I found this story a bit of a mixed bag. The pace of the plot developed over the course of the book, from being painfully slow, bogged down by unnecessary plot detail, to building to a good pace in the final third. The final plot twist was interesting, but required a lot of explanation, because there was no overt signalling through the body of the book.

It really pains me to review this book as being so average as the others have all been great reads. I had anticipated this one being as great as the others but it really disappointed me.

I think the big reason it didn't match up was because of the courtroom scenes, they were just really dry and not very engaging. Also, the jumping back and forth between timelines was a bit confusing as it wasn't clearly labelled that this was happening in the relevant chapters. I also found the ending really bizarre and confusing, like it was just grasped out of thin air with the desire to shock.

I'm really disappointed with how this book turned out but I will no doubt continue on with the series with the hopes it was just a one off.

*Thanks to NetGalley, Joffe Books and Victoria Dowd for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

I wish I would've read the other books in the series before jumping into this one because there were a few references to previous stories that I didn't understand. I am becoming a fan of the multiple timeline thing so this was a fun read. The mystery story line was entertaining and exciting but I could not bring myself to like any of the characters. Again, this may be because I missed the first three books and the character's development. I plan on adding the other books to my TBR and coming back to this one to give it a fair shot because I definitely see the potential, I just feel like i'm missing a lot.

Sad to say, I have to unfortunately DNF this book at 22% in.

I first picked it for the cover and the description, but once I started reading it, I did not have any wish to pick it back up or finish it.

The story, the characters and the writing - none of it really resonated with me and did not catch my fancy, I was not interested at all.

Sorry, it just was not for me!

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

Murder by Puffer fish in a locked? room. I loved the mystery in this book . Unfortunately I did find the story jumper around a bit - in the main it is very difficult to see it as a stand alone book as there are many references to the past. I get the feeling if I had read the earlier books I may have enjoyed the book a lot more.
It maybe that these references and character will be made clear in the future. For me I like a stand along book even if it is a series. I did enjoy the mystery

The Smart Women – Ursula, her mother Pandora, her Aunt Charlotte and perennial hanger-on Bridget – are sitting in the viewing gallery at the Old Bailey. Penelope Lovell is on trial for the murder of her husband, the world-famous novelist Anthony Lovell, creator of lawyer-cum-sleuth Sheridan Le Foy. It was an open and shut case – at the launch of his new book on his private island, she took her husband a drink which was laced with deadly poison (from the discarded parts of a puffer-fish) which he drank. Everything was on camera – no one else approached Anthony. No one else could have poisoned him.

As Ursula thinks back to the events leading up to the murder – the Smart Women had wangled an invite to the event – she becomes more concerned that something had been missed. That she had seen something that was important. But nobody else could have possibly murdered Anthony – could they?

Ah, book four of one of my favourite mystery series, following The Smart Women’s Guide To Murder, Body On The Island and The Supper Club Murders. Victoria Dowd has found a way to balance character without sacrificing plot and the first three books to date have been excellent mysteries as well as gripping reads. So how about book four?




Part of me feels like prevaricating at this point, as I know Victoria reads the blog, so I feel I should draw out the agony. I’ve been waiting for a review copy – you know how it is, racing to the letterbox every time someone shoves a charity bag or electioneering leaflet into it, hoping it’s the long awaited treasure. Anyway, I decided to take matter into my own hands as publication day was approaching and went to NetGalley to find that I seem to be auto-approved for the publisher’s books. So rather than exercise the art of patience, all it took was a couple of clicks and off I went. OK, so I’ve made her wait long enough – let’s get to the reivew.

Let’s look at the annoying bits first… Well, annoying bit. Some classic sleuths get their names dropped here, but where was the reference to Anthony Bathurst? There’s a line comparing the fictional Le Foy as a rehash of Campion, Merrivale and Wimsey – surely old Anthony Lotherington Bathurst is a better comparison than Merrivale? But that would imply that Ursula had been able to find some Brian Flynn gold-dust, now of course much more readily available. You’re welcome, by the way…

Yeah, that’s the annoying bit – oh, and the weird bit at the start with the snakeskin. Everything else was rather wonderful to be honest. The pacing is punchier here than in the earlier books – they did take a little while to get going – but here, as it’s told in part-flashback, there’s more of a sense of hitting the ground running. Ursula keeps the narrative moving forwards while the cast is populated with nicely distinctive characters (without the need to resorting to eccentricities to distinguish them).

As for the mystery, it’s much more subtly clued than previous outing, and I was caught out completely by the identity of the murderer. Actually, that’s been the case with all of Victoria’s books – she has a real skill at misdirection. The impossible nature of the murder has a nice simple-but-you-miss-it solution as well. I thought I’d seen most impossible poisonings from Paul Doherty (which admittedly often revolve around what the victim might lick in the room) but this was cleverly done. The climax of the book is gripping stuff, and I look forward to where the Smart Women head next.

I have been a fan of Victoria’s work for a little while now. In fact I have been a fan of her work since I had the good fortune to pick up a copy of the first book in this series, which is called ‘A Smart Woman’s Guide To Murder’ just over two years ago. Since then I have read and loved the subsequent two books in the series. When I heard that Victoria was due to release another book in the series, ‘A Book Of Murder’, I knew that I had to read it as soon as I could get my hands on a copy. Well I finally managed to get a copy and it was well worth the wait. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘A Book Of Murder’ but more about that in a bit.
It took me next to no time to get into ‘A Book Of Murder’. In fact the synopsis was enough to grab my attention and draw me in. As soon as I started reading I knew that there wasn’t much hope of me doing anything else other than reading for the rest of the day because I wouldn’t be able to put the book down. I was spot on too. I initially picked the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters to say that I had made a start but I became so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of the characters that I was still sat there reading over a dozen chapters later. I had my own theories as to what was going to happen so I had to keep reading to see if I was anywhere near the truth or whether I had the wrong end of the stick. I seemed to race through the story but I enjoyed every single minute of it. I found ‘A Book To Murder’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and which held my attention throughout.
‘A Book Of Murder’ is extremely well written but then I have come to expect nothing less from Victoria Dowd. Victoria has one of those easy going writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Victoria’s books feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. Victoria certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and draw them into what proves to be a compelling story. Victoria clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes them come alive and seem just as real as you and I. I love the way in which the author makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action. ‘A Book Of Murder’ is a cosy mystery so all the fun of a crime novel only without the really gory bits.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘A Book Of Murder’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more of Victoria’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

A Book Of Murder by Victoria Dowd is the fourth book in the Smart Woman's Mystery series. Ursula Smart and her mother with her Aunts Charlotte, Bridget and friend Mirabelle are the members of the Smart Woman’s book club.


This was a great mystery. The amateur sleuths are well written with humor.

The plot is perfectly paced with twists you won't see coming.

An enjoyable mystery with fun characters.

Not having read any of the others in the series was not the impediment I feared, since this was focused wholly on the case that the Smart women were observing.
Celebrated crime writer Adrian Lovell is found dead on the eve of his book launch. To a small group of people who have a vested interest in his writing, Lovell announced that his upcoming book would be the one where his famous detective would be killed off. Hours later he is found dead, having been poisoned. The manuscript cannot be found and the only person who appears to have had the ability to carry out the murder was his wife.
The novel focuses primarily on the case, with some flashbacks to the night in question. We follow one of the Smarts in her quest to work out what exactly could have happened.
While the story unfolded with a knowing sense of timing, the references to previous books were many and I couldn’t make sense of their relevance with no context to them. I found the actual resolution of the story frustrating.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this.

I came into this series late, so maybe I am missing something. I didn’t find the characters all that interesting so I had trouble becoming truly engaged in this book. I feel maybe I should put it on a shelf and come back to it when I have caught up. Possibly knowing the characters in a deeper way would make the story more enjoyable and engaging.

This story finds the remaining four Smart Women, mother Pandora, daughter Ursula, sister Charlotte and friend Bridget sitting in the public gallery of the Old Bailey awaiting the start of the trial of Penelope Lovell for her husband’s murder. Bestselling crime writer Anthony Lovell was killed by the poison from a puffer fish and the only person who had opportunity was his wife. The most open and shut case imaginable. It all happened on the first night of the author’s convention to celebrate his latest novel, attended by crime writers, agent, editor, consultants, the latest actor to play his sleuth Sheridan Le Foy and bloggers, ably represented by the Smart Women famous from Pandora’s blog Death Smarts and who are due to give a talk. They are well qualified, having now survived three horrific murder scenarios with a count of ten victims so far. Even before the festivities start a blast from the past (well book 2 actually) warns Ursula that she might be in danger from one of the fugu chefs. And so the ladies make their way to No Man’s Fort just over the water from Portsmouth. The knives are already out between certain guests and that’s even before dinner is served! A shock announcement really sets the cat among the pigeons and before dawn Anthony Lovell lies dead. As I said earlier, an open and shut case – or is that too obvious for the Smart Women to accept?
As with the other books in this series, there is loads of superb wit and deliciously dark humour throughout this book, with its wonderful larger than life characters and dastardly plot. I would love to see these books being brought to life on television, such were the fantastic descriptions of the people in it. This story has a slightly different format, in that it is told over two timelines, the murder and the trial.
The reader is gently led through a cleverly written trail of clues and red herrings to an excellent and satisfying conclusion in a superb modern twist on the old classic style. I particularly loved the ending with all its future possibilities and I sincerely hope there are many more murders to enjoy! 5*

This is the first book I've read, the fourth in this series. While the mystery read well on its own, there were many references to events from previous novels having great impact on characters. There was much about the earlier death of Mirabelle. It was mentioned often, so often I wondered why Dowd did not do a better job of reviewing that death for readers of this novel. Something of such impact should have been clearly presented again for new readers and old readers who have lived life since the previous novel.

I liked the mystery plot. It's a kind of locked room murder where all the evidence points to a certain outcome and how could it possibly be any different? I liked how the murder technique was figured out but I am not so sure the essential clue had been given to us earlier. I did feel the outcome of the final suspenseful scene was a bit realistic. What happened every time in similar cases in the novel miraculously did not happen this time.

What I liked most in the novel was the interaction of the Smart women. There was snappy dialogue and good comebacks. The mother is something else. I also liked learning more about a poisonous fish and preparation techniques.

What I didn't like about the book is mostly because I came into the series late and did not feel there was enough background information. That is overshadowed by all I liked, the plot, the characters and the writing style. I'll be looking for more from this author.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Thank you to the publishers for giving me an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have to be honest and say this is my first read from the series, and I feel as though had I had more time with the characters, my rating would be higher. As it was, I found the Smart women slightly eccentric, unbelievable and more than a little annoying. The crime element of the book was solid enough, but the paranormal haunting and unlikability of the characters (again, reading as a standalone) means that I'm unlikely to return to this series.

I'm sure for fans of the series, it's a great addition!

This book was really hard for me to get into but I think that is mostly because I have not read the other books in the series. I felt like I was missing big chucks of the character development and though previous events were briefly mentioned it was difficult to like many of the characters. The book also jumped around a lot between current events and past events. If I were to suggest anything to the reader it would be to read the previous books first.

The Smart women are all attending a celebratory dinner party hosted by a famous crime writer. The writer ends up poisoned and one of the dinner guests appears to be the murderer. This book follows Ursula Smart's point of view in a dual timeline. The book divides time leading up to and including the dinner party, and also Ursula witnessing the murder trial. This was a very entertaining book to read. Ursula's thoughts and narration could be both disturbing but somehow humorous. I enjoyed the dynamic of Ursula and her family members. Having never read any of the previous books, it was still easy to follow. I think I need to go back and read the previous ones so I understand more of the characters. I think fans of this author and series will greatly enjoy this latest installment!
Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC of this book.

“A book of murder” was my first read in the Smart Woman's Mystery series.

While I haven't read the previous ones, I didn't feel like I’m missing much about the characters or their development.

When the smart women are invited to a long weekend at a famous writer's house, they couldn't pass the opportunity to unwind and rub elbows with the literal minds.

After the first dinner party, a screeching scream is waking up some of the guest. Later on, someone is found dead and here's where the story gets more intriguing.

They all eat the same dish, but only one was attacked. Who has a hidden agenda in here? Anyone can be considered a suspect at this point.

Told in a dual timeline, the story has quite a few unexpected turns along the way and kept me guessing till the last chapters.

Very engaging novel with interesting characters and a twisted ending.

This is the fourth book in the series , and I believe Victoria Dowd just gets better and better the mix of humour and a good old murder mystery sit together perfectly.
The smart women are invited to a book launch , it’s a weekend affair and it’s on the crime writing author ‘s private island . What could possibly go wrong?
The style of writing entices the reader to read chapter after chapter.
The characters all have their own inimitable style , and the humour just adds the perfect finishing touch.
Sit back relax and enjoy the company of the smart women and all of the mayhem that ensues.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books.

The Smart women wangle an invite to crime-fiction powerhouse Anthony Lovell’s latest book launch, a weekend-long bash at his private island home. They’re ready for an evening of wining, dining and hobnobbing with the literati. But trouble is never far behind where the Smart women are concerned. Late that night, Ursula is awakened by blood-curdling screams. Anthony’s been poisoned. By the same rare — and potentially deadly — fugu fillet that was the highlight of the evening feast. One of the guests is a murderer. But who? As the courtroom drama unfolds, and the Smart women are called in as witnesses, Ursula’s convinced there’s more to this murder than meets the eye.

I was so excited about this book when I read the description. I was like 'oh my god, this will be a fantastic Agatha Cristie-esque book' but sadly the excitement fell short for me. I had a hard time making it through the first few chapters. I thought this book was a snoozer from the start and I could never fully get into the story.

This was a really fun plot. I wish more books were this. I enjoyed the characters and I well have to read the first three books of this series since I was a bit confused at some points of the book. That being said, it was enjoyable.

First off i would like to that NetGalley and Joffe Books for providing me with this ARC. I’ve never read this series but this book really makes me want to. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this before due to the fact that it’s very comical. They ladies have a dysfunctional relationship. Besides the comedy, it is often serious at times and this also makes the book enjoyable. The book centers around a trial determining if the wife of Anthony Lowell is guilty of murdering him. Some of the flashbacks were confusing because like i said i haven’t read the series but this just wants me to read the 3 previous novels even more. I loved the author’s writing. It was such a refreshing take on a mystery novel. Her descriptions are vividly graphic and engaging.