Drop Dead, Gorgeous

Bunburry #5

by Helena Marchmont

Miss Marple meets Oscar Wilde in this new series of cosy mysteries set in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Bunburry. In "Drop Dead, Gorgeous," the fifth Bunburry book, Deb's Beauty Salon becomes the last resting place for merry widow and property magnate Eve Mosby, whose passions include haute couture and a young lover. Plenty of people disliked Mrs Mosby, but enough to kill her? And what really baffles amateur sleuth Alfie McAlister and his friends Liz and Marge is that the body is found in a locked room - how did the murderer get in and out?

Helena Marchmont is a pseudonym of Olga Wojtas, who was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She was encouraged to write by an inspirational English teacher, Iona M. Cameron. Olga won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2015, has had more than 30 short stories published in magazines and anthologies and recently published her first mystery Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Crime, Novella, Fiction, Contemporary

109 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2019

About the author

Helena Marchmont is a pseudonym of Olga Wojtas, who was born and brought up in Edinburgh. She was encouraged to write by an inspirational English teacher, Iona M. Cameron. Olga won a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award in 2015, has had more than 30 short stories published in magazines and anthologies and recently published her first mystery Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar.

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Band 5 der Cosy Crime - Reihe.
Tod im Schönheitssalon. Eine unfreundliche reiche Immobilienmaklerin stirbt bei ihrer Behandlung im Schönheitssalon. Es sieht nach Mord aus, doch wie ist es geschehen? Die Türen waren verschlossen; es war niemand da.
Alfie kommt bei den Nachforschungen nicht nur dem Täter, sondern auch seiner eigenen Vergangenheit und Familiengeschichte auf die Spur.
In diesem Buch empfand ich den Krimianteil fast als ein bisschen nachrangig. Die Weiterentwicklung von Alfie, der immer noch um seine Freundin trauert, die bei einem Unfall vor elf Monaten starb, steht ein bisschen mehr im Vordergrund.
Mich hat das nicht gestört. Ich mag es, wenn ich die Charaktere in Buchreihen so genau kennenlernen darf, dass man irgendwann das Gefühl hat, sie wirklich zu kennen :)

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 ⭐ = Good.
#5 in the series and I think this has been my favourite so far in this cosy Cotswold murder series. Flowed easily.
An easy tale to follow

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a very high tolerance for the Bunburry mysteries, those brief mysteries voiced by Nathaniel Parker, written by Helena Marchmont, and set in a charming village that’s disproportionately beset with murders. The characters are amusing and relatable, even if the denouements tend to the implausible.

But the fifth in the series, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, resolves in such a ridiculous way that I just couldn’t swallow it. I own the sixth one already, which is the only reason I don’t stop right here.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hosenträger tragen Hosen 🤷🏼‍♀️
Blumentöpfe topfen Blumen 🤔
Jammerlappen lappen Jammer 😖

Diese Cozy-Crime Romanreihe würde bessere Bewertungen von mir bekommen, wenn der Protagonist Alfie nicht so ein fürchterlicher Jammerlappen wäre. Nicht nur, dass er seinem Kanon immer noch neue Stophen hinzufügt, nein er wird dabei auch noch von seinem Umfeld tatkräftig unterstützt. Ich könnte so einen Menschen nicht um mich herum ertragen.

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars

I couldn't seem to settle on anything, so I selected this. I knew that it would be short and sweet.

NOTE: My 2 favorite characters Marge and Liz do not feature much at all in this episode.

Audiobook
Nathaniel Parker - Narrator
Duration: 02:50:04

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are delightful short cozies to binge listen.

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back on track. Much better than the last book. But a lot of murders for such a small town. Lol.

[Elise Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bunburry is a fun place to visit.

[Daire Lüüs · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://trekseklugemine.blogspot.com/...

[Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was mir an dem Buch gefallen hat?
Ich mochte es wieder nach Bunburry zu gehen und auch Alfies rumgedruckse, dass er vielleicht doch ganz gerne selbst einen Wellnesstag hätte.
Bei dem Mordfall habe ich einige Zeit gerätselt wer der Mörder sein könnte, weiß aber auch nicht ob mir die Auflösung gefällt, trotzdem mochte ich es so lange im Dunkeln zu tappen.

Was ich nicht an dem Buch mochte?
Es hat sich für mich zu sehr auf den Schönheitssalon konzentriert.

Fazit: Ein netter Bunburry Band, aber leider für mich einer der schwächeren Teile.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Bunburry that I enjoyed. Rather than restate the plot, I'll share some thoughts on the characters. I genuinely like Alfie, the protagonist. He finally opens up and shares his secrets with Liz and Marge who have all but adopted him. But I wish his pining and guilt over Vivian would wrap up soon. I know healing takes time, but it seems like it is playing out a tad too long. Oscar is still around from time to time, and clearly Alfie's confidant. I wish he would actually visit his friend. Emma's thoughts about Alfie are definitely clearer. And Aunt Augusta? We learn a bit more about her that is a definite shift.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of Alfie’s past is revealed and we’re getting to know the village folks in more depth. I love exploring Bunburry and the countryside with Alfie and his new family. A great cozy mystery series if you like murder mysteries but want something on the lighter side this series is a good one to escape with.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely series with fun characters and unique crime scenes. Quick, easy and pleasant to read but nothing life changing about them. Sometimes that’s just what I need though. This book was particularly entertaining.

[Km · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the first of this mystery series within the past year, and when I found there were more "episodes" I thought I'd continue the series. Each is under a 3-hour audiobook listen. Because of the length, each feels like more of a short story than a novel/novelette, although, because core characters continue and relationships develop, listening to all six of them (so far) makes it more like one long story with several mysteries. Each could stand alone, but would be best read in order because of the development of character relationships. I generally do not do any plot synopsis in my reviews, so this review can apply to any of this series.

The mysteries themselves are not that great, so go into these without great expectations on anything mind-challenging. I thought it was very similar to the Cherringham mystery series, which I have also enjoyed. The narrator is fine, but I thought the volume and clarity of sound fluctuated so that it was better for me to listen to these with headphones than with a speaker. That might be because of my own hearing, but I noticed the same thing with the Lübbe Audio recordings of the Cherringham series.

[Tania Rook · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Act 5 swerve in this one took me by surprise. But not in a good way. I must say, now that they've given themselves a name, the Bunburry Triangle need to ease up on the notion that all unusual events in Bunburry in some way relate to an existing mystery trope. Lot of musing about a plot of a Sherlock Holmes (or maybe Hercule Poirot) story in this one.

Also, there's a story i heard about a girl who died of anaphylaxis because a pharmacist wouldn't sell her family an Epipen without a prescription. It brings up the question of how much we owe each other, if not in terms of the strict letter of the law, maybe morally. I think this story explores that quite cleverly.

I also like the way Alfie's character unfolds a little more each story. Now he's being confronted with this dead ex-girlfriend. Guess you can't hide from your past forever, no matter what you do.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deb, the hairdresser, has a new super treatment involving massage and botox. Her first customer is also her landlady and a wealthy widow. The customer informs her she's raising her rent, as well as expecting a 15% discount on her treatment. Deb is afraid she won't be able to continue with the rent increase, but after giving the woman a facial masque she leaves her to relax and eat the snacks she had purchased. She runs into Alfie was walking and they return to the salon together to find the woman dead, appearing to have been attacked.

The conclusion of this case was pretty silly and very hurried. But at last, after Alfie's lived in this town most of a year, some truths about his parents are coming out. I enjoy these silly little stories.

[Gary and Sandra Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book

Bunbury has another murder to solve and Alfie is in the middle of it again. This time we have a perfectly disagreeable victim that nobody seems to mind that she is dead. Who and how seems to be the topic of everyone in the village and the Bunbury Triangle have their theories . Sit back and enjoy the ride to the end, you won't regret it.

[Reading Fury · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I weren't already not a fan of the botox face and trout lips, this novel would do the trick. Was it a beauty treatment simply gone wrong or payback to an awful woman for being an abusive, greedy guts? Liz, Marge, and Alfie are on the case. And there's homemade fudge, petit fours, and cream tea. Loving it!

[Chautona Havig · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are too many to review, thanks to Goodreads' not-working sidebar, so I'm copying and pasting a series review on each one:

Marchmont has created a delightful village, hilarious characters, and interesting mysteries that kept me buying the next to find out what's up in the Cotswolds. An absolute delight.

[Vicki O. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading this series. Cozies like this are a welcome vacation from books like A Woman of No Importance which make me think. Alfie is so clueless that I find myself talking to him and saying, HELLO.

[Rosemary Gillanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice little mystery....

Really enjoyed this one, had me laughing out loud a few times. I enjoy the mystery part as well as the increasing friendship of the main characters. Looking for forward to the next.

[Kaija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lukijana Nathaniel Parker.
Kun en illalla saanut unta, kuuntelin tämän. Ei liian jännittävää kuunneltavaa. Tässä oli pääosassa Debbie, kauneussalongin pitäjä ja pidin siitä, että kylän keskeisiä asukkaita esitellään näin tarkemmin. Alfien menneisyyttä raotettiin taas hiukkasen.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good one, in which we learn more of Archie's past, and perhaps hints of his future. This one was a bit silly...the whole blow-tox thing was a bit much to me, and the salon owner capitalizing on her dog's find. But still, a good story.

[Angela Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

By

Another good mystery

Definitely a very surprise ending.Looking forward to the next book.
So far I have read all 5 in the series

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books, but alas, they are short stories, but so much fun!

[barry wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories but really entertaining reading

[Mrs Lynne Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read. Love this series.

Another great read. Brilliant series. Can't wait for the next one to find out what Oscar finally thinks of Bunbury

[Sheila Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous as ever love these books. Perfect small read.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tragedy strikes Bunburry as secrets are revealed about the past and present. Debbie the local salon owner is in the middle of another mystery. “The Bunburry triangle” is on the case.