Death at the Auction by E. C. Bateman is the first book in the Stamford cozy mystery series. This one takes place in Lincolnshire, England in the historic town of Stamford and features Felicia Grant, ex-auctioneer who currently manages a gallery in London. Cassie, her best friend from her hometown calls and tells her she needs to fill in as auctioneer. Felicia’s father fell down some steps and broke his leg. As the final lot comes up for bid, her ex-husband Dexter shows up and a body falls out of a cupboard. The many suspects include Felicia and Dexter as well as a myriad of locals.

The character development is fantastic in this one. The relationships felt real and varied. Felicia gave up her dream job of auctioneering when she and her father couldn’t decide how to run the business together. She’s intent on clearing the family name. Dexter is affable and outgoing, but unreliable as his priorities have been towards fame and adulation. Their son, Algernon, is quiet and tends to observe situations. The other characters run the gamut from her supportive Cassie to patronizing and judgmental DCI Heavenly to Felicia’s curmudgeonly father.

The world-building transported me to Stamford. I could easily envision the town’s homes and stores as well as the churches and park. The dialogue felt natural, and the plot was twisty with several subplots, a few exciting scenes, some unpredictable moments, and several suspects. The story captivated me with its riveting mystery. The ending was satisfactory and has several threads for future books in the series.

Overall, this was a fun and entertaining novel with some humor to go with the mystery. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Readers who enjoy amateur sleuths, a wide array of characters, and cozy mysteries will likely enjoy this novel.

HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and E. C. Bateman provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for November 18, 2022.

I loved this book! Death at the Auction is the first in a new series by E.C. Bateman that takes place in Stamford, England. The author did a great job creating a vast and entertaining group of characters who revolve around the auction house. I loved the mystery and all the twists and turns the story took. Lots of red herrings, but in the end, Felicia was able to solve the mystery! Highly recommend for fans of Hannah Dennison and M.C. Beaton! Looking forward to the next installment!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this Arc, having not read this author before i was unsure what to expect and i am glad i requested this copy as it was a very enjoyable read

The main character Felicia is filling in for her father an auctioneer when someone is murdered, deciding to find the murderer sets Felicia and her son on a journey into a town with a lot of secrets

This is my favourite kind of murder mystery; one with an amateur sleuth backed up by friends and family who all get dragged into events, together with run-ins with police. Our central figure in this case has been dragged back to her hometown after her father has an accident and becomes involved in the investigation following a murder during an auction she was holding.

I have to admit I very nearly gave up on ths book on page 2 after one of the most cliched openings I've ever read but I'm so glad I carried on as this book is everything I hoped it would be. The family dynamics, interaction wth the police, tension and humour work to perfection and whilst the book feels a little clumsy or maybe just naive in its execution, I'll certainly be looking out for more adventures from this cast.

Nice cosy crime book, with endearing characters and a lovely setting. You can tell the author knows her auction details by the depth of understanding. I hope there will be a follow up? My favourite character was the (fantastically named) son, who occasionally seemed to be the real grown up.

This is a cozy mystery set in the beautiful Stamford and will keep you guessing throughout. The book is full of interesting but unexpected twists and turns, a whole lot of beautiful houses and an array of interesting but wonderful characters. I enjoyed the small town vibe throughout and at times really wished to live in a house like Felicia's. The atmosphere was quaint even with an undercurrent of the mystery murder. A cosy binge read without any gory details, the book is quite enjoyable. Detective Pettifer and Peter are without a doubt my favourite characters. Do pick it up if you enjoy a small town cozy mystery as this one has the perfect edge.

A brilliant first instalment in this series! Loved every chapter along with the characters, It was well set in Stamford. I do hope there are more in this series! A great cosy mystery.

When Felicia is summoned back to her hometown to stand in for her auctioneer father, who has tripped over the cat and broken his leg, all she feels is resignation. She and her father get on so badly that she'd left their jointly owned auction house some years before. She knows that whatever she does, it will be the wrong thing. What she doesn't expect, however, is to become a suspect in a murder enquiry - or that her ex-husband will burst onto the scene.

EC Bateman's novel is stuffed full of varying characters and relationships. The murder mystery is handled well and holds together. The clues are there, even if I did see most of them only in hindsight. I hope that this turns out to be the first in a series. It seems to me that many of the characters we've met are keeping secrets, sinister or otherwise.

Felicia Grant fills in at her family's auction house at the last minute when her father breaks his leg. The packed auction is disrupted when her ex-husband arrives at the scene and even more so when the final auction item contains an unexpected addition -- the dead body of her father's business rival in a wardrobe! And that's just the start.... An enjoyable cozy mystery with a very likeable heroine and a vividly portrayed setting.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from One More Chapter, HarperCollins UK and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Funny, intelligent writing one can read in one sitting.

Felicia Grant steps back into the family business when her father breaks his leg. She’s set to run the auction and it seems all chaos breaks loose with the ex showing up and then a dead body found in one of the auction items.

Being a suspect herself, Felicia finds herself sleuthing to try and figure out who the culprit is before she’s forced to leave her son behind and head to prison for a murder she didn’t commit. But will her efforts to solve the case be pulled out from under her by the killer? Going once, going twice…

The author’s writing brought this book to life for me. I could almost envision everything and even smell the auction house as I was reading. Add in some quirky characters, a strong female protagonist, an adorable boy and a solid mystery and you’ve got a perfect British Cozy!

A cosy Miss Marple type of book.
Very slow going with a couple of murders, one at a auction, in a quiet village full of secrets, and a few twists at the end.
I loved Algernon a very intelligent 12yr old with a brilliant memory, would make a brilliant Detective in future books.
If you like cosy reads this book is for you.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I love a murder mystery and this didn't disappoint and had the added bonus of being set in Stamford which I've visited and stayed in many a time!
There were twists and turns and things aren't always what they seem but you were rooting for everyone to live happily but wasn't the case for all.

Cosy mysteries are a favourite of mine, so I was very happy to be approved to read and review this.

It was a charming cosy mystery. From the beginning, I felt the author brought the setting and the characters to life, and it had that warm, light-hearted feel that I expect from a book like this.

One of the reasons I'm so fond of cosy mysteries is the fact that they cheer me up, and this one did too. It was very amusing, there were a lot of moments where I found myself chuckling, and I found the characters likeable and relatable.

I don't know if this book is part of a series, but I would be interested in reading some more books by this author. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my opportunity to read and review this.

Death at the Auction was such a wonderful read that I was hooked from the very beginning! The great plot and well created characters kept me totally engaged throughout the entire book!.

Deftly Drawn…
Mystery, murder and mayhem abound in this first of The Stamford Mysteries. Felicia Grant is only back briefly to the family auction house in the beautiful town of Stamford. Or, at least, that is what she thinks. Things are soon to take a dark turn and it is fair to say that her visit will be somewhat protracted. With a deftly drawn backdrop, a well crafted and credible cast and a solid mystery bubbling with red herrings this is a wholly enjoyable and entertaining murder mystery in the cosy vein.

Think I’ve found a new cozy crime series to obsess over. Loved it. Well written and easy to read. Brilliant.

A thoroughly enjoyable read! I couldn’t put it down! It’s what I’d call a cozy murder mystery novel, I.e no expletives, violence (apart from the murder being discovered), and no sexual content, so is suitable for all the family, and is told in such a way that the reader isn’t on edge reading, instead is just thoroughly hooked on where the story is going. It kept me hooked all the way through, and I didn’t guess who it was up until it was spelt out who and how. I really enjoyed this read and will be looking out for more from this author; I can’t recommend it highly enough!

A little bit slow to get started but I enjoyed it! You need a tea, blanket and a biscuit and then to settle down with this for half an hour - a perfect Sunday!

Death at the Auction is an original and intelligent cozy mystery destined to be popular with fans of the genre. It is filled with endearing characters (very important, in my opinion, in setting up a cozy mystery series). I was especially fond of the disheveled Sergeant Pettifer and twelve-year-old Algernon. Heroine Felicia is a reluctant sleuth who never wanted to get pulled back into the auction house business and certainly wants nothing to do with a murder investigation, but she can’t stand by quietly when those she loves may be in danger. She takes the reader on an adventure into some dark secrets hidden in the sleepy, historic town of Stamford.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for inviting me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I will post reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads on the date of publication.