It was a very slow start to this book I actually read a few chapters and put it down again for a few days because it was such a slow start I didn't have that want to keep reading that I usually have with crime/thriller books.
It was a well-written book but I felt it lay a little flat, I kept reading but I had no want or need to know what was going to happen. Even in the bits where Jude was in jeopardy, I didn't feel worried if she would be fine, I had no sense of concern for her.
I did enjoy the puzzles throughout the story and the subplot of the stolen goods, I liked following that throughout the book. And I did like that the ending tied everything up nicely, we got everything explained and any loose threads were woven back in it felt like a good ending to what had happened.

What a delightful introduction to a new mystery series! With a picturesque setting and personable characters, this novel was a very enjoyable read.

Our protagonist, Jude Gray, is a young, childless widow who now runs her large sheep farm with the help of Noah, her shepherd, and her loyal dog, Pip – all the while missing her late husband dreadfully. When she met her husband Adam, he introduced her to his life-long friends and they accepted her into their warm fold. Now, one of Adam’s friends is getting married, so she sheds her farming clothes and goes to the wedding where she sits with Sarah, now one of her best friends. The morning after the wedding, Jude is shocked to discover Sarah’s dead body in one of her sheep fields… It looks like suicide and that is what the police believe happened. Jude however, believes that Sarah was murdered and she vows to discover exactly what happened.

Jude’s investigation leads her into danger, but she won’t desist until the truth is revealed and justice is served.

This novel portrayed a working sheep farm, in all its messy, arduous glory. Jude was a strong character that I am eager to follow in subsequent novels. In this book her sister and young nephew visited the farm adding some levity to the serious tone. Jude was loyal, empathetic and caring as was shown by her regard for Sarah’s Granny Margot, and by her rescue of a lamb she named ‘Pancake’.

Another favourite character was West Mercia policewoman DS Binita Khatri (Binnie), who risked her career to help Jude. I enjoyed the growing camaraderie between the two women and I hope Binnie returns in future novels as well.

The use of codes and word games within the plot was a winning factor in my opinion, as I am a huge fan of both.

The writing was compelling and made for an easy, enjoyable reading experience. I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this engaging mystery series.

What a fantastic start to a new cozy murder mystery series. Set on a working sheep farm a young widowed Jude is thrown head first into some murder mysteries. They all start when ger best friend is found dead and jude decides to investigate. Helped alonv the way by several strong women characters including a di and judes sister.
I love the style of writing each character arc and backstory was dripped in. The research done into the workings of a sheep farm made sure it was penned on reality. I loved the way jude interacts with everyone and stays true to her arc especially her dead hubby. I loved the way puzzles were made part of the mystery and how it all lead to a bigger reveal which was explained in such a way it did seem good. The nand of women solving the case rings throughtout ghjs nivel. Its a faurly quick read which hooks you in
I did care about tge main characters even noah.
Thank you netgallery and publisher for a fab 5 star arc look forward to book 2

I like the fresh and original setting for this cosy mystery. Jude still grieves her husband's recent death, but she has taken over his farm. It demands all of her time to keep it going. Attending a wedding of a long-term friend of Adam and her, she meets up with Sarah, another member of their tight-knit friendship group. The following day, Jude finds Sarah's body on her farm. Sure, there is something sinister about the death she reluctantly investigates with the help of her half-sister, Sarah's granny and Binnie, the detective who first attended the case.
I like the cast of believable characters in this cosy crime story and the clever mystery with many suspects and twists.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I do love to get in at the beginning of a new series - and this is a cracking start!

Jude Gray is almost finished with lambing season; since the death of her husband she has struggled to keep the farm running and this time of year is the hardest. Thankfully, she has Adam's close group of friends to provide some light relief from the non-stop chores and worry. Just when things begin to slacken off after a successful lambing, the body of one of Adam's closest friends is found on the farm. Jude is very unimpressed with the efforts of the local constabulary and can't let it go, so does a bit of digging herself. However, as the body count rises life becomes a bit dangerous on the farm . . .

I felt right at home with this novel from the very start. A fine cast of characters, a believable storyline and a terrific mystery to solve - what's not to like? I had my suspects but - not unusually - not one of them was the guilty party! This book kept me hooked to the very end and it's one I'm very happy to recommend to all lovers of an enigmatic mystery. A series I'll be very happy to follow - in fact, I'll be looking out for book two. 5*, and worth each and every one.

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

How unlucky can one lady be? Jude Gray will give you a run for your money.

Widowed young Jude owes, lives and works on a sheep farm that her husband Adam grew up on and inherited from his parents, after Adams devastating death Jude kept the farm going and along with her trusty shepherd Noah runs a successful operation.

After a gruesome discovery on her farm Jude decides to investigate after the police conclusion is less than satisfying.

I was intrigued to read this book as my Auntie lived in a little village called Wellend and her garden backed onto the Malvern hills so in memory I wanted to explore

This was a puzzle, so many questions and uncertainties kept me entertained and intrigued

I love a good mystery that keeps me guessing, and I did not predict the murderer until the reveal in this book.

This is a cosy mystery, where we meet the main character, Jude, as well as her family and friends. Jude is a woman whose husband passed away, leaving her to run the family farm alone. She has an employee, Noah, to help her but this is not how Jude imagined her life being. When her best friend dies on the farm and the police attribute her death to suicide, Jude decides to investigate her death as she does not believe that she would have taken her own life. This all serves to demonstrate Jude's strength of character and loyalty and the author does a great job of bringing her to life on the page.

We also meet DS Binita Khatri (Binnie) who was a good character in her own right and I would have liked her to have had a larger role in the book. It was easy to recognise that Jude was getting in over her head and it made me want to pull Binnie into the story all the more.

I do hope that the author will write a sequel to this book as there is plenty of scope here to write more about Jude. I recommend this book.

Jude Gray’s life is not what she planned when she married Adam and moved to his farm in the Malvern hills. Now widowed, she works hard to keep the farm afloat. As lambing season nears its end, she has no time to relax when the body of Adam’s old friend is found on her land.  The local police hierarchy don’t seem up to the job, so Jude takes it upon herself to investigate. Can she find the killer before anyone else is hurt? Or will she be too late?

I liked Jude a lot. She was hard working, resilient and determined. Unwilling to bow down to the police and their easy and convenient conclusions, she pushed back and forged her own path. Her growing friendship with DS Binnie Khatri worked well and allowed both women to grow.

The story was very well written, with emotional intensity and characters I could believe in. The author demonstrated the effect of the murder on each of them - and showed the suffering of those left behind. 

The descriptions of the Malverns were appealing, and let the countryside become an integral part of the story. I loved the slow and methodical teasing out of the clues. I couldn’t put it down.

I loved every bit of this story. The mystery behind the murder/suicide kept me guessing till the end. This didn't feel like a series debut; it felt like I have been following this series for a long time and this was the next installment. Plenty of red herrings and suspects so if you are used to playing detective, be prepared to reach dead ends.

Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells is a completely engrossing and entertaining mystery. I was hooked on to the story from start to finish. Excellent storytelling, likeable characters, lovely setting (farm!!), and mind-blowing twist at the end.

I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next installment. If you are looking for a unique and completely engrossing mystery, I highly recommend Murder on the Farm by Kate Wells.

3.7 Stars
One Liner: Darkish cozy mystery; decent start to a series

Jude Gray didn’t dream of owning and working on a farm full-time. However, after the death of her husband, Adam, Jude decided to become a farmer and continue living in the same place. She manages to keep the place afloat with help from Frank, Noah, etc.
With the lambing season in full swing, Jude is too busy to deal with anything else. However, when a dear friend is found dead (presumed suicide) on her land, Jude knows she cannot let it go. She has an idea about the cause but knows the person would never kill themselves. Soon, Jude’s half-sister Lucy and her 2yo son Sebbie arrive for a visit. Jude takes Lucy’s help in digging into the matter.
As more bodies pile up, it’s up to Jude to get to the bottom of the truth (with DS Binnie’s assistance, of course).
The story comes in Jude’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
The book begins with Jude attending Ben’s wedding with Tilda and meeting her other friends. Adam, Ben, Charles, and Sarah have been best friends since their school days. Jude joins the gang when she meets the town and falls in love with Adam. The bond between the friends plays a crucial role in the story.
Jude also has a half-sister, Lucy, who is five years younger than her. Despite their father being a prick (it’s not a spoiler as such), the sisters get on well since they were children. Initially, their relationship appears strained despite Jude feeling good about Lucy. However, we see how warm their bonding is. It’s an issue with the writing, which makes things sound awkward (and dry) when they are not.
In fact, the writing in the first quarter is choppy and clunky. It doesn’t inspire much confidence in the plot or the characters. Fortunately, it gets better as the book progresses. However, I still don’t know Jude’s age. How old is she? I thought she was close to 50 and then realized she sounded to be around 35-45. The same goes for other characters. Not knowing the age range makes it hard to visualize them.
Little Sebbie is adorable! He loves Aunt Chewdy and baby Canpake, the little lamb Jude adopts. He is a darling kid, and I enjoyed reading his broken sentences and cute words.
DI Binita Khatri is a great addition and not just an attempt at diversity. There’s just enough information to show her ethnicity with a major focus on the mystery. Since she’s likely to be a recurring character in the series, this method of introduction works.
The mystery is quite decent and intriguing. The case is close to Jude, so it makes sense that she would make a few assumptions and mistakes in solving it. Also, it’s her first case as an amateur sleuth, so errors are expected.
However, I don’t like that she is careless with evidence, especially knowing their importance. Given that she lives on a farm and runs it, one would expect her to be a little more organized or at least focused on important tasks. This carelessness is used as a plot device in the book. I hope it doesn’t become a recurring feature in the coming books.
The setting gets brownie points in this one. The tough side of farm life is detailed well with the various jobs that need to be completed to run a farm with livestock. I like how these scenes are presented and woven into the plot. Malvern Village is also easy to imagine. It’s on the darker side, which perfectly suits the plot.
There are enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Though I guessed the killer (not because of the clues, but it was more of an instinct), I wasn’t sure why and wondered if I was wrong. The ending is well done as it ties up the case and takes the main story forward by a few months.

To summarize, Murder on the Farm is a darkish cozy mystery set on a farm. It has some interesting characters and maintains a decent pace. While the writing isn’t great, it does get better after the initial part. Looking forward to reading book two.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Widow Jude Gray is determined to make a go of running her farm and is grateful for the support of friends and family. But she starts to question everything and everyone when the body of her best friend is found at the farm - a supposed suicide. Wonderful characters and an interesting mystery with twists and turns make Murder on the Farm the perfect start to this new mystery series by Kate Wells.

Jude is managing her farm on her own with little help after her partner passed away. Then all his friends are turning up murdered. Will Jude be able to track down the murderer and is her life in danger? A brilliant start to a series that I am eagerly anticipating more! I loved the relationships between the characters and the farm life is so refreshing to read about. It's a great mystery with plenty of humour and the references to Agatha Christie were great. I can't wait for more books on the small town farm community.

This a such a great start to a new series and I am already eagerly awaiting book two. Judy is such a strong main character who was willing to do everything she can to get to the truth. I love a cosy mystery and this is no different, I think its a perfect mix of cosy village life, with community spirit and great friendships. I think all that mixes in seamlessly with the twists and turns and red herrings as Judy tries to solve her friends murder. I was obsessed from this from the very start and finished it in one afternoon, I would never have guessed that ending and I won't forget it in a hurry either.

Murder On The farm by Kate Wells.
Jude Gray never thought she’d find herself widowed and running a working farm full-time, but here she is, living in the small Malvern village her husband Adam spent most of his life in. After a particularly gruelling lambing season, she is looking forward to some time off, but there’s no rest for the wicked, especially when she finds the body of one of Adam’s oldest friends on her farm.Unimpressed with the local constabulary's efforts, Jude starts an investigation of her own. But as the body count rises, danger creeps ever closer to Malvern Farm.
Really good read. I did like Jude Noah Frank Spud Tilda Sarah Nate Ben Charlie Adam. I loved granny Margot Gerwain. I did like detective Khatri. Janet I wasn't sure about. I didn't see that coming. I do hope there is more to come. 4*.

Ben, Charlie, Adam and Sarah were friends from childhood. Jude met Ben at university and was welcomed into the group, later marrying sheep farmer Adam. Now Adam has been dead these past two years and Jude, together with invaluable help from shepherd Noah and his Dad Frank, has taken on the running of Malvern Farm. We join them in the middle of an early lambing on Ben’s big day as he marries outsider Tilda. At the church Sarah is with her rather unlikable boyfriend Nate, sporting a bruise on her face and confesses to Jude that her online gambling has racked up an enormous amount of debt from which she can see no way out. The next morning Jude discovers Sarah’s body in one of her fields and it looks like she hanged herself. Knowing Sarah as well as she did, Jude thinks there is more to this than a case of unhappy suicide to escape her debts and Granny Margot agrees with her. Finding Sarah’s diary before a run-in with a very unsavoury character, and joined by her half-sister Lucy, Jude starts to delve into Sarah’s life. Not even the appearance of a farewell letter can make Jude doubt her convictions. The official police line is that Sarah took her own life but DS Binnie Khatri also has reservations for good reasons of her own, and produces Sarah’s computer. They soon discover the dead woman had big secrets which could have put her life in danger. How well did Jude actually know her friend and if she’s right and there’s a killer in the village of Malvern End, could someone else be next to die?
There are some great characters introduced in this first book in a new series, and I immediately found myself having a real soft spot for Granny Margot, Binnie, Noah and, of course, Pancake! I liked Jude who had no aspirations to become an amateur sleuth with enough already on her plate but whose strong sense of loyalty to her friends compelled her to seek justice for Sarah. I am looking forward to more in this very likeable setting. 4.5*

Jude Gray never thought she’d find herself widowed and running a working farm full-time, but here she is, living in the small Malvern village her husband Adam spent most of his life in. After a particularly gruelling lambing season, she is looking forward to some time off, but there’s no rest for the wicked. At the wedding of friends Ben & Tilda another friend Sarah confides that she’s in debt after losing thousands of pounds on internet gambling. Jude agrees to help Sarah but the next day Jude finds Sarah’s body on her farm. Unimpressed with the local constabulary's efforts, Jude starts an investigation of her own.
A new author to me & a new series. A well written cosy mystery that held my interest all the way through. The characters have depth, I really liked Jude & loved how she was determined to prove Sarah didn’t commit suicide. There are twists, turns & red herrings in this engrossing murder mystery & I look forward to more in the series
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Murder on The Farm by Kate Wells

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Lambing season always brings the unexpected… But no one expected murder Jude Gray never thought she’d find herself widowed and running a working farm full-time, but here she is, living in the small Malvern village her husband Adam spent most of his life in. After a particularly gruelling lambing season, she is looking forward to some time off, but there’s no rest for the wicked, especially when she finds the body of one of Adam’s oldest friends on her farm. Jude refuses to believe the official line, that Sarah’s death was a suicide, and starts an investigation of her own. But as the body count rises, danger creeps ever closer to Malvern Farm. A killer is on the prowl. And all that stands in their way is one woman – and her dog.

My Opinion

Murder on the Farm is the first book in a new series by Kate Wells. First of all I would like to say that as a character I like Jude Gray - especially at the beginning where she doesn't let being dressed up prevent her from helping out in the lambing shed. For me, this was a great introduction to the series and it will be nice to catch up with some of these characters in the future.

Jude is not convinced with the police investigation, so decides to take the investigation into her own hands. This was a nice leisurely read, ideal for a cosy weekend of reading. I found that this had been written in such a way that whilst it is a new series, I felt like I was in a familiar setting as I felt like I was at home with these characters.

Rating: 4/5

Although life on the sheep farm his hard work and Jude misses her husband she wouldn’t trade it for $1 million that doesn’t mean she’s not happy about getting the night off to go to one of their friends weddings Ben is marring Tulsa and the whole gang will be there. She is happy to see Sarah but before the night is over she will be worried about her her antisocial boyfriend leaves a lot to be desired in the bruise she sees on Sarah is disconcerting but the secret Sarah shares with her is even more disquieting Jude doesn’t know what to do about it. The next day however when she finds Sarah hanging from the tree in the police call it suicide despite Sarah’s revelations the night before Jude does not believe it for a second. She decides to start her own investigation she has no these people for years but the things she finds out about them are surprising and even turns deadly so when her sister Lucy and nephew Zeb come to stay at the farm Jude has a lot more at stake to be totally honest I thought this was a cozy mystery and had never read a book by Kate Wells before but when I say this is a legitimate authentic mystery/thriller that deserves five whole stars I am also being honest. This was such a great book I loved everything about it from the mystery the talk about the sheep little pancake I love the way little Zeb said clock lit and the mark of a good mystery if I never figured out the culprit… Nor did he bro! I love this book and highly recommend it if you love a good mystery put in an original setting like a sheep farm you’re definitely love Murder On The Farm by Kate Wells it’s intriguing a and fun a combination you don’t always get with a good mystery. Love this book so much!!! I want to think Boldwood Books and net Galley for my free ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Kate Wells has written a shocking murder masterpiece with Murder on the Farm.
The story’s about Adam, Jude, Charlie, Sarah and Ben that meet at university with the world at their feet.
Adam and Jude married and moved to his hometown and raised sheep on Malvern Farm that his family owned, while the other three lived nearby.
Life as adults for these friends were ripped apart one by one due to life or by their own bad decisions.
So many bad decisions by some.
I never saw the ending coming, but it was extremely satisfying.
This should be a Lifetime movie!
#MuderontheFarm
#NetGalley
#KateWells

Murder on the Farm is a really intriguing contemporary mystery set in the Malvern Hills during an early lambing season.

What begins with a wedding ends in tragedy for our main character, Jude Gray, as much of what she thought to be true begins to unravel around her.

Jude and her sister are both great characters in the first book in this new series. I found myself completely caught up in the mystery and read it over a space of a few days. There's some excellent misdirection, and as a reader, I was quite convinced that I knew who the culprit was, not once, but twice, only to be proved entirely wrong.

A fabulous start to a new contemporary mystery series, offering an assured and well-plotted tale against a majestic backdrop. I look forward to reading more.