Foul Play at Seal Bay is the first book in a shopfront cozy series by Judy Leigh. Released 7th Aug 2023 by Boldwood Books, it's 298 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The second book in the series, Bloodshed on the Boards, is also currently available on KU.
This is a nice, well written cozy set in Cornwall, featuring an eccentric 61 year old amateur sleuth and her friends and family. The untimely death of a local almost entirely unlamented businessman from London has the close knit community aghast, and it soon becomes clear that the local inspector is not up to the task.
The language is entirely clean (there are a few colloquial uses of "bleddy" but nothing worse), there are no graphic descriptions on-page, and the resolution, and denouement are mostly satisfying, if heavily foreshadowed. The writing is competent and the dialogue not clunky or awkward.
There are currently 2 books in the series. It would make a good choice for a short binge or buddy read. Although reviewers have compared it to Osman's Thursday Murder Club, it compares better (and more favorably) to Peter Boland's Charity Shop Mysteries.
Four stars. It would be a good choice for readers who enjoy light amateur sleuth cozies featuring eccentric mature female sleuths. Morwenna is charming and refreshingly intelligent.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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