The remote village of Didsbrook is thrown into turmoil after its best-known resident, the former actress turned best-selling novelist Jocelyn Robertshaw, is found dead under mysterious circumstances.
Villagers are appalled to learn that the charismatic Jocelyn died from Hemlock poisoning. Police claim she shot and ate a quail that had ingested hemlock. A theory disputed by all who knew her well. The animal-loving Jocelyn would never kill anything, but due to the lack of forensic evidence, police rule death by misadventure.
Jocelyn’s young protégée, Lucy Fothergill, determined to discover the truth about what happened to her mentor, discovers a hidden stash of Jocelyn’s notebooks, revealing jaw-dropping secrets from Jocelyn’s past. The impression Jocelyn gave the world that she lived a near-perfect life was an Academy Award-winning performance.
Believing the events from Jocelyn’s past may have led to her death forty-eight years later, Lucy begins to piece together the clues that lead to the truth.
The sleepy village of Didsbrook is about to wake up!
Review
Put together a beloved philanthropist, a suspicious death, and a a village full of singular personalities, and what do you get? In this case, a enjoyable romp through a happy little village that has been turned on its head and the winding path to a happy ending.
It hits a lot of the right notes: the police are perfectly infuriating, our heroine is plucky and persistent, and the secrets are bubbling under the surface. While some are more signposted than others, they are more twisted than one would expect and unravel in a most satisfying manner.
As I read, I realised that this does feel more like women's fiction framed by a murder mystery than a true cosy, but if you go in with the right expectations I suspect you will have a good time.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Rachel's Random Resources; all opinions are my own.
Purchase Links
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Secret-Lives-Doyenne-Didsbrook-secrets-ebook/dp/B0F9P9DM57
https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Lives-Doyenne-Didsbrook-secrets-ebook/dp/B0F9P9DM57
Author Bio
Tessa Barrie was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, and despite her parents uprooting her at the age of three and moving her down south, she is proud of her Yorkshire heritage.
Growing up, she recalls her family life being more Little House on the Prairie than The Waltons because her early years were fraught with drama. However, intermingled with all the emotional disruption, she remembers humour squeezing its way through the frayed feelings.
So, incorporating humour in her writing has become very important to her as she believes that, however dark a story gets, there should always be a subtle sprinkling of humour.
In June 2021, Tessa self-published her debut novel, Just Say It, a bittersweet family saga, and her second novel, The Secret Lives of the Doyenne of Didsbrook, a quirky murder mystery, is currently on pre-order and is due for release on 1st July 2025. Her third novel, The Rebuilding of Freya Michaels, will be published in 2026.
Social Media Links
https://www.facebook.com/TessaBarrieAuthor/
https://www.instagram.com/tessa_barrie/?hl=en
https://x.com/TessaBarrie
https://tessabarrie.substack.com
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