When, at the age of 71, Gina Knight’s husband of four decades left her unexpectedly, she thought her life over. Until she met Dorothy Reed – a woman so full of the joie de vivre you’d think she was 21, not nearly 90. Gina would do anything for Dorothy. So when Dorothy suggests she take on the role of companion for one of Dorothy’s old friends, Gina sees no reason to say no.
Meredith Harper is a successful writer, living in Provence, and needs help looking after her husband, whose health is deteriorating. But when Gina arrives at the grand chateau, it becomes clear that Dorothy has not given Gina the full story. Because Meredith is also writing her memoirs, and Dorothy wants to know the contents before anyone else. So much so, she’s sent Gina to spy.
But what secrets is Meredith keeping? And will Gina be able to find out the truth before her cover’s blown?
The Old Girls’ Chateau Escape is a worthy follow-up to the first book in the series, Old Girls Behaving Badly.
This time, our cast are mostly in France, which makes a delightful scene change and allows Art Historian Gina to thrive.
While she once more takes on the role of companion to an older couple, Gina has been tasked with uncovering some secret that Dorothy doesn’t wish others to know. What follows is a charming tale filled with some trepidation and a lot of questions, which resolves itself quite beautifully in the final few chapters.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I’m sure readers will be equally entertained by Gina and Dorothy and their antics.
Kate Galley is the author of uplifting golden years fiction, including The Second Chance Holiday Club. She was previously published by Aria, and is a mobile hairdresser in her spare time.
Alex knows she risks getting fired from her law firm if she takes on another unpaid case, but when she hears Rosa’s desperate voice at the other end of the phone, she knows she has to help: the body of Rosa’s shy teenage sister, Natalia, has been dragged, lifeless, from the Thames. Alex can’t help but think of her own missing little sister. She knows how a lack of answers can eat you alive.
Kat has worked hard to become Special Adviser to the Home Secretary, and is eager to finally put the dark and tragic part of her past behind her. But when she discovers a series of cover-ups, she begins to wonder whether her seemingly perfect new boss could be involved. Then she she’s shocked to discover a letter that raises worrying questions about a girl found drowned in London… Natalia.
There are complex and painful reasons for Alex and Kat not to work together, but when it becomes clear that there are powerful people involved in Natalia’s death, and that other girls are at risk, Alex and Kat must overcome their differences to find answers. Will they save the girls and discover the truth? Or will the high-powered players in this game stop Alex and Kat for good?
My Review
Notes on a Drowning is an engaging and very well-plotted story about two women with an awkward shared past who work together to prevent a similar tragedy to the one that first brought them together.
The beginning of the book is a little slower than the ending, as the reader begins to piece together the narrative of the two women, who have complicated lives without the addition of the mystery that reunites them. The mystery itself is complex and grows increasingly dangerous for them. Who can they trust, aside from no one but a very few?
This is a tale of corruption and power and how corrupting such power can be. It is also very current, contending with the persistent ‘boys club’ mentality that infects politics and the terrible underbelly that goes with it.
Yet, it is also a fast-paced and well-executed read. I devoured it in two sittings.
This is not my usual read. I’m a bit more ‘thriller’ minded and also more historical or cosy crime, but this is a timely tale of corruption and politics, unputdownable until the last page.
(Anna Sharpe also writes historical fiction as Anna Mazolla. I recently read The House of Whispers and thoroughly enjoyed it.)
Gwinny is at a stately home in the Yorkshire Dales, filming a small part in a gender-swapped remake of Dracula while looking after the dog of an elderly friend who lives nearby.
During filming, an actor is found dead inside a locked trailer – with a stake through their heart! The film’s star, an obnoxious big-shot Hollywood actress who once played a cop on TV, decides she will solve the crime. But Gwinny isn’t impressed, and they clash as both women mount rival investigations.
My Review
This is my first book in the Dog Sitter Detective series, and what fun it was.
This has lovely energy. The pages fly by as the story unravels. It also kept me guessing, which is how I rate a mystery. If I don’t manage to work out who the culprit was, it’s a very good read.
Gwinny is a great character, and the film set vibe was fab. The very first few pages, with their very atmospheric feel, made me wonder what I’d started reading, but it all quickly resolved itself.
This is a lovely, quick read with a resolution that will defy most readers. It was thoroughly enjoyable, and I will be reading more in the series.
Since Amber started the Bad Girls’ Detective Agency, she’s been feeling the pressure. So – when she and her best friends win a trip to a new luxury castle retreat on a remote island – she hopes it will be a chance to relax in style.
The girls are all excited to experience world-famous chef Valerie la Fontaine’s tasting menu.
But none of them expect there to be another dish being served that weekend: revenge. And when Valerie is found dead inside a locked room in a tower, the Bad Girls know this is a case that only they can solve…
Hilarious and gripping mystery – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, The Traitors, and How to Kill Men and Get Away With It.
Murder on the Menu is the third book in the Bad Girls Detective Agency series, and I’ve also read the previous two. (Check out the reviews for How Not to Murder Your Ex and Murder on the Dancefloor)
This time, our trio are off to an island retreat to sample some delicious food. However, the weather is appalling, and no sooner have they arrived than they discover they’re trapped on the island. Things only get worse when a murder takes place.
This third outing with the Bad Girls Detective Agency took a little while to get going, but then it was quite a swift read. The mystery revealed itself well, and the lack of mobile technology to help our detectives added a good dynamic to the tale as it eas time to get back to some more basic detecting.
A solid read for the trio from the Bad Girls Detective Agency. What will they get up to next?
Meet the author
Katie Marsh wrote five bestselling, uplifting women’s fiction novels before turning to cosy crime for Boldwood. Previously published by Hodder, the first in her new crime series How Not To Murder Your Ex, following the fortunes of the Bad Girls Detective Agency, will be published in December 2023.
A cozy mystery with a dash of romance set in the vibrant world of jazz.
During an interview with reclusive jazz singer Betty Brown, journalist Virginia Farrell is shown priceless tapes from the iconic 1957 Thelonious Monk-John Coltrane gig at the Five Spot. When Betty is found murdered, Virginia is determined to recover the tapes and uncover the truth behind Betty’s death.
In the spirit of Nancy Drew, Virginia teams up with her six-foot blonde roommate to investigate the various suspects. Detective Robert Smith from the Hoboken Police Department joins the case, quickly becoming absorbed by an unsolved murder possibly linked to Betty Brown’s death, as well as an undeniable attraction to Virginia.
Dashiki is a cozy mystery laced with romance, immersing readers in the captivating world of jazz, where musicians, journalists, scholars, and enthusiasts intersect in an entertaining whodunit.
Dashiki is a delightful, cosy mystery set in the early 2000s in the vibrant jazz world of New York. I am not a fan of jazz (sorry), but that didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying this mystery and being entirely enthralled as our detective, Robert Smith, and amateur sleuth, Virginia, endeavour to discover who was responsible for the murder of Betty Brown, while both harbouring doubts about the other.
The plotting of the mystery is excellent, and I didn’t work out who the real culprit was, which always pleases me. Too many clues and it feels too easy. Dashiki had just the right amount to keep me guessing while reading but not enough that it was self-evident who our murderer was.
I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. The cast was fabulously eclectic, and the story is dotted with humour, which I also always very much enjoy. Fans of cosy mysteries will surely enjoy Dashiki as much as I did.
Meet the author
Florence Wetzel was born 1962 in Brooklyn, NY. Her novels include the thriller The Woman Who Went Overboard and the Swedish mystery The Grand Man. She has also authored horror short stories, a book of poems and memoir essays, and co-authored jazz clarinettist Perry Robinson’s autobiography. In July 2024, she published Sara My Sara: A Memoir of Friendship and Loss.
*Terms and Conditions –UK / US & Canada entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
When Jude Gray and DI Binnie Khatri join a local walking group, their expectations for a peaceful outing to the Malvern Hills takes a grim turn. Arguments abound, and the hike ends in tragedy when one of the walkers is found dead in her car.
Initially ruled as an accident, Jude’s instincts tell her there’s more to the story.
As Jude and Binnie dig deeper, they uncover tensions and secrets within the group. From hidden affairs to longstanding rivalries, it becomes clear this death was no accident.
With each revelation, the danger grows. Can Jude and Binnie unravel the mystery before the killer strikes again?
A gripping addition to the Malvern Farm Mystery series, perfect for fans of Frances Evesham, Merryn Allingham, and Faith Martin.
Death in the Hills is the fourth book in the Malvern Farm Mysteries. I’ve read three of them.
It’s a welcome return to Jude Gray and her busy farming life and family, but no sooner have we enjoyed a countryside walk than tragedy strikes. As always, Jude is suspicious, and she’s right to be suspicious as she begins to uncover some of the secrets among the members of the walking group she’s joined.
These mysteries are really solid reads. The plot is very well defined and developed, and readers know they’re going to get a surprise along the way—one that has been well-signposted if only we follow the right clues (which I didn’t—I was very convinced the solution was different from the one we got).
Death in the Hills is a welcome addition to this thoroughly well-written series, and I’m really pleased that at least four more books will be published.
Meet the author
Kate Wells is the author of a number of well-reviewed books for children, and is now writing a new cosy crime series set in the Malvern hills, inspired by the farm where she grew up.
Morwenna Mutton should be living the quiet life of a librarian and grandmother in Cornwall’s beautiful Seal Bay – if only dead bodies would stop turning up…
After the excitement of her last investigation, amateur sleuth Morwenna is looking forward to things getting back to normal. When local DJ Irina asks to meet however, desperate to share information she has discovered regarding nefarious goings-on, Morwenna can’t resist.
But Irina never arrives for their drink – instead her body is washed up on the beach, an apparent victim of an accidental drowning. At once keen wild bather Morwenna knows something is amiss as Irina was a strong swimmer who knew the local conditions well. What had Irina uncovered and who would want her dead?
When the local news dubs Irina’s murderer The Cream Tea Killer in honour of Cornwall’s famous delicacy, the clock starts ticking. Now the murderer knows Morwenna is on their trail, no one in her family is safe. She must get to the truth before the killer gets to her…
If you love The Thursday Murder Club, Agatha Christie and Richard Coles then you’ll love The Morwenna Mutton mysteries.
The Cream Tea Killer is an entertaining and well-plotted cosy mystery, filled with a little romance between our main character and the men in her life.
Once more, we return to Cornwall and find Morwenna involved in something deadly. She’s getting quite a reputation for being able to solve crimes with or without the aid of her contacts in the police. All of our regulars are there as well: Morwenna’s mother, her daughter, her granddaughter and the cast of her home town besides.
The mystery itself is well pieced together, and while I might have worked out some of what was happening, the devil was in the details, and I certainly missed a few things.
This is a lovely addition to the Morwenna mysteries. It is engaging and fun to read, with an added bit of drama and peril.
Judy Leigh is the USA Today bestselling author of The Old Girls’ Network and Five French Hens and the doyenne of the ‘it’s never too late’ genre of women’s fiction. She has lived all over the UK from Liverpool to Cornwall, but currently resides in Somerset.
I did attempt to share my reading each month on Instagram, but it was a lot of work, and so it fell somewhat by the by as the year progressed. So, let’s get into the nitty gritty details of what I did read in 2024.
Goodreads tells me I’ve read 105 books this year. Unlike other years, I’ve not included my own books in this, which get read repeatedly while writing and editing.
Eleven of these titles were audio books. Now, these are all the Terry Pratchett Discword audios (the new ones), and in fact, I’ve listened to most of them repeatedly, but I stopped popping them on Goodreads because otherwise, everyone would see how often I relisten to them. My favourites are The Witches books which Indira Varma has narrated. Of those, my favourites are Wyrd Sisters, Masquerade and Lords and Ladies. Indira Varma makes these characters sparkle and they really come alive for the listener. Check them out if you’ve not tried them before. Admittedly, to read them in order you start with Equal Rites, which isn’t my favourite but it does introduce the reader to Granny Weatherwax.
I have two most-read categories, which probably won’t surprise anyone, cosy mysteries, coming in with twenty-three titles, and historical fiction with twenty-two titles. The cosy mysteries are often series, which I read as they’re released. Top authors in my ‘most-read’ for the year are TA Williams and his Armstrong and Oscar cosy crime series set in contemporary Italy, Helen Golden’s Right Royal Cosy Mystery series, Judy Leigh’s Morwenna Mutton mysteries and EV Hunter’s Hopgood Murder Mystery series.
Historical mysteries comes third on the list, with fifteen titles. My favourite authors here have been Sarah Hawkswood (I read six titles by her this year. It’s always good to get time to catch up on titles I’ve missed), Elizabeth R Andersen, Michelle Salter, Anita Davison, Holly Hepburn and Kelly Oliver. I adore a good historical mystery, and hope to read more by Emily Organ, who I’ve only just discovered, and who has written a few series now.
There are ten titles I’m classifying as ‘action’ although some of them weren’t and some of them might also fit in other categories. I’ve included the new Harlan Coben Myron Bolitar book in this category. My review for this book has been my most visited blog page this year, which made me chuckle. But, it’s good to know I’m not the only one demanding more titles featuring Myron and Wyn.
Eight titles were historical romance, with Jane Dunn and her Regency Romances taking the ‘most read author’ spotlight for that category. I do love a good Regency romance.
There were also six romance titles, five nonfiction titles, three sci fi titles and two fantasies (I’ve not included the Discword audios as they’re in my audio count). Hopefully, that all adds up to 105 titles.
For nonfiction, I’ve been reading about the Tudors, diving into Eating with The Tudors, and How to Dress Like a Tudor – both fascinating insights into areas I rarely consider because I’m always thinking about historical events and not as much about how people lived but the ‘lived’ experience is just as important and I’ve been endeavouring to explore this for my Saxon stories – visiting places, learning Saxon embroidery and taking part in a Roots herbal day.
The final nonfiction title was Sarah Gristwood’s Secret Voices: A Year of Women’s Voices which was fascinating, and quite addictive reading. I highly recommend it if only to discover the fab little diary entry about the curse of zips:) I reviewed the title for Aspects of History so you should be able to find my review over there.
I’ve also half-read many other titles (apologies to those authors), and I’m always dipping a toe into nonfiction titles. One of my favourites this year has been After Rome by Robin Fleming, which is fabulous and I must finish, but is sadly only available as a paperback, and my Kindle version of The Reigns of Edmund, Eadred and Eadwig is essentially ALL highlighted. It was such a timely release as I was concluding the Brunanburh Series.
I’ve been sharing some of my favourite reads of the year with Aspects of History and also Shepherd books, but do I have an absolute favourite? I’m not sure, but there were a few books I devoured in as few sittings as possible, and this is often a sign of a book that entirely draws you in. For me that was The Portrait Artist by Dani Heywood-Lonsdale due for release in February 2025 (I don’t like the cover so don’t be put off by it), and also Susie Dent’s Guilty by Definition. I also adored Arden by GD Harper, which wasn’t always an easy read, but certainly engrossed me.
I’m very much a ‘mood’ reader. Sometimes I pick up titles outside my usual genres just for a change and sometimes I don’t always enjoy books in my usual genre at first and so pop them down with the hope I’ll return to them at some point in the future. I find there’s nothing better than reading a really fun book over the weekend when I can devote more time to reading than writing. So, sometimes my choices can seem a bit wayward, but then, everyone has their own tastes, and it’s good to read outside your favourite genres from time to time.
For 2025, I’m looking forward to the new Max Adams book about Mercia, due for release in Feb 2025, and I must find time to finally finish the Uhtred books by Bernard Cornwell (I refused to read it while I was working on the Brunanburh series), and I also need to catch up with Mark Lawrence’s Library Trilogy, of which I have three copies of the second title but still haven’t read it. I will continue to read historical fiction, historical mysteries and cosy crime, and anything else that takes my fancy. In doing so, I will support my fellow Boldwood authors, my author buddies (which is a growing list of must-reads) and those authors whose books I’ve been reading for years and keep returning to, time and time again, including the Discworld titles. At this point, I am thinking I should write some fan fiction but I won’t risk it:)
Here’s to 2025 and all the reading I hope to enjoy. And a thank you to all my readers too and those who visit the blog to follow my reviews.
When Drew Hopgood’s brother, Frank dies whilst out climbing, it’s initially thought his death was simply a tragic accident. But when Frank’s much younger wife, Stella arrives at Hopgood Hall demanding half of Frank’s inheritance the Hopgoods and Alexi Ellis begin to suspect foul play…
Stella has no claim to Frank’s legacy, but she isn’t giving up easily. And with the reputation of Hopgood Hall still fragile, Alexi can’t afford to lose any more money because of Stella’s greed.
So Alexi, her partner Jack, and Cosmo of course, decide to dig deeper into Stella’s background. Just how did she meet Frank and were they really as in love as she claims?
As the trio investigate, they discover Stella has her own reasons for being back at Hopgood Hall. And rather than console the grieving widow, Alexi and Jack think they might need to look again at Frank’s tragic death – because rather than an accident this could have been a deadly fall – planned by his own wife!
A boutique hotel. A feral cat. A recipe for murder!
A gripping murder mystery, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Frances Evesham and Emma Davies.
A Deadly Legacy is the sixth book in the Hopgood Hall Murder Mystery series, and I have read all six.
This latest book is perhaps the most enjoyable to date. It abounds with subterfuge that only Alexi and Jack can untangle with the aid of Cosmo and the new addition to the menagerie, both of whom have starring roles, as is only correct for our feline friend and his buddy.
Stella is such a well-depicted character that I hated her within moments of her appearing on the page:) I’ve not had that sort of reaction since the despicable teacher in HP – Delores Umbridge. I had to put the book down for a while. But, when I picked it up again, I was engrossed in the unfolding story of treachery and deceit.
A great new addition to the contemporary mystery series. I’m always excited to discover what Alexi, Jack and Cosmo will become embroiled in next.
Evie Hunter has written a great many successful regency romances as Wendy Soliman and is now redirecting her talents to produce dark gritty thrillers for Boldwood. For the past twenty years she has lived the life of a nomad, roaming the world on interesting forms of transport, but has now settled back in the UK.
Alice Arden, idealistic and wealthy beauty, burnt at the stake for killing her husband, the former mayor of Faversham in Kent. But was she really the one responsible for the most scandalous murder of the sixteenth century?
William Shakespeare, England’s greatest playwright, born thirteen years after Alice’s execution. Why does his first-ever play, written about this murder, not bear his name?
This is a story of two people – one reviled, one revered – whose fates become linked in a tale of corruption, collusion and conspiracy. Based on historical documents and recently published academic research, Arden unveils shocking new evidence about the murder of Thomas Arden and reveals, for the first time, a remarkable new theory about Shakespeare’s early years.
Arden by GD Harper is a beautifully crafted tale of two individuals, separated by forty years, with the one entirely unaware of the other, that reimagines the hows, whats and ifs of Shakespeare’s earliest efforts to become a playwright and the story that ‘called’ to him to enable him to do so.
Offering us two points of view, that of Alice Arden, and Shakespeare himself, we travel through the years that lead to Alice’s crisis and see how Shakespeare was himself plagued by her story. To begin with, Alice is the most likeable character. Young, bright, and vivacious, she pulls the reader along through the years when Shakespeare is not at all the man we might expect him to be. His life is difficult (perhaps because he makes it so, to be honest), but soon his dreams of being an actor and writing plays becomes his driving force. At the same time, Alice’s life is blighted by her marriage to a man of ambition but no regard for the life of his wife, who is deeply unhappy. Shakespeare’s life improves as events rumble towards their awful conclusion for Alice. But he is still somewhat haunted by the tale of Alice Arden, and I adored how her final narrative is teased from those who have knowledge of it that isn’t known by all. It is horrific.
This was such an engaging narrative. I liked neither character at points, but they both had endearing qualities that made it a joy to read this fictionalised account of what might have been.
I have written four novels in the last eight years under the penname GD Harper.
My last novel, The Maids of Biddenden, the imagined biography of real-life conjoined twins born in 12th-century Kent, was featured on BBC TV News and was the winner of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the historical fiction category, shortlisted for the 2022 Selfie Award at the London Book Fair, and shortlisted or longlisted for five other awards.
It has over a thousand ratings on Amazon UK and Goodreads, with an average score of 4.3. Across the major Amazon markets, it reached number sixteen in overall paid-for e-book sales, number two in historical fiction and number one in medieval historical fiction.
MJ Porter 