Another One Bites the Crust

By: H.Y. Hanna

Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

Champagne and ball gowns, fairy lights, and music...

Oxford summer balls are one of the highlights of the calendar and tearoom sleuth Gemma Rose is looking forward to taking a break and slipping into something gorgeous for the evening. But when the night ends with a celebrity chef murdered by his own whisk, Gemma finds herself plunged into a new mystery - and the nosy Old Biddies keen to help with the investigation! 

But trouble is also brewing at her quaint Cotswolds tearoom: Between fighting claims that she’s serving “fake” custard tarts and stopping her little tabby, Muesli, from being catnapped, Gemma has her hands full - and that’s before she has to fend off an amorous Italian. To top it all, her boyfriend Devlin’s mother is coming to visit, and Gemma is anxious to make a good impression...although Mrs O’Connor isn’t quite what she expected!

With so much going on, it’s a recipe for disaster - but with a bit of help from her mother, Gemma might just solve the case...and live to bake another day.

©2017 H.Y. Hanna (P)2018 H.Y. Hanna

Fun and Light

This is another entertaining book in a fun light cozy mystery series. I look forward to the next book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

5+/5 Dozens of Custard Tarts…Sinisterly Delicious!

H. Y. Hanna and her Oxford Tearoom Mysteries are at the top of my favorite list, and WOW! here we go with another marvelous page turner to enjoy. The Little Stables tearoom received a rave review comparing their custard tarts to those created by a celebrity TV chef. It is a big ‘coup’ and not bad for their bottom line, but the chef turns out not to be a cordial mentor-style personality with accusations of recipe stealing and using his name for self promotion. Complications arise with women scorned, competing chefs, and then…murder. H.Y. Hanna, has ‘baked up' another clever murder mystery supporting the idea ‘Karma’ exists…at least in literature, but with enough twists and turns, and ample motives and suspects to a final reveal, with Gemma often in peril. Characters, albiet well developed, continue to grow and entertain, Gemma’s and Devlin’s romance may be derailed, and Muesli is always there to ‘meorrw’ in some bother. All of this is topped off with an informative Glossary of British Terms, fascinating banter about British tearoom culture, an excellent understanding of scones in England vs the United States, how clotted cream is made, addressing the debate over whether scones should be slathered first with jam (Cornwall-style) or first with clotted cream (known as Devonshire cream tea), and an easy-to-follow recipe for Egg Custard Tarts!

It's H. Y. Hanna’s story, entertaining and engaging on many “delicious” levels, that has made me a loyal fan, but it's Pearl Hewitt’s voice artistry that makes the audio version my favorite way to enjoy Hanna’s work. Pearl’s talent as a narrator greatly enhances the experience going well beyond the traditional reading style. Her American and various British accents from educated to quirk, female to male, thirty-something to octogenarians illustrate well each character’s personality, as well as offering an emotion and tone to enrich the story. Even the occasional meows of an anxious Muesli. With football season starting and the heat too high to head outside, I am fine…I have Pearl Hewitt reading H. Y. Hanna to keep me company!

One of my favorite series!

I adore this series. Everything from the characters, to the narration, to the mystery are so perfectly done! It’s a cozy English mystery with a blend of mystery, mischief, humor & romance!

Cozy atmosphere, wit and mystery

Another One Bites the Crust is a welcome return to the charming world of Oxford tea shop owner and amateur sleuth, Gemma Rose, and her appealing but somewhat annoying friends and family. I have read or listened to all the books in this series, and I come back for the traditional English cozy feeling that H.Y. Hanna so skillfully evokes. Her plots are well developed and not too easily guessed. She uses humorous scenes to reveal clues and plot points, which adds to the enjoyment.

This book introduces her beau, police detective Devlin O'Connor's, mother. Her character is a breath of fresh air, given the more obnoxious characters of the Old Biddies and Gemma's snobbish and materialistic mother. Don't misunderstand ... in spite of the fact that these characters annoy me and, to a lesser extent, the protagonist, this is a useful device for advancing the plot. In this book, the introduction of a very different character in Devlin's mother, also provides an opportunity for some reflection and growth for Gemma and Devlin, as well. I hope she returns in future stories.

Pearl Hewitt does an excellent job of voicing the characters. This is a book that can be enjoyed with Immersion Reading, employing the Kindle and Audible versions in turn.

I love this series.

this whole series is delightful. I always fine myself reaching for one of these. books when I am looking for a quick light read. These never disapoint. Try one. You will be hooked.

This is cozy mystery done right!

HY Hanna always delivers on a solid mystery with plenty of red herrings, engaging characters, an atmospheric setting (in and around Oxford, England), at least one amusing animal and a totally plausible outcome. There’s so much to love about this book, including the sub-plots which keep the story moving along at a pace that keeps you in anticipation of the next revelation.

When famed celebrity chef and former Oxford student, Josh Mcdermott, (aka “Posh McDishy”) is special guest at the Oxford University Ball, doing a live cooking show, the college ball committee and Josh’s fans are beside themselves with anticipation and admiration. Gemma’s friend Cassie, who attended the same College as McDermott, isn’t enthused. She’s always thought of him as an obnoxious snob who thinks he’s God’s gift to women. His ex-girlfriend would agree with that assessment since Josh dumped her. And then there’s rival chef, Antonio Casa, who believes Josh tried to sabotage him. Clearly, Josh McDermott had foes as well as fans. But when Gemma finds Josh dead before the cooking show competition even begins, she dons her sleuthing cap to determine who might have despised him enough to do him in.

I loved this book. You don’t get to book 7 of 8 in a series if you don’t enjoy it. The audio narrator, Pearl Hewitt, brings the characters to life. The unique voices she uses to portray each character makes it easy to recognize who’s speaking, and the emotions and actions are always performed in an entertaining, realistic way—even the animals! She’s one of my favorite audio narrators, and her skill and proficiency enhanced my enjoyment of this book.

Another great book in my absolute favourite series

I thoroughly enjoyed this instalment in the Oxford Tea Room Series from H. Y. Hanna. It was great to revisit the antics of favourite characters including Gemma, her Mom (and her DVR) and the Old Biddies...oh and of course Muesli! I loved Muesli's adventures and as a cat lover, it was great to see another cat featured in the story. The additional cast of characters brought to us by with the celebrity chefs kept me guessing. I loved learning a bit more about Oxford again too.

I really appreciate that Amazon's algorithms lead me to this series due to my love of afternoon tea and cats I guess! I was new to the cozy mystery genre before finding this series. I have enjoyed all 8 of the books and look forward to the next story.

I had previously read this book on my Kindle and was happy to review the audiobook version. I am so thankful that the same narrator, Pearl, has narrated all the books as it makes the continuity of characters so much more pleasant to follow. A couple other series I enjoy have switched narrators around on me and I hate that! Pearl truly brings the characters too life and does accents great, even makes the kitties sound like they have their own personalities!

Disclosure: A review copy of this book was sent to me by the author. All of the above opinions are my own.

Another Winner

I love this series of books and the Pearl Hewitt is amazing as the narrator...you won't be disappointed in this..another winner!

One of the best Oxford Tea Room books yet!

In <strong>Another One Bites the Crust</strong> by H.Y. Hanna, Gemma Rose, owner of Little Stables Tearoom and girlfriend to Devlin O'Connor, Detective Inspector of the Oxford CID, attends the annual ball celebrating the end of the school year at Boscobel College. Usually this small college's ball has a small attendance, but this year tickets are selling like wildfire because Josh McDermott, the school's famous television chef alumnus, will be attending and holding a live demonstration of his cooking. Glenda, one of the Old Biddies who poke their nose into everything and help out in the tearoom, begs Gemma to get Josh's autograph, since she knew him when they attended Oxford together. But when Gemma first tries his hotel, where she and her friends go for drinks at the Morse Bar before the ball, Gemma overhears an argument between Josh and Leann Fitch, his ex- girlfriend, who is furious at the loss of their relationship. Now is not a good time to try to get that autograph.

At the ball, Gemma leaves her best friend, Cassie, in the quieu to get in to the cooking demonstration and goes to the college porter to leave the stuffed animals their dates won for them. Wanting to try a second time to get Josh's autograph for Glenda, Gemma takes a shortcut to get to the dining hall, where the demonstration is to take place. She sees Josh's manager, Jerry Wallace, who earlier dared to accuse Gemma of stealing Josh's custard recipe, and a fellow woman on Josh's production team leave the dining hall before sneaking into the room herself in search of the famous chef. However, Gemma will never get her autograph, as Josh lies dead in the corner.

Thus, poor Devlin doesn't get to enjoy his night off, as he gets dragged into investigating the death, which soon becomes apparent as a murder. Someone rewired Josh's electric whisk to electrocute him as soon as he turned it on. Gemma and the Old Biddies naturally determine to poke their noses into the case, but other than one incident at the cooking workshop taken over by Josh's competitor, Antonio Casa, Gemma manages to keep the senior ladies from illegal snooping this time. But still she works hard to locate the truth.

I had a highly enjoyable time listening to <strong>Another One Bites the Crust</strong>, which is part of a series I have thoroughly come to enjoy. I love being whisked away from my bed to the old town of Oxford and given a mysterious plot filled with twists and turns in addition. The mystery plot kept me guessing throughout. Further, I loved getting to make another visit to Oxford and see all the sights of the colleges and local landmarks.

I had a fun time as Gemma keeps having run-ins with her senior customer, Mrs. Purdy, who keeps trying to sneak away with Gemma's cat, Muesli. Muesli reminds Mrs. Purdy of her cat who recently died, so the older lady really wants Muesli to replace her own cat and even tries to get out of the tearoom with a squirming purse more than once.

I also thoroughly enjoyed being introduced to Devlin's mother, a party girl even at 45. She calls Gemma both drunk and high in the middle of one night, and Gemma has to sneak her into Devlin's home after picking her up. The next day, Devlin and Ms. O'Connor attend a tea at Gemma's mother's house, in which a marijuana cigarette falls out of Ms. O'Connor's purse. Gemma hides it in the cushions, but soon her mother finds it and wonders what it is, so Gemma claims it is a new form of sachet. This leads to a humorous scene with all the upper crust women passing the cigarette around to each other, sniffing it, and asking where they can purchase their own sachets.

The audio edition of this book is performed by Pearl Hewitt, an effective narrator who truly makes this series come alive. With a young- sounding voice, Hewitt fully embodies the character of the almost-30 Gemma, who narrates the book in the first person. However, she sounds perfect in the roles of the Old Biddies, giving them voices that sound realistic for the nosy senior citizen ladies. She even mews for Muesli in a realistic manner. Hewitt also effectively voices both Gemma's and Devlin's mothers, giving Mrs. Rose an upper crust, snobbish accent and Ms. O'Connor a party girl voice. This becomes especially impressive when Gemma gets a call from Devlin's mother while she is partying and both drunk and high. I find this audio performance highly enjoyable and a lot of fun.

I highly enjoyed <strong>Another One Bites the Crust</strong>, which kept my attention throughout and didn't let me turn the book off. It had a really interesting solution and great details to the mystery. The characters are a lot of fun to spend time with, as each one seems truly alive. I definitely recommend this book and give it five stars.

best ever!

loved this story as well as the others. this book leaves you anxious for more of the day and life if Gemma:)

Gemma Rose - <sigh>

I can't explicitly explain why Gemma Rose rubs me up the wrong way sometimes, because the example I would give is a spoiler. However, why, when Devlin goes to the trouble to detail exactly what needs to be done before a suspect is confronted, does she Immediately go and confront said subject!!! Sigh. It's irritating and extremely annoying!

A great plot, but an annoying central character on occasion.