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A Body In The Green Room: A Thomas and Minty Mystery
Welcome to possibly the prettiest village in Cheshire, and this weekend, home to its beloved literary festival. There will be books, gossip and an alarming quantity of Victoria sponge.
There will also, unfortunately, be a murder.
Thomas McInally has only come to sell a few rare books. He's the sort of man who notices details, and patterns nobody else can see, and once he's noticed them, absolutely cannot let them go.
His best friend Minty has come to perform. A drag queen with a razor-sharp wit and even greater nerve, Minty can read a room, a lie, and a person's entire life story in the time it takes to order a pot of tea.
So when bestselling crime writer Henry Alder is found dead behind a locked door, and the local police — lovely, capable, completely baffled — can't make the pieces fit.
Well, it would be rude not to help.
But Swanlow has been keeping a secret for thirty years. And someone in this charming little village would much prefer it stayed that way.
There will also, unfortunately, be a murder.
Thomas McInally has only come to sell a few rare books. He's the sort of man who notices details, and patterns nobody else can see, and once he's noticed them, absolutely cannot let them go.
His best friend Minty has come to perform. A drag queen with a razor-sharp wit and even greater nerve, Minty can read a room, a lie, and a person's entire life story in the time it takes to order a pot of tea.
So when bestselling crime writer Henry Alder is found dead behind a locked door, and the local police — lovely, capable, completely baffled — can't make the pieces fit.
Well, it would be rude not to help.
But Swanlow has been keeping a secret for thirty years. And someone in this charming little village would much prefer it stayed that way.
296 pages, Paperback
Published August 24, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 9, 2026
This book got me from the first page. It’s a great story. The book leads you, in true Christie style, into the death of a well-known author after he returns to his hometown. It’s great.
But what really drives this book is the relationship between our two heroes, Minty and Thomas. I love Minty and wish she was my best friend.
The descriptions of village life are great. I could almost taste the scones with jam and clotted cream. Yes please.
We have the lovely premise of what this entire village is hiding. And the reader will scream, ‘What about the letter?’ throughout. And the author will tell you about that when he’s good and ready. It’s a great crime romp, with lots of gentle humour and lovely interactions between the characters.
Weston gets right to the heart of rural village life, and it’s a quintessentially British book. A solid, honest, crime novel in the old style with a modern feel. A great read for cold winter nights. And I believe it’s one in a series. I’ll be looking out for the rest.
378 Young Ebenezer Confronts the School Bully by Rose English.
A charming, short, 100-page book told entirely in verse. That’s quite an undertaking to complete what is essentially a 100-page poem for that length of writing. Hat’s off to the author.
We follow the characters and ethos of Charles Dickens’ Scrooge and bring it bang up-to-date. The book has a moral ending and a few twists along the way.
I’m sure everybody’s favourite character is going to be Ruby Heart, and she comes with a beautiful twist of her own. And we have the ongoing theme of the Granddaddy clock Boinging along through the stanzas.
I can’t review this book without mentioning the gorgeous Halloween illustrations on every page. Gorgeous layout and formatting.
A lovely Halloween read for young and old readers alike.
But what really drives this book is the relationship between our two heroes, Minty and Thomas. I love Minty and wish she was my best friend.
The descriptions of village life are great. I could almost taste the scones with jam and clotted cream. Yes please.
We have the lovely premise of what this entire village is hiding. And the reader will scream, ‘What about the letter?’ throughout. And the author will tell you about that when he’s good and ready. It’s a great crime romp, with lots of gentle humour and lovely interactions between the characters.
Weston gets right to the heart of rural village life, and it’s a quintessentially British book. A solid, honest, crime novel in the old style with a modern feel. A great read for cold winter nights. And I believe it’s one in a series. I’ll be looking out for the rest.
378 Young Ebenezer Confronts the School Bully by Rose English.
A charming, short, 100-page book told entirely in verse. That’s quite an undertaking to complete what is essentially a 100-page poem for that length of writing. Hat’s off to the author.
We follow the characters and ethos of Charles Dickens’ Scrooge and bring it bang up-to-date. The book has a moral ending and a few twists along the way.
I’m sure everybody’s favourite character is going to be Ruby Heart, and she comes with a beautiful twist of her own. And we have the ongoing theme of the Granddaddy clock Boinging along through the stanzas.
I can’t review this book without mentioning the gorgeous Halloween illustrations on every page. Gorgeous layout and formatting.
A lovely Halloween read for young and old readers alike.
August 30, 2026
A very enjoyable addition to the cosy mystery genre
As someone who reads a lot of cosy mysteries, I’m always looking for something that gives the familiar village-murder formula a bit of personality, and A Body in the Green Room certainly does that.
The literary festival setting is a great backdrop for a murder mystery, particularly when you have a collection of authors, performers and assorted festival personalities all with their own secrets. There’s a good selection of suspects, plenty of red herrings, and enough twists to keep me changing my mind about who was responsible.
Thomas and Minty are definitely the highlight for me. They make an entertaining amateur-sleuthing team, and the humour between them gives the book plenty of character without completely taking the focus away from the mystery.
I did find a few parts a little slower than I would have liked, and there were moments where I thought the investigation could have moved along a little quicker. That said, the story kept me interested and I was happy to keep turning the pages.
The mystery itself is nicely constructed, and I appreciated that the solution didn't feel completely obvious from the beginning. I didn't quite guess everything correctly, which is always a bonus for me.
Overall, a fun and entertaining cosy mystery with an unusual setting, likeable characters and plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. I'll definitely be interested to see what Thomas and Minty get themselves involved in next.
4 stars from this very well-fed cosy mystery reader.
As someone who reads a lot of cosy mysteries, I’m always looking for something that gives the familiar village-murder formula a bit of personality, and A Body in the Green Room certainly does that.
The literary festival setting is a great backdrop for a murder mystery, particularly when you have a collection of authors, performers and assorted festival personalities all with their own secrets. There’s a good selection of suspects, plenty of red herrings, and enough twists to keep me changing my mind about who was responsible.
Thomas and Minty are definitely the highlight for me. They make an entertaining amateur-sleuthing team, and the humour between them gives the book plenty of character without completely taking the focus away from the mystery.
I did find a few parts a little slower than I would have liked, and there were moments where I thought the investigation could have moved along a little quicker. That said, the story kept me interested and I was happy to keep turning the pages.
The mystery itself is nicely constructed, and I appreciated that the solution didn't feel completely obvious from the beginning. I didn't quite guess everything correctly, which is always a bonus for me.
Overall, a fun and entertaining cosy mystery with an unusual setting, likeable characters and plenty of suspects to keep you guessing. I'll definitely be interested to see what Thomas and Minty get themselves involved in next.
4 stars from this very well-fed cosy mystery reader.
August 30, 2026
I honestly had a great time with this one! Going in, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but *A Body in the Green Room* ended up being such a fun, cosy mystery. The whole literary festival backdrop worked so well—I loved how things shifted so fast from charming village vibes, books, and writers to sudden murder and pretty much everyone looking suspicious. There are a ton of characters to keep up with, lots of secrets floating around, and enough twists and random red herrings to keep you second-guessing yourself. Thomas and Minty make a fantastic duo as well. There’s this lovely thread of humour running through the story, which keeps it from getting too dark, and a few of the characters are just, honestly, hilarious. I thought I’d figured out who the murderer was—twice, maybe even three times—but nope, I was totally off! 😂 If you’re into cosy mysteries filled with quirky folks, a bit of an eccentric village atmosphere, loads of suspects, and plenty of laughs, I’d absolutely suggest giving this one a try. I really enjoyed reading it, and I’m crossing my fingers Thomas and Minty are about to get another case!
September 11, 2026
A delightfully charming, sharp British cozy mystery that pairs classic locked-room intrigue with an unforgettable sleuthing duo. Leo Weston crafts a witty, atmospheric village setting, balancing lighthearted banter between antiquarian bookseller Thomas and the vibrant Minty with a genuinely clever puzzle. The gradual unravelling of long-buried secrets keeps the pacing crisp and the suspects engaging right to the end. It captures the warm essence of traditional whodunits while delivering plenty of fresh, playful charm. A wonderful, satisfying start to the series that mystery lovers will thoroughly enjoy.
September 18, 2026
Engaging and atmospheric cozy mystery
A well written and enjoyable cozy mystery with a vivid atmosphere. The main characters are likeable and the whole whodunnit concept plot well thought-out. Thomas an antiquarian and his partner Minty, a drag queen visit the village of Swanlow, Cheshire, for a literary festival, where a murder had occurred 30 years earlier and another was also committed during the festival, related to the previous death. The duo become involved in the investigation. A few parts felt slightly drawn out, but overall it’s an absorbing read that kept me turning the pages. A satisfying mystery which I’m glad I picked up.
A well written and enjoyable cozy mystery with a vivid atmosphere. The main characters are likeable and the whole whodunnit concept plot well thought-out. Thomas an antiquarian and his partner Minty, a drag queen visit the village of Swanlow, Cheshire, for a literary festival, where a murder had occurred 30 years earlier and another was also committed during the festival, related to the previous death. The duo become involved in the investigation. A few parts felt slightly drawn out, but overall it’s an absorbing read that kept me turning the pages. A satisfying mystery which I’m glad I picked up.
October 9, 2026
This book was a lot of fun and was the perfect cozy mystery to read in October. While I feel like they gave away the whodunit aspect of the book pretty early on, I was still kept guessing about what had actually happened on the night in question. You could tell that the characters Thomas and Minty have had other misadventures together, and I look forward to reading about them in the future.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews