I wish I had known this was book 6 in the series. This can be read as a standalone but the first few chapters I felt I was missing something. The book settles into itself when the characters arrive to the writing retreat in Greece. This book was a quick read.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
Sophie Sayers is on a writer's retreat. Her relaxing trip turns into an adventure when one of the participants goes missing due to foul play. Sophie and her fellow writers investigate what happened in-between writing exercises.
This was a light mystery.

Murder at the Mill by Debbie Young was interesting. It followed a group of people at a writers retreat. However, the guest author is apparently pushed off a cliff and everyone thinks she is dead. But who pushed her? That is the question. I think the narrator did a good job. I was however, a bit confused by the ending. Thanks for the chance to listen to a free version.

Sophie is back and on a writers’ retreat on a Greek island , where everything doesn’t go to plan and Sophie has to do some sleuthing to uncover the truth.
The book was easy to listen to the narrator did a great job .
The style is easy to follow and entertaining too .
Sophie is an amiable character and look forward to her next adventure .
Thanks to NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio.

This is my first Sophie Sayers cozy mystery and I very much enjoyed it. The characters are interesting and I enjoyed their quirks. The story was captivating and keep me wondering until the very end. Sophie is interesting and developed a lot in terms of her writing in this story – which is fun to see. As this was my first read in this series, I didn’t feel lost or like I had to read the previous books to enjoy this one.

I listened to this book on audio and enjoyed it. The narrator did a good job and was easy to follow and understand.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A fun, cozy mystery set on a Greek Island. When strangers embark on a writers' retreat, they didn't know they were going to become players in a real life murder mystery event. Things are not always as they seem.

This was my first book of the Sophie Sayer's Village Mysteries. I do look forward to reading more.

I enjoyed the audio version of this story. The narrator did a fantastic job.

This cosy crime novel is set at a writers retreat on a beautiful Greek island. I didn't realise when I started listening that it is book 6 in a series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone. It is a quick, enjoyable listen but unfortunately I found it a little predictable.

3.75 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Saga Egmont Audio & Netgalley for allowing me to listen to this novel in exchange for an honest review

Though I have never read a Sophie Sayers mystery before this was super easy to pick up at book 6. If you want a quick, lightweight mystery to entertain you then this is for you. The narrator Mary Woodvine has a lovely voice and really kept me interested. The story was cute though I was slightly disappointed in the end, it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the novel.

Murder at the Mill by Debbie Young
Narrated by Mary Woodvine

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

When Sophie Sayers joins a writers' retreat on a secluded Greek island, she's hoping to find inspiration and perhaps a little adventure. Away from her rural English comfort zone, she also takes stock of her relationship with her boyfriend Hector.

But scarcely has the writing course begun when bestselling romantic novelist Marina Milanese disappears on a solo excursion to an old windmill. First on the scene, Sophie is prime suspect for Marina's murder. When a storm prevents the Greek police from landing on the island to investigate, Sophie must try to solve the crime herself - not easy, when everyone at the retreat has a motive.

My Opinion

Debbie Young has written another delightful book, with a very entertaining plot. This time we are whisked away to a Greek island. This series is so easy to read, the books are relatively short and just a joy to read. I will be back for more Sophie Sayers soon.

Rating 4/5

Sophie Sayers, the budding writer working in the quaint Cotswold village's bookstore, run by her boyfriend Hector, feels slightly out of place when she arrives at a writer retreat on a small Greek island. She didn't plan on attending such a workshop, but Hector secretly entered her into a writing competition – which she won – and the prize was attending the retreat. Suddenly Sophie is in the company of other writers! And there is a famous although not very likable Marina Milanese, an author of romantic novels which can be found on an airport bookstand, as Sophie discovers about the same time she realizes she'll be sitting next to Marina on the plane. Soon, on the island, Sophie is the first person on the scene of Marina's fall from the cliff.

As the storm envelops the island, and the police can't reach the retreat, the writers decide to launch their investigation. The search party is formed, and the possible motives for getting rid of Marina are discussed, some rather far-fetched, thanks to the group's lively imagination.

The author of this lively, cozy mystery novel, Debbie Young's style, is warm and witty, full of light humor, and the book is a refreshing read. Sophie is energetic and funny. Away from her boyfriend (who supplied her before the departure with the useful Greek phrase "I have a boyfriend"), she has time to think about the nature of their relationship and her choice of future writing. There is some practical advice on how one can approach their writing goals.

Ultimately, the mystery is solved, and Sophie is set up to start her writing career. The novel is the sixth in the series, but it can also be seen as the first, establishing Sophie as a witty writer and an intelligent, warm woman.

Sophie wins a spot on a Writers' Retreat on a Greek Island where she hopes to get some writing done, but she did not expect what actually happened. One of the other writers is missing while on the retreat and no one really knows what happened, but it appears that she was pushed off the cliff. They struggle to uncover the truth and just find more questions.

A good quick story but just didn't do it for me. The infidelity, the lies, the confusions, it was all just different. There was no foreshadowing or anything.

Book Title: Murder at the Mill (former Title “Murder your Darlings”)
Series: Sophie Sayer #6
Author: Debbie Young
Narrator: Mary Woodvine
Publisher: Saga Egmont Audio
Genre: Mystery/Romance
Pub Date: April 6, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars

Story starts with Sophie Sayers participating in a writers' retreat on a beautiful secluded Greek island, she is hoping for a little adventure for inspiration.

When I started this I had concerns that it was going to be similar to [book: The Writing Retreat] as the description was similar.
I am a mystery fan and one on a beautiful Greek Island sounded enjoyable! This turned out to be more interesting that I expected. I am an avid reader and although I have no desires of ever being a writer; I am always intrigued in knowing the author’s motivation or just how they come up with ideas on what to write. So in this story the homework assignments aka- Writing Tips were interesting: Who is your Target Audience? Be sure to have an opening that it interesting or you will lose your reader immediately, and I was really looking forward to ‘Mastering the art of self-editing’!!!
Story soon becomes the situation of either a missing person hmmm or is it murder?

In addition to the story being more enjoying that I expected, I totally enjoyed the narrator Mary Woodvine. She did a fab job performing all the characters.

BTW: I have a weak spot for stories about lighthouses -no lighthouses in this one but there is a windmill which is just as interesting!

Want to thank NetGalley and Saga Egmont Audio for granting me this eGalley.
Publishing Date April 6, 2023

Cosy mystery/rom-com series, with this instalment set in a writers retreat on a remote Greek island.

After winning her place in a competition she didn't know her boyfriend had entered her for, Sophie reluctantly attends, meeting a flamboyant range of characters.

Unbeknownst to the other guests, some of them already know each other, which gradually becomes clear as they find themselves investigating the guest author's mysterious disappearance.

A light read with a far-fetched but entertaining plot.

I have a few issues with this book. First, I am an avid reader of romance and a classicist and I think it's sexist so set up this Homer vs. trashy romance novel thing, and the main character's boyfriend is this arbiter of taste. Second, the main character is so judgemental. I hate her so much. Third, there's a lot of stuff that doesn't make sense about the premise. I guess I could suspend disbelief about the premise but I didn't want to spend any more time in the main character's mind.

Initially on starting this novel (note it’s number 6 in a series, I missed this part on request) within the first few chapters I felt like I was a bit lost and had really missed out on not having read the first 5, however after that the novel became its own story in its own right and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a quirky, witty somewhat cozy murder mystery set on a Greek writing retreat. The characters were brilliant. Some loveable some very much not. The story had great momentum. If you’re looking for a hardcore thriller this is definitely not it, but it made for a refreshing change and I found nothing not to love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.

Another lovely cozy mystery by Debbie Young. The first chapter had me hooked! The beginning of the book had a relaxed pace that fit the mood of the story so well. I already loved Sophie after reading Murder at the Well so I was really happy to see her off on another adventure. The writing retreat was a lot of fun, honestly. I loved all of the writers sharing their tips and suggestions with one another. When one of the writers at the retreat disappeared the plot quickly picked up pace as Sophie and the other writers tried to investigate what happened. I was pleasantly surprised by the twist ending and can't wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I find these books so effortless to read. They’re just super easy and entertaining. It was great to rejoin Sophie back on her escapades, and this time, in Greece.

On a writers retreat, Sophie leaves from the comforts of her quaint little village and embarks on a journey of writing discovery. However, as murder often tends to follow her around, it seems it boarded the plane with her…

It was a great story and wonderfully narrated as these always have been. I also love that these books don’t necessarily need to be read in the entirety of the series and can almost work as a standalone if you haven’t read any of the others (with a few previous references to past books just to keep you up to speed).

Another great addition to the series and hopefully many more to come! It’s the sort of series I could read easily forever.