MYSTERY

The Busybody Book Club

by Freya Sampson
Berkley. May 2025. 336p. ISBN 9780593550557. pap. $19. M
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Sampson’s latest (following Nosy Neighbors) is another fun British amateur sleuth story. When Nova Davies moved from London to a small Cornish village, she started a book club at the local community center. But the five members are unable to agree on anything. Then a large sum of money is stolen from the center during the book club meeting, and one member, Michael, disappears shortly after that. When a dead body is found at his house, he becomes the prime suspect in two crimes: murder and theft. The members of the misfit book club each have a pet theory of what happened and who’s to blame—and naturally, each wants to get the last word. Sampson follows the book club members in alternating chapters as they slowly come together to solve the crimes.
VERDICT The intertwining perspectives of the disparate members will tug at readers’ armchair sleuthing abilities as they try to puzzle out whodunit and why. A good fit for fans of bookish mysteries featuring reluctant allies who learn to work together.
Reviewed by BreAnn Weeks , Apr 01, 2025
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