Aunt Bessie Knows

Isle of Man #11

by Diana Xarissa

Aunt Bessie knows she’s in for a long evening when she joins her friends to celebrate New Year’s Eve. In Elizabeth Cubbon’s experience, New Year’s Eve parties are never as fun as they ought to be. When she's invited to share the night with her new neighbours at Thie yn Traie, she reluctantly agrees, in spite of her misgivings. Aunt Bessie knows that gorgeous redhead, Gennifer Carter-Maxwell is drunk and slightly out of control. But when Gennifer starts flirting with Hugh Watterson, the young police constable who is Bessie’s friend, Gennifer manages to upset Hugh's girlfriend, Grace. By the time midnight arrives, Bessie is more than ready to head for home, but first she agrees to join in the search for the now missing Gennifer. Aunt Bessie knows that Hugh Watterson didn’t kill anyone. And she’s certain that his supervisor, John Rockwell, knows it too. Unfortunately, it’s Inspector Anna Lambert heading up this particular investigation. As evidence against Hugh seems to be piling up fast, Bessie knows she’s going to have to do some detective work of her own. This is book eleven in the Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Series.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, British Literature, Crime

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2016

About the author

Diana started self-publishing in 2013 and over a decade later she now has over a hundred books available for readers. Writing remains her passion and she has no plans to stop writing in the foreseeable future.

Diana grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania, and earned a history degree from Allegheny College. She met her husband, an Englishman, while living and working in Washington, DC. Following their marriage, she moved to Derbyshire. A short while later, the happy couple moved to the Isle of Man.

During their years on the island, Diana and her husband welcomed two children, and Diana completed a master’s degree in the history of the island. In 2008, the family made the decision to move to the US. Now empty-nesters, Diana and her husband are living in the suburbs of Buffalo, New York, and contemplating moving somewhere that doesn’t get snow.

Diana also writes mystery/thrillers set in the not-too-distant future as Diana X. Dunn and Young Adult fiction as D.X. Dunn.

Reviews

[Phrynne]

In this eleventh book Aunt Bessie goes to a New Year's Eve party where, of course, someone dies. Worse, one of her best friends, Hugh, is the main suspect, or is he? Inspector Anne Lambert leads a tight but fair investigation, and I think Bessie is going to like this woman eventually. An ongoing plot point is resolved at last and we can look forward to a wedding in the near future.

I really enjoy dipping into Aunt Bessie's life periodically. This is definitely a series to read in order as it is very much character driven and Bessie and her core group of friends hold the whole thing together. I look forward to each book to see what happens to them all next, and luckily there are still lots of books to go!

[Ivonne Rovira]

What Aunt Bessie knows is that there’s no way that Constable Hugh Watterson had hurt anyone — no matter how black the case against him looks. After all, Elizabeth Cubbon, called Aunt Bessie by all, has known Hugh since he was a small boy

When it comes to Diana Xarissa’s Isle of Man mysteries, I’m like a chain smoker: The moment I finish one, I get the next from Kindle Unlimited, just as three-pack-a-day smokers will light a new cigarette off the last one. I found the ending of Aunt Bessie Knows unlikely, and I thought that Hugh’s girlfriend was implausibly silly. Still, I had fun, and I’ll be back for that next ciggie — I mean, book! Three-and-a-half stars, rounded up to four.

[Stacy]

Aunt Bessie is back and it's only been a couple of weeks since the events in the last book. It's New Years Eve and everyone is gathered for a big party at her friend Mary's house. When a rather unpleasant guest is found dead shortly after midnight suspicion falls on one of Bessie's friends, Hugh. Bessie does her usual investigating which involves lots of eating, walking, and talking. While I thought Hugh and his fiancee Grace acted like idiots, the rest of the book was delightful as usual.

[Crystal Toller]

Aunt Bessie Knows

Aunt Bessie goes to a New Years Eve party at the old Pierce mansion, now owned by the Qualys and a murder occurs. When Constable Hugh Waterston is accused, Bessie and her friends try to solve the murder. The murder is solved when the police do a reenactment. And Hugh and Grace get engaged. A delightful addition to the Aunt Bessie series. Highly recommend this book and the series.

[Linda]

Bessie Cubbon reluctantly attends Mary Quayle's New Year's Eve party and finds herself involved in yet another murder investigation ... but this time her young friend, Constable Hugh Watterson, appears to be the prime suspect.

Aunt Bessie knows that can't possibly be true. But which person at Mary's party killed Gennifer? Perhaps the truth will be found when Inspector Anna Lambert re-creates what happened on December 31st.

[Sandy]

I liked the characters and there were enough suspects that I was only able to narrow it down to a couple of them. However I was disappointed that with the book being set on the Isle of Man that the setting didn’t feature more in the book. It really could have been set almost anywhere in the UK.

I haven’t read any other books in this series and although there were references to past events it worked well as a stand alone story.

[Maura Flood]

Especially Good Mystery

All of the Isle of Man Cozy Mysteries are good, but I think Aunt Bessie Knows is the best yet. It includes the familiar cast of characters, but adds many others to the mix, making the mystery more difficult to solve. And that makes this novel quite interesting to read.

[kay whitlock]

I am enjoying this entire series. The plots are interesting and the endings are always a bit of a surprise. The descriptions of the characters and the setting allow me to visualize myself inside the book. I enjoy both series set in the Isle of Man.

[Stef]

I don’t know if I’ve read too many of these or if I’m finally getting good at figuring out whodunnit since I knew who the murderer would be even before the murder had taken place 😅 but still, Aunt Bessie is always a quick, fun read.

[Mary Byrnes]

Great story

This was a good story.The characters were well written. There were several that I really didn't like. As usual all of my favorites were there. The mystery kept me guessing until close to the. Ready to get started on the next book.

[Helen]

Another excellent Aunt Bessie mystery. I’m glad I went back and started at the beginning after reading one in the series, as, while the mysteries stand alone, the character development is one of the things I really enjoy about the series.

[Andra Fore]

Sensational

This story was sensational. Set on New Years Eve it has all the makings of a great murder mystery. Strangers in town getting murdered who could want more. It is a must read.

[Serina]

loved it

So nice to not figure out the murder culprit until the end. The characters again made me no want to put this book down. Little meal and mild Mary Quayle has my heart when her properness and grit come out

[Michele Livesay]

This Murder is Too Close to Aunt Bessie

1999, what a new year for Aunt Bessie and her friends. Murder most foul on New Year' Eve is not a good start. Especially when someone very close to Aunt Bessie is rumored to be the killer. I love these books.

[Vinnie Batiste]

Always a great read!

I love this author's work and this book was no exception! I love that I never figure out who's guilty! There's only one problem.....waiting for the next book!

[Mrs E Bowden]

Stunning

Yet another brilliant read really enjoyed this book it really made me think, trying to work out who the murderer was .

[A G A VAN DEN BOS]

Aunt Bessie gets thoroughly involved in the investigative process, which makes this a book more interesting than many of its predecessors.

[Voirrey]

As my comment for Aunt Bessie Joins!

[Patricia]

Aunt Bessie...knows who did not commit the murder, but you can be sure that she will have a hand in finding out just who did.

[Alayne]

Another very pleasant cosy mystery from Diana Xarissa. This time the victim was an entirely unpleasant individual and so the list of suspects was quite long! Very enjoyable.

[Lisa Schulz]

I'm working my way through this delightful series of Aunt Bessie stories. I enjoy the subtle references to the mystery books she is reading and realizing I've read some of her favorite authors.

[L Kate]

Aunt Bessie Knows

What a difficult mystery! Everyone coming and going from the great room where the New Year's Eve party was taking place, wandering about the huge house and grounds. But then one rather dislikable young lady is found at the bottom of the stairs to the beach ... Was it just her inappropriately high shoes ... Or murder? Great fun read with characters we've gotten to know and a group of strangers. Really enjoyed this one!!

[Julia Walker]

Aunt Bessie continues to be a fun read. Nothing taxing, just a quick mystery with a nice little grey haired old lady.

[Pam]

Aunt Bessie Knows: An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 11 is by Diana Xarissa. The Aunt Bessie books are all simply marvelous. You would think that by the eleventh book, Diana would be tired of trying to find situations to get Aunt Bessie mixed up in; but she isn’t and she definitely finds those situations.
Bessie is on her way to Mary and George’s new home, Thie yn Traie, for their New Year’s Eve party. She would rather spend the night at home but she promised marry she would be there so she would go. Mary had just called to ask her to come as soon as possible. Mary wasn’t emotionally ready for a party; but George was as normal. Mary was always shy but she insisted on this party to show George’s “fair weather friends” that they would go on and have a life in spite of their snubs. Their daughter, Elizabeth, had invited her friends down for the occasion and they were driving Mary wild. She needed Bessie to calm her down.
It was just after midnight when Elizabeth’s friend Nigel couldn’t find his girlfriend, Gennifer. Many of the guests probably didn’t care as Gennifer was not very likeable that night. However, they set off to search the large house to find her. What they found was Gennifer at the base of the cliff on the beach. Someone had murdered Gennifer! Who was it?
Once more Aunt Bessie was in the middle of a murder investigation. This time, the person doing the inspecting wasn’t John Rockwell; but a new Inspector Anna Lambert whom no one liked and the highest suspect was Constable Hugh Watterson!

[Mystereity Reviews]

See this and all my reviews at Mystereity Reviews

3...2....1....Happy New Murder!

It's New Years Eve in Laxey and Bessie is spending the evening at Thie Yn Trae, where her friend Mary Quayle is hosting a party to ring in the new year. Mary's daughter has invited her group of friends, including the beautiful Gennifer, who upsets many people after flirting outrageously with some of the men, including Hugh, whose girlfriend Grace is upset and angry when Hugh doesn't rebuff Gennifer's advances. When Gennifer is later found dead, everyone at the party is under suspcion. Can Bessie help catch a killer?

Aunt Bessie Knows is another delightful addition to the Aunt Bessie series. This one wasn't difficult to figure out; while there were lots of suspects, there were only a few obvious ones. Inspector Anna Lambert also returns, much to the chagrin of Bessie and her friends, but her brilliant idea to stage an re-enactment of the party was the best part of the book. It reminded me of Clue, my all time favorite movie.

Overall, Aunt Bessie Knows was a fun read, and I always enjoy another visit to Laxey. This is a great series for cozy mystery fans who like a gentle read with a great atmosphere you can sink into and enjoy.

[Lucy]

Aunt Bessie Rings in the New Year

with a murder at the home of her friend Mary. Unfortunately, the over-sexed femme fatal who made quite a noisy entrance at the party, winds up dead....even worse is the suspects are the party attendees--which includes Aunt Bessie, Inspector John, best friend Doona, and Constable Hugh! Things get dicey when nemesis Inspector Anna is brought in to investigate, and John, Beasie, Doona and Hugh vow to investigate to clear the number one suspect...one of them!
Another solid mystery in this charming series set on the Isle of Man. The author has done a wonderful job of bringing the flavor of the Manx to readers, along with the home-spun goodness of Aunt Bessie. I have totally enjoyed all of the novels in this delightful series, so much so that I had to purposefully pace myself so as to not devour each new novel in one sitting. I look forward to the next in this lovely cozy series, as well as the author's new series of ghost mystery cozies, also set on the Isle.
If you love reading, enjoy mysteries and especially cozy mysteries, you won't be disappointed reading this series.

[Julieann]

Book #11 of the series

[Betsy]

This series should be called "Aunt Bessie Eats." One day she had breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner all within a few hours of each other. All they do is eat, and I don't mean just Hugh. I like snickerdoodles too, but that scene with each of the suspects showing up to eat snickerdoodles and spill their guts to a nosy old lady, was ludicrous. The staged reenactment was tedious as well, but I suppose the author had to find some way to reveal the perpetrator.

Now that Hugh has finally popped the question to Grace, I suppose some kind of murder will ruin their Valentine's Day wedding. One thing though, I'm sure there will be plenty to eat.

[Miriam]

Aunt Bessie Knows: Bessie knows it will be a longer evening that she usually has on New Years Eve when she agrees to go to Mary Quayle’s party. What she didn’t know is that murder would be part of the mix. We get to see some of Hugh Watterson in this book.
TW: Diet culture nonsense

[Shannon-lea Johnson]

Excellent story line

The book was enjoyable and moved at a quick pace. It has all the comfortable interactions that make the Aunt Bessie series a great read for a rainy day.