The Kensington Kidnap: An absolutely gripping cozy murder mystery (Epiphany Bloom Mysteries Book 1)

Epiphany Bloom has always been a walking disaster. When she finds herself, in the guise of a private investigator, then pretending to be her own sister Felicity, Pip realises that she is out of her depth, but is determined to find the missing young man. Mystery interlaced with humour.

...and a great story too!

****4.5 stars!****A missing teenager, a mysterious cult, and a case of mistaken identity sounds like the start of a bad joke, doesn’t it? *snorts* But there is nothing rotten about The Kensington Kidnap. Say hello to Epiphany Bloom (Pip to her friends) – the British Stephanie Plum.This cozy murder mystery is chock full of intrigue, suspense and humour which had me gripped right to the creepy climax. I’d liken Pip’s exploits to a modern-day Ealing Comedy at its dark comedic best.I loved all the Pip-isms. Those moments where Pip hinted at her previous escapades. They had me barking with laughter along with the need to know more.Let’s face it Pip is no Miss Marple when it comes to sleuthing, but credit where credit is due, she is relentless in her pursuit of Matty and the truth. Being inquisitive (read: nosy) by nature does have its advantages. Even if sometimes she does get the wrong end of the stick, lol! (Makes for a more entertaining read, I say.) What is it they say about falling down a rabbit hole? *snorts*Then we come to her sidekicks – Tim and Jimmy. Complete polar opposites. We’ve only just scratched the surface with these two. I did lots of ‘hmm-ing’ and ‘what about...?’ with these two (as usual!). It also made me wonder if either could be possible romantic interests in the series going forward. I can’t wait to find out. I know who my money is on!Plus, let’s not forget Pip’s sister, Flis. She is an absolute hoot. She does this thing, which is absolutely hysterical, but I won’t give the game away here. Needless to say, these moments only add to the tally of giggles as you read.The Kensington Kidnap is a witty and wonderful start to a new must-read series, and I can’t wait to read about what Pip gets embroiled in next. Katie Gayle is one writing partnership that I hope continues for years to come.

This was an interesting, if not very taxing read. The writing is good and upbeat and the story hung together very well. I wasn’t a fan of the sisters malapropisms or the ‘then that thing happened in the past that absolutely wasn’t the protagonists fault’ bits, so I skipped over them— they did nothing for the book and made the writing seem juvenile where it wasn’t needed— but that’s just my opinion. Nice, easy read, albeit not very challenging. Perfect for a Sunday or in the (hopefully) latter days of lockdown. IL definitely read more by the author.

Once the story got going it was a good read, witty, entertaining and interesting. Downloaded the next book to continue reading Pip’s adventures.

The ladies have a lovely way of writing. Simple, but with attention to detail. Intriguing characters, good plot and fun. Would make a good TV series; they like a lead character and their car! Will be reading more of her adventures.

I'm not sure that the title of this novel is 100% accurate as it's not really set in Kensington and there isn't a kidnap as such. But the authors love alliteration so I'm looking forward to the Peckham Poisoning and the Dagenham Drowning. There are more in-jokes for writers, such as the heroine literally saving the cat before the story proper starts. The heroine's lovely – Bridget Jones as Miss Marple in an age of social media and eco-activism. It's very contemporary, smart and funny. The only slightly off note for me was the actual death that occurs – it's hard to switch from mayhem and hilarity to a more sombre tone and it didn't quite work for me. I raced through it and look forward to the next.

I enjoyed reading the book, but i found it somewhat tedious. Heroine not very likeable.