This cosy crime novel, with a setting in a quiet Cotswold village, is designed to simulate a work from the ‘Golden Age of Crime’. Set in 1924, well-to-do gentleman Arbuthnot Swift, who is enjoying professional success as a ghosthunter, is in the process of investigating the alleged hauntings at manor house The Old Forge at the request of its owner Amy Phelps. Arbuthnot becomes her strongest ally in intercepting her nauseating nephew Murray, but their blossoming friendship is cut short when Amy is found dead in bed. Arbuthnot is suddenly catapulted into role of amateur detective, and the suspects he has to investigate are many: apart from Murray, there are Amy’s school friend Cora, family friend Reggie, maid Doreen and housekeeper Mrs Brockhurst. It seems that each of them not only has secrets to hide but also harbours designs on Amy’s inheritance and will stop at nothing in their financial pursuit ….
Nicely written, with humorous, well-rounded characters, this was a lovely read that I can only recommend to fellow lovers of the cosy crime genre. My thanks go to the publishers and to NetGalley for the free ARC that allowed me to produce this book review.

Set in a Cotswold village in 1924 Arbuthnot Swift, known better as Arbie, finds himself sought out by Miss Amy Phelps, a wealthy spinster of the same village they both live in, Maybury-In-The-Marsh.
Arbie has recently became famous because of a book he wrote as a bet, The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost hunting. A mixture of ghost hunting and a travel guide, which to his complete surprise is very popular with the public.
Amy Phelps needs his help, to do a ghost vigil at her home, she believes someone is trying to murder her.

Arbie is frequently joined by Valentina known as Val, who is the local Vicars daughter. They do the overnight ghost vigils in the house, and after a murder occurs think they should try to solve it. Amateur sleuths.
It is a cosy crime mystery which I like, but for myself I found it took a bit too long to get to the point, and the end a bit rushed. Maybe because the characters Arbie and Val are to come back into future books?
It wasn’t for me personally.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

Murder by Candlelight - Faith Martin

Arbie Swift a successful writer with his first book on ghost-hunting is approached by well off spinster Amy Phelps to search for a possible ghost at her home Old Forge. The Vicars daughter Val who secretly likes / loves Arbie goes along for the ride. A selection of relatives and friends of Mrs Phelps are featured in the book and when tragedy strikes they all become suspects in the death of Miss Phelps from within a locked room. Arbie and Val look to investigate in their own particular style.

I found this had a bit more to it than some cosy crime and enjoyed the story and pacing of the book. You got enough detail on the characters introduced and I liked the characters of Arbie and Val and thought they worked well together. There was enough interest around the like / love connection to know that a series was forthcoming.

I did not work the ending out and thought it was a clever construct. Altogether an enjoyable read and I will certainly read more of the series.

This mystery is set in early part of last century. Arthoe has written a book about where to see ghosts around the UK and surprisingly, it has been a success. One day he is accosted by local lady, !rs Phelps who insists that he helps her find her ghost which is p,aying tricks on her. The vicars daughter, Valentine's, tags along to the ghost hunt and so unfolds the story.
A gentle tale with several red herring. Worth having an your reading pile.

Set in the 1920’s, Amy Phelps enlists the help of Arbie Swift, who has written a Gentleman’s Guide to h ghost hunting book, in an attempt to understand the mysterious goings on in the Old Forge, her home. Accompanied by the vicar’s daughter, Val, they watch and listen overnight. Hearing nothing, they are surprised when in the morning they find that Amy has been murdered - her bedroom is locked and the windows fastened tight. Classic locked room murder. Our amateur duo uncover secrets and the suspects mount up.
Engaging read, very like reading an Agatha Christie, the plot develops and the suspects increase.
I really enjoyed it, even if I got a little annoyed with a couple of the characters - but maybe that was the intention? Some characters are well developed as the book goes on.

Murder by Candlelight by Faith Martin is a lovely village mystery book, I would class it as a cosy detective fiction book.

Its a lovely light read and full of very likable characters. From the moment you meet Arbie you just seem to like him. Looking forward to seeing him in more books. The mystery is great with classic red herrings and plot twists along the way.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the ARC Copy. This review is my own opinion.

A good and fun read. The twists and turns in this book is what kept me turning the pages and kept me hooked on the book. I am unsure if I will read the next book in this series. This book did draw me in but I wasn’t a fan of the story or the characters if am been honest. I am not a fan of historical Story’s and this was set in 1920s. This is the 1st book I have read by this author. Thank you net galley and the publisher for letting me reading this arc copy xxx

A Very good and just fun read very much in the style of Christie etc… Full of twists and turns that kept me turning the pages with plenty of red herrings to confuse you along the way. Can't wait to read the next book and see where our sleuth's go next. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was so good! It was intriguing and really drawed me in. I'll be reading more of this authors work.

Two likeable and unlikely sleuths try to solve a locked room murder. Set in the Cotswolds in the mid 1920s it has a feel of Agatha Christie but for a modem reader.

A nice set up with plenty of twists and turns to keep you entertained and a cast of characters that may just be the killer. I didn’t work out who but I did work out how but it was clever.

Enough of a good story to encourage me to try other books by Faith Martin.

This was a fun read.
A 1920s murder mystery with multiple suspects and likeable sleuths -what is not to like!
An enjoyable cozy read with a well developed story and characters, plenty of clues and a few red herrings.

I found it a little difficult to get a real grasp of all the different characters initially and keep up with who was who, but in the end it was well worth it! I was gripped by the storyline and never would have predicted the ending - it kept me guessing the whole way through. Definitely recommend!

This story certainly takes you back in time. It's interesting that this writer has decided that's a well known writer who doesn't believe in ghosts who should become a bestselling writer, writing stories about ghosts, almost all ghosts that he's never seen or experienced. When he goes to the grand mansion to meet Miss Phelps who appears to be the leading power ;lady in the village, will the ghost be seen? I didn't like her friends or family. This is a good story by a writer who knows how to describe characters and bring them to life. Arbie and Val are a strange mixture. Their History helps make them work together. This novel is set in the 1920s and although I wouldn't call it similar to Agatha Christie, there is certainly a lot of sleuthing going on. There is a good basis for these characters to become a full series as long as they're not looking for ghosts every time. This is an easy read and I was determined to get to the end as soon as possible to prove my suspicions be true or false. I was not disappointed.

1924 and Amy Phelps has been found dead inside her room but all the doors and windows are locked.
Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift is in the village to investigate a ghostly occurrence but finds himself involved in the murder.
He soon finds out there are secrets and lies and tragic tales to be told.
Can he solve the perfect crime?

This is the first time I have come across Faith Martin, despite being an avid reader and her having apparently written more than 60 books.
In a Cotswolds village in the mid-1920s, Amy Phelps is found murdered but all the windows and doors to the room are locked from inside. Arbuthnot Swift - Albie - finds himself coerced into investigating. He is somehat notorious locally for his book ‘The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost Hunting’. He and Val, an old school friend and the vicar’s daughter (I can see a budding romance there) uncover a convoluted web of events. As things escalate, they manage to discover the murderer.
I love the setting, sort of Agatha Christie-ish, but not trying to emulate as some novels I have read do mostly unsuccessfully.. Faith Martin has some lovely ways of describing things - for example, the lady who fainted ‘she just made a little sound… landing in a very ladylike puddle on the floor.
A great read, compelling but also an easy read, and I will look for more Faith Martin books.

This is the first book that I've read by Faith Martin and it won't be the last!

Renowned ghost-hunter Arbie Swift finds himself having to solve a locked room murder in a sleepy Cotswold village with his sassy friend, Val. With lots of twists and turns and no shortage of suspects, you'll be hooked with this 'cosy crime' book! If you're a fan of Agatha Christie or Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club books, you'll love reading this one. Well-written and engaging, you'll be engrossed until to the end.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to read an advanced copy for my honest review.

My first read by this author and a very entertaining cozy mystery. It is Summer 1924 in Maybury-on-Marsh in the Cotswolds. Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Lancelot Swift is a young writer who has become famous for writing a book about ghosts. He is approached by the lady of the manor Amy Phelps to use his knowledge to look into ghostly going ons in her house. He reluctantly agrees and is joined by his friend Valentina Olivia Charlotte-James who is the vicars daughter.

Briefly, with due reverence paid to Agatha Christie, Amy is found dead in her room with all doors and windows locked from the inside, and Arbie finds himself investigating a murder. There are secrets coming out of every corner, motives a plenty and a rash of suspects.

An hilarious (to me anyway) murder mystery with a completely barmy array of suspicious characters this was such fun. Lots of clues peppered through the story, for the sleuths amongst us to discover, as the two youngsters help the police find out who did it and why. An enjoyable and easy read, with wonderful characters, what’s not to like?

Set in the 1920s this book certainly felt of the time in terms of characters, language and general context. As a result it took a while to become immersed because it was slow-burning, quiet, thoughtful with none of the modern rush rush rush. The two main characters Arbie and Val were somewhat stereotypical with Arbie being a rather vague, apparently, young man of means, down from Oxford and a bit Wooster-ish. Val was the vicar's daughter, bright, ambitious but terribly aware of mother's desire for her to be married and have babies, because that's what nice young gels do. I liked the closed-room murder of a rich old lady with attendant hanging-on relatives, the honoured old housekeeper all living in a supposedly haunted house. Plenty of red herrings as expected from this author and all, eventually, tied up neatly. Arbie and Val definitely grated at times but I think that they could improve, can't quite give them a 4* yet though. The story telling is good. A light cosy read and definitely a change from the author's more modern detecting books. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I feel like the cover and description of the book were slightly misleading, and although I didn't actively dislike the book, it was all quite forgettable - a 'cosy' crime mystery set in the 1920s (I thought it was going to be slightly more contemporary, in the vein of Richard Osman/The Appeal)

It's a slow burn, and didn't hook me from the start, which meant I gave up on it a few times, before I decided to get it finished. The characters felt a bit one dimensional, and I never really got a good idea of who they really were. There's some light touch humour in there but just not enough. Finally, the big reveal just didn't feel like a shock or revelation.

Not for me - but I know others who will definitely like this one.

This was a wonderful period thriller romp, and I loved reading every moment of it.

The book follows Arbie, a newly successful author, and his old school friend Val who live in a small village in the Cotswolds. Arbie wrote A Gentleman's Guide to Ghost Hunting (a glorified travel guide) and is asked by one of the village's oldest residents to come and see the ghost that is threatening her in her house.

Obviously, death and mayhem ensue (in a very English way) as the pair stumble through this murder mystery.

The writing is superb, the historical details spot on, and the characters flawed and wonderful. A beautiful fun romp that is a must-read.