The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder

It’s nearly Christmas in Penstowan, Cornwall, England and time for the pantomime theatrical performance full of music, comedy, and jokes. The Cornish Christmas Pantomime Murder by Fiona Leitch is full of murder, entertainment, and a police investigation, along with some sleuthing in the ninth and latest book in the Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker series.

Besides Jodie, it features her husband Detective Chief Inspector Nathan Withers along with several returning characters including Jodie’s daughter Daisy as well as her mom Shirley.

Both Shirley and Daisy are helping with the pantomime and Jodie is catering after the open night performance for the cast and crew. Jodie’s oldest friend, Tony Penhaligon plays the villain in the show. Amongst the terrible jokes, quick costume changes, and backstage chaos, a corpse is found lying next to a bloodstained lamp. Who was killed and why?

Jodie left the London metropolitan police force and moved back to her home town. Despite taking on a new career of catering, that hasn’t stopped her unofficial investigations and occasional consulting with the local police. Her sense of humor and warmth continues to shine in this story. She is a likeable and friendly character who is good at listening to others. Nathan has a great sense of humor and has a pragmatic approach to life. He’s well respected by his colleagues. Their chemistry creates a fun dynamic. The secondary characters continue to develop and Germaine, Jodie’s Pomeranian, shows up throughout the story.

Overall, this is an entertaining story with great characterization that quickly drew me into Jodie’s world. The author did a great job of enabling this reader to visualize the scenes; making it feel like I was in Penstowan helping to solve the case. As usual, Jodie picks up clues through gossip, luck, and asking the right questions that lead to an array of suspects. It was a fun, appealing, and delightful read with a solid mystery to unravel and humor sprinkled throughout. A couple of things that stood out for me were the long memories in small towns and Jodie’s struggle with having a purpose in life. Where will that lead in the future? Themes include friendship, family, small town dynamics, murder, secrets, gossip, and much more. Relationships continue to play a major role in this series. A recipe is included at the end of the book and food is mentioned throughout the novel.

I recommend the novel to those that enjoy the genre. It was a fun and relaxing read and I can’t wait for the next book featuring Jodie and her family and friends. For more enjoyment, the books are best read in order, but this can be read as a standalone.

HarperCollins UK – One More Chapter and Fiona Leitch provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for October 31, 2025.