Review by Booklist Review
Pennant's debut is both a gripping mystery and an eye-opening portrait of life for the Jamaicans who immigrated to England as part of the Windrush generation, emphasizing the discrimination and mistreatment they suffered as well as their close community bonds. In the 1960s, a group fed up with white banks not accepting their money decided to form the Pardner, their own private investment scheme. Over time, the increasing funds could be loaned to any member and eventually to the entire Jamaican community. But there was a dark side to life then--a series of brutal rapes and murders targeting Jamaican women. Miss Hortense, head of the Pardner, a fearless retired nurse skilled at ferreting out lies and secrets, vowed to find the rapist-killer after her sister was targeted. But decades later, there's still one case Miss Hortense never solved, and she must work through a tangled web of deception, greed, and long-buried anger. Pennant perfectly captures the Jamaican patois in this quirky, witty tale with an unconventional cast of characters, a dark edge, and a satisfying ending.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
British playwright Pennant debuts with a lively cozy centered on the indomitable Miss Hortense, a Jamaican nurse who's been living in Birmingham's Bigglesweigh neighborhood since 1960. In the decades since Miss Hortense emigrated from Jamaica, she and her friends and neighbors have started an unofficial investigative service to look into local crimes. One case that has remained unsolved is that of "the Brute," a man who, in 1970, brutally attacked a series of women in Bigglesweigh and left them for dead. Now, in 2000, Miss Hortense's nemesis, Constance Brown, has turned up dead. Authorities believe she died of a heart attack, but Hortense fears murder. Then the body of a mysterious stranger is placed inside Constance's house with a Bible verse taped to it, and Miss Hortense becomes convinced that the Beast has returned. Pennant populates Bigglesweigh with colorful, well-drawn characters and strikes an appealing tone halfway between sweet and melancholy. It's a promising start. Agent: Nelle Andrews, Rachel Mills Literary. (June)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Newly arrived in Birmingham, England, from the Caribbean in the early 1960s, Hortense and seven of her other friends encountered difficulties in financially supporting their new lives, so they formed the Pardner, an unofficial Black investment group, to support themselves, each other, and their community. As the group's focus evolved, its members began to investigate crimes that the local police wouldn't touch. One investigation turned so personal that Hortense was forced to let it go unsolved. Decades later, a murder in a Pardner member's home connects to events in the past, with Hortense having to face long-buried secrets. Now, a retired 65-year-old Hortense must lean on the help of her police officer nephew Gregory and her friends from the Pardner to finally solve the years-old murders. VERDICT Infused with humor and heartbreak, playwright and screenwriter Pennant's delightful first novel is for readers who enjoy community-based mysteries led by amateur detectives of an older generation, like Jesse Q. Sutanto's Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers or Robert Thorogood's The Marlow Murder Club.--Joy Gunn
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A suspicious death resurfaces a series of decades-old crimes centered on the Afro-Caribbean community of Bigglesweigh, England. Four decades after Miss Hortense left Jamaica for the U.K., she finds herself almost as lonely as when she arrived. Pushed aside from a central role in her community in the 1970s, Hortense has long since accepted her fate. Now, in the year 2000, Hortense's loyal friend Blossom--more like a thorn in her side--insists she attend a meeting at the home of Constance Brown, the woman responsible for her status as an outsider. Constance took over Hortense's role as "Pardner Lady," head of the group formed in the '60s to invest in the community during a time when help wasn't coming from anywhere else. The subject of Hortense's meeting with the "black geriatric mafia" is whether she's suited to rejoin the Pardner--but Hortense wants none of it. Unluckily for her, the past won't stay in the past. The next morning, Constance is found dead at home. When another body follows soon after, Hortense has no choice but to reopen the Pardner's "Looking Into Bones" business--the very detective business that got her in trouble--and revisit painful details of past unsolved crimes. Hortense has quite the reputation for digging around where she shouldn't, but who else will do the dirty work if not her? "Is we seek justice for those who can't seek it for themselves," she says. Pennant's debut mystery is written with a playwright's deft pen; the scenes are neat, the action direct. What stands out most is the care with which characters are written, in how they move, dress, and--most notably--speak. As a bonus, traditional recipes are peppered throughout with great effect. Surrounded by the smells of turmeric and cinnamon, Hortense does her best thinking while in the kitchen. A memorable cozy with lots of depth. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
