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Dinner Lady Detectives #8
An Uncommonly Festive Fiasco
Festive joy and goodwill to all abounds, unless you’re arch enemies… ‘At the top of the tree of modern whodunnits' Ian Moore
As Christmas approaches, Margery and her team of dinner ladies are asked to cater for the popular Ittonvale Winter Festival. However, the event is thrown into jeopardy by a wild storm – and a sinister turn of events.
Food vendor Elliot is found unconscious, with a severe head injury, lying among toppled Christmas decorations. There are rumours of an argument with a rival stall owner the previous night. Could foul play be involved?
The police can’t reach the site until the weather changes, so Margery and Clementine are vigilant on the look out for suspicious behaviour. If their instincts are right, it means all attendees are trapped – including a possible attacker.
As the duo get closer to the truth, they uncover a web of jealousy, competition and long held grudges. They must solve the case quickly, and before mayhem turns to murder…
A delightfully cosy Christmas crime novel perfect for reading in front of the fire. For fans of Ian Moore, Fiona Leitch and Richard Coles.
As Christmas approaches, Margery and her team of dinner ladies are asked to cater for the popular Ittonvale Winter Festival. However, the event is thrown into jeopardy by a wild storm – and a sinister turn of events.
Food vendor Elliot is found unconscious, with a severe head injury, lying among toppled Christmas decorations. There are rumours of an argument with a rival stall owner the previous night. Could foul play be involved?
The police can’t reach the site until the weather changes, so Margery and Clementine are vigilant on the look out for suspicious behaviour. If their instincts are right, it means all attendees are trapped – including a possible attacker.
As the duo get closer to the truth, they uncover a web of jealousy, competition and long held grudges. They must solve the case quickly, and before mayhem turns to murder…
A delightfully cosy Christmas crime novel perfect for reading in front of the fire. For fans of Ian Moore, Fiona Leitch and Richard Coles.
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Published August 6, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Margery and the dinner ladies have apparently been solving crimes together long enough that everyone walks onto the page with the confidence of people who know they're among friends. Meanwhile, I was frantically trying to remember who belonged to whom while somebody else wandered in carrying a tray of mince pies and forty years of shared history.
This is entirely on me because I jumped into book eight without reading the earlier books. Could you technically start here? Sure. Did I spend a lot of time feeling like I'd accidentally crashed someone else's family Christmas? Also yes. It became pretty obvious that these characters have built relationships over several books, and I kept wishing I'd met them at the beginning instead of showing up after they'd already collected inside jokes, friendships, and established dynamics.
The premise itself is delightfully chaotic. A winter festival. A massive storm. Everyone trapped together. One food vendor unconscious after what looks like a very bad encounter with Christmas decorations... or maybe something much more sinister. Suddenly nobody can leave, the police can't get in, and Margery and Clementine basically shrug and go, "Well... guess we're detectives again."
I really liked Margery and Clementine together. They have that wonderfully cozy partnership where they've clearly done this enough times that investigating suspicious behavior feels almost as normal as serving lunch. They're the kind of amateur sleuths who don't come across like they're trying to outsmart the police. They just genuinely can't stop themselves from paying attention once something feels off.
The mystery itself kept me curious because everybody seemed to have some kind of grudge simmering under the Christmas cheer. Rival vendors, old resentments, jealousies... this festival had significantly more interpersonal drama than anyone attending for mulled wine probably anticipated. It definitely captured that funny cozy mystery energy where every pleasant-looking person selling homemade jam might secretly have an alibi problem.
Where I struggled was simply keeping everyone straight. About halfway through I realized I was spending more brainpower remembering who people were than trying to solve the mystery. Every time another familiar face appeared, the book seemed to assume I'd greet them like an old friend while I was quietly whispering, "...I'm so sorry, have we met?" I honestly think readers who've been with this series from the beginning are going to have a completely different experience because they'll already have those relationships locked in.
That actually made me a little disappointed, because I could tell there was something genuinely charming underneath my confusion. The dinner ladies feel like the kind of group I'd probably adore if I'd spent seven books getting to know them. Instead, I felt like the new employee on their first day, smiling politely while everyone referenced stories I hadn't been around for.
By the end I wasn't wishing I'd skipped the book. I was wishing I'd started with The Dinner Lady Detectives and worked my way here. That feels like a very different complaint. This didn't make me think the series wasn't for me. It made me think I met it at the wrong point in its life.
So if you've been following Margery and the gang, I suspect this Christmas mystery will feel like catching up with old friends over festive food and another suspiciously inconvenient crime. If you're brand new like I was, I'd honestly recommend starting at book one and letting yourself fall in love with the characters first. I landed at 3 stars, mostly because I spent the whole book wishing I had the history everyone else already seemed to share.
Merry Mayhem Prize: For Proving That No Christmas Festival Is Complete Without Mince Pies, Power Outages, and At Least One Amateur Detective Carrying More Common Sense Than the Entire Guest List
And thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for the ALC. I arrived expecting one cozy Christmas mystery and accidentally wandered into what felt like the eighth annual family reunion... where everyone was lovely, someone had been attacked, and I desperately needed a name tag.
This is entirely on me because I jumped into book eight without reading the earlier books. Could you technically start here? Sure. Did I spend a lot of time feeling like I'd accidentally crashed someone else's family Christmas? Also yes. It became pretty obvious that these characters have built relationships over several books, and I kept wishing I'd met them at the beginning instead of showing up after they'd already collected inside jokes, friendships, and established dynamics.
The premise itself is delightfully chaotic. A winter festival. A massive storm. Everyone trapped together. One food vendor unconscious after what looks like a very bad encounter with Christmas decorations... or maybe something much more sinister. Suddenly nobody can leave, the police can't get in, and Margery and Clementine basically shrug and go, "Well... guess we're detectives again."
I really liked Margery and Clementine together. They have that wonderfully cozy partnership where they've clearly done this enough times that investigating suspicious behavior feels almost as normal as serving lunch. They're the kind of amateur sleuths who don't come across like they're trying to outsmart the police. They just genuinely can't stop themselves from paying attention once something feels off.
The mystery itself kept me curious because everybody seemed to have some kind of grudge simmering under the Christmas cheer. Rival vendors, old resentments, jealousies... this festival had significantly more interpersonal drama than anyone attending for mulled wine probably anticipated. It definitely captured that funny cozy mystery energy where every pleasant-looking person selling homemade jam might secretly have an alibi problem.
Where I struggled was simply keeping everyone straight. About halfway through I realized I was spending more brainpower remembering who people were than trying to solve the mystery. Every time another familiar face appeared, the book seemed to assume I'd greet them like an old friend while I was quietly whispering, "...I'm so sorry, have we met?" I honestly think readers who've been with this series from the beginning are going to have a completely different experience because they'll already have those relationships locked in.
That actually made me a little disappointed, because I could tell there was something genuinely charming underneath my confusion. The dinner ladies feel like the kind of group I'd probably adore if I'd spent seven books getting to know them. Instead, I felt like the new employee on their first day, smiling politely while everyone referenced stories I hadn't been around for.
By the end I wasn't wishing I'd skipped the book. I was wishing I'd started with The Dinner Lady Detectives and worked my way here. That feels like a very different complaint. This didn't make me think the series wasn't for me. It made me think I met it at the wrong point in its life.
So if you've been following Margery and the gang, I suspect this Christmas mystery will feel like catching up with old friends over festive food and another suspiciously inconvenient crime. If you're brand new like I was, I'd honestly recommend starting at book one and letting yourself fall in love with the characters first. I landed at 3 stars, mostly because I spent the whole book wishing I had the history everyone else already seemed to share.
Merry Mayhem Prize: For Proving That No Christmas Festival Is Complete Without Mince Pies, Power Outages, and At Least One Amateur Detective Carrying More Common Sense Than the Entire Guest List
And thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for the ALC. I arrived expecting one cozy Christmas mystery and accidentally wandered into what felt like the eighth annual family reunion... where everyone was lovely, someone had been attacked, and I desperately needed a name tag.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
5/5 stars: This is Hendy's eighth entry in the Dinner Lady Detectives series which is a 2SLGBTQIA+ British Senior Sleuth Cozy Mystery set in Wales. Following a sixty-something married couple, who work as secondary school dinner ladies (AKA high school cafeteria workers), as they turn sleuths after a winter festival high-profile food vendor is found dead of a severe head injury, lying among toppled Christmas decorations. When it's revealed that the victim argued with a rival stall owner the night before, the couple know they must stay on high alert. Trapped by a winter storm with all the suspects and the police unable to get to them, they'll have to rely on their school colleagues and kitchen crew to help with their investigation. As the two get closer to the truth, they uncover a web of jealousy, competition and long held grudges. They'll have to work fast before the killer's holiday mayhem turns even more deadly.
With plenty of twists and turns, Hendy has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Witty and tons of fun, Hendy's writing and character work are stellar; the main characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable with a secondary cast that are well crafted and uniquely voiced.
• Features a quirky, diverse and just plain lovely cast of characters.
• Holiday theme: takes place during a winter festival.
While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, The Dinner Lady Detectives.
I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Canelo in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.
With plenty of twists and turns, Hendy has masterfully crafted a mystery that deftly balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Witty and tons of fun, Hendy's writing and character work are stellar; the main characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable with a secondary cast that are well crafted and uniquely voiced.
• Features a quirky, diverse and just plain lovely cast of characters.
• Holiday theme: takes place during a winter festival.
While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, The Dinner Lady Detectives.
I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Canelo in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a fun addition to the Dinner Ladies Detectives series. This time, the dinner ladies, led by Margery and Clementine Butcher-Baker, are off-site, catering for the vendors and bands taking part in the Christmas festival at a local community center. Margery, the manager of the dinner ladies group, isn't keen on accepting this gig when offered, but she's talked into it because there's payment involved. It's not long before she wishes she'd gone with her gut and turned it down. It's a cold and rainy weekend and when a tree goes down blocking the road, everyone at the event is stuck there. When the power goes off, things get even worse. While spending a cold and uncomfortable night attempting to sleep on the floor, Margery--no spring chicken--is awakened several times by various noises, including the sounds of an argument. In the morning, Santa's grotto is found to contain a dead body. With the police unable to get through, the dinner ladies are asked to investigate and the story goes on from there.
This isn't quite a festive book, although the cozy aspects of the season are mentioned in the context of what everyone is hoping to get home in time to enjoy. The book could be read as a standalone, but I think it'd be more enjoyable if one has read at least some of the previous books in the series. There are several recurring characters and knowing some of their back stories is helpful, both in terms of understanding who they are and why they behave as they do. There's plenty of humor in the book and I chuckled to myself throughout. The mystery was well done and the ending tied everything up neatly. I do like a cozy Christmas mystery and I enjoyed my time with this one.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital review copy.
This isn't quite a festive book, although the cozy aspects of the season are mentioned in the context of what everyone is hoping to get home in time to enjoy. The book could be read as a standalone, but I think it'd be more enjoyable if one has read at least some of the previous books in the series. There are several recurring characters and knowing some of their back stories is helpful, both in terms of understanding who they are and why they behave as they do. There's plenty of humor in the book and I chuckled to myself throughout. The mystery was well done and the ending tied everything up neatly. I do like a cozy Christmas mystery and I enjoyed my time with this one.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital review copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A quick review as I’m unwell. I have very much enjoyed all the previous books in this series, so I couldn’t wait to read An Uncommonly Festive Fiasco.
This time, the dinner lady detectives are trapped in the town hall by appalling weather, and of course murder occurs!
I so enjoyed reading this book, I love the collection of characters, and how they work together to solve the mystery. There were plenty of amusing moments among the slightly grimmer ones.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the series or likes cosy crime. I recommend reading the whole series from the beginning.
I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.
This time, the dinner lady detectives are trapped in the town hall by appalling weather, and of course murder occurs!
I so enjoyed reading this book, I love the collection of characters, and how they work together to solve the mystery. There were plenty of amusing moments among the slightly grimmer ones.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the series or likes cosy crime. I recommend reading the whole series from the beginning.
I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A quick review as I’m unwell. I have very much enjoyed all the previous books in this series, so I couldn’t wait to read An Uncommonly Festive Fiasco.
This time, the dinner lady detectives are trapped in the town hall by appalling weather, and of course murder occurs!
I so enjoyed reading this book, I love the collection of characters, and how they work together to solve the mystery. There were plenty of amusing moments among the slightly grimmer ones.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the series or likes cosy crime. I recommend reading the whole series from the beginning.
I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.
This time, the dinner lady detectives are trapped in the town hall by appalling weather, and of course murder occurs!
I so enjoyed reading this book, I love the collection of characters, and how they work together to solve the mystery. There were plenty of amusing moments among the slightly grimmer ones.
I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed the series or likes cosy crime. I recommend reading the whole series from the beginning.
I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.
July 10, 2026
Don’t even pick this book up. The first chapter is chaotic with the introduction of fifteen characters. It’s not worth going to chapter two.
August 13, 2026
brilliant
Another brilliant book about the DINNER LADIES & Co I don’t do spoilers just buy and read you want be disappointed
Another brilliant book about the DINNER LADIES & Co I don’t do spoilers just buy and read you want be disappointed
August 16, 2026
I really enjoyed this book but did not suspect the ending of the book
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is the eighth book in a fun cozy mystery series. I love the cast of characters, they are the dinner ladies who cook for the local public school in their small British village. This was not my favorite in the series. I felt the plot was thin and the large cast of ancillary characters confusing. I was still glad to read it and suggest starting with the first book in the series The Dinner Lady Detectives.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews