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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Belinda Penshurst loves her home village Little Challham, with its shady lanes, two pubs and weekly market, and she’s determined to keep it peaceful. She may live in Challham Castle with her father & nrother but she knows almost everything that goes on under her nose. So when irritable pub landlord Tipper is found dead in his cellar, she’s perfectly placed to investigate. Retired detective Harry Powell moved to Little Challham for a quiet life & lives in the castle’s gatehouse. He didn’t expect to be dragged into a murder investigation plus a number of dogs have disappeared lately too.
A new author to me & a new series, so a bit of a leap into the dark. I thoroughly enjoyed it, a well written slightly edgy cosy mystery with plenty of suspects, red herrings & twists & turns. I was left guessing until the end, which I love. I also loved Belinda & Harry who complimented each other beautifully, they had depth & were well portrayed. A captivating read & a lovely start to the series & I for one will definitely be reading more
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Merged review:
Belinda Penshurst loves her home village Little Challham, with its shady lanes, two pubs and weekly market, and she’s determined to keep it peaceful. She may live in Challham Castle with her father & nrother but she knows almost everything that goes on under her nose. So when irritable pub landlord Tipper is found dead in his cellar, she’s perfectly placed to investigate. Retired detective Harry Powell moved to Little Challham for a quiet life & lives in the castle’s gatehouse. He didn’t expect to be dragged into a murder investigation plus a number of dogs have disappeared lately too.
A new author to me & a new series, so a bit of a leap into the dark. I thoroughly enjoyed it, a well written slightly edgy cosy mystery with plenty of suspects, red herrings & twists & turns. I was left guessing until the end, which I love. I also loved Belinda & Harry who complimented each other beautifully, they had depth & were well portrayed. A captivating read & a lovely start to the series & I for one will definitely be reading more
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
A new author to me & a new series, so a bit of a leap into the dark. I thoroughly enjoyed it, a well written slightly edgy cosy mystery with plenty of suspects, red herrings & twists & turns. I was left guessing until the end, which I love. I also loved Belinda & Harry who complimented each other beautifully, they had depth & were well portrayed. A captivating read & a lovely start to the series & I for one will definitely be reading more
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Merged review:
Belinda Penshurst loves her home village Little Challham, with its shady lanes, two pubs and weekly market, and she’s determined to keep it peaceful. She may live in Challham Castle with her father & nrother but she knows almost everything that goes on under her nose. So when irritable pub landlord Tipper is found dead in his cellar, she’s perfectly placed to investigate. Retired detective Harry Powell moved to Little Challham for a quiet life & lives in the castle’s gatehouse. He didn’t expect to be dragged into a murder investigation plus a number of dogs have disappeared lately too.
A new author to me & a new series, so a bit of a leap into the dark. I thoroughly enjoyed it, a well written slightly edgy cosy mystery with plenty of suspects, red herrings & twists & turns. I was left guessing until the end, which I love. I also loved Belinda & Harry who complimented each other beautifully, they had depth & were well portrayed. A captivating read & a lovely start to the series & I for one will definitely be reading more
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Belinda Penshurst has so much love for the townsfolk of Little Challham and their canine friends. When her beloved hometown with its shady streets and quaint market, is shattered by the news of the death of the somewhat cranky barman, who can she turn to for help when the police don’t seem that enthusiastic to save the day and the dogs that are mysteriously disappearing! (no dogs are harmed in this book)
The first in a new series, Murder in the Village is one story I really enjoyed. A great mystery to join in and help solve and with a cast of colourful characters, makes for a super fun read. The mystery has been well plotted, executed and plays out well and also keeps you on your toes. The banter shared between Belinda Penshurst and retired detective Harry Powell as they become involved in the case, is on point and they work really well together.
Murder in the Village is a promising start to a new series. I loved its charming and picturesque English country setting which made me feel I was also there experiencing it as its characters do. All up this is a well written and lighthearted cozy mystery with a great cast that I look forward to reading more of.
The first in a new series, Murder in the Village is one story I really enjoyed. A great mystery to join in and help solve and with a cast of colourful characters, makes for a super fun read. The mystery has been well plotted, executed and plays out well and also keeps you on your toes. The banter shared between Belinda Penshurst and retired detective Harry Powell as they become involved in the case, is on point and they work really well together.
Murder in the Village is a promising start to a new series. I loved its charming and picturesque English country setting which made me feel I was also there experiencing it as its characters do. All up this is a well written and lighthearted cozy mystery with a great cast that I look forward to reading more of.
I loved this audiobook, which reminded me of the Agatha Raisin detective stories, which I also love. I didn't realise this was a cozy mystery book when I started it, so I was pleasantly surprised and I really enjoyed it a lot. The main characters are Harry, who is an ex policeman and Belinda, who is rich and lives in a castle. They both worked so great together and although they are different from each other, they had a special bond which was so sweet. I enjoyed reading about them solving a mystery together and I laughed out loud quite a lot. I loved the setting of the book, the story and the characters. The narrator of the book was great too. Overall, it is a fantastic book and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A little too firmly on the cosy side of crime with not much happening. Belinda is a wholly unlikable, rude snob which was annoying to listen to but not as irritating as purebred dogs being referred to often as "thoroughbred" a Thoroughbred is a breed of horse, it doesn't mean purebred anything else!
This is a nice start to a new series. It's a quirky little town with the right kind of strange characters to keep it interesting. I especially enjoyed reading about all the dogs in the book, so this is definitely something for dog lovers. It usually takes me a couple of books in a cozy mystery series to really fall in love with the town while getting to know the characters. There is so much going on in this book, so many characters to get to know, and I am keen on reading the next book in the series.
Merged review:
This is a nice start to a new series. It's a quirky little town with the right kind of strange characters to keep it interesting. I especially enjoyed reading about all the dogs in the book, so this is definitely something for dog lovers. It usually takes me a couple of books in a cozy mystery series to really fall in love with the town while getting to know the characters. There is so much going on in this book, so many characters to get to know, and I am keen on reading the next book in the series.
Merged review:
This is a nice start to a new series. It's a quirky little town with the right kind of strange characters to keep it interesting. I especially enjoyed reading about all the dogs in the book, so this is definitely something for dog lovers. It usually takes me a couple of books in a cozy mystery series to really fall in love with the town while getting to know the characters. There is so much going on in this book, so many characters to get to know, and I am keen on reading the next book in the series.
Whether due to the murder of pub landlord Tupper or a slew of missing dogs, Belinda Penshurst is on the case. Amateur detective to be sure, Belinda has every intention of solving both cases. When Harry Powell, a retired dectective, moves into Belinda's small town, he certainly had no intention to be dealing with yet another murder. In fact, Harry and the police in the small village just don't appear to be taking things as seriously as Belinda.
Just as the police are certain that they found the killer, Belinda digs even deeper, proving that she is the perfect person to solve the mysteries at hand. Murder in the Village most certainly makes a fabulous first book in what promises to be an entertaining series. I loved Belinda, Harry and other characters in this story. Belinda's doggedness (pun intended) to get to the bottom of what was going on was enjoyable from start to finish. I loved the possible romance between Belinda and Harry and especially how the book ended which no doubt made me anticipate what just might be next.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Just as the police are certain that they found the killer, Belinda digs even deeper, proving that she is the perfect person to solve the mysteries at hand. Murder in the Village most certainly makes a fabulous first book in what promises to be an entertaining series. I loved Belinda, Harry and other characters in this story. Belinda's doggedness (pun intended) to get to the bottom of what was going on was enjoyable from start to finish. I loved the possible romance between Belinda and Harry and especially how the book ended which no doubt made me anticipate what just might be next.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
I was excited to get the chance to read an ARC through NetGalley of the first book in a cozy mystery series. This book is full of descriptions lush British countryside and manors, small town characters, and plenty of canines for animal lovers to enjoy. In addition, there are plenty of British terms for North American readers to learn, such as the word landlord being used where we would use manager.
The cover, however, gave me pause, what with the use of the not-a-word "unputdownable" in the tag line. I should probably have taken that as a warning. It was definitely something I could easily put down - in fact, I had difficulty picking it back up again once it was down. Reading it turned out to be more of a chore than the escape I was hoping for.
Not that it was horrible. But I just found it to be okay. The story is somewhat disjointed, with references to dogs being kidnapped, but no one the investigators spoke to actually had a dog taken for more than a few hours or so.
But my biggest problem with the book lay in the characters. I found the main character Belinda to be too antagonistic to be likeable. She walks through the entire book with a chip on her entitled shoulder, looking down on everyone, from her castle no less, and constantly reminding them of how she invested in their businesses and had a say in everything they do as a result. Her professed affection for Harry, the retired detective whose expertise she sneers at repeatedly, rings hollow given the way she treats him. It's unfathomable why he would be romantically interested in her, and given her attitude towards him, that she develops an interest in return.
What I can only believe is meant to be light-hearted banter between the two is actually cringe worthy and falls flat.
Finally, the ending made me feel like I wasted my time reading up until that point as - SPOILER - it became clear that the reader could not have figured out the identity of the guilty party because that person had only been mentioned in passing early in the book and dismissed as a suspect. For me, trying to figure out the guilty party is much of the fun of reading a mystery.
Merged review:
I was excited to get the chance to read an ARC through NetGalley of the first book in a cozy mystery series. This book is full of descriptions lush British countryside and manors, small town characters, and plenty of canines for animal lovers to enjoy. In addition, there are plenty of British terms for North American readers to learn, such as the word landlord being used where we would use manager.
The cover, however, gave me pause, what with the use of the not-a-word "unputdownable" in the tag line. I should probably have taken that as a warning. It was definitely something I could easily put down - in fact, I had difficulty picking it back up again once it was down. Reading it turned out to be more of a chore than the escape I was hoping for.
Not that it was horrible. But I just found it to be okay. The story is somewhat disjointed, with references to dogs being kidnapped, but no one the investigators spoke to actually had a dog taken for more than a few hours or so.
But my biggest problem with the book lay in the characters. I found the main character Belinda to be too antagonistic to be likeable. She walks through the entire book with a chip on her entitled shoulder, looking down on everyone, from her castle no less, and constantly reminding them of how she invested in their businesses and had a say in everything they do as a result. Her professed affection for Harry, the retired detective whose expertise she sneers at repeatedly, rings hollow given the way she treats him. It's unfathomable why he would be romantically interested in her, and given her attitude towards him, that she develops an interest in return.
What I can only believe is meant to be light-hearted banter between the two is actually cringe worthy and falls flat.
Finally, the ending made me feel like I wasted my time reading up until that point as - SPOILER - it became clear that the reader could not have figured out the identity of the guilty party because that person had only been mentioned in passing early in the book and dismissed as a suspect. For me, trying to figure out the guilty party is much of the fun of reading a mystery.
The cover, however, gave me pause, what with the use of the not-a-word "unputdownable" in the tag line. I should probably have taken that as a warning. It was definitely something I could easily put down - in fact, I had difficulty picking it back up again once it was down. Reading it turned out to be more of a chore than the escape I was hoping for.
Not that it was horrible. But I just found it to be okay. The story is somewhat disjointed, with references to dogs being kidnapped, but no one the investigators spoke to actually had a dog taken for more than a few hours or so.
But my biggest problem with the book lay in the characters. I found the main character Belinda to be too antagonistic to be likeable. She walks through the entire book with a chip on her entitled shoulder, looking down on everyone, from her castle no less, and constantly reminding them of how she invested in their businesses and had a say in everything they do as a result. Her professed affection for Harry, the retired detective whose expertise she sneers at repeatedly, rings hollow given the way she treats him. It's unfathomable why he would be romantically interested in her, and given her attitude towards him, that she develops an interest in return.
What I can only believe is meant to be light-hearted banter between the two is actually cringe worthy and falls flat.
Finally, the ending made me feel like I wasted my time reading up until that point as - SPOILER - it became clear that the reader could not have figured out the identity of the guilty party because that person had only been mentioned in passing early in the book and dismissed as a suspect. For me, trying to figure out the guilty party is much of the fun of reading a mystery.
Merged review:
I was excited to get the chance to read an ARC through NetGalley of the first book in a cozy mystery series. This book is full of descriptions lush British countryside and manors, small town characters, and plenty of canines for animal lovers to enjoy. In addition, there are plenty of British terms for North American readers to learn, such as the word landlord being used where we would use manager.
The cover, however, gave me pause, what with the use of the not-a-word "unputdownable" in the tag line. I should probably have taken that as a warning. It was definitely something I could easily put down - in fact, I had difficulty picking it back up again once it was down. Reading it turned out to be more of a chore than the escape I was hoping for.
Not that it was horrible. But I just found it to be okay. The story is somewhat disjointed, with references to dogs being kidnapped, but no one the investigators spoke to actually had a dog taken for more than a few hours or so.
But my biggest problem with the book lay in the characters. I found the main character Belinda to be too antagonistic to be likeable. She walks through the entire book with a chip on her entitled shoulder, looking down on everyone, from her castle no less, and constantly reminding them of how she invested in their businesses and had a say in everything they do as a result. Her professed affection for Harry, the retired detective whose expertise she sneers at repeatedly, rings hollow given the way she treats him. It's unfathomable why he would be romantically interested in her, and given her attitude towards him, that she develops an interest in return.
What I can only believe is meant to be light-hearted banter between the two is actually cringe worthy and falls flat.
Finally, the ending made me feel like I wasted my time reading up until that point as - SPOILER - it became clear that the reader could not have figured out the identity of the guilty party because that person had only been mentioned in passing early in the book and dismissed as a suspect. For me, trying to figure out the guilty party is much of the fun of reading a mystery.
Very enjoyable start to a new cozy mystery! I cannot wait for the next one!
Belinda moved back to her small village when her brother, Marcus, proved he cannot be responsible for their family estate. Though she enjoys her town, Belinda still has the need for big city life.
Harry retires from decades of police work - to become a dog food distributor. He finds the work fulfilling if not slightly boring.
Until a local pub owner is found floating in a beer barrel.
Harry and Belinda work together to uncover the culprit, while investigating dognapping leading to pregnant thoroughbred dogs.
I loved the banter between Harry and Belinda, as well as the characters of the Little Challham.
Great start to a new series - lots of action, short chapters and great plot.
Belinda moved back to her small village when her brother, Marcus, proved he cannot be responsible for their family estate. Though she enjoys her town, Belinda still has the need for big city life.
Harry retires from decades of police work - to become a dog food distributor. He finds the work fulfilling if not slightly boring.
Until a local pub owner is found floating in a beer barrel.
Harry and Belinda work together to uncover the culprit, while investigating dognapping leading to pregnant thoroughbred dogs.
I loved the banter between Harry and Belinda, as well as the characters of the Little Challham.
Great start to a new series - lots of action, short chapters and great plot.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for providing me the audiobook version of Murder in the Village.
Murder in the Village is a charming cozy mystery. It's a lighthearted, easy read - or in my case, an easy listen.
This is the first book of a new series featuring a retired policeman and an amateur sleuth. Their relationship is endearing and funny. The retired policeman, Harry Powell has just moved in a new home and he leads quite a different life than he had. He works as a dog food seller. The amateur sleuth, Belinda Penshurst lives in her family's castle and is a business woman in her own right. However, her brother has always been a burden/trouble for her.
Both of Harry and Belinda's lives change when a murder occurs in their village. They team up not just to solve that murder, but to solve the case of the missing dogs. There's not only a murderer in town, but also a dog-napper.
The writing style is simple yet beautiful and the story is easy to follow. The plot itself is not something that wowed me, to be honest. The setting and the characters made the book fun, not the actual murder/dognapping mystery.
When it comes to the narrator of this audiobook, I have to say that I have no negative comments to say. She did an excellent job and there were no technical difficulties or problems.
I'd recommend this book to lovers of cozy, laid-back mysteries.
Story rating: 3.8/5 ⭐
Narrator rating: 5/5 ⭐
Murder in the Village is a charming cozy mystery. It's a lighthearted, easy read - or in my case, an easy listen.
This is the first book of a new series featuring a retired policeman and an amateur sleuth. Their relationship is endearing and funny. The retired policeman, Harry Powell has just moved in a new home and he leads quite a different life than he had. He works as a dog food seller. The amateur sleuth, Belinda Penshurst lives in her family's castle and is a business woman in her own right. However, her brother has always been a burden/trouble for her.
Both of Harry and Belinda's lives change when a murder occurs in their village. They team up not just to solve that murder, but to solve the case of the missing dogs. There's not only a murderer in town, but also a dog-napper.
The writing style is simple yet beautiful and the story is easy to follow. The plot itself is not something that wowed me, to be honest. The setting and the characters made the book fun, not the actual murder/dognapping mystery.
When it comes to the narrator of this audiobook, I have to say that I have no negative comments to say. She did an excellent job and there were no technical difficulties or problems.
I'd recommend this book to lovers of cozy, laid-back mysteries.
Story rating: 3.8/5 ⭐
Narrator rating: 5/5 ⭐
Murder in the Village by Lisa Cutts is the first book in The Belinda Penshurst Mystery series. I like that this cozy mystery is set in Britain. We get that cozy English village charm. The author provided detailed descriptions that allowed me to visualize the village, Belinda’s home, and the characters. Our two amateur sleuths, Belinda Penshurst and Harry Powell work to solve two crimes. They must catch a murderer and figure out who is behind the local dognapping’s. The two run around asking questions and trying to outdo each other. The mysteries were straightforward. For a detective, Harry failed to question the right people with regard to the dognapping. I felt the story got bogged down in the details. The endless detailed descriptions made for slow reading along with the repetitive details. I had a hard time wading through this whodunit (it is great if you are suffering from insomnia). I could not get into the story (I really tried). It did not feel that this was the first book. The author did not provide the backstory that I wanted on our main characters especially Harry. We are told that Harry is a retried detective inspector who has moved to Little Challham and now works for Doggie Delight delivering kibble (I want more information). Of course, Harry may no longer be a detective, but it is hard to give up old habits. Belinda has her finger in a number of pies in the village plus she is trying to find out what mischief her brother, Marcus is up to this time. The last time the family almost lost their home. She is also having trouble with her latest investment. Belinda finds the cause of her latest problem dead which is how she gets involved in solving the crime. The author was trying to establish a romantic relationship between our two protagonists, but it missed the mark. Why Harry would like someone who looks down on him and sneers, I do not know. The dialogue between them makes a person cringe. Personally, I was not a fan of either one of them. Belinda is a bossy, forceful woman with attitude (big chip or should I say boulder on her shoulder). Harry is a quiet man who pays attention to details. There are times, though, when I felt he missed the mark. The book moved at a snail’s pace (I felt like I was traveling on a glacier to get to the resolution). The best thing about the story was the cute dogs. Murder in the Village was not the right fit for me. I suggest you read a sample to see if this cozy mystery suits you. Murder in the Village is British whodunit with dognapped doggies, pub problems, a troublemaker brother, a mysterious murder, and two squabbling sleuths.