The Busybody Book Club

By: Freya Sampson

Narrated by: Daphne Kouma

LibraryReads Pick

They can’t even agree on what to read, so how are they going to solve a murder?

Having recently moved from London to a small Cornish seaside village, Nova Davies started a book club at the local community center, but so far it’s a disaster. The five members disagree on everything, and to make matters worse, a significant sum of money is stolen during one of the meetings, putting the much-loved community center at risk.

Suspicion for the theft falls on book club member Michael, especially when he disappears and a dead body turns up at his house. But the book club has their own theories. Agatha Christie superfan Phyllis is determined to prove Michael’s been framed, while romance reader Arthur believes there’s a mystery woman involved, and teenage sci-fi fan Ash thinks dark forces are at play.

While trying to locate Michael, solve the murder and recover the stolen money, each of them has their own secrets to protect. But despite the danger closing in, they won’t rest until they’ve cracked the case and gotten everyone safe at home with a book, where they belong.

Completely charming

I loved the characters and the way they developed. Nice twisty mystery, too. I hope there is more to come from this author.

Loved the character development

She does such a thorough job developing each character, and the story unfolds with plot twists that keep it entertaining from beginning to end.

It’s just OK

The narrator did a good job, but I found the story very predictable. I see a growing trend of authors targeting books specifically for book clubs. I’ve been in my Book Club for over 10 years and found this storyline to be rather juvenile. If this hadn’t been a Book Club pick, I would not have used a credit.

Warning

This is the only Audible "cozy" I've ever been unable to finish. While it begins as a light, humorous cozy, it suddenly gets very dark, almost deliberately shocking the reader with upsetting descriptions. If I knew how, I would delete it from my library.