The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch

 

Halfway through the first performance of Penstowan's Christmas pantomime, one of the cast is murdered. Luckily, Jodie 'Nosey' Parker and her husband, DCI Nathan Withers, are in the audience and immediately start investigating.

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder is book 9 in the Nosey Parker series by Fiona Leitch. I've really enjoyed following the characters over the series of books, watching relationships develop, such as the one between Jodie and Nathan, and characters grow, particularly young Daisy.

As always, Jodie is in the thick of things. It helps that she's in the audience when the crime is committed, even if she wasn't, she'd find some way of inveigling her way into the investigation as Nathan is the local detective. With the murder taking place during the interval, the list of suspects is confined to cast and crew, but everyone seems to have an alibi. Combined with this is a complete lack of motive. A fleeting glimpse of a member of the cast initially puts the pantomime dame at the top of the suspect list; however, the process of deduction shows that it must have been someone using the costume as a disguise.

With Christmas rapidly approaching, Jodie finds her preparations for the big day taking a back seat as she becomes preoccupied with the case. Thankfully, Jodie lives up to her nickname and, through gossip and luck, manages to pick up clues that point in the direction of possible suspects, and we discover that some residents of the quaint Cornish town hide dark secrets, secrets that could be worth killing for.

There is a cast of engaging characters, some slightly larger than life as befits a cosy crime novel. The well-established characters make you feel as if you are visiting friends, and new ones add to the sense of mystery. The humor is subtle, and there are enough red herrings to keep you turning the pages. I'm always a little saddened when I reach the conclusion of one of the author's books; it feels as if you've spent an enjoyable holiday with close friends, but now have to return to normal life. Thankfully, the good news is that book 10 will be available in 2026.

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch will be published on 31st October 2025 in ebook and audio format, and the paperback will be published on 6th November 2025. My thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for a review copy.

Author Details

Fiona Leitch is a writer with a chequered past. She’s written for football and motoring magazines, DJ’ed at illegal raves and is a stalwart of the low budget TV commercial, even appearing as the Australasian face of a cleaning product called ‘Sod Off’. After living in London and Cornwall she’s finally settled in sunny New Zealand, where she enjoys scaring her cats by trying out dialogue on them. She spends her days dreaming of retiring to a crumbling Venetian palazzo, walking on the windswept beaches of West Auckland, and writing funny, flawed but awesome female characters.

Her debut novel ‘Dead in Venice’ was published by Audible in 2018 as one of their Crime Grant finalists. Fiona also writes screenplays and was a finalist in the Athena Film Festival Writers Lab, co-run by Meryl Streep’s IRIS company.

September 2025 Reads

 

WOW, another month down. It's hard to believe that we're three-quarters of the way through the year. September brought some new experiences for me. I took part in my first-ever readalong on Instagram. This was a fun way of reading and discussing a book, but for me I really enjoyed the way it challenged me to experiment more with stories and reels. I also took part in Big Read 2025. I have a giveaway linked to this running over on Instagram if you are interested (link to giveaway).

September began with a festive murder mystery, 12 Ways To Kill Your Family At Christmas by Natasha Bache. Olivia Weiss has to get through just one more Christmas holiday with her husband’s wealthy but obnoxious family before they jet off for a new life in Australia. One accidental death, quickly followed by another, begins to raise suspicions. It’s impossible to guess who in this fun read.

Vanished by Tim Weaver is the third book in the David Raker series. Raker searches for people who have gone missing, individuals the police have given up on. This time around, he’s searching for a married man who got on a tube train one morning and never got off. Raker is as tenacious as ever, with his investigation leading him to a hidden side of London and the murkier side of humanity. Puzzling and gripping, with an ending that leaves you speechless.

Book 22 in the Roy Grace series by Peter James is The Hawk Is Dead and opens with an attempt to assassinate Queen Camilla. I suspect this book was the most fun to write for the author, as we see the investigation switch from Sussex to Buckingham Palace. We learn about the running of the royal household and the valuable collections stored within its walls. Grace even gets to meet the King and Queen as he uncovers a sinister plot taking place in the Palace.

This month, I took part in my first “Readalong” with the Tandem Collective. I thoroughly enjoyed The Cinnamon Spice Inn by Harper Graham. The romance was a little predictable; however, the setting, the small American town of Maple Falls, was beautiful. I wanted to pack my bags and buy a one-way ticket. I’m definitely going to check out the rest of the series when they are published.

After reading We’ll Prescribe You A Cat by Syou Ishida, I said I’d read more Japanese literature as the themes and style really appealed to me. Unfortunately, I didn’t find the time to do so until the sequel, We’ll Prescribe You Another Cat, was published. Yes, it’s more of the same, but there’s nothing wrong with being reminded about what our priorities in life should be in the most charming way possible.

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch is book 9 in the cosy crime series. This time around, a member of an amateur dramatic group is murdered during the opening night performance of the Christmas pantomime. Luckily, Jodie is in the audience and, through nosiness and luck, manages to discover clues to unmask the murderer. Lovely characters, subtle humour and plenty of red herrings keep you engaged.

Harrogate Festivals run an annual event to encourage reading across the North, and my local library was involved this year.  The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton was the book discussed. Set in a quaint Norfolk village, the local headmaster is found dead on his allotment. Recent newcomer to the village, Daphne Brewster, finds herself investigating. Although I found the book far too descriptive, I did enjoy the plot and all the false trails the author left for the reader.

Let The Bells Ring, book 23 from Milly Johnson, sees her returning to the theme of magic at Christmas as seven strangers find themselves stuck on a train over Christmas. The train belongs to a millionaire, so it is the height of luxury. Each person is grappling with a problem, and Christmas just isn’t going to be an enjoyable time for any of them. Thanks to their isolated location, walls quickly tumble and they realise that a problem shared is a problem halved. This is a perfect read for the winter months.

My final book of the month was my book group read, Rules For Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson. A bookstore owner is approached by an FBI agent who thinks someone is committing murders following a list he wrote on his blog. The list featured eight perfect murders from classic crime fiction. The tone of the story fitted well with the theme, and I felt very unsettled throughout, completely unsure about who the murderer was.

I only managed one audiobook this month, Hitwoman by Elsie Marks. Maisie is a gun for hire; however, she has a strict ethical code and only assassinates people who deserve to die. On her latest job, she discovers someone gets there before her. Who is the mystery assassin? This was fun to listen to, a slightly different take on the female killer genre, but predictable.

Publication dates to watch out for are:-

12 Ways To Kill Your Family At Christmas by Natasha Bache will be published on 9/10/25 in paperback, ebook and audio format.

The Hawk Is Dead by Peter James will be published on 21/10/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

Let The Bells Ring Out by Milly Johnson will be published on 23/10/25 in hardback, ebook and audio format.

The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch will be published on 31/10/25 in ebook and audio format, with the paperback published on 6/11/26.

Hitwoman by Elsie Marks will be published as an ebook on 1/11/25, with the paperback and audiobook available on 6/11/25.