‘Retired schoolteachers and amateur sleuths Liz, Pat and Thelma
are giving up their coffee morning for a brand-new mystery.‘
– A Clock Stopped Dead
[ About A Clock Stopped Dead ]
Retired teachers Pat, Liz and Thelma are happiest whiling away their hours over coffee, cake and chat at the Thirsk Garden Centre café.
But when their good friend tells them about an unsettling experience she had in a sinister-feeling charity shop, they simply can’t resist investigating…
Because the entire shop has vanished into thin air.
Before long, our trio of unlikely sleuths find themselves embroiled in a race against the clock to get to the bottom of this mystery – but who has a secret to hide and how far will they go to keep it concealed?
Only time will tell…
[ My Review ]
A Clock Stopped Dead by J.M. Hall published 11th April 2024 with Avon Books. It is the third book in this series that has been described as ‘addictive and page-turning…cosy mysteries featuring three very unlikely sleuths‘ as well being perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders.
There is a market now for cosy crime. It’s more fashionable than ever and J.M. Hall has embraced this genre with a cast of warm characters that remind us all of the importance of friendship and the power of empathy. I hadn’t read the previous two books in this series but it made no difference to my experience and I suspect the same applies to Books 1 & 2 respectively.
Three retired teachers, Pat, Liz and Thelma, are central to this series. Each is married with their own personal story to tell. Their regular meet ups at Thirsk Garden Centre café have become an important part of their lives. Over a cuppa and a slice of cake, Pat, Liz and Thelma discuss their community and the problems of the world but every so often the updates get a little juicier leading the trio down some mysterious and dodgy paths.
Another ex-colleague, with a known fertile imagination, comes to them spooked after encountering a charity shop that disappeared. The friends are initially sceptical but, driven by their curiosity they soon find themselves delving into a most unexplained mystery. With a suspiciously dead body and a known nasty individual somehow involved, the trio soon find themselves tied up in a startling situation as things get a little more tricky than they had bargained for.
There are times when you need to pick up a book that doesn’t expect anything from you as a reader. There is no intricate plotline, nothing too dark and you do not have to focus completely on the page in front of you. You can put it down and pick it up again at your ease and can slot back into the story seamlessly. A Clock Stopped Dead is one of these books and in saying that, I mean it as a compliment. Our heads are full of the chaos and darkness in our world today and sometimes it’s nice to just wrap ourselves up in a soft blanket, grab a cuppa and slip into another place that demands little of us.
A Clock Stopped Dead is a charming whodunit, a gentle mystery, with three delightful protagonists. The perfect seasonal read.
[ Bio ]
J.M. Hall is an author, playwright and deputy head of a primary school. His plays have been produced in theatres across the UK as well as for radio, the most recent being Trust, starring Julie Hesmondhalgh on BBC Radio 4.
