Today its the turn of the second book in the Gemma Lamb cosy mystery series. Sinister Stranger at St Bride’s by Debbie Young. Thanks go again to Rachel’s Random Resources and Boldwood Books.
Only fickle maths teacher Oriana Bliss isn’t suspicious of the stranger, after all she can just marry him and secure St Bride’s future forever. That’s if inventive pranks by the girls – and the school cat – don’t drive him away first.
When an American stranger turns up claiming to be the rightful owner of the school’s magnificent country estate it could spell trouble for everyone at St Bride’s . . .
No one can believe it when the headmistress, Hairnet, instantly accepts the stranger’s claim, not:
the put-upon Bursar, ousted from his cosy estate cottage by the stranger the enigmatic Max Security, raring to engage in a spot of espionage
the sensible Judith Gosling, who knows more about Lord Bunting than she’s letting on
the irrepressible Gemma Lamb, determined to keep the school open
Who will nab the stranger first? Oriana with the parson’s noose? Gemma with sinister secrets? Or could this be the end of St Bride’s?
The second book in the Gemma Lamb series After reading the first, I was eager to start reading this one. I did hope it would be as good as the previous one. If the cover was anything to go by, it looked great!
This book was like manna from heaven! I couldn’t get enough of it. We return to school after half term and Gemma Lamb is looking forward to seeing her year 7’s again. What no-one expects is a stranger. It seems he is there to claim his ‘inheritance’ which happens to be the school’s country estate. He is the only surviving heir to the benefactor of the school, Lord Bunting, according to him that is. Gemma isn’t sure if he is being truthful, and the mystery commences.
I couldn’t blame any of the staff at the school or Gemma for doubting this man who came flouncing in and claiming his inheritance. I would have done exactly as she did and tried any and every way to find out the truth.
This being the second book in the series, I enjoyed returning and getting to know more about the staff and the girls too. The daily life in a boarding school moves with the seasons and it’s autumn, with it comes a fireworks night. Debbie Young does make a realistic picture in my head of how life goes in St Bride’s.
A great mix of mystery and fun in this instalment of the series. I am loving these books to the max. They incorporate everything needed to bring a story were you can leave reality behind and just be entertained.
Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3dBLZZ1
Author Bio
Debbie Young is the much-loved author of the Sophie Sayers and St Brides cosy crime mysteries. She lives in a Cotswold village where she runs the local literary festival, and has worked at Westonbirt School, both of which provide inspiration for her writing. She is bringing both her series to Boldwood in a 13-book contract. They will be publishing several new titles in each series and republishing the backlist, starting in September 2022.
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