Overall 3.75*
The setting is a village in England in the early 1970's and had I not lived through the era, I'd have placed the timeline earlier - not sure if it was the writing which did this as the events were correct. The story overall jogged along at a reasonable pace occasionally becoming a bit bogged down. Good story and some interesting facts especially about the Arabic.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

I just adored the slow pace of this book set in the idyllic Framlington. It is very reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Maisie returns to her hometown, which she left for Paris after receiving a message from her brother. When she arrives she finds Stephen is dead and no-one is telling her anything. Frustrated by the slow response of the local police, she decides to take matters into her own hands which puts her in jeopardy in a village where everyone has secrets.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A great start to a series I just know I'm going to enjoy!

Maisie left her home village of Framlington many years ago, but when her brother asks her to come, she finds herself heading back. Alas, she is too late as Stephen dies just before she arrives and, as it turns out, he was murdered. So what did he need to tell her? With a lack of progress by the police, Maisie decides there is only one thing to do - get to the bottom of things herself.

I love a good murder mystery, and this one held my attention right to the very end. Maisie left the village a long time ago which gives her an edge to viewing everyone dispassionately and it isn't long before she gets the feeling that there's something going on. She hangs in there, determined to find out what happened to her brother - and why. Gripping from beginning to end, I shall definitely be on the lookout for the next one in this series. 4* from me.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - m y honest, original and unbiased review.

A great cosy mystery set in the 1970’s when power cuts were rife and a man is found dead in a swimming pool.
Maisie lives in Paris and receives a letter from her brother to come back to England to help him with some issues he’s dealing with , but unfortunately Stephen is the man who is dead , after the police begin to investigate they deduce that Stephen was murdered.
Plenty of eccentric characters in this village mystery and once Maisie decides to try and get to the bottom of the murder of her brother everyone becomes a suspect.
I did think the story began at a slow pace but it soon gathered pace and made for a satisfying read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton.

A murder mystery investigated by the victims sister. What I would class as cosy crime. A village setting with members of the community all lined up as suspects. It had similarities to Agatha Christies style even down to the summing up of evidence and reveal of the murderer at the end. It didn't have a particularly strong storyline but the main character was likeable and the proposed series to follow will develop her character further. Probably a strong 3 out of 5 stars.

A great mystery set in a small village near Chichester, lots of eccentric and well drawn characters with a great heroine who snoops around trying to find her brother’s murderer.
If I have one criticism it would be that there was an over abundance of detail - she stood at the sink and drank two glasses of water, kind of thing that slowed the pace town a bit.
However, overall a very well written and satisfying read.

I really enjoyed this cosy murder mystery, particularly the details of life in the 70s. I remember powdered Maxwell House coffee! And the power cuts etc. I definitely recommend this book.

Maisie lives in Paris and is asked by her brother to come back to the UK to help him with some issues, unfortunately, when she gets there she finds he has been murdered.

My first issue was trying to work out when the book was set, it wasn't until a paper dated 1971 was mentioned that it became clearer!

On the whole, I enjoyed the book but thought there were a couple of issues, what was the deal with Jack?? I thought the book finished quite quickly, especially after a big buildup like the author was in a rush to end the story.

Was an OK easy read.

Maisie Cooper is living in Paris when she is given a telephone message from her older brother Stephen, he's in trouble and he needs to see her. She promptly travels back to England to see him. only to discover that he is dead, drowned in a neighbour's swimming pool.

At the funeral the people in the village rally around, but are they all a bit too keen to emphasis what good friends they were with Stephen? Also there are two members of Special Branch at the funeral - why?

This was quite an enjoyable mystery with plenty of red herrings along the way to keep things interesting. But I had three gripes. First there was a lot of telling rather than showing which made it feel a bit remote from the action. Second, I get it was set in the 1970s but it felt like the author tried to jam-pack everything about the 1970s into the book (oil crisis, electricity cuts, Maxwell House instant coffee, decimalisation etc), I get it no need to keep harping on about it. And thirdly, the romance between Maisie and the boy she kissed once over a decade ago was so implausible as to be ludicrous, at least show them getting to know one another a bit before declaring love!

Otherwise, it was quite fun reading a book set in the 1970s, with all the limitations that entails (my goodness how did we live without mobile phones and the internet) and I would be interested to see how this series develops.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was quite surprised that this was not the author's first book, as I found it quite amateurish. Whilst I could warm to the main character, and one or two others, many of the rest did not feel real. I also found myself skim reading parts of the book, especially towards the end, just to get through it. However, I was engaged enough with the story to want to know how it ended. There were no major twists.

The book was well edited with respect to spelling and grammar, but there were a number of boobs e.g. how did the jukebox work during a power cut; it would not be possible to have a phone by the bed during the early 70's; and the hymn is not called For those in peril on the sea, but Eternal Father, strong to save.

The jury is still out as to whether I would like to read the next book in the series.

What a lovely cosy murder mystery .Set in Sussex in 1972 amid power cuts and strikes which I well remember.Reminds me of a more modern Agatha Christie type story .Maisie returns to her childhood village at the request of her estranged brother but arrives too late as he has been found dead perhaps murdered. Maisie sets out to find out what happened and why as she feels the Police are lacking enthusiasm !! Great characters some made me smile ,I look forward to reading what Maisie gets up to next ! Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

Maisie who lives in Paris gets an urgent request from her long lost brother to help him out of his self imposed troubles. She travels back to England to find he has been murdered. There has also been a theft of valuable relics from the local cathedral and she wonders if her dodgy brother had something to do with it. She then takes on the role of private investigator and eventually delivers. The characters are well drawn and the story is cleverly told. You won’t give up reading it because you’ll,be anxious to know how it all fits together. The two murderers are unfortunately the less interesting of the possibilities. It is a good read and I recommend it.

Maisie has gone from Paris to Framlington in Sussex at the behest of her brother Stephen whom she hasn’t seen for years. It’s a return to their home village, but by the time she arrives Stephen is dead. His secrets certainly don’t die with him, but how can she sort through them and find the truth?

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley a the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and based on my own opinion.

Secrets Will Out..
Returning to the village of Framlington, at the behest of her bother, Maisie Cooper doesn’t really know what to expect. What she certainly didn’t anticipate was a murder. Maisie soon finds herself frustrated at a snails pace police investigation and decides to take matters into her own hands. Secrets will soon out. Wholly enjoyable read with a deftly drawn and eclectic cast, a firm sense of time and place and a solid mystery at its’ heart. The first in what is sure to be a successful series.

I loved it, it had everything you could wish for, I love the style of writing and I hope there is another one soon

A murder mystery set in 1971 England. The book starts with the death of Stephen. His sister, Maisie Cooper, returns to the UK from Paris to take of the funeral. When it becomes clear that Stephen was murdered Maisie works on solving the crime.

A quick read that fits into the “cosy murder” genre. While the book was set in 1971 and had lost of period references (I’d like to teach the world to sing, the miner’s strike and twists of paper in crisp packets) it felt as if it were earlier - closer t the 1950.

All in all a good read, with a few snippets of new knowledge. I didn’t realise people write Arabic without the vowel markings as the words can be read inferring the vowels.

Thanks To Netgallery for the ARC

I really enjoyed this book. Set in West Sussex in 1972 in the midst of the Middle East oil embargo and the subsequent coal miner’s strikes. The country was in a mess, no one had any money and the government required daily power cuts made a difficult time even more so. Maisie has returned to her childhood home village just outside of Chichester per her estranged brother’s request. Unfortunately she arrives shortly after he has died. It is quickly determined that it was murder. Maisie, feeling guilt for ignoring her brother for so many years feels compelled to find out what had really been going on in his life. Carefully questioning locals she hears conflicting stories. Many remembered him fondly, but one of the locals was the one to kill him.
Well developed characters along with a subtle romance, this book is thoroughly enjoyable and I give it 5 stars. Thank you to netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this advance copy. I highly recommend.

Oh, the cliffhanger! I quite liked Maisie Cooper as a character and can't wait to see what she'll be up to in the next book in this series. And where the story takes her and those two men...

Often I make a point of inclusion or diversity when it lacks in a book I read, but in this case I was happily surprised by the variety (for want of a better word) of people being part of the community of this small town. Not just different cultural backgrounds or skin color, but even someone being disabled without all of this being emphasized as a theme of the book. Instead, simply them being there :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.