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  • A Scone to Die For

  • Oxford Tearoom Cozy Mysteries, Book 1
  • By: H.Y. Hanna
  • Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt
  • Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (109 ratings)
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A Scone to Die For cover art

A Scone to Die For

By: H.Y. Hanna
Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt
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Summary

"They say you have to make sacrifices to follow your dreams. I just didn't expect the sacrifices to involve an American tourist and a killer scone."

Gemma ditches her high-flying job and returns to Oxford to pursue her dream of opening a traditional English tearoom. It means giving up her savings, moving back with her parents, and coping with her bossy, matchmaking mother, but she's sure it will all be worth it. In fact, business is already booming—that is, until she opens up shop and finds an American tourist murdered by one of her signature scones! Now Gemma is apron-deep in a puzzling mystery, with her past coming back to haunt her when the handsome CID detective leading the case turns out to be her old college flame. And with the nosy "Old Biddies" from the local village meddling at every turn and her baker's cheeky cat terrorizing her kitchen, she's beginning to find herself in a real pickle....

Who was the American, and what was he really doing in Oxford? Is his death linked to a long-buried scandal at the historic university, or was he just the unlucky victim of a brawl at the village pub? What about the sultry new member of local book club—is she lying about her relationship with the murdered tourist?

The question that's really bothering Gemma, though, is how she can keep serving warm buttery scones with jam and clotted cream, and fragrant tea in pretty bone china...when her customers think her baking is more deadly than delicious! With the body count rising and her tearoom going bust, can Gemma find the killer before her dreams turn to custard?

A Scone to Die For is the delectable first book in the Oxford Tearoom Mysteries. If you like deliciously endearing characters, intriguing whodunits, and hilarious British humor—not to mention cats with big personalities!—then you'll love the first book in H.Y. Hanna's best-selling culinary cozy mystery series.

©2016 H.Y. Hanna (P)2023 H.Y. Hanna

What listeners say about A Scone to Die For

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  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Cosy, mystery with everything you could want.

I am a big fan of miss Marple and Agatha Rasin books so I really enjoyed this! Apart from having all the usual themes of a cosy murder mystery, it genuinely kept me guessing.Just gutted tgerey are no more in this series on audible.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The perfect cozy mystery

I adored this mystery so much that I immediately bought the rest of the series (well, all that's available in audiobook format so far). It has a great setting, a varied cast of characters, is entertainingly written, and well narrated, which all adds up to a thoroughly enjoyable listen.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Really, really bad. Unoriginal and almost no characterisation

I was really disappointed in this; I really like the cosy mystery genre but this was a very poor example.

It was very generic, full of cliches, the plot was both guessable and hung on some very unoriginal ideas including… [Spoiler alert] the clocks going back. This is one of the most tired plot hooks ever.

The character descriptions are almost all situational; there is almost nothing about who these people ARE. You get a couple of weak characteristics per person, just openly stated, and most of the characters are simple cliches: for example the nagging posh mother.

I really wouldn't recommend this to anyone, if you're looking for a fun cosy mystery, this isn't it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Cosy English murder

I enjoyed this, with all the cosy mysteries set in America it was a nice pace to listen to a story set in England. Even though it was set in Oxford you could picture it happening in any country village and imagine the local busybodies poking there noses in, in order to help solve the mystery resulting in some humour sprinkled tho the book.

The narrator was very good and I didn't find myself cringing,like I quiet offen do when someone tries to put on a English voice, leading to it being snobby and annoying. The narrator really helped tell the story so you could picture village life easily.

I will be looking out for more stories by this author and in this series.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A village murder with afternoon tea

Having read and enjoyed this book as part of our book club I am always interested to see how they convert to audio books. This gets my thumbs up! Really enjoyed the audio version and it kept me company to & from work, on my walks, weekend running and in the evening when my eyes are too tired to read.
A light hearted murder mystery tale rather than a thriller, more in the style Morse/Agatha Christie/Miss Marple.
Based in a village just outside Oxford the story entwines the characters of the Tea room, locals and unexpected visitors, where help comes from the most unexpected people when Gemma finds a body at her tea room who was a customer the day before. Fingers point to usual suspects, however Gemma feels the mystery runs deeper and starts to scratch at the surface. This is when things start to get complicated and dangerous.
I really enjoyed listening to the tale unwinding and had forgotten some of the subtleties in the story line. Am sure I've chuckled on the bus a couple of times whilst listening.
Definitely recommend this audio book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An excellent story line, keeps you guessing

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I would recommend this audiobook. The storyline keeps you guessing as to who the murderer is until the end. The narrator, Pearl Hewitt is just right for the characters and brings them to life. Throughout the story you're piecing together the clues just like Gemma and the 'old biddies', and are sure that you know who the murderer is, only to have your guesses proven wrong.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are all so believable and the antics that the 'old biddies' get up to are hilarious. Gemma's mother is forever forgetting her password for her iPad, and keeps phoning Gemma up to remind her what it is, which is quite funny, if very annoying for Gemma.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

When Gemma goes in search of her scarf at Gloucester College, only to find the 'old biddies' there, listening to an interview between the Detective Inspector and a suspect. With the door about to open, five eavesdroppers need to find a hiding place.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I think where Gemma, a 'dog person', has taken Muesli to a Rescue centre to have her rehomed, and realises that she actually loves the little cat.

Any additional comments?

I received a copy in exchange for a honest review.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Awful narration

The narrator. speaks just like my 9 year old granddaughter. So annoying for an adult book. She is better suited to reading young

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Terrible reader

I love a cosy mystery, and this series has good stories. I can even forgive the inevitable jarring Americanism that always creeps in when American authors write about quintessential England.
BUT the narrator is terrible! She over enunciates every word, to the extent that it almost sounds like she’s reading English as a second language. This slows the story down to such an extent, you’ve almost forgotten the beginning by the time you’ve ground through to the end

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A nice engaging book

The book is very light entertaining and engaging the character likeable will buy next book

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Gentle murder

Easy listening with a straightforward plot that still had me wondering who done it to the end. I liked the characters which helps as it made me more interested in how they were interacting. Not too much but enough about the characters without swamping the story. Reader was good with a clear pleasant voice.

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