DNFed at 20%.

The pros of this book can be summed up by the title and the summary. I did like both going into this novel and I thought the chapter titles were delightful. The first chapter, where we get into the fact that we're all here for a good old fashioned locked door murder, is lost far too quickly. That's where we get into what I disliked about this book. I hated the snipping. There was too much of it and not enough mystery for me to want to continue to read. I think a softening of all of the characters would have made this a book that I wanted to read instead of tipping the scales to not giving a fig about what happens to any of them. I don't care who the murderer is or who gets killed. I just want to get out of the book and extremely toxic relationships as fast as I can. It's a shame because the writing is so good that it's making such a reaction in me but I just can't read more.

Copy received from Netgalley for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book by the blurb. Who wouldn't enjoy a modern take on Agatha Christie? I didn't finish the book and I can't remember the last time that happened. I disliked everyone in it and at 48% I was done. I couldn't find one reason to keep reading. It just felt terribly over done.

I was taken in by the title 'Smart Woman' and the description as perfect for fans of Agatha Christie. So i debated between 1 and 2 stars but the book deserves only one for false advertising.
Premise is young woman (25) and mother attend book club weekend in isolated mansion and murder ensues. Why is the daughter there? For ages I was wondering if this was a 'Fight Club'' situation and I was just missing some bigger plot point. Nope, just lazy writing. The book is a series of contrived scenarios with florid and juvenile adjectives to describe random background - 'he was like a vast aged oak tied and constricted to become a bonsai' WTF?!?
The was a DNF for me, though I did skip to the end and the resolution was beyond ridiculous. Don't waste your time on this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley.

I could not finish. I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn’t. The relationship between mother and daughter just drove me nuts. There were some funny parts, but overall, I didn’t enjoy the book.

"As with most book clubs, the first rule of book club was you do not talk about the book."

This is a nice and funny murder mystery. The tone of the main character, and unruly daughter who crashes a book club trip from her mother, is very dry and funny. Everybody in book club is weird and quirky.
Before I read the book I saw a review that says it's a Agatha Christie kind of mystery and that's what it is, but funnier.

I’m struggling to decide how I feel about ‘The Smart Woman's Guide to Murder
’ by Victoria Dowd. The novel is marketed as “a must read for fans of thrillers and crime fiction
”, and especially for fans of the respected authors of the genre such as Agatha Christie, Anthony Horowitz. Now, Christie and Horowitz are two of my long standing favourite authors, so of course, I had to read this book and I was excited to receive an ARC from Joffe and Netgalley.

Sadly, when a book promises so much, it can struggle to deliver – and this was the case with ‘The Smart Woman's Guide to Murder’ The story is set in an old style country mansion where a group of women gather for their book club retreat. They are a fairly rag-taggle group of friends, and along with the group, tags Ursula, as she has been encouraged (or rather dragged along) by her overbearing mother. The setup of the novel bears a striking similarity to ‘And Then There Were None’ as a killer begins to strike and those staying at the mansion behind to die one-by-one. Everyone is a suspect and everyone has a possible motive, with lies and secrets being exchanged as loyalties constantly change.
Dowd manages to racket up the tension nicely but the protagonist Ursula, who is telling the story, quickly becomes annoying as she jumps from one conspiracy theory to another. Without giving the reader the chance to delve into her thoughts and determine the likelihood of any theory being accurate. There are some laugh out loud moments which helped to hold my interest and encouraged me to continue with the story.

You would think that at my age, I would be smarter than to fall for a marketing line that claims "A GOLDEN AGE COUNTRY HOUSE MURDER MYSTERY BROUGHT BANG UP TO DATE, Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Anthony Horowitz."

I beg to differ. I have't read anything this overwrought since 'Chasing Embers' by James Bennett.. "You surely jest," you say. 'Oh no,' I claim, and proceed to demonstrate.

"It happened when the snow first fell, violet white, branding our eyes with its glare and covering our steps almost as soon as we had lifted our feet. The cold bit deep into our faces and when we opened our mouths to speak, snow singed our tongues. The wind laced round our legs as we leaned into the fierce air."

I'd question 'violet white' snow, but let's let it slide. Snow definitely doesn't 'brand with glare' and the metaphor doesn't match the cold feeling Dowd is going for. Couple that with 'singing.' She might be wanting to get at 'so cold it was burning,' but this is a group of book club ladies walking outside a mansion, not explorers in the Arctic. It's overwrought and silly. Wind 'lacing' around legs is a look, not an action.

Our narrator looks out a "greasy car window" and noted that "the house stood ashen faced amongst it all." Then, the sun starts to set: "A translucent sun was falling in the sky, casting only an insipid light. We were at the hinged point of the day when darkness was stirring and would soon turn over into dusk. The day was unravelling."

How did the window get greasy? is what I was wondering here. And what scared the house that it looks ashen, or is it just anemic? But where I really got stuck is the three different metaphors crunched together for describing a sunset: a hinge, cooking and knitting.

Then there's the three pages our narrator spends describing her dead father's smoking habit.

Add to this that although we are teased with the dead body in the first scene, the actual lead in and discovery doesn't take place until 27%. Agatha Christie this ain't. I finally quit with relief.

It turns out this isn't a mystery at all. This is an overgrown narrator who relentlessly exaggerates and meanly describes her mother, an aunt, an 'adopted' aunt, and another of her mom's friends, along with two mansion servants, all in context of her own historical relationship issues. It's supposed to be biting and incisive, but really it's mostly like an adolescent learning to use irony for the first time. She seems to be working out her family issues about her perfect dead father and her cold, unfeeling mother. There was literally nothing "thriller" about it, except if you mean the piano mysteriously playing her dad's favorite tune. Until the 27%, in fact, most of the story took place in retrospect, with the narrator telling stories about how horrible each of these people were, and how wonderful her memories of her father were.

Worst marketing campaign ever, Jaffe. Had your team said anything about "troubled new adult working out her anger for her mother and loss of her father while witnessing the antagonism at her mother's hateful book club," I would have known to pass. It don't recommend it to anyone, except masochists who like watching people be mean to each other.


Advance copy provided by Netgalley and Joffe Books and all opinions are definitely my own.

A bit dark for a cosy mystery, with the characters mostly not likeable, but not far off. The old premise of a group in a remote house, no connection with the outside world and murders start. Supposedly a group of people getting together to read and discuss a book but only Bridget (and her dog Mr Bojangles if we are to believe her) had much if any intention of reading. The story is narrated by Ursula - gatecrashing daughter of one of the group and she gets into her stride with each chapter working out what might or might not have happened - what clues could she see, weighing up facts, thoughts and the like. This was generally quite witty, well, at times it was. The house is run by an eccentric couple and all of the book club guests have some secrets they'd prefer kept secret. At times it seemed rather like a farce, at others just silly, and others actually getting to be a good read. I felt very mixed at the end. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

"Remember, there is a fragile line between life and death. One wrong step and you will no longer exist."

This book was exactly what I needed! A breath of fresh air.
A modern day cozy mystery where a group of despicable characters with deadly humor and sarcasm provide the perfect setting for not one but four murders!
As the story unravels, one gets used to the vileness of the characters; one falls in love with them even. One misses them when the story ends.

Imagine an isolated country house (Slaughter House, that’s what the press would call it later), where members of a book club have rented as a retreat to “discuss” their current read. There is no phone or TV or internet.

And before long blood will be spilled, accusations will go around, some will be blamed, fingers will point and secrets will be revealed.

PS. I absolutely love the unique and refreshing cover of the book.

Thanks to the author, Joffe Books and the NetGalley for my copy of the book.

"Rule 1: Never stay in an isolated country house with a disparate group of possible sociopaths.. or a bookclub."

The classic country house get away turns sour for this group of women and their bookclub when a body is found on the snowy grounds of the isolated Ambergris Tower, the mansion that they find themselves stranded in after a snow storm.

Ursula Smart, the uninvited guest of her Mother's let's say 'eccentric' bookclub finds herself having to solve the mystery of the killer they find themselves amongst. Is the killer stalking their group or is the killer one OF the group?!

A true 'whodunit' mixing humour with twists and hidden clues, allowing the reader to play detective along side the books main female protagonist.

I found myself eager to read on, in order to find out who was behind the killings. The characters, although some are unlikeable, are written well and it is clearly apparent how much planning was put into this story by the author Victoria Dowd.

An enjoyable read (which sounds strange consider the plot contains murder) which I would  recommended to any Agatha Christie fan who wants to read a new take on a murder mystery!

I didn’t know what to expect from this novel but I adored it, and devoured it in a few hours. Take And Then There Were None, mix it with Blythe Spirit and you have a recipe for a modern yet old fashioned murder mystery set in an isolated country house. It’s meant to be a weekend of book club discussions for Ursula’s mother Pamela, Pamela’s sister and their friends – Ursula has tagged along – but within 24 hours there’s been more than one murder. The friends need to unite if they’re going to figure out who killed… and if they want to stay alive. It bounces along and is thoroughly enjoyable, lots of wickedly astute moments from the most unsuspecting of characters. Please can I have more?

( please see Goodreads) I found this to be a fun murder mystery. It kept me guessing until the end,which is great. I found the characters to be interesting, but they could have been fleshed out a bit more. I would recommend this to someone who wanted something a little grittier than a cozy mystery. Great job.

This is a fun, light entertaining book with witty and informative chapter headings such as:
"Never invite spiritualists, fortune tellers or anyone communing with the other side into your home. They may see more than you imagined."

Who knew crashing a book club could be so fun and so deadly at the same time! Ursula joins her Mother Pandora's book club (members: Aunts Charlotte and Less, her mother's friend Mirabelle, and Bridget accompanied by her dog Mr. Bojangles). Pandora is hosting their book club at a weekend retreat. But soon a body shows up...

I swear if I took a drink every time someone, mainly Pandora said "Shut up, Ursula" I would be rip-roaring drunk! But I will shut up about that and tell you that this is a fun, witty book. I loved the chapter headings which give advice and tell one how to survive.

Who is the killer? Is someone amongst them on a killing spree? How much danger are they in? How will they survive? Plus, will they EVER discuss the book?

A light fun little mystery with humor and interesting characters. It was a hoot!

Thank you to Joffe Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a fabulous whodunnit, that kept me gripped from the start. Uncaring characters hide a vast array of emotions that seep out as the book progresses. Spooky setting, creepy cast and twisty turny storylines make this book the perfect read - and I'm sure film rights will be snapped up very soon!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of The Smart Woman’s Guide to Murder, the first novel to feature Ursula Smart and her mother, Pandora, (not their real names) set in rural England.

Pandora’s book club is having a weekend retreat in a large country house and Ursula decides to tag along. It is just the book club, Mirabelle, Charlotte, Bridget and her dog, Mr Bojangles and (Joy)Less and the servants Mr & Mrs Angel. Then a body is found in the grounds as the club try to find a way out of the by now snowbound grounds. No phone signal, no internet, no landline, what could possibly go wrong?

There is no doubt that The Smart Woman’s Guide to Murder is a clever, dare I say smart, novel with an interesting plot and some genuine laugh out loud comments. It is told in the first person from Ursula’s point of view but she is a rather unreliable narrator in the classic sense that she doesn’t always grasp nuance, not in the more modern lying sense. The setting and the plot are very traditional, a country house cut off from the world, a limited set of suspects and various hidden motives and seething resentments. Even the solution is traditional with old sins casting long shadows.

Of course it’s OTT but I would imagine that it would be impossible to write a country house murder novel nowadays without an edge and tongue stuck firmly in cheek. At first I really enjoyed Ursula’s caustic take on the people around her and the situation she finds herself in but I found it palls rather quickly and becomes repetitive. As the novel progresses it becomes clear that there is something not quite right about Ursula and her dysfunctional relationship with her mother but no explanations are offered. It’s quite strange. Surprisingly enough the strange Ursula turns out to be one of the most likeable characters in the novel, so that doesn’t say much about the others.

The Smart Woman’s Guide to Murder is an interesting and unusual read that I’m glad I tried but I’m not sure if I would be up for more of the same.

3.75 - rounded to 4 - stars

Special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for granting this e-book in exchange of an honest review.

Yes, Bridget, we finally gonna discuss a book!

"Rule 1: Never stay in an isolated country house with a disparate group of possible sociopaths...or a book club."

God, I've had so much fun reading this book I can't even express myself properly… but I'll try.

Ursula Smart (not her real name) is an intruder at her mother's book club long weekend retreat in a isolated country house, and she's clearly aware of that. After all, she has always felt like an intruder in her mother's life.
Although Pandora, Charlotte, Mirabelle, Joy and Bridget, the five official members of the book club, have absolutely nothing in common, except for being middle-aged women, things were going fine until Ursula started noticing some peculiarities after midnight and a body was found in the snow on the following day.

"That's what death does to you — it warps you, then it hardens you into the new shape you have become."

With the snow descending upon them and without no source of transportation or communication, the group has nothing to do but to stay safe and wait. It's only when one of them ends up dead that they realise staying safe might be a little bit more complicated than they thought.
The differences among the group starts becoming more visible and intense as they understand that all of them would be capable of committing murder. Including the butler and the housekeeper.

"We were stuck with the murderer, isolated from the outside world, with no scape."

Using the leadership of Mother Pandora, Ursula's observations, Aunt Charlotte's stupidity, Mirabelle's suspicions, Joy's nicking ability and Bridget's Mr. Bojangles, they'll have to keep the friends close and the enemies closer if the peculiar book club wants to survive the weekend.

"As with most book clubs, the first rule of the book club was you do not talk about the book."

I've never thought I could laugh so much with murder mystery book. The characters were so funny and their relationships so hilarious that couldn't not enjoy this book. The mystery was on point and the more you knew each one of the characters more suspicious you became of them. Even though the revelation at the end was a bit of "okay" to me, the rest was witty, funny and really envolving. Dowd country house mystery was everything you could hope for!

"For a book club, books were remarkably low on their list of priorities."

The Smart Woman's Guide To Murder is going to be out on May 6th and a second installment is coming ~cross fingers~ very soon to us! And yep, I'm DYING to read it!

I wasn’t sure about this book when I first started reading it. I love a good mystery/thriller and at first I thought the author was trying a bit too hard but about halfway through I really started getting into it. The characters aren’t really likable but they are relatable. The storyline seemed to have a few holes in it but that didn’t take away from the joy of reading the book. In the end I have found it to be actually one of my favorite mysteries that I’ve read in a while. It’s not perfect but in the end it captured my attention and even my imagination.

I adored this probably because it took me right back to my younger days, devouring Agatha Christie novels at a rate of knots.

This has all the classic Christie ingredients- an isolated mansion, a group dynamic of suspects and victims, a twisty plot where really anyone could have done it and an amateur detective trying to work it all out. 

It was huge fun to read, a modern twist on a classic tale, descriptively delicious and often taking some very dark turns. The ultimate resolution is cleverly achieved with yet another twist on a classic Christie move to get you there.

A little literary delight for this reader and I can't wait for the sequel that I'm sure will be a thing.

Highly recommended. Especially if you kind of like a cosy mystery but prefer them to have a fair bit of blood and guts...

What should have been a relaxing book club getaway turns deadly... I appreciated the humor the author inserted however at times it was corny. I felt like I was reading a game of Clue. She definitely did well in keeping me guessing as to who the "killer" was.

Are you all in for snappy, witty dialogue and observations? Because Victoria Dowd is hilarious.

Like, "I want to have brunch and get a little boozy with her just to see what she'll say next" hilarious.

She writes awful characters really well and I laughed out loud many times as I read this book that ended up being quite a satisfying closed room mystery.

It was so perfect for right now!

Thank you to Victoria Dowd, Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!