Here’s the blurb

A BRAND NEW instalment in Debbie Young’s Cosy Mystery Series With her Curiosity Shop open for business, Alice Carroll is finally settling into life in the picturesque Cotswold village of Little Pride. But then her old life comes knocking… Alice’s ex boyfriend, Steven, who dumped her to travel the world, has run out of money and asks Alice to sell off his collection of chess sets.

Alice decides to host a tournament to showcase the boards, and her plan seems to be working. That is, until chess pieces begin to mysteriously disappear. And when a body is discovered outside the tournament, Alice realises that the victim was a pawn in another, far more dangerous game.

As the host of the event, Alice is eager to help the police investigate. She doesn’t know why anyone would be interested in stealing random chess pieces, let alone willing to kill for them, but she’s determined to find out. Can she solve the case before someone else gets hurt?

Or will this be one gambit too far for Alice?

Purchase Link

https://mybook.to/VillageChessClub

My Review

Death at the Village Chess Club is the second book in Debbie’s new series. I have not read book 1, but I’ve read titles from both of her other series, so I was intrigued to discover this new series. (You can check out my reviews for Debbie’s other books here Sophie Sayers St Bride’s).

While it takes a while for the death and the subsequent mystery to become the central part of the narrative, I did adore this lovely depiction of life in the Cotswolds. Debbie has created some lovely characters in a charming location, and although I also don’t play chess, I’ve tried to learn to play chess so I understand the chess elements. I also very much loved the addition of the bell ringers, as we have some in our local village as well (every Monday from 7.30-9 pm). 

When the focus did turn to the mystery, it was very intriguing. Like our main character, I couldn’t understand why anyone would be so fascinated by the chess boards, and I was swept along by the unfolding mystery.

It’s a thoroughly entertaining read. I didn’t guess the resolution, which always pleases me:)

Meet the author

Debbie Young writes warm, witty, feel-good contemporary fiction inspired by life in the English village where she lives with her Scottish husband and their teenage daughter.

Her Sophie Sayers Village Mystery series begins with “Best Murder in Show” and the first seven books run the course of a calendar year in the life of a classic English Cotswold village. Originally intended to be a seven-book series, further books will follow, due to reader demand. 

She also writes the romantic comedy mystery series, Staffroom at St Bride’s, set in the staffroom of an English girls’ boarding school. The series will eventually be six books long, running the course of an academic year, and the first book is “Secrets at St Bride’s”.

Her books were shortlisted in 2020 and 2021 for The Selfies Award, given to the best self-published adult fiction in the UK. 

She also writes short stories and has published three themed collections, “Marry in Haste”, “Quick Change”, and “Stocking Fillers”, and had stories included in many anthologies.

When she’s not writing, she does other bookish things, such as speaking or reading her work at literary events, such as Crimefest, the leading international crime writing event, the Cheltenham Literature Festival and the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival, the event that she founded for her local community.

She’s a member of the Society of Authors and the UK Ambassador for the Alliance of Independent Authors. 

She loves reading, bellringing, singing in the local choir, gardening, knitting, sketching and travelling with her family in their camper van. Her many hobbies mean she is never short of ideas for her gentle tales of rural life.

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Here’s the blurb

One morning in 1890, a painting wrapped in brown paper appears on the steps of the National Gallery and causes a sensation. It’s clearly by Timothy Ponden-Hall, an artist whose paintings were celebrated and debated not just for their beauty but for the rumours behind them: they were believed to immortalise the soul of their subjects. But the mysterious explorer and artist has been thought dead for the last 50 years – so what does this new portrait mean? The Gallery brings in renowned art historian Solomon Oak to investigate. But as he races against time with his daughter Alice sometimes helping, and sometimes hindering him, they find that exposing Ponden-Hall’s legacy will prove more controversial than they could have imagined for Victorian society.

Set between London and Oxford, The Portrait Artist is a beautiful historical mystery exploring race, fame and long-kept secrets.

• Amazon

My Review

What a beautiful story. I was absolutely hooked from the second page and devoured this tale in a few sittings.
It has everything we might expect from a Victorian-era set tale, with their slightly strange obsession with phrenology, celebrity, mutton-chops, and bizarre leaps of faith about life, death and the afterlife.
Our main characters are Oaks, a professor in hiding following his oldest daughter’s tragic death, his surviving daughter, Alice, and also Grace, a portrait sitter at the National Gallery. Oaks is somewhat pompous to begin with, very Victorian in his attitude, whereas Alice and Grace are certainly not. They’re a slightly unconventional trio, and this is as much a story of their development as individuals as it is about uncovering Ponden-Hall’s identity. And what a tangled web this proves to be. It is beautifully evocative and the ending, I feel, really does stand up to the rest of the tale.
I just really loved it, and I had to stop myself from turning to the back pages to discover the resolution from about 50% through the book. I’m glad I didn’t give in and allowed the story to unfold as it was intended.
I don’t read a huge number of more ‘literary fiction’ historical stories (I love a Golden Age cosy crime), but it had a similar ‘feel’ to Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver. Enjoy.

Here’s the blurb

In an idyllic Norfolk village, a stunning Roman mosaic floor has been discovered. It’s the archaeological find of the decade – complete with peacock design, intricate patterns and… a dead body?

Georgina Drake is thrilled to photograph the ancient mosaic uncovered at Little Wenborough Manor. But her excitement turns to shock when she finds the lead archaeologist dead on the floor. Instead of ancient secrets, Georgina is soon caught up in a very modern murder.

Comforting the other distressed archaeologists, Georgina discovers this isn’t the first time tragedy has struck this site. Over a century ago, a young Victorian scholar vanished without trace during the original dig, leaving behind a devastated fiancée and a trail of unanswered questions.

As Georgina delves into both mysteries, she discovers surprising connections between past and present. With help from her friends, Georgina pieces together a story of forbidden love, blackmail and betrayal. But someone in the village would prefer these secrets stay buried, and she’ll need all her wits to catch a killer before they strike again…

Perfect for fans of Faith Martin, M.C. Beaton and Midsomer Murders, this charming cozy mystery will have you digging for clues until the very last page.

Purchase Link

https://amzn.to/3QASQC8

My Review

The Body at the Roman Baths is the first book by the author I’ve read. I was drawn to it because of the title.

Our two main characters are quite fun, but starting with book 5 in a series does mean a lot has gone on that I don’t know about. However, I was happy to accept they were a couple and move on with the resolution to the mystery, or rather the two mysteries.

The two plots are quite fun, drawing together on occasion, and I found the addition of ‘Doris’ to be quite quirky and not at all what I was expecting. It certainly helps solve some of the more difficult parts of solving old crimes.

Overall, it was a fun read. It was a little quirky and a little repetitive in places, and the ending was never really in doubt. Still, Roman-era archaeology and a Victorian mystery—what’s not to love?