The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “The Dying Light” by Ann Cleeves it's the 4th instalment in the A Detective Matthew Venn Mystery Series, a powerful novel about guilt, betrayal, and the longheld secrets people keep. I love Ann Cleeves books and this instalment did not disappoint.  In fact, I thought that it was one of the best in the series.

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“Everything Ann Cleeves writes is incredible.”—Richard Osman

DI Matthew Venn peels back layer upon layer to discover the dark secrets one family is keeping in this searing new novel, brimming with energy and taut with claustrophobic tension.

A scorching heatwave marks the start of the summer in Devon. Detective Matthew Venn is called in to investigate a puzzling death, when the body of a young woman, Lottie, is found in the swimming pool of a luxurious holiday home. The girl’s best friend, Hannah, whose family owns the house, is missing. The girls had arrived a few days earlier to celebrate the end of their school exams, quickly stirring unrest in the small community with incendiary social media videos mocking the place as parochial.

When further tragedy strikes, Venn and his team begin questioning a community filled with secrets. The fact that Hannah’s father, Paul Armstrong, is a rising political star with powerful enemies draws intense media scrutiny to the case.

With the summer heat come holidaymakers, and it emerges that some of them may have stronger connections with the Armstrong family than first thought. Venn knows all too well that the real answers lie not in what people say, but in the silences that they keep.

Taut, atmospheric, and brimming with suspense, this searing new novel finds DI Matthew Venn caught between a powerful family’s secrets and a powder keg of local tensions.

The Series is character-driven and also very descriptive you feel like you are right there in North Devon, England. In this instalment we get to catch up with Venn and his team, are caught between a powerful family’s secrets and a powder keg of local tensions.

This was a very suspenseful story and I was fully engrossed in it and finding out what would happened to the girls. There were lots of suspects and I was kept guessing till the end.

I highly recommend this book and the Two Rivers/Detective Inspector Mathew Venn Mystery series to all my British Mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs, 

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The Bones of Logan Rock by Sally Rigby

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "The Bones of Logan Rock” the 7th instalment in A Cornwall Murder Mystery 
series featuring DI Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price by Sally Rigby  .  This is the third book I have read in the series, if you love mysteries set in Cornwall, England this is for you!

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An archaeological dig on the wild Cornish cliffs was supposed to uncover ancient history. Instead, it has exposed a grave that was never meant to be found.

When human remains are found at the excavation site near Logan Rock in Treen, Cornwall, Detective Lauren Pengelly is called to investigate. These bones don't belong to some Bronze Age settler – they're the remains of a sixteen-year-old girl who vanished at a beach party in 1996, a night of bonfires, cheap cider and a killer who has gone unchecked for thirty years.

But before Lauren and her partner, DS Matt Price, can unravel the truth behind the girl's disappearance, another body is found at the base of the cliffs. Someone is willing to commit murder to keep the past hidden... and they're not finished yet. As the body count rises, Lauren must untangle three decades of lies before the killer silences anyone who might expose the harrowing truth.

Get ready to be totally hooked! Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel McLean and J M Dalgliesh can't get enough of this series.

I love visiting Cornwall while not a lot of descriptive scenes as in some books there was just enough to know we were in Cornwall.   I liked the dynamics between the investigative team and how they played off each other. With Tasmin possibly leaving what will happen with the dynamics once an unknown is added.   We will just have to wait and see.

The mystery was really interesting, well plotted, and had just enough twists to keep you engrossed and wanting to know what happens next.  I was really invested in the outcome and read in one day. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorite British crime series.

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Storm Publishing and NetGalley.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

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The Widows’ Guide to Last Orders by Amanda Ashby

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "The Widows' Guide to Last Orders" is the 4th instalment in The Widows' Detective Club Mystery series by Amanda Ashby, and it's another entertaining read. Set in the charming village of Little Shaw, England, the story follows the bond between the four widows as they navigate another intriguing mystery.  

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Life in Little Shaw is as nice as pie for librarian Ginny Cole. She’s got a tentative truce with her grumpy neighbour Detective Inspector Wallace, and Sunday quiz nights at The Lost Goat with her friends (team name: The Merry Widows). Until the young quizmaster is found dead in the cellar. The police call it an accident; Ginny suspects murder. But with Wallace strangely impossible to locate and convince, she and the other widows must step – carefully, mind – into the breach.

The victim, it turns out, wasn’t just torturing locals with impossible trivia. He was hunting for his great-aunt who vanished from Little Shaw in 1963, along with what village gossips insist was a fortune in Cold War secrets. Now Ginny and her friends must decode a sixty-year-old mystery involving priest holes, spy scandals, and the competing egos of the local history society.

But when the killer strikes again, the widows need to solve this fast before someone calls last orders on them…

A brilliantly twisty cozy mystery perfect for fans of Fiona Leitch, Robert Thorogood and anyone who thinks retirement should come with a side of solving murders.

The characters are well-crafted and lovable, especially Ginny's mischievous cat, who steals the show with his charming personality.  

The quirky characters and sense of community in Little Shaw add to the novel's charm.

The mystery is well-plotted, with plenty of twists to keep readers engaged until the very end. I enjoyed guessing and second-guessing the outcome, and I managed to piece together the clues before Ginny did.

Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries and heartwarming fiction. Amanda Ashby's writing is engaging, and her characters are lovable and well-crafted. I highly recommend this charming novel and look forward to the next instalment in the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an advance readers copy from NetGalley and the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

The Marazion Murders by Sally Rigby

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "The Marazion Murders” the 6th instalment in A Cornwall Murder Mystery 
series featuring DI Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price by Sally Rigby  .  This is the second book I have read in the series, if you love mysteries set in Cornwall, England this is for you!

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Dawn Cross sits motionless in her recliner, her eyes staring sightlessly at the television screen. Death is no stranger to Silver Fern House… but when Detective Lauren Pengelly arrives at the scene, it’s clear she’s got a cold-blooded murder on her hands.

What should have been a routine investigation at a care home for former entertainers quickly becomes Lauren's most complex case yet. When a second resident is found dead and then a third is targeted, Detective Lauren Pengelly knows she's hunting a killer with a twisted agenda. Each death is different, but there's a pattern emerging that chills her to the bone.

As Lauren and DS Matt Price dig deeper into the famous residents' pasts, they uncover secrets that some would kill to keep buried. In a building full of people who've spent their lives playing roles, everyone is a suspect and anyone could be the killer’s next victim…

Get ready to be totally hooked! From the bestselling author of the Cavendish & Walker series, you won't be able to put this murder mystery down. Fans of LJ Ross, Rachel McLean and J M Dalgliesh will love it.

I love visiting Cornwall while not a lot of descriptive scenes as in some books there was just enough to know we were in Cornwall.   I liked the dynamics between the investigative team and how they played off each other.

The mystery was really interesting, well plotted, and had just enough twists to keep you engrossed and wanting to know what happens next. 

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Storm Publishing and NetGalley.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

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The Killing Stones A Detective Jimmy Perez Novel by Ann Cleeves

Hello my bookish friends,

The Killing Stones A Detective Jimmy Perez Novel by Ann Cleeves   I am a huge fan of Ann Cleeves writing and British mysteries and this did not let me down

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The Killing Stones marks the eagerly awaited return of Ann Cleeves' beloved detectives from the Shetland series, and a gripping new investigation with a stunning new setting, from the New York Times bestselling author and creator of three iconic detectives beloved in TV and print: DI Jimmy Perez (the Shetland series), DI Vera Stanhope, and DI Matthew Venn (The Long Call).

It's been several years since Detective Jimmy Perez left Shetland. He has settled into his new home in Orkney, the group of islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, with his partner Willow Reeve and their growing family. One stormy winter night, his oldest and closest friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Ever the detective, Perez catches a boat to the island of Westray, where Archie worked as a farmer and lived with his wife and children.

But when he arrives he finds a shocking scene: Archie's body, on an archaeological dig site and an ancient Westray story stone with precise spirals carved into it beside him, the clear murder weapon. The artifact, taken from a nearby museum, seems to suggest a premediated murder.

But Perez is so close to the case that he struggles to maintain an objective distance from the potential suspects. He finds it difficult to question Archie's wife, whom he's known for years. Rumors swirl about the dead man's relationship with a young woman new to the island, an artist. With each new lead, the case becomes more twisted and Perez wonders if he will ever find out what happened in his friend's final days.

Ann Cleeves's latest Jimmy Perez novel is an absorbing and atmospheric read, set against the stunning backdrop of the Orkney Islands. When Jimmy's close friend Archie Stout is murdered, Jimmy and his partner Willow Reeve embark on a complex investigation.

Archie's character is masterfully crafted - a spirited, mercurial individual beloved by his family and community, yet with secrets and a troubled past. Jimmy's personal connection to the victim adds depth to the story, and his partnership with Willow is showcased beautifully.

The plot is twisty and engaging, with multiple leads and suspects keeping me guessing. Although I had a suspicion about the killer's identity early on, the journey was full of surprises and challenges that kept me invested. Following the clues was satisfying, and Cleeves's writing made the story feel immersive and authentic. A compelling read that showcases Cleeves's mastery of the genre! 

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog! I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers. Hugs,

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A Lesson in Dying The First Inspector Ramsay Novel by Ann Cleeves

Hello my cozy friends,

A Lesson in Dying The First Inspector Ramsay Novel by Ann Cleeves  It is a great start to a new crime/mystery series that I will continue with.  I am a huge fan of Ann Cleeves writing and British mysteries and this did not let me down

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Before Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves wrote the Inspector Ramsay series featuring a talented, brilliant detective—now in print for the first time in the US.

Who hung the headmaster in the playground on the night of the school Halloween Party?

Almost everyone in Heppleburn either hated or feared the viper-tongued Harold Medburn. Inspector Ramsay is convinced it was the headmaster’s enigmatic wife but Jack Robson, school governor and caretaker, is determined to prove her innocence.

With the help of his restless daughter Patty, Jack digs into the secrets of Heppleburn, and uncovers a cesspit of lies, adultery, blackmail and madness . . .

I was eager to dive into the Inspector Ramsay series, having fallen in love with Ann Cleeves' Vera series. Inspector Ramsay proves to be a distinctly different protagonist from Vera , with a complex introduction that sets the tone. Initially unpopular and seemingly set up for failure, Ramsay navigates his challenges with quiet determination.

This intriguing mystery boasts a cast of unforgettable characters, keeping me invested in the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to witnessing Ramsay's growth in the next installment.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog! I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers. Hugs,

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Death at Porthcurno Cove by by Sally Rigby

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "Death at Porthcurno Cove” the 5th instalment in A Cornwall Murder Mystery 
 series featuring DI Lauren Pengelly and DS Matt Price by Sally Rigby  .  This is the first book I have read in the series, if you love mysteries set in Cornwall, England this is for you!

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Golden sunlight bathes the rugged cliffs casting long shadows across Porthcurno’s sandy beach. Within a cove, lying on a blanket, are two bodies. Their limbs are twisted at unnatural angles, vacant eyes staring blankly at the sky. Beside them is an empty Prosecco bottle and a note with one chilling word written in black ink: Sorry.

As the sun rises over a picturesque Cornish beach, Detective Lauren Pengelly makes a grim discovery while walking her border collies. A newly engaged couple lie dead in the sand. At first glance, it appears to be a tragic double suicide. But something doesn’t add up.

The victims – popular university students Jasmine and Finley – seemed to have it all. But as Lauren digs deeper, she and her partner Matt Price unravel a complex web of secrets and lies. Finley’s gambling addiction was threatening to ruin everything, and Jasmine had an unwanted admirer. With a double murder to solve and suspects mounting, Lauren and Matt must navigate the close-knit community to find the answers.

An empty ring box and traces of silk fibres found at the crime scene could be vital clues to cracking the case but when another life is on the line, have Lauren and Matt run out of time to catch the killer?

A completely gripping mystery that will have you turning the pages late into the night. Death at Porthcurno Cove will have fans of LJ Ross, Ann Cleeves and Joy Ellis hooked.

I love visiting Cornwall while not a lot of descriptive scenes as in some books there was just enough to know we were in Cornwall.   I liked the dynamics between the investigative team and how they played off each other.

The mystery was really interesting, well plotted, and had just enough twists to keep you engrossed and wanting to know what happens next. There is a secondary storyline, and wow the cliffhanger has me looking out for book 6 as I have a few questions I want answers for hee hee...

I recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Storm Publishing and NetGalley.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Please join the conversation and comment below.  Have you read… If so what did you think/like

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

The Widows' Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing "The Widows' Guide to Murder” the first instalment in The Widows’ Detective Club Mystery series by Amanda Ashby set in the Village of Little Shaw, England.  What a great start to a new series.

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Ginny Cole doesn’t want to be a widow. She’d rather not be forcibly adopted by an opinionated black cat. And she’d give anything not to have just found the murdered body of her rude and dislikeable new boss…

So she’s as surprised as anyone to realise that she doesn’t hate being on the wrong side of the law, searching a graveyard for evidence in the company of three fellow widows, and doing a whole host of un-Ginny-like things in order to solve a fiendish mystery.

It was a bumpy start, but Ginny might even be starting to like her new life. Certainly well enough that when her sleuthing puts her too close for the killer’s comfort, she’ll do whatever it takes to hold onto it…

If you love Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, Robert Thorogood and The Thursday Murder Club mysteries, you’ll adore this charming cozy mystery full of page-turning twists and endearing characters.

This is a new to me author and I will definitely be reading more from her.   I love the story and the I enjoyed the bond between the four widows, they were witty, and authentic.   I liked the quirky characters and the sense of community. 

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and had plenty of twists to keep engaged right to the very end. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself but I was right on who the killer was.

Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries and heartwarming fiction. Amanda’s writing is engaging, and her characters are lovable and well-crafted. I highly recommend this charming novel and look forward to the next instalment.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I requested and received an advance readers copy from NetGalley and the publisher.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs,

You Have Gone Too Far by Carlene O'Connor

Hello my friends,

Today I am reviewing “You Have Gone Too Far” by Carlene O’Connor it's the 3rd instalment in the County Kerry Series, grapples with death, friendships, and secrets…

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With the haunting, moody prose of Tana French and the compulsive storytelling of Dervla McTiernan or Ann Cleeves, bestselling author Carlene O’Connor lures readers to a remote village on Ireland’s southwest coast, where winding windswept roads open to spectacular views of rugged cliffs against immense, lonely beaches…and some fear a mysterious cult could be connected to the disappearance of a young pregnant woman.

After two pregnant women in Dingle who have never met each receive a chilling email warning them that they’re in grave danger, the two decide to meet each other to figure out what is going on. But when one of the mothers, Shauna, a deaf woman, arrives at their meeting place at the village Spring Festival, she fears a trap and hurries off to meet the couple who plan to adopt her baby.

Meanwhile, Dimpna Wilde has her hands full with lambing season and keeping track of her father, so she’s grateful for the help of a well-meaning ten-year-old boy, Dylan, at the veterinary clinic. But when the lad goes missing after going into a bog on a dare with two other boys to search for a “monster,” she is desperate to help find him.

After the adoptive couple are discovered tied up in their home, telling a terrifying story of a deaf pregnant woman being abducted by a man wearing a butterfly mask, Detective Inspector Cormac O’Brien and Detective Sergeant Barbara Neely fear a repeat of a disturbing case from twenty years earlier, when a charismatic leader calling himself the Shepherd, lured poor pregnant girls into his enigmatic cult. Though allegations of baby smuggling were never proven, he’d been put away on other charges. But then they learn that the Shepherd has recently been released from prison.

Trapped in a cold, dark room with a frightened boy, Shauna fears for their lives as well as that of her unborn baby. If she has any chance of getting out and away from the Moth Man, as she calls her abductor, she’ll have to figure out the truth behind who she really is and how that connects to the ordeal she finds herself in now. But time is running out and her baby will be born soon . . . ominous the signs seem to be, laced with a warning that Dimpna fears it will prove fatal to overlook.

The story is character-driven and also very descriptive you feel like you are right there in Dingle, Ireland.  I’m a huge fan of the authors other mystery series set in Ireland , but her more gritty and suspenseful mystery novels are becoming my favorite.   

The mystery is interesting and had lots of twists which kept me guessing. With so many suspects to follow I was surprised I guessed just before it was revealed.  

I highly recommend this book to all my Irish Mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs, 

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The Dark Wives A Vera Stanhope Novel by Ann Cleeves

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “The Dark Wives” by Ann Cleeves it's the 11th instalment in the Vera Stanhope Mystery Series. I love the Vera Mystery series and this instalment did not disappoint.  In fact, I thought that it was one of the best in the series.

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As New York Times bestseller Ann Cleeves's beloved Vera series explodes in popularity in print and on TV, this stunning eleventh book explores the web of secrets surrounding a young man's death.

The man’s body is found in the early morning light by a local dog walker in the park outside Rosebank, a home for troubled teens in the coastal village of Longwater. The victim is Josh, a staff member, who was due to work the previous night but never showed up.

DI Vera Stanhope is called out to investigate the death, with her only clue being the disappearance of one of the home’s residents, fourteen-year-old Chloe Spence. Vera can’t bring herself to believe that a teenager is responsible for the murder, but even she can’t dismiss the possibility.

Vera, Joe and new team member Rosie Bell, are soon embroiled in the case, and when a second connected body is found near the Three Dark Wives monument in the wilds of the Northumberland countryside, superstition and folklore begin to collide with fact. Vera knows she has to find Chloe to get to the truth, and the dark secrets in their community that may be far more dangerous than she could have ever believed possible.

The Series is character-driven and also very descriptive you feel like you are right there in Northumbria, England. In this instalment we get to catch up with Vera and her team, after the death of team member Holly.  Vera is trying to communicate more with the team and new member Rosie, as Vera blames herself for Hollys death. 

We had lots of suspects but I did sort of guess one of the suspects just before it was revealed.  

I highly recommend this book and the Vera Stanhope Mystery series to all my British Mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

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The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

Hello my cozy friends,

Today I am reviewing “The Raging Storm” by Ann Cleeves it's the 3rd instalment in the A Detective Matthew Venn Mystery Series, a powerful novel about guilt, betrayal, and the longheld secrets people keep. I love Ann Cleeves books and this instalment did not disappoint.  In fact, I thought that it was one of the best in the series.

Ann Cleeves—New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows—returns with The Raging Storm, the extraordinary third installment in the Matthew Venn series.

Fierce winds, dark secrets, deadly intentions.

When Jem Rosco—sailor, adventurer, and legend—blows into town in the middle of an autumn gale, the residents of Greystone, Devon, are delighted to have a celebrity in their midst. But just as abruptly as he arrived, Rosco disappears again, and soon his lifeless body is discovered in a dinghy, anchored off Scully Cove, a place with legends of its own.

This is an uncomfortable case for Detective Inspector Matthew Venn. Greystone is a place he visited as a child, a community he parted ways with. Superstition and rumor mix with fact as another body is found, and Venn finds his judgment clouded. 

As the winds howl, and Venn and his team investigate, he realizes that no one, including himself, is safe from Scully Cove’s storm of dark secrets.

“A friend of mine once joked that the work of Ann Cleeves is the closest the crime fiction genre comes to evoking ASMR—the euphoric, pleasant, spine-tingling sensation that’s all the rage on YouTube. The books never get too dark, never venture too far into dangerous territory, but aren’t outright cozy, either.”—The New York Times

The Series is character-driven and also very descriptive you feel like you are right there in North Devon, England. In this instalment we get to catch up with Venn and his team, as they try to wade through the small village dynamics where outsiders are barely tolerated and superstitions prevail.  

This was a very suspenseful story and I was fully engrossed in it and finding out what would happen next.  There were lots of suspects and I was kept guessing till the end.

I highly recommend this book and the Two Rivers/Detective Inspector Mathew Venn Mystery series to all my British Mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from the publisher and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my little blog!
I always love reading comments and getting to know my fellow cozy lovers.

Hugs, 

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