A Murder for Miss Hortense Audiobook By Mel Pennant cover art

A Murder for Miss Hortense

A Mystery

Pre-order with offer Pre-order for $0.00
Offer ends April 30, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Murder for Miss Hortense

By: Mel Pennant
Pre-order with offer Pre-order for $0.00

$14.95/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends April 30, 2025 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Pre-order for $18.00

Pre-order for $18.00

Confirm pre-order
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

“A beautiful novel, suffused with fondness and wit. . . . A real triumph!”—Alexander McCall Smith

Retired nurse, avid gardener, and renowned cake maker Miss Hortense has lived in Bigglesweigh, a quiet suburb of Birmingham, England, since she emigrated from Jamaica in 1960. She takes great pride in her home, starching her lace curtains bright white, and she can tell if she’s being shortchanged on turmeric before she’s taken her first bite of a beef patty. A career in nursing has also left her afraid of nobody, whether an interfering priest or a local drug dealer, and she’s an expert in deciphering other people’s secrets with just a glance.

Miss Hortense once used her skills to benefit the Pardner network—a local group of Black investors that she helped found. Until, that is, she was unceremoniously ousted from its ranks, severing her ties to the majority of her friends and community. That was thirty years ago. Now, as a new millennium dawns, an unidentified man has been found dead in the home of one of the Pardner members, a Bible quote written on a note beside his body. Suddenly, Miss Hortense finds her long-buried past rushing back, bringing memories of the worst moment of her life—and secrets behind an unsolved crime that has haunted her for decades.

It is finally time for Miss Hortense to solve a mystery that will see her and the com-munity she loves pushed to their limits. The first novel from a bold, brilliant new voice, A Murder for Miss Hortense introduces a fear-less sleuth whom listeners will never forget.

©2025 Mel Pennant (P)2025 Random House Audio
African American Cozy Mystery Women Sleuths

Critic reviews

"This is a beautiful novel, suffused with fondness and wit. It provides a highly entertaining and intriguing insight into a very special world. A real triumph!"—Alexander McCall Smith

"If this delightful murder mystery is anything to go by, then the formidable Miss Hortense will be your new favorite literary sleuth! Fresh, original and intriguing from start to finish!"—Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Examiner and The Appeal

“Packed with cleverness and warmth, with an expertly plotted mystery spanning decades, you do not want to miss the unique wit and resourcefulness of Miss Hortense. This book delivers that magical combination of unforgettable characters, community, and heart, and I could not put it down.”—Kristen Perrin, author of How To Solve Your Own Murder

What listeners say about A Murder for Miss Hortense

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.