Jolly Foul Play

Name: Jolly Foul Play
Rating: 4.41 (14230 reviews)

by Robin Stevens Book 4 in the A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery series.

First published 2016

Amazon

4.4(14,230)

Daisy and Hazel return to Deepdean in the autumn of 1935 to find a new Head Girl and a prefect body governing through intimidation. After the Bonfire Night fireworks, Elizabeth Hurst is found murdered, and the school’s carefully maintained order begins to fracture. Anonymous notes reveal secrets about pupils and staff, producing a wide field of suspects among girls who had reason to fear or resent the victim.

The case tests the Detective Society at the moment when Daisy and Hazel’s own friendship is least secure. School factions, loyalty between dorm-mates and the unequal authority of prefects make evidence difficult to separate from rumour and revenge. By returning to Deepdean after two mysteries beyond it, the novel shows that the institution itself is changing and that solving a crime does not automatically restore the social relationships damaged by it.