THE BUSYBODY BOOK CLUB

Ever since an unspecified trauma in London sent her fleeing to Cornwall with her fiancé, Craig Pritchard, Nova Davies has been doing her best to adjust to village life. She tolerates the attempts of Craig’s domineering mother to micromanage their upcoming wedding and Craig’s gentle teasing over her absent-mindedness. And she loves her job at the St. Tredock Community Center, where she helps facilitate much-needed programs for the villagers. When the theft of the center’s roof repair fund from her unlocked office threatens her job, the members of the center’s book club rally round Nova. Led by Phyllis Hudson, who fancies herself a latter-day Miss Marple, computer geek Ash Chalabi and elderly farmer Arthur Robinson focus their investigation on the club’s most recent addition, businessman Michael Watkins, and his wife, Cynthia. The situation gets dicier when Michael’s mother dies, the police suspect foul play, and Michael disappears. The ragtag band proves smarter than you might expect, with feisty Phyllis demonstrating that seemingly batty old ladies sometimes actually get it right. Watching the club members bond is a particular pleasure; each of them grows, with Nova particularly becoming empowered to direct her own fate. But their journey, both separately and together, eclipses the murder plot, and in the end it’s not at all clear how the elder Mrs. Watkins met her maker.

May 27, 2025 - 05:36

Ever since an unspecified trauma in London sent her fleeing to Cornwall with her fiancé, Craig Pritchard, Nova Davies has been doing her best to adjust to village life. She tolerates the attempts of Craig’s domineering mother to micromanage their upcoming wedding and Craig’s gentle teasing over her absent-mindedness. And she loves her job at the St. Tredock Community Center, where she helps facilitate much-needed programs for the villagers. When the theft of the center’s roof repair fund from her unlocked office threatens her job, the members of the center’s book club rally round Nova. Led by Phyllis Hudson, who fancies herself a latter-day Miss Marple, computer geek Ash Chalabi and elderly farmer Arthur Robinson focus their investigation on the club’s most recent addition, businessman Michael Watkins, and his wife, Cynthia. The situation gets dicier when Michael’s mother dies, the police suspect foul play, and Michael disappears. The ragtag band proves smarter than you might expect, with feisty Phyllis demonstrating that seemingly batty old ladies sometimes actually get it right. Watching the club members bond is a particular pleasure; each of them grows, with Nova particularly becoming empowered to direct her own fate. But their journey, both separately and together, eclipses the murder plot, and in the end it’s not at all clear how the elder Mrs. Watkins met her maker.