Suspicious deaths on the Skipton city council don’t sound as though they should have anything at all to do with the Toot Hansell Women’s Institute, and DI Adams would rather like to keep it that way. But when the councillor for Toot Hansell becomes the latest victim, Alice Martin, chair of the W.I. and RAF Wing Commander (ret.), steps straight in to take his place.
Before DI Adams can so much as say lemon drizzle cake the ladies of the Women’s Institute are lurking around farmyards in the company of dragons, farmers are vanishing, the invisible dog’s developed a caffeine dependence, and Alice is already in as deep as she can get. In deep, and facing a killer that seems to know far too much about her. Enough, perhaps, to turn the tables….

IN A NUTSHELL
‘Game Of Scones’ renewed my interest in the Toot Hansell stories. I liked that the story was a bit grittier than the last book. I enjoyed seeing the central cast of characters continue to develop. I’ll be back for more.

The third Beaufort Scales book, ‘Manor Of Life And Death‘(2020) was a bit of a disappointment in comparison to the first two offerings, ‘Baking Bad’ and ‘Yule Be Sorry‘. I thought the plot was too chaotic. There was too much going on and no clear point of focus for viewing them through. There were funny lines, tense moments and surprises, but they didn’t hang together, so I’ve been focusing on the DI Adams series. 

I decided it was time to go back to Toot Hansell and see if things had improved.  Happily, they had. I had a good time.

‘Game Of Scones’ has a decent mystery at its heart. It was also a little grittier than the first three books. It was closer in spirit to the DI Adams books. I like that the Beaufort Scale books are cosy in the sense that you know nothing truly terrible is going to happen, but I need a little more fibre in my reading diet. This time, Alice Martin was the main fibre provider, with DI Adams struggling to keep up. 

I liked that all of the main characters, including the dragons, continue to develop, and their relationships with each other are becoming more complex. I particularly enjoyed seeing Mirriam accidentally becoming the leader of a rescue attempt and surprising herself by being good at it. 

The main thing that keeps me coming back to these books is Kim Watt’s perfectly timed humour. She manages witty dialogue, absurdly comic action, and sharp insights into characters with admirable skill.

I’ve already added the next book, ‘Coming Up Roses‘ to my TBR.