A Pen Dipped in Poison

A Pen Dipped in Poison is the second cozy mystery featuring a trio of retired primary school teachers by J.M. Hall. Due out 30th March 2023 from HarperCollins on their Avon, UK imprint, it's 378 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. 

There's an anonymous poison pen loose at St. Barnabus primary school and they've targeted everyone from the headmistress on down. Soon (despite the protestations of their spouses), retired teacher trio Pat, Liz, and Thelma are drawn into the case to get to the bottom of the nasty anonymous letters as well as potential skullduggery on the part of Lodestone, which has acquired St. Barnabus amongst other holdings.

I reviewed the first book in the series, and this one is a well written and solidly entertaining follow-up. The protagonists are believable and appealing. The writing is smoother than the debut book, and I found the mystery well wrought and satisfying. The author has found his stride and I look forward to more featuring these protagonists. 

Four stars. This would be a good choice for fans of Osman's excellent Thursday Murder club books, as well as Laurien Berenson's new Peg & Rose series. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.