Beth discovers a murder victim on her first day in a new job at a prestigious school. She fears she may become the top suspect as the victim was her immediate boss so she sets out to find the real killer and prove her innocence.
The Murder Mystery is the first of a 7 book cosy murder mystery series that Bookouture has published this month.
Beth is a character who is really easy to like. She is a widow, devoted to her young son. She wants some stability for him so applies for an assistant archivist job at Wyatts School in the hope that he will get a scholarship there in due course. Although excited by her new role, she feels underqualified and the head archivist acts too friendly for her liking. She therefore has mixed emotions when he is found dead and she is considered to have a motive (wanting his job, anger at his lecherous behaviour).
At the school gate and in her new job, Beth feels like an outsider which was really easy to relate to. The setting allows for plenty of suspects and Beth eagerly sets about overcoming her social shyness and conducting her own investigation. I found the pace to be reasonably slow so that we get to know Beth properly. There isn’t much violence or information about the murder or body which fits in with the cosy murder mystery genre.
The Murder Mystery is a good start to a series and I will be reviewing the other books shortly.
Media Pack
Author: Alice Castle
Book: The Murder Mystery (plus 6 other books in the Beth Haldane series)
Publication Day: August 22nd 2022
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Descriptions:
The Murder Mystery:
Meet Dulwich Village’s most daring resident, Beth Haldane. Mother to a sweet little boy, owner of a sulky cat… and solver of mysteries?
It’s a crisp spring day in Dulwich Village when Beth arrives at the intricate iron gates of Wyatt’s School for her new job as the historian’s assistant. But on a lunchtime stroll admiring the pristine grounds of this five-hundred-year-old institution, Beth is shocked to stumble over the body of her new boss Alan Jenkins: spectacles askew, his mustard-yellow tweed jacket covered in blood.
Gossip about outsider Beth spreads like wildfire. The parents in the playground are all whispering: did she bump him off to get her hands on his job?
Desperate to clear her name and protect her own little boy, Beth turns her research skills to hunt for the true killer. She soon discovers Alan rubbed his fellow teachers up the wrong way… could the handsome headmaster be involved? Why did Beth see a flash of the school receptionist’s bright pink jumper at the murder scene? And what is the groundskeeper hiding?
When Beth returns from her sleuthing to find her office in disarray and documents missing from the archives, it’s clear this prestigious school hides a deadly secret. But with parents and teachers panicking that the long-protected reputation of Wyatt’s is under threat, will Beth herself be in the murderer’s sights before the school bell rings?
Wander down the cobbled streets of Dulwich, where nothing is as perfect as it seems! Fans of Agatha Christie, The Thursday Murder Club and Faith Martin won’t be able to put down this deliciously gripping mystery.
This book was previously published as Death in Dulwich.
The Murder Museum:
Caring mother, school historian, and amateur sleuth Beth Haldane loves to while away an afternoon in the Museum of Art. But will she be next in the frame… for murder?
Beth Haldane is gazing at enchanting paintings of the rolling English countryside when her daydream is rudely interrupted: by the discovery of a teenage girl unconscious on a marble bench.
Shocked, Beth realises this is no snoozing schoolchild. Someone dastardly has carefully crossed the girls’ hands across her white dress, as if she’s in a painting herself. And the girl’s discarded red backpack found in a corner of the museum is totally empty. Is someone suspicious hiding evidence? And who would want to harm this innocent soul?
With poor Sophia in hospital, and the parents of Dulwich Village in uproar that their little darlings might be next, Beth pesters police for updates. And with her keen eye for detail and research skills, Beth is perfectly placed to do some sleuthing of her own… but why are Sophia’s gaggle of friends so close-lipped? Has some typical teenage drama taken a dark turn?
But her questions are ruffling feathers at every turn. With Sophia’s life hanging by a thread, can Beth find her attacker before it’s too late – and before the finger points at Beth herself?
A deliciously gripping cozy mystery that’s perfect for fans of fans of Agatha Christie, The Thursday Murder Club and Faith Martin.
This book was previously published as The Girl in the Gallery.
The Murder Question:
When her best friend goes missing, amateur sleuth Beth Haldane is determined to do some digging of her own… but can she crack the mystery before it becomes a murder?
Beth Haldane is worried. First her dear friend and fellow single mother Jen suddenly gets married to a new man who seems too perfect to be true, then she moves out of leafy Dulwich Village – and now seems to have disappeared without a trace.
Beth knows Jen would never leave her little daughter to handle playground predicaments or her sneaky stepmother alone. Heading to Jen’s new home for answers, Beth’s knocks on the periwinkle-blue front door go unanswered. Police are convinced the lovebirds are on an extended honeymoon: but Beth suspects Jen’s new husband is up to no good… why does no-one in Dulwich know where he came from? Are his looks hiding a dark past?
With Jen’s unpleasant ex popping up at every turn, and gruff but handsome policeman DI Harry York insisting Beth should leave things to the professionals, it’s going to take all her sleuthing skills to track Jen down. But searching Jen’s overgrown garden for clues, Beth hears a twig snap… and next thing she knows, she’s woken up in a hospital bed.
Someone in normally peaceful Dulwich Village will do anything to stop her reaching the truth. Can Beth get to the bottom of this mystery before she’s the next to disappear?
A totally addictive murder mystery that’s perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, The Thursday Murder Club and Elly Griffiths.
This book was previously published as Calamity in Camberwell.
The Murder Plot
As snow covers perfect little Dulwich Village, amateur sleuth Beth Haldane is certain something’s amiss. There’s a suspicious solicitor, poorly pooches and… a plot to murder?
Beth Haldane is getting ready for a quiet Christmas with her son and their beloved grumpy cat when fellow single mother Nina begs her for help. Something fishy is going on with Mr Potter, the solicitor she works for… business is slow, with the accounts empty. So why does his wife have such an impressive collection of designer dresses?
Unable to resist a puzzle, Beth agrees to cover Nina’s job as a receptionist to get a closer look. But just as she finds a mysterious key hidden away in the office, Mrs Potter arrives in floods of tears with terrible news for her husband. Their precious pet, Lancelot the Great Dane, has been found dead in his basket. Mrs Potter suspects a poisoning…
Beth is shocked anyone would harm a beloved family pet, but the Potters are definitely hiding something. When an elderly widow comes to Mr Potter’s office begging for help with her will, Beth starts to suspect foul play… is Mr Potter taking advantage of this sweet old lady? And why is he curiously cool, when his whole family are distraught about Lancelot?
Beth is determined to find what the mysterious key unlocks, discover Mr Potter’s secrets and get answers about the local pet-killer before they set their sights on an owner next time. But is Beth getting closer and closer to her own sticky end?
A totally addictive cozy mystery perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, The Thursday Murder Club and T.E. Kinsey.
This book was previously published as Homicide in Herne Hill.
The Murder Walk:
A pleasant stroll in the park, catch ups over coffee and… a body among the spring bulbs?
Single mum and school historian Beth Haldane has promised her new beau, Detective Harry York, that her sleuthing days are behind her. But when she stumbles over the body of local artist Mark Smeaton while ambling in the park, it’s clear a dangerous killer is on the loose in peaceful Dulwich Village. Shocked, Beth can’t resist delving into the mystery.
Snooping around the nearby cozy cafes, Beth listens carefully to gossip and soon learns Mark’s graffiti-style art was famously controversial. There are plenty who might want him gone. Was it the suspiciously charming gallery owner? A disgruntled resident offended by Mark’s art? Or an old school chum with a dark secret about Mark’s true inspiration?
A dinner party hosted by a dear friend soon gives Beth the chance to grill all her suspects over wine and nibbles. But following a lead back to the scene of the crime, Beth’s search of a hollow tree throws up a mysterious envelope that stops her in her tracks… will her sleuthing get her in hot water before she can find the villain, and before there’s another fatal plot in the park?
An absolutely gripping mystery that fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and The Thursday Murder Club won’t be able to put down!
This book was previously published as Revenge on the Rye.
The Murder Club:
A club of card enthusiasts gather in a magnificent mansion. But someone has been dealt a deadly hand…
In peaceful Dulwich Village, a group of elderly residents meet every week for Bridge Club. Green cloths are laid over square tables, the deck is carefully dealt, and every beady eye is on the lookout for cheating.
Amateur sleuth Beth Haldane has never understood the rules, but she’s drawn into the drama when her mother’s bridge partner Alfie Poole is found dead. He was last seen heading out for a breath of fresh air after a particularly tricky hand.
Beth knows poor Alfie was a sweet old man, but when she learns he was poisoned it’s clear someone wanted him gone… Suspecting skulduggery, Beth questions each member of the club. Did the retired doctor slip Alfie a sedative? Is the ex-English teacher quite as clumsy as she seems? Or was it Alfie’s daughter, wanting her inheritance early?
Organising a re-enactment of the day Alfie was killed, and making sure exactly the same cards are dealt, Beth keeps a close eye on who comes up trumps… but then her own mother Wendy starts choking on her cup of tea. Thankfully Wendy is rushed to hospital just in time: but the poisoner is still on the loose. If Beth plays her cards right, can she catch the killer – or is the deck stacked against her?
An utterly gripping murder mystery, perfect for fans of T.E. Kinsey, Agatha Christie and The Thursday Murder Club.
This book was previously published as The Body in Belair Park.
The Murder Hour:
A ticking clock, a grand Edwardian home… and a countdown to murder?
Beth Haldane stands on a quiet street outside an ornate front door, glances down at her watch and taps her foot impatiently. Since her partner Detective Harry York moved into her little house in Dulwich Village, things are a bit too snug. Now Beth whiles away the hours waiting for house viewings and searching for the perfect new home for them and her little boy.
When a flustered young woman finally arrives and introduces herself as the estate agent, Beth is looking forward to taking in the exposed red bricks and wooden floorboards of this charming Edwardian property. But when she peeks into a built-in wardrobe, a lifeless body is a greeting she wasn’t expecting.
Panicked, the estate agent soon identifies the man as her boss Richard Pettit.With police on the way, Beth takes charge of scouting for clues. Why is the house echoingly empty of furniture except for a carefully folded pile of clothes in one room? Was the estate agent late because she was bumping off her boss? And what are the nosy neighbours hiding?
With rumours spreading all over Dulwich that Beth herself was the intended victim, when she is sent an anonymous message warning her off the case she knows she’s on the right track. But can she catch a killer before her own time runs out?
A deliciously addictive cozy mystery read that fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Agatha Christie and T.E. Kinsey will adore!
This book was previously published as The Slayings in Sydenham.
Author Bio:
Before turning to crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The Times and The Daily Telegraph. Alice is an avid reader of crime fiction, her favourite stories are cozy crimes with a strong sense of place. When she couldn’t find a series about her beloved south London, she decided to write her own – and single mum amateur sleuth Beth Haldane was born. Alice also writes twisty psychological thrillers for HQ Digital under the name A.M. Castle. The Perfect Widow was a top selling audiobook in 2019 and The Invitation hit the top 50 on Amazon UK in 2021. Alice lives with her two children and two cats and, if she isn’t writing or reading a whodunit, she’ll be watching one on telly.
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Bea wins her dream wedding in a lottery. The only problem is…she has no groom! With only a few months to go until the big day, Bea is a woman with a mission: will she find a man to say ‘I do’?
My Big Fake Wedding is a light hearted romantic novel set in America.
Bea has been single for a few months when she is informed she has won a wedding. She accepts and is confident she can find a man to marry. Her colleague Andrew seems like a good bet so she starts looking for ways to begin a relationship so she can convince him to marry her.
There are plenty of funny moments and the whole situation is quite ridiculous. The real man she should be focussing her attention on is blazingly obvious and I despaired a little at Bea’s lack of awareness. Bea has a wonderful relationship with her best friend Lucy and this provides more opportunities for humour as well as emotion.
The book has a subplot of a big launch event that Bea is organising in parallel with her wedding. Her professional side shows how driven and focussed she can be, which then reinforces her determination to wed.
The writing style is relaxed and almost chatty despite the third person narrative. I liked the use of ‘to do’ lists at the end of each chapter. These link the things that have just happened and allow us to anticipate what will happen next. Plus I am a huge fan of lists to get things done!
My Bg Fake Wedding is an enjoyable romantic novel with humour and emotion.
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Book: My Big Fake Wedding
Author: Jessica Hatch
Pub Day: August 18th 2022
Buy Links:
Audible:
About the Book:
The date is set. The guy is definitely not.
When I entered a lottery to win a free wedding, I had no idea that I was about to be cheated on, and unceremoniously dumped, by my ex-boyfriend. So when I win, there’s just one teeny tiny problem… I have no one to walk down the aisle with. All I need to do now is find a husband. Simple, right?
My closest friend Oliver, an old-fashioned romantic, thinks I’m crazy. He snorts when I show him my colour-coded binder, packed with step-by-step instructions for my Husband Hunt. And when he reads my to-do list, he laughs so much his green eyes fill with tears.
Step 1: Figure out what men want
Step 2: Research the best bars for romantic first dates
Step 3: FIND A HUSBAND
Despite following my list to the letter, something happens that the binder could never have predicted. After months of fantasising about this exact moment, I have a tequila-fuelled kiss with my long-term office crush Andrew. But just when I think I’ve found my soon-to-be husband, my ex-boyfriend declares his undying love for me, and Oliver stops returning my calls when I need him the most…
With my wedding day getting ever closer, I’m starting to realise that the only thing more complicated than finding a husband on a deadline, is finding the right one.
This absolutely hilarious and totally feel-good romance is perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis, Christina Lauren’s The Unhoneymooners, and Emily Henry’s Beach Read.
Author Bio
Jessica Hatch has a passion for writing humorous women’s fiction with a strong-beating heart. She loves to develop quirky, high-concept “what if” scenarios and then drop her characters into them, escape room–style, to see what happens. Her work spotlights characters and locales the reader can fall in love with, and aims to explore real-world issues that women and nonbinary people face.
Jessica has worked in book publishing since 2013. She has had bylines published in Writer’s Digest, The Millions, and G*Mob Magazine, among others, and she is a proud alumna of the Mors Tua Vita Mea workshop in Sezze Romano, Italy. Before being acquired by Bookouture, her debut novel won a pitch slam at the Brooklyn Book Festival in 2018 and was workshopped by acclaimed author Rumaan Alam at Aspen Summer Words in 2019.
Jessica was born outside of Richmond, Virginia, but now lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with her bartender husband, Paul, and their three cats. When she is not writing, you can find her jogging on the Riverwalk or planning her next international trip. Say hello at www.jessicahatch.com.
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Following the death of her father in Africa, Miriam heads to England to meet her mother’s family. She has little knowledge of the social conventions of the country due to the freedom she has enjoyed in Africa. She is anxious about her family as she believes they have rejected her mother. Meanwhile her heart is caught between an artist and a sailor…
Miriam is the third book in the Cousins of Pemberley series which tells us about the next generation of the Bennett family from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I have previously reviewed Catherine and Cassandra.
The main character Miriam is the only daughter of Mary, the middle Bennett sister. Mary was always the odd one out but hopes that her family will welcome her daughter and set up a home for them in England. Her negativity colours Miriam’s perception of her aunts which is further complicated by Miriam’s own free spirit at odds with the expected behaviour of young ladies.
There is also a romance at the heart of this book. Miriam meets Mr Sullivan on board the ship home and there is a wonderful antagonism between them. When she arrives at Pemberley, her attention is swayed by the charming Mr Avery, an artist. The path to romance doesn’t run smoothly and I was able to guess the plot developments but this did not stop me loving the characters and unfolding story.
The style of writing is easy to read whilst also keeping some of the tone of Austen’s original. The gender and class roles of the 1800s are brought to life through the descriptions and experiences of the characters. I was swept back to Pemberley and didn’t want to leave!
Miriam was a wonderful addition to the series and I can’t wait for the next book!
Book Blurb
Many years have passed since the dramatic events of Pride and Prejudice. In The Cousins of Pemberley series we follow a new generation of heroines – cousins with lives as different and interesting as those enjoyed by their mothers.
Mary Bennet – overlooked, laughed at, despised – married a missionary and vanished into a life of service out in Africa. But now Miriam, her daughter, is coming to England, disliking everything she has been told about her family.
Her aunts and cousins are expecting someone quiet, dull and bookish, just like her mother, not the quick-tempered, impulsive girl who arrives.
How can this adventurous girl with her desire for freedom possibly fit into their well ordered world? And what havoc will she cause as she tries?
Author Bio
Fiction has always been my go-to world, a place of entertainment, excitement and imagination – I am told that I wrote my first story when I was four about a lady who had twenty children! Sadly it has been lost for posterity.
I have been writing all my life in the time I could spare from having a “proper job”, mostly for children under the name of Linda Blake, stories of ballet dancers, pony riding and talking animals! Not all in the same book!
But my love of romance, a great tendency to say “What if..?” and the endearing characters of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice have now resulted in a series of books that will take the reader forward to the next generation of heroines.
I am retired, live in Kent and am a keen member of my local drama group. Directing and acting take up a lot of my time – I have been given the onerous task of writing the Christmas pantomimes – but I still need to cope with a large garden, doing daily battle with the heron who thinks my pond is his own breakfast buffet and keeping in touch with friends and family scattered all over the world.
Colette lives a life of privilege but values her friendship with the orphaned niece of her housekeeper. Their close relationship is damaged by an enforced separation but the looming war brings them back together.
Daughters of Paris is an historical novel set in France during the 1930s and 40s.
There is a class difference between the main two characters that impacts significantly on their lives and friendship. The war both unites the pair and separates them as their experiences diverge but their love for each other endures. Both women want to contribute to the war effort against the Nazis and this adds a tension to the plot as danger is anticipated.
I found it much easier to like Fleur than Colette. Her life is full of loss yet she is resilient. She is not confident with men and the path of love does not run smoothly for her in this book. In contrast, Colette has a self assured confidence despite feeling unloved by her mother. She throws herself into relationships as well as enjoying the finer things in life.
I enjoyed the historical aspects of the books and felt that the class and gender norms brought the culture and period to life. The risks that the women take in their personal lives but also in the undermining of the Nazi regime make the reader care about their safety.
Daughters of Paris was an enjoyable novel about female friendship against the backdrop of the Nazi occupation of Paris.
Daughters of Paris
Paris 1930s
A promise that binds them together. A war that pulls them apart.
Childhood companions Fleur and Colette make a vow, under the trailing ivy of their secret garden, that they will be secret sisters forever. But as they grow up, the promises of childhood are put to the ultimate test. For Colette is the daughter of the house, and her life is all jazz clubs, silk dresses and chilled champagne, while Fleur is the orphan niece of the housekeeper and doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere.
Years later, in 1939, life as they know it will never be the same. As the German tanks roll in and Paris becomes an occupied city, the promise they made as children will have consequences they could never have imagined…
Author Bio – Elisabeth began writing in secret, but when she came third in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest in 2013, she was offered a two-book contract, and consequently had to admit why the house was such a tip. Elisabeth’s historical romances with Harlequin Mills & Boon and One More Chapter span the Middle Ages to the Second World War and have been Amazon bestsellers and award shortlisted.
Elisabeth is a primary school teacher but she’d rather be writing full time because unlike five-year-olds, her characters generally do what she tells them. When she isn’t writing, she spends most of her spare time reading and is a pro at cooking one-handed while holding a book.
She was born and raised in York but now lives in Cheshire because her car broke down there in 1999 and she never left.
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Abi and Jo have been friends since school. Abi’s life is set to change as her son goes off to college and Jo is ready to support her at this difficult time. But Jo has plans to move her own life forward and it involves Ali’s ex making her love interest Tom jealous…
The Ex Between Us is a domestic drama and psychological thriller set in America. It centres around female friendship, unrequited love, and facing the future.
The two main characters Ali and Jo are firm friends but they have overcome issues that threatened their friendship in the past. In their teens, Jo was mad with unrequited love for Callan but Ali slept with him during a drunken party and became pregnant. Now they are a foursome of friends and Jo has set her sights on Tom so uses Callan to make him jealous. Meanwhile Ali has the chance of a new relationship.
In a separate plotline, Jo’s property is being vandalised and Ali’s work is being sabotaged. They feel threatened and anxious which was very easy to relate to. Two mean girls from the past are the main suspects but the friends need to find proof as the incidents escalate. There is plenty of mystery, and the drama and thriller elements are maintained until the end.
The book is mostly written from three alternating perspectives: Ali and Jo in the present day and Jo in the past. All are written in the first person so we experience their emotions directly. The final quarter of the book was packed with twists, some of which I anticipated and others that surprised me completely.
The Ex Between Us was thoroughly entertaining.
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Book: THE EX BETWEEN US
Author: NICOLA MARSH
Pub Day: AUGUST 12th 2022
Buy Links:
About the Book:
You can always trust your friends. Can’t you?
Abi is starting a new chapter of her life. Her son is leaving for college, she has her dream job and she is finally ready to find love again after her relationship with her ex Cal has ended.
Jo has been by Abi’s side for years. They’ve navigated all of life’s ups and downs together. Even when Abi betrayed Jo with Cal all those years ago, she forgave her and the three remain close.
So when Abi starts dating again, Jo and Cal begin to spend more time together. But soon Jo receives threatening messages telling her to stay away from him. And when Abi comes to her terrified, clutching a note that says “I want your life,” it becomes clear that someone wants to cause the friends harm.
Because in Jo and Abi’s close-knit circle someone has been living a lie for years and it’s about to come to light. But when it does, who will make it out alive?
An utterly addictive psychological thriller which is packed with twist after twist from the USA Today bestselling author of My Sister’s Husband. Perfect for fans of K.L. Slater, The Wife Between Us and Gone Girl.
Author Bio
USA TODAY bestselling & multi-award winning author Nicola Marsh writes page-turning fiction to keep you up all night.
She has published 80 books, sold over 8 million copies worldwide and been translated into 25 languages.
She currently writes contemporary romance and domestic suspense. You can find some of her series romance under the pseudonym Nikki North.
A physiotherapist for 13 years, she now adores writing full time, raising her two dashing young heroes, sharing fine food with family and friends, barracking loudly for her beloved North Melbourne Kangaroos footy team, and her favourite, curling up with a good book!
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