Dastardly Deeds At St Brides

By Debbie Young

What’s it about?

When Gemma Lamb takes a job at a quirky English girls’ boarding school, she believes she’s found the perfect escape route from her controlling boyfriend – until she discovers the rest of the staff are hiding sinister secrets:

Hairnet, the eccentric headmistress who doesn’t hold with academic qualifications

Oriana Bliss, Head of Maths and master of disguise

Jocelyn Spryke, the suspiciously rugged Head of PE

Geography teacher Mavis Brook, surreptitiously selling off the library books

Creepy night watchman Max Security, with his network of hidden tunnels

Even McPhee, the school cat, is leading a double life.

Tucked away in the school’s beautiful private estate in the Cotswolds, can Gemma stay safe and build a new independent future?

With a little help from her new friends, including some worldly-wise pupils, she’s going to give it her best shot…

What I think:

Boldwood are re-publishing this series – the opening book was originally called Secrets at St Brides – with gorgeous new art work and a new book in the series coming soon.

If, like me, you grew up reading boarding school stories and wishing you could go to Mallory Towers, you will enjoy this.

To be honest, the deeds are not that dastardly, but there is lot of fun  to be had as Genma finds her feet in the slightly eccentric world of the English country boarding school.

The girls are rich, often obscenely so, but the school is impoverished and is making the pupils where thermals to save money on heating. (With energy prices the way they are I can actually see this happening across the country 🙈)

Gemma is newly qualified and takes the job as Head of English in a department of one because it also comes with a small flat and she can escape her controlling boyfriend.

There are mysteries abound though in the quirky world of St Brides.

Who is the mysterious Caroline she has been warned about? What is Mavis doing in the library? And what is going on with Jocelyn the PE teacher.

This is a really fun book. It’s silly and lighthearted. This is quite a short book so it’s a fast read – perfect for a gloomy autumn Sunday afternoon snuggled up in a blanket.

Thank you to Boldwood and Netgalley for my gifted digital copy of Dastardly Deeds At St Brides