In The Dough Must Go On by H.Y. Hanna, Gemma Rose has been hired to cater the From Pleb to Celeb talent show, which is taking place in Oxford. To her surprise, the four Old Biddies, plus a friend, have entered the contest as a “granny band” named the Pussy Puffs. Backstage, Gemma encounters plenty of personal drama and conflict, especially with one contestant, Laura King, determined to stir up trouble. The night of the semifinals, the puppeteer’s cat, who is part of the act, goes missing, so Gemma takes her own cat, Muesli, for the woman to use. But as Gemma looks for the performer, she comes upon the body of Laura King, who must have been murdered in the previous ten minutes. With Gemma’s boyfriend, Detective Instructor Devlin O’Connor, in charge of the case, Gemma finds herself mixed up in the investigation.
The Dough Must Go On is book nine in the Oxford Tea Room series and shows that Hanna has not lost any of her momentum in writing these books. The mystery plot is interesting, with the creative backdrop of the dysfunctional talent show adding extra flavor. As usual, the Old Biddies change their opinions of the murderer every next scene, adding to the fun of the book. The characters in the book are fun, each having a unique personality. They are not particularly round characters, but their natures have creative features. Gemma’s prim and humorous mother plays a larger role than usual, giving the book an extra touch of flair. And of course, the Old Biddies never cease to delight.
I have enjoyed all the books in this series, but one strength of this book in particular is the extra humor found in it. The Old Biddies prove even funnier than usual, and I laughed especially hard at the scene in which they drag Gemma into a sex shop, where they loudly comment on the strange items they find.
The audio edition of this book is performed by Pearl Hewitt, who continues to bring the series to life. She depicts each character with an individual flavor that makes each one seem unique. I especially love Hewitt’s depiction of the mews of Muesli, giving real personality to the cat.
I had a great experience listening to The Dough Must Go On. I was excited to see that the latest book in the series was available on audio, and I was not disappointed. The book has a great plot and creative characters filled with humor. I give this book five stars!
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