Sinister Stranger At St Brides by Debbie Young

Working Together

Sinister Stranger At St Brides by Debbie Young is the second book in the Gemma Lamb Cosy Mystery series which is highly entertaining.

Once more St Brides is at the heart of another mystery to solve after a stranger arrives on the doorstep. If manners maketh the man, then this is certainly no gentleman with his arrogance and his rudeness.

The school functions as a family of all girls. Though they are from rich backgrounds, the girls are kind and down to earth.

Debbie Young has created some highly amusing verbal volleys between the characters. I love the English novel and film references. Also highly amusing was the fact that a character can never remember the correct names of others.

The inclusion of McPhee the cat, was very much a character in his own right.

Tradition, legacy and inheritance are important. We need to celebrate our forebears and acknowledge them as we move into the future.

I love these St Brides books as we glimpse life in a boarding school. It isn’t just jolly hockey-sticks, these are highly crafted, amusing stories that I love.

I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON

Dastardly Deeds at St Brides

When Gemma Lamb takes a job at a quirky English girls’ boarding school, she believes she’s found the perfect escape route from her controlling boyfriend – until she discovers the rest of the staff are hiding sinister secrets:

Hairnet, the eccentric headmistress who doesn’t hold with academic qualifications
Oriana Bliss, Head of Maths and master of disguise
Joscelyn Spryke, the suspiciously rugged Head of PE
Geography teacher Mavis Brook, surreptitiously selling off the library books
creepy night watchman Max Security, with his network of hidden tunnels

Even McPhee, the school cat, is leading a double life.

Tucked away in the school’s beautiful private estate in the Cotswolds, can Gemma stay safe and build a new independent future, or will past secrets catch up with her and the rest of the staff?

With a little help from her new friends, including some wise pupils, she’s going to give it her best shot…

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Sinister Stranger at St Brides

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

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.

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?

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Wicked Whispers at St Brides

Gemma Lamb is ready for an uneventful term at St Bride’s, she’s had enough of dastardly deeds and sinister strangers.

However, she’s barely back at school before:

Unlucky in love Oriana is sneaking around at odd hours
Handsome Joe is keeping secrets
Militant Mavis feels a scandal is brewing

It’s all a bit much, but when a stranger appears Gemma thinks she’s had enough. But this stranger isn’t so sinister, instead he looks rather too familiar. If Gemma can’t get him away from the school the whispers and scandal his presence could unleash may just close St Bride’s doors for good.

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/3Surw7g

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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