Ballyfortnum Get Slim group – putting the die in diet. Warm-hearted thirty-something Jess O’Malley is distraught when her elderly neighbour dies. In the close-knit Irish village of Ballyfortnum, death always hits hard but he’s the third member of the local slimming group to die this year and it’s only February. Is there something amiss in the Get Slim club? Jess was never one for diets but she does know all about sleuthing from her lifelong love of mystery books. Brought together by their dogs, Jess befriends the local policeman but can she persuade him that there’s a murderer at large? Determined to find the killer, she becomes suspicious of her friends and neighbours but increasingly careless about who she drinks tea with. If she can’t solve the mystery, will another dieter die? And if she doesn’t stop asking awkward questions, will Jess become the next victim? A Diet of Death is the first of this beautifully-written Irish village cozy mystery series, which depicts enjoyable snapshots of life in a close-knit Irish community. Jinny Alexander brings all the elements of traditional Golden Age mystery stories to a current-day setting. Buy now to discover this delightful new series for yourself. Midwest Book review October 2022 A Diet of Death is a cozy animal mystery set in the small Irish village of Ballyfortnum that revolves around dieting, death, and dogs. It also revolves around (and opens with) food, as Jess helps herself to food at a wake and listens to Kate complain that three of her students have already dropped dead. Fletcher, Snowflake, and other pets are as involved in matters as the diet focus of the local slimming group which is seeing its members succumb unexpectedly. Jess suspects a murderer is at large, but she has her hands full trying to convince authorities that this peaceful small village may harbor a threat. Jinny Alexander embeds her murder mystery with the satisfying atmosphere of rural Ireland. This comes to life as Jess navigates murder and the village's culture, with precise descriptions permeating the story of a growing threat: "Jess waved back, and tugged Fletcher away, Daisy's barking abating as they rounded the bend out of sight. Enjoying the spring blooms of the village, thinking of the riot of colour in Henry and Elizabeth's garden, and the soft greens of Breda's, Jess remembered her suggestion to Linda to join a gardening course." From Jess's absent love life to a series of lively older characters who are meeting their maker too early, Alexander cultivates a wry observational style that brings not only the dilemma, but the small town to life: "You can't lock yourself away in a dead-end street full of old ones for the rest of your life." With cat captures to dogs and a trail of treats and intrigue, Alexander builds a warm story based on not just murder and mystery, but personalities who have formed connections and habits that lead to satisfying lives. The result is a cozy mystery packed with animals and intrigue that, most of all, excels in a warm sense of place and purpose lending to the underlying conundrums. Cozy mystery readers who enjoy stories of friendships and murder possibilities will find A Diet of Death unusually strong in its atmosphere, which does equal justice to both the murder mystery component and the entwined lives of a small village which provides a satisfying backdrop for retirement and friendships. Jinny was first published in Horse and Pony magazine at the age of ten. Since then, she's turned to novel-writing, and is the author of the Jess O'Malley Irish Village Mysteries; the Mrs Smith's Suspects cozy mystery series, and a handful of standalone contemporary fiction novels. Jinny has an MA in Creative Writing and has been published in magazines, anthologies, etc, and placed and listed in several writing contests.Jinny also teaches English as a foreign language to people all over the world. Her home for now is in rural Ireland, which she shares with her husband and far too many animals. Her two children have grown and flown but return across the Irish Sea when they can. She quite likes to shut the door on them all and write.