporates interesting and diverse characters. The story is delightfully set in Melbourne, Australia.
Private Investigator Ted Bristol and her sidekick a miniature schnauzer named Miss Marple are adorable characters. I loved the Swordcraft battle games Ted participated in dressed in her Ice Elf outfit. It’s at Swordcraft where she meets a new friend, a homicide detective named Spike.
Ted’s latest case involves ballerina Giselle Tereiti who is being stalked, Ted is working undercover and on a date with the suspect toxic stalker! Giselle is also the ex-wife of her new crush Spike which compromises her professionalism if she takes it further. Ted is also assigned a case where a wife wants to locate a husband that disappeared whilst surfing a year ago.
With family dramas and romance problems thrown in this is such a fun ride. A delightful and clever plot that is definitely a page turner and highly enjoyable.
Bring on the next adventure!
Publication Date 03 January 2023 Publisher Pantera Press
Thank you to Pantera Press for sending me a copy of the book and including me on the book tour.
A Dance With Murder is the second book in the Edwina Bristol PI series by Australian playwright, screenwriter and author, Elizabeth Coleman. The latest case for Edwina Bristol Investigations, discovering who is stalking ballerina Giselle Tereiti, is not exactly progressing satisfactorily: each time Ted Bristol investigates a potential suspect, their alibi holds up.
It’s frustrating because Giselle insisted on a non-disclosure agreement, meaning Ted can’t tell the police or Giselle’s ex-husband, Senior Detective Spike Tereiti, and Ted feels she can’t advance her budding romance with the gorgeous police detective without being completely honest.
Her other major case involves the search for the missing husband of her sister Bob’s grieving friend and ex-retail neighbour, Cicely Bunting. Failed gym owner, Duncan Bunting disappeared while surfing at the notorious Cheviot Beach a year earlier, with only a shredded leg-rope and an Apple watch washed up later. Cicely just wants closure: is Duncan stuck somewhere on a Bass Strait Island? Or did depression over his financial situation drive him to take his own life?
With the assistance of her niece Chuck’s unparalleled IT skills, Ted and Miss Marple, her extremely smart, highly intuitive miniature schnauzer, discover clues to Duncan’s fate, but when it all falls into place a little too easily, Ted begins to second-guess her conclusions, and starts to look deeper. Her imagination certainly offers up some creative scenarios in the case before she finally settles on the obviously correct one.
Ted manages to make a huge faux pas when her concern for Bob’s welfare leads her to organise covert surveillance on Bob’s new beau, Raj Dalal, a betrayal that threatens the most important relationship in her life. It’s her first use of an eager but somewhat inept young surveillance agent, Cody Venables, likely to make further appearances for amusement value.
The playful mutual sledging between Ted and Spike at Swordcraft, the Bristol family’s unisex names, and the interpretation of looks between Ted and Miss Marple all add humour, as do some of Coleman’s descriptive phrases: “Ted’s brain was spinning at ten times the speed of a rotisserie chicken” and “Ted’s synapses exchanged glances” are examples.
In this instalment, Ted manages to solve two murders, boosting EBI’s total to three, goes above and beyond to save the man she’s discovered she loves from a prison sentence, steals an expensive knife, visits a bookmaker, wears a dress more than once, gives an interview, and digs up a body. Some of her evidence-gathering stretches the credibility a bit, but the cliff-hanger ending promises a welcome return of this quirky cast. An addictive, fun cosy crime series. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pantera Press.
Thank you Pantera Press for sending us a copy to read and review. A cosy murder mystery set in Melbourne with an astute and likeable Private Investigator at the forefront has the reader not only sleuthing but laughing. Ted who likes to channel her inner Poirot and her trusty clever canine, Miss Marple are a force to be reckoned with. A series of mysterious events unravel that will keep Ted busy. Firstly a stalker has to be found, he is terrorising her friend Giselle. Meanwhile Ted cannot be distracted too much by her latest crush which happens to be Giselle’s ex, Spike. In addition Ted is curious about the missing husband of Cicely. He disappeared while swimming at the beach and the life insurance payout makes the whole situation seem sus. I am excited for this series as Ted has been a hit in my eyes. I got laughs and some crisp mysteries solved. I enjoyed that all female characters had typical male names and the guys had gender neutral names.
A Dance with Murder is the second Edwina (Ted) Bristol Mystery.
For this instalment we see Ted and her trusty sidekick Miss Marple initially investigating a stalker. The victim is Ted’s new friend (wanting it to me more) Spike’s ex-wife. Not only is that dynamic a messy one but Spike is a detective adding a layer of complexity. There’s an extra case that comes into play as well for Ted and Miss Marple.
With these books there’s a host of side characters as PI Ted is one of eight siblings making for plenty of adventures and family hijinks. Add to that Ted’s innate ability to go off on tangents, act impulsively, and be completely unfiltered and you have a fairly titillating cosy Murder mystery.
It probably doesn’t matter that we never see Ted getting paid for the work she does, so it doesn’t matter how she affords to live in Melbourne and survive, let alone putting Miss Marple into doggy daycare, because we all know that ain’t cheap on a repeat basis. But … details!
Anywho, Ted isn’t quite Kinsey Milhone of Sue Grafton fame, but she’s fun, Australian, an awesome aunt and a bit of a mess - so still quite fantastic nonetheless.
Thanks to Pantera Press for sending me this book and including me on the Bookstagram Blog Tour promotion.
From start to finish, this book had me hooked. The story was gripping and had many unexpected twists. The characters were loveable and the interactions and humour in this made my heart all warm and fuzzy. I didn’t realise this was the second book in the series, but it was so well written that it was the perfect stand alone novel and while referring to the previous book, I didn’t feel I had missed anything crucial to the story (I will be going back and reading the first immediately though). The perfect cosy mystery ❤️
A Dance with Murder is the second book in the Ted Bristol series, an entertaining crime mystery set in Melbourne
I loved reading the continued adventures of Private Investigator Ted and her sidekick - a miniature schnauzer Miss Marple.
A series of investigations keep Ted busy. A stalker has to be found, who is terrorising her friend Giselle, this is complicated by the fact that Ted is also falling for Giselle’s ex, Spike
Ted is also involved in supporting her sister Bob and her growing business and there is an investigation into the disappearance of a previous tenants husband.
There are lot of twists and turns that will keep you turning the pages - and then a murder that turns everything upside down.
Thank you to @panterrapress and @elizabethcolemanauthor for inviting me to join this their book tour.
What a delightfully pleasant gentle waltz with homicide. I love a local setting (Melbourne/Naarm, Australia) - it’s so familiar and makes for a more vivid reading experience. Ted Bristol is a P.I with a handful of jobs on the go - locating a missing Hubbie (presumed drowned at sea), uncovering a progressively more active stalker, ensuring her sisters’ new beau is not a psychopath... Ted’s investigative process is part skill, part intuition, part things fortuitously landing in her lap and part her niece Chucks’ contribution. The pace is gentle; the banter and the characters are infinitely enjoyable. It certainly reads like it could be a screenplay 😉 I will admit to getting my Cicely’s and my Giselle’s muddled at times but that’s on me. It definitely makes me want to go back and read book one ‘A routine infidelity’- I kind of wish I’d started with that just so I had some more background. And also- cliff hanger ending! I need book three now!
Melbourne-based private investigator Edwina (Ted) Bristol is back, still accompanied by her ever- faithful miniature schnauzer Miss Marple. She remains set on her path to success thanks to a strong family network, attendance at her weekly role-playing battles and an inexhaustible internal engine.
She's a busy PI with a couple of jobs on the go. The first finds her attempting to find the identity of a stalker who has been leaving disturbing messages at her clients house. But she has a couple of difficulties to overcome when it comes to the case. First, her client's not really sure who the stalker is and can't really come up with any suspects. Second, Ted's kind of falling for her client's ex-husband, has been for some time but she daren't mention it to either her client or Spike, the object of her growing affection.
Also taking up her time is her sister Bob's expanding florist business. She has just purchased the shop next door and is set to combine the two into one large store. The previous owner, Cicely, had to sell to recoup money lost when her husband, Duncan, disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach. Yes, very Harold Holt of him.
One of the admirable traits that Ted boasts is her confidence in her interpretation of facts she unearths. This can turn out to be both a good and bad thing. So it's inevitable that we're taken through a succession of moments where an important piece of information is discovered and an immediate conclusion is drawn. Sometimes the conclusion is correct, sometimes it's not. We're on a bit of a roller-coaster here.
To add to the turmoil taking place in Ted's life, what with two cases occupying her time and her sister - a woman who has a notoriously poor record in choosing boyfriends - has just begun a new relationship, is the potential romance she may or may not have going with Spike. Whether or not she's about to find love is on an absolute tightrope and comes with a whole raft of further complications that also depend on her sleuthing capabilities.
The fact is, this is an endlessly entertaining detective mystery caper that's spiced with plenty of family interaction, manifesting as confrontations.
One of the cool little idiosyncrasies of the series is the Bristol first names. The female characters all have male nicknames (Ted, Bob, Chuck etc) while the men in the family have gender neutral names (Kerry, Robin, Kym, Leslie, Cal). I like that, it's one of those things that made me pause and think, okay someone's amusing themselves here, aren't they.
A Dance With Murder is a bright and breezy second book in the Ted Bristol series. Yes she has her flaws but she's totally relatable and extremely capable. The uncertain nature of her detecting skills merely adds to the intrigue of her cases and there are plenty of dangerous moments to get the heart racing.
My thanks to Pantera Press via NetGalley for the digital ARC which allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book.
Ted Bristol's current case load is proving difficult. She's in the process of tracking down a stalker (who's target just so happens to be the ex-wife of the guy Ted is sort of dating), and also investigating the disappearance of a surfer from a year ago to help his wife find closure. As Ted gets closer to finding answers for both of her clients, things take a dramatic turn and suddenly she's on the trail of a murderer.
This is the second book in the Edwina Bristol PI series, and although you could read it as a stand alone you will have a much better idea of who is who and character backgrounds if you read the series in order.
Ted is her usual self throughout this book, making some rash calls and landing herself in hot water more than once. Luckily she is also good at her job and manages to get herself back out of the sticky situations she ends up in. I must admit, there was a few times when I had figured out the answer before she did, so I did wonder about her detective skills - luckily we aren't in competition!
One thing that did particularly bug me about this book was that I noticed in the audio that there was a very clear difference in how the narrater accented Spike's voice once his ancestry was revealed. Even though this seems like something small it really irked me.
Plot wise this was just as much fun as the first book. Ted has a lot to juggle, and her trademark snark and humour make a good basis for the book. I'm enjoying this cosy series so will keep an eye out for book 3.
PI Edwina ‘Ted’ Bristol and her canine sidekick, Miss Marple seem to have a rather successful private investigator company. Ted is on the case of a stalker who is following ballerina Giselle. A twist here is that Giselle is the ex-wife of Ted’s new flame, Spike, who is a police officer who previously solved a case with her. Concurrently, Ted’s sister, Bob, is expanding her floristry business into a wider shopfront that was once owned by Cicely. The shop was sold after Cicley’s husband went missing from surfing; Cicley has now has asked Ted to help to find him. So many connections, twists and turns that bring together so many people that Ted is connected to, like potentially dating the enemy in order to exclude stalker suspects seemed very risky, and protecting Ted’s sister from future heartbreak. The good thing about this is that sometimes the instinct is not always correct on face value, and the aftermath becomes a smaller story in itself. The use of Miss Marple is used as Ted’s intuition barking back at her (excuse the pun) is clever to assert Ted’s ‘elementary’ thinking. A lot of physical distance is covered in this mystery, even flying undercover to Tasmania for potential clues and bushwalking to retrace steps and uncover possible evidence. I loved the movement in this book, from running and walking down dark streets, stakeouts in the car to secret binocular glasses!
✍️ Private Investigator Ted Bristol and her canine companion Miss Marple are back on the case with Ballerina Giselle the target of a stalker. Giselle's ex is Ted's current flame which does make it hard to be involved in her case. Also on the case is the search for a missing husband.
"A Routine Infidelity" was one of my favourite books of 2023 so I was excited to join the Tour for the second book in the Ted Bristol Mysteries and to become reacquainted with the Lovely Ted and Miss Marple as well as Bob, Spike and the rest of the cast of wonderful characters. Once again this was another Marvellous Mystery that I couldn't put down. I Adored it. Stunning Storytelling.
I Savoured the Detective Investigation Aspects of the story which was filled with Suspense, Intrigue, Excitement, Humour and Adventure in this perfect cosy mystery that took me all over Melbourne.
The intertwining of characters and the way they were concurrently portrayed with each other in some way was an astute way to go about it as I was in a state of surprise till the end. I loved it.
I absolutely loved this story! A perfect cosy murder mystery. With fantastic characters, perfect settings and a solid mix of humour and mystery
Set in Melbourne, Australia. Ted Bristol is a Private Investigator, solving many crimes with the help of her beautiful miniature schnauzer side kick Miss Marple.
Currently working on a stalker case, hired by Giselle a ballerina who is also unfortunately the ex-wife of Ted’s acquaintance/ crush Spike. As the stalker starts to really invade Giselle’s privacy, Ted must keep her distance from Spike while trying to solve this case.
And, as Ted’s sister Bob start working on expanding her florist shop, the buildings previous tenant, Cicely is heartbroken and holding on hope that her husband, Duncan who went missing at a Portsea beach a year ago, is still alive somewhere and wasn’t lost in the sea. Ted decides to take on this case too, in the hopes of giving Cicely closure.. but what information is she going to find?
A wonderful read that will hook you in really quickly!
Thank you so much to Pantera Press for my copy of A Dance with Murder
A story steeped in Australian ambience, e.g. Melbourne Victoria, and full of enjoyable characters, crimes and misdemeanours. With the feel of a soap opera, it is easy to keep track of the action, just be prepared for a side ramble or two and on the whole you may sometimes want to give the cast a big hug. The thing I respect but couldn't quite get used to (because of my age I guess) is the androgynous/non-binary names like Kip, Bob and Ted. Ironically the Chief Inspector's name is Maven. Anyway, Giselle is being stalked, Cicely has her arts and crafts but her partner is missing and at one stage Ted (PI Edwina) and her dog Miss Marple really spice things up with a scary confrontation involving Stelios the Greek and a boning knife. The overall imagery and product placement in this detective romp is clear but not unpleasant. It’s quite an engaging read although I would not liken it to Phrynne Fisher-style or the grit of Emma Viskic and Caleb Zelic series. Basically I was in it for a quick ride and not disappointed by the outcome.
It was so great to be back with Ted and Miss Marple, this book was brilliant!!
This time, we are on a mission to find a ballerina’s stalker. Not just any ballerina but Ted’s new love interests ex wife! But Ted can’t tell Spike, so awkward! Meanwhile, there’s also a missing person, keeping an eye on Ted’s sister and a few murders!
I love that we don’t just solve one case throughout the book, there are multiple investigations going on, keeping your mind busy, trying to work out who did what.
So many plot twists and so clever, it made it very difficult to put this murder mystery down! Elizabeth really knows how to keep us guessing by not revealing too much. I thought I had worked it out, but no, I was way off!
Another wonderful read that I highly recommend! This can be read as a standalone, but I’d recommend reading A Routine Infidelity as well.
Thank you for having me on this bookstagram tour @panterapress and for sending me a copy to read.
A Dance With Murder by Elizabeth Coleman is a charming cosy mystery featuring PI, Ted Bristol, and her sidekick, Miss Marple – a trusty miniature schnauzer. From the title, cover and mention of a ballerina in the blurb, I expected a stronger dance theme, but that didn’t transpire beyond one character being a dancer. Regardless, I was swept up in Ted’s cases: someone stalking the ballerina, and a missing husband. Ted’s personal life is also complicated. Her current love interest also happens to be the ex of her client, the ballerina. And Ted’s sister, who’s recovering from being catfished, has fallen for a new Romeo. Ted wants to make sure this guy is on the up and up. The interweaving plots form an engaging story that had me rooting for Ted to solve the cases and to find happiness in love.
If you like the Osman novels, you will like this writer too. Coleman’s books are about the people rather than the plot/crimes. There’s private investigator Ted Bishop with her Swordcraft hobby and Miss Marple her dog, her sister Bob who is finding love, Wurundjeri woman Aunty June, Ted’s niece Chuck, and Spike, Ted’s potential love interest. [Why do all the main women characters have men’s names?]
And there is a stalker case to solve and the murder of a police detective.
And I love a novel set in Melbourne.
Osman probably does a lot better at indirectly satirising modern society through throw-away lines and clever little interchanges between characters. This novel is hokey but readable – one to pick up when the news of the day seems too dire and you need to escape.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t amazing, I do feel the cover and title are misleading.
I did like the fact that that the main character was a smart woman who solved cases but she made some very odd choices in this story at times and as much as I love my dog and dog in general, some of the dialogue with Miss Marple was odd.
I did like the fact that it was based in Australia, I love reading Aussie novels.
I am keen to read this the rest of the stories in this series and look forward to seeing if Ted & Miss Marple solve more cases.
Another fabulous adventure with Ted and Miss Marple! There are several mysteries to solve, which makes this more dynamic than other books. Ted is a funny and well-meaning while also being a flawed human. She's so relatable and endearing. I love the setting most of all. Ted is all over Melbourne and it brings the city alive to me. I can't get enough of this series!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
I don’t usually read Australian stories but this one slipped in and I’m glad it did! I loved this take on a cozy mystery, Miss Marple - the smart Schnauzer - was a scene stealer in all the right ways. The mysteries just twisty and gripping enough to make you think and want more. I’m looking forward to ready more of this series 🥰
Add 1/2 a star because I couldn't put it down. Second in the series and will look forward to next installment of Edwina Bristol PI. I actually really enjoyed it, but guessed the end way too long before I wanted to. Lost the suspense. Similar to Richard Osman's series but not as clever or insightful. Can still recommend as a good read.
This book was a spontaneous random read but one I didn’t regret picking up. The story is intriguing and an easy read. The relationship between the main character and her dog is cute if not a bit strange? The book ends with a cliff hanger and I hope a sequel is written.
Not a single moment in this book felt realistic to how a true criminal investigation or a mystery would unfold. I love a book that allows readers to escape from reality - a fantasy, or even a really extravagant mystery plot. But this had no level of intricacy or larger than life feelings - it was just poorly written, poorly researched and not a single character was likeable. Plus all the plot lines were completely unrelated to one another and the plot twists were predictable from the beginning. This was one of the most underwhelming books I’ve read this year. Plus the ending was laughable!
Ballerina Giselle Tereiti is the object of a stalker and she wants Ted to find out, but makes her sign an NDA. However she is Spike’s ex wife and this makes things awkward to Ted. When she confronts the stalker she comes across a murder. And there’s a missing person case as well.