I enjoy a cosy crime book and I have always found Faith Martin’s novels to be enjoyable and relaxed reads.
However, Murder by Candlelight did not quite hit the spot for me.
Uncharacteristically, it took me a few goes to get into the book and to get a feel for the characters, I found some of the repetition of ‘old thing’ and ‘old bean’ quite jarring.
There were some parts of the story that developed at a much quicker pace to others which makes it feel disjointed.
I did like the premise and it’s probably worth a read if cosy crime is your genre.

Brilliant!!! Absolutely loved every second of this book, I couldn’t wait to find out who did it.

The hilarious Arbie Swift who just wants to mess around all summer but finds himself bullied by friends and the fantastically terrifying Val into doing what they want and disrupting his lazy plans….

So, after being accosted by yet another terrifying lady, Arbie and Val find themselves sitting waiting for a ghost…then things take a turn for the worse….murder…

Who did it?!!

This is absolutely hilarious, the characters are all fantastic, and it had me turning the pages at a rate of knots.

Brilliantly done!

My thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Arbie is a reluctant author having been lured into writing his first book on Ghost hunting by a friend when he was under the influence of alcohol. It turned out to be a best-seller and now he is being just as reluctantly coerced into helping a rich lady in the village who believes she is being haunted by the former occupier of The Old Forge where she lives. Together with the vicar's daughter, he investigates. . A good cosy mystery. I do hope Arbie and Val have a romance in further books in the series.

We meet Albie, who lives with his eccentric uncle in a small English village in the 1920s, just after the successful publication of his rather tongue-in-cheek book “The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting”. When an elderly lady, who lives in the local Manor House, recruits Albie to investigate her house due to some spooky goings-on, he and his friend – the Vicar’s daughter Val – find themselves drawn into a murder investigation after the said elderly lady turns up murdered in her locked bedroom.

We’ve got all the ingredients here for a classic, cosy whodunit, and this book does indeed tick the boxes. The characters are enjoyable, and they amble along together at a nice pace. There are no huge twists, but the plot is diverting enough and the conclusion is satisfying. I would certainly read the next instalment if this became a series, and will be looking up more by this author.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Set in the period between the world wars this tells of Arbie who has written a book on ghost hunting that has become surprisingly popular, not that he believes in ghosts himself. It's more of a travelogue with his musings on ghostly happenings, more likely creaking stairs than anything from the afterlife. He then finds himself at the scene of a murder and turns detective with his old friend Val. The trouble is, is that the victim was found in a locked room both door and windows so how on earth was it done as it appears she was poisoned. When there is another victim, how is doing this and why?
This is a cozy type and would suit fans of Richard Coles and Peter Boland (whose books I adore). It's a light-hearted read with a smile and is meticulously researched into the era. I liked Arbie and the characterisation came across very well, as with all of Faith's books (I'm a fan of the Hillary Greene novels). It's a cleverly thought out plot and one that easily kept me within the pages. A fun read of an era about things most definitely British and the accordant language. Enjoyable.

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Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

This book is a cosy crime set in 1924 in the Cotswolds. Arbie is a best selling author, who starts to ghost hunt at a manor. Arbie doesn’t take it too seriously until there’s a real death involved.

This isn’t my usual genre, I usually go for books set in the very recent times. But, reading this was quite refreshing, how to solve a murder without today’s technology. The characters were brilliantly written, and despite the genre, it was a fun, enjoyable read. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, so wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of that period, especially given the authors written, which made it what it is. A great read I’d recommend.

I loved everything about this book...except the main characters who are, apparently, a change from Ms Martin's other (superb) stuff.

Whilst this is a twisty, enjoyable ghostlike crime story set in 1924 in a Cotswolds, I am not a fan of Arbi and struggled to the end. Luckily, the standard of writing/scene setting was excellent.

I will keep the faith with other books by Ms Martin. who has never let me down before.

Thanks to Net Galley and HQ Digital for the chance to read and review.

A nice easy read and although I was initially a little disappointed, as the cover somehow led me to believe it would be similar to a Richard Osman, it was an interesting whodunnit. The reveal at the end did feel rather drawn out but overall an enjoyable novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this ARC

A slow burn, which didn’t really get going for me.
Set in 1920’s Cotswolds, the characters were charming enough but I found the storyline and the unveiling of the whodunnit a little weak and lacklustre.

Thank you to NetGalley UK and HarperCollins for the ARC.

Another great read by Faith Martin!

Had I seen the description of this novel by another author I would have been reluctant to read as cosy, historical, detective novels are a hard genre to get right. The main concern for this genre from reading other authors is that you struggle to like the characters and rarely feel that the novels have a flow that makes you want to keep reading. I was right to assume that Faith Martin would be able to handle this and you find yourself liking, being amused and swept along by the characters of Arbie and Val.

Set in the late 1920s, we are introduced to wealthy Amy Phelps, owner of The Old Forge who has some out of character concerns about ghostly occurrences in the dead of night including the tinkling of a bell. Amy accosts Arbie Swift author of the successful 'The Gentleman's Guide to Ghost-Hunting', who in an attempt to get out of this assignment, involves the passing, irritating Vicar's daughter Val. Contrary to getting Arbie out of his predicament (after all 'The Gentleman's Guide' never actually finds ghost and is more of a travel diary), Val jumps at the chance to do a little ghost-hunting.

Through their midnight antics, Arbie find themselves investigating something much more sinister than ghosts as the tale of what was really happening and why unfolds. The local Police detective likes Arbie and Val and quickly discounts them from being murderers but its now a concerted effort to find out who is really the murderer before the death count rises further.

Lots of twists and turns with quite a few surprises lead to the unmasking of the killer whilst a really quite annoyed, love-struck Val is left out of the final revelations. I hope Arbie gets to make this up to Val and they will team up in a new investigative installment!

I enjoyed this locked room Murder mystery by Faith Martin. Set in rural England in the 1920s. It’s not quite Agatha Christie for me but there is plenty to keep you guessing, with quite a few suspects and a few red herrings to keep you turning the pages. The 2 main characters are fun to get to know and with the, will there be a romance between them, thrown into the mix, it’s a nice whodunnit read ( even though the who did it is really far fetched). I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for this early copy

I loved the book! Full of Agatha Christie type scenarios! Interactions between the two “detectives” Arbie and Val were most entertaining. Almost a romance there if Arbie gives himself a shake!

Full credit to the author on the creative and inventive plot. The only slight downside for me was the exaggerated Etonian dialogues “I say old bean etc”. A bit too much of that.

I really enjoyed everything about thos book , i loved the mystery and the authors writing style and really looking forward to reading more from this author.

The setting of this book is very atmospheric- transporting you right back to the 1920s in fashion, attitude and society.
With an overarching "exorcise my ghost" invitation to the old forge, on the back of a tongue in cheek travel guide to haunted holiday spots, Arbie is a somewhat haphazard hero, aspiring to reach the heights of Holmes perhaps but never quite getting there. Nevertheless in partnership with Val, old friend and pillar of the community, he finds himself investigate a locked room mystery and with twists and revelations aplenty the story carries itself at a gentle but eminently readable pace.
Thoroughly enjoyable!

I loved the cover and the description of this book and was really excited to read it and grateful to the publishers for the ARC. I do love a golden age mystery, however I prefer when. my golden age mysteries have a contemporary feel to them - that might be in terms of energy or language. Others who are writing in the style of Christie have really managed that. Here though, as an example, sentences that start with "Oh", as in "Oh, hello, it's you" or "Oh, do you think so?" are used 198 times. That's no exaggeration. I compared that with a similar novel I recently completed where "Oh" started sentences 14 times. I just felt it was trying too hard to be in the world of the 1920s and as a result ended up falling into tropes and traps.
The author could give her readers a little more credit for their deductive skills and make the denouement more complicated and not as far-fetched.
I love the concept here - it could still just do with a little finessing, in my view.

Really enjoyed this book, it could be classed as a cosy murder mystery. Set in the 1920's with great characterisation with language, phrases and references of that time. Very Agatha Christie like with mentions of the great lady in the storyline. It features a locked door mystery with many twists and turns that keeps you page turning to the final outcome.
I would certainly recommend this book and hope to read more of these characters.

This is an enjoyable crime story set nearly 100 years ago in a Cotswold village. The main characters are a lazy but likeable and intelligent Arbie Swift and his friend, the vicar's daughter, Val.
Arbie accidentally wrote a best-selling book about ghost hunting as the result of a bet with a friend. He travelled around the country searching for ghosts and giving account of his travels along with the places he encountered. This becomes a popular travel guide and he is being pressured to write a sequel - something he really doesn't want to do.
When the village's very proper Victorian lady believes she is being haunted by a family ghost, Arbie is invited to undertake a ghost hunt. He doesn't feel he can say no and Val ensures she attends.
Needless to say, a short way into the book, a murder occurs. Arbie and Val set about trying to solve it together.

The characters are well drawn and the plot well paced. I have never read anything by Faith Martin before but would definitely read her again.

This novel offers an intriguing spin on the accidental detective and tangled inheritance affairs of so many country house mysteries. The amusingly named accidental hit author Arbuthnot Lancelot Swift—a Wodehouse/Dorothy Sayers reference? Wonderful literary overtones!—and the vicar's daughter Valentina Olivia Charlotte Coulton-James, pair up to help solve first an apparent haunting, and then a murder that definitely wasn't committed by a ghost.

Even if you don't know Faith Martin as an accomplished, longstanding crime author, there's lots here to show her love for the genre, which are a pleasure for the reader. Not only are there Golden Age echoes, but plenty of nods further back. For example, there is an air of The Adventure of the Speckled Band early on in Chapter 3, and Amy Phelps’ anxiety about being watched in bed, which shouldn't slip by those attentive readers who want to take a shot at solving the mystery before the end. And the supernatural threat that materialises into a prosaic, venal one is very The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Set in the 1920s, Murder by Candlelight captures the little frictions generated by class inequalities not only amongst the pool of suspects (old friends and a niece and nephew, all enjoying the murdered lady's largess), but also between Arbie and Val themselves. There are plenty of blind alleys offered, both to us and to them, and I really enjoyed the initial set-up of investigating a haunting, particularly appropriate for an October read.

I haven't given this five stars, as it is a little over-written and under-finished, especially early on, as Martin tries to establish the period stylistically in her prose. This is understandable for the start of a series, but the effect could have been achieved with a tighter edit. For example, early on, when Arbie is left for the night to watch out for ghosts, Martin tells us: “He watched his hostess climb the stairs, a lone and lonely figure. For all her wealth and position, it struck him suddenly what a tragic figure she made.” It is de trop. (Of course she is alone. She has let him in secretly and is now going upstairs to leave him to the watch! The empathetic streak in Arbie could be better displayed in other ways.) I do think Martin could expect slightly better of her publisher both with the editing but also with the proofreading. (There is a “piece of mind” instead of a "peace of mind", a “then” for a “than”, “immediately family” rather than “immediate family”, etc.)

With hints of the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie and elements of the humour of P.G. Wodehouse, "Murder by Candlelight" is a murder mystery set in 1920's rural England with a fun supernatural twist.
Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift is the local expert of all things supernatural, especially ghostly, as a result of his recent best-selling book 9n his adventures to uncover ghostly occurrences. Of course, Arbie doesn't believe in ghosts, instead believing that each occurrence has a human behind the action. Along with Val, (Valentina Olivia Charlotte Coulton-James) the amusingly forthright, eldest daughter of the local vicar, Arbie is invited to investigate a haunting by Miss Amy Phelps.
What follows next is a delightful romp through the rural village, populated with all of those murder mystery tropes (the essential nosey neighbours, local pub, gossips etc) as Arbie and Val plunge headlong into a dangerous mystery with a killer who is determine to win.
While, I did guess successfully "whodunnit", the journey to the deposition and explanation by Arbie is genius.

Murder by Candlelight is a murder mystery set in 1920's rural England and it beautifully blends the worlds of "Queen of Crime" Agatha Christie with "Comic Genius" P.G.Wodehouse.

A locked room, a despicable murder and a recently changed will all add up to a finely plotted mystery with plenty of suspects and the obligatory red herrings to keep you guessing

The characters are fun, the dialog is perfect for the era and the main sleuth evokes fond memories of Bertie Wooster.

I loved everything about this whodunit and stayed up to the wee hours in order to finish it.

Top Hole! A spiffing read