Jude, a widowed farmer, thinks it’s a normal day in lambing season when she walks around her farm completing daily chores. However, on this frightful morning after her friend Ben’s wedding, she sees her best friend Sarah, dead, hanging from an Oak tree wearing the same outfit she’d worn to the wedding.

Jude is convinced that Sarah would never harm herself and when the death is ruled a suicide, she takes the investigation into her own hands. Along with her farmhand Noah and her half-sister Lucy, Jude uncovers secrets so buried, she isn’t sure she knows her best friend as well as she thought she did.

As she goes down different paths in her investigation, she befriends a Detective who is on her side. Together, the group sets out to find out what happened once and for all. Was Sarah over her head and chose to end her life? Or was this a set-up because Sarah’s trouble finally caught up with her?

Honestly I loved this book! I loved the mystery and clues and felt like this story was more realistic than some other cozies I’ve seen. The main character cast was very loveable (including Jude and her friends, her sister and 2-year-old nephew, and a baby lamb named Pancake. I also love learning something when I read and I truly learned so much about farming and sheep/lambs throughout the novel.

Thank you to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I am excited for the series to continue!

The excellent start for a new series: fast paced, full of twist and turns. It kept me hooked and entertained till the end and I wasn't able to guess the culprits.
I loved the characters and the setting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Saw this book advertised by the author on Twitter so i read my second adult book this year! Usually they're all middle grade!

There were four friends: Adam, Charlie, Ben and Sarah. They grew up together from primary school, as thick as thieves! Ben goes to Uni meets Jude - who when introduced to Adam falls in love. The other three approve and marriage and taking over Adam's family farm take place. Then Adam gets cancer and dies. Jude carries on with the shepherd, Noah, as help on the farm.
At Ben's surprise wedding to Tilda (everyone thought he'd marry Sarah) Jude finds out that Sarah is massively in debt to a loan shark. Next morning she finds Sarah's body - still in her wedding outfit and shoes in one of the sheep fields. The police insist that it's suicide - there's nothing to suggest anyone else was there. But really Sarah was complaining of sore feet at the wedding why would she walk that far in heels to hang herself.
Jude's little sister, Lucy turns up with her young son Seb, but apart from telling Jude not to let their father know she is there, she keeps quiet and helps Jude.
Jude keeps poking about with help from DS Binnie Khatri who goes against her DI, she doesn't believe it's suicide either. Plus she has another reason to try to help, and to see another side. Charlie and Ben keep telling her stop and it's a shut case. But what is Ben up to?
But there's worse to come. Is Jude in trouble?

Jude is a fab character. She is strong and able, her family ties to her sister Lucy are strong despite having different mothers. When Lucy said she was coming Jude tried to put her off but when Lucy and Seb arrive they give Jude something else to think about and look after! Noah is a great character who is such a help both on the farm and as a protector for Jude and her family. He makes a great babysitter too!
The twists throughout are really good. I hadn't got a clue who the murderer was.

A thrilling mystery. Jude Gray is running the sheep farm alone after the death of her husband, Adam. Very well developed characters. Farm life is hard enough but throw in the death of one of the friends which has been ruled as a suicide, and Jude has her hands full. Lots of action. Loads of red herrings. I definitely want the next in this series! Thanks #Netgalley and #Boldwoodbooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Jude Gray is busy working on the sheep farm she owned with her late husband when she is drawn into a murder investigation after the death of one of her closest friends. Her late husband's closeknit circle of friends seems to be at the heart of the mystery.

A great cozy mystery in a fairly unusual rural setting, with well-drawn characters and interesting descriptions of daily life and routine on a farm. The heroine, Jude Gray, is intelligent and persistent, working with police to solve an opaque set of clues. A great first start to what will hopefully be a long-running series. Boldwood Books and NetGalley provided the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read "Murder On The Farm" in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was very excited to to see this new series and I'm eagerly awaiting the next books in the series. The story takes place in Malvern End on Malvern Farm where Jude Gray has inherited a lamb farm from her husband after his passing from cancer. Jude has a close circle of friends that she also inherited from Adam. Charlie, Ben, Sarah and Adam all went to primary school together. The story starts at Ben's wedding to Tilda whom no one seems to like because she's rude, entitled, annoying and quite nasty to all of Ben's friends. No one really understands why he married her. Even at the wedding reception she had them all sitting at the back.

Sarah is dating a rather unpleasant man named Nate who is self-absorbed and treats her badly to all appearances. When Sarah is found dead on Jude's land, the police are quick to write it off as suicide. However DS Binita (Binnie) Khatri listens to Jude and believes her when she says that this is out of character for her friend. Binnie risks her career on the police force to help Jude out. She is such a wonderful, strong character!

We also meet Jude's half-sister Lucy and her 2 year-old son Sebbie who have come to visit and will possibly be staying into the next book as well.

Soon another body is found in a pit again on Jude's land. Sarah left behind word puzzle clues and Jude is certain that solving those clues will give them the answers to what is really going on in the little village. Binnie's DI boss is getting suspicious of Jude when yet another body is found on the farm. Jude in trying to help manages to lose a diary with potential clues in it and a laptop.

There are great references to Agatha Christie's book "And Then There Were None." Some of the best parts of the book are the ones where Pancake the baby lamb is mentioned. It's very interesting to read details about lambing season on a farm. Hopefully there will be another book in the series soon.

Jude Gray has been responsible for the family sheep farm since her husband Adam’s untimely death. She’s been supported their long time friends Ben, Sarah and Charlie and her farmhand Noah but the work is, at times, overwhelming. Then, after Sarah has confessed to some serious personal problems, Jude discovers her dead body on a remote part of the farm. The police, except for one determined detective, are quick to call the death a suicide but Jude has doubts. She begins her own investigation, one which will reveal long hidden secrets and bring danger to the farm.

Rare is the first mystery that makes you immediately want to read the author’s next. Murder at Malvern Farm by Kate Wells is that mystery. The characters are so well described that you feel like you would recognize them on the street. Jude and her sister Lucy, DS Binita Khatri and Noah are favorites. As is Pancake, the lamb. The farm setting is a character in itself. There is so much interesting information about the tedium and joy of daily life on a farm. I can’t wait for more Malvern Farm! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Kate Wells for this ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this cozy mystery. I enjoyed it very much.

Jude Grey is living and working on her sheep farm in Malvern Hills. It's lambing season and very busy day and night, until 800 baby sheep are born. I really enjoyed learning about the lambing season. At the wedding of her dead husband's best friend Ben, her friend Sarah reveals some secrets about her life, how she's gotten deeply into debt with online gambling. Jude is shocked, and their other good friend Charlie takes a very drunk Sarah home in a taxi. The next morning, Jude finds her hanging by her silk scarf from a tree at the edge of her farm, apparently a suicide.

The police don't want to investigate since it was apparently a suicide, so Jude decides to look into herself. Her half sister comes to visit with her two year old son, and Jude enjoys having them around. Slowly but surely she learns things about Sarah, and hopes to get the police interested in investigating again.

I will definitely read more books by this author, as I enjoyed this one so much. Well done!

LOVED this!

I love a cosy crime and I love a rural/ farm setting.
This was a brilliant start to what I imagine is going to be a long and entertaining series of books.
I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author!

A great read, with intrigue, authentic details of rural life and brilliant characters. As anyone who has spent time living in a rural community will know, it's never quite as idyllic as it looks on the surface. With a cracking plot, Kate Wells reminds us that a close-knit community can conceal so many secrets and backstories – with devastating consequences. I loved the well-researched background information on farming life and animal rearing, but it's the twists and double-takes that make this an addictive read. An excellent book for your next weekend in the country and, I hope, the start of a series.

Cosy crime heads to the farm in this twisty murder mystery, full of likeable, real characters, none of whom could be the murderer - or could they?
Kate Poels keeps us guessing until the end, with many a red herring and mystery to unravel. Jude's sheep farm, her tight knit group of friends and the idyllic village in the Malvern hills seem serene and immune to crime and murder, but as lovers of this genre know, appearances can be deceptive and the author skilfully spins us in many different directions. All that against the beautiful backdrop of the hills, which are almost a character in themselves.
A great read!

This is a brilliant and page-turning debut from Kate Wells that I struggled to put down. Jude is an intriguing and compelling character who finds herself caught up in a dark and sinister murder case after the unexpected early demise of her friend. While still coming to terms with her own grief, she tries to unravel the secrets her friend has been hiding. Kate cleverly leads the reader through complex twists and turns making you doubt everyone and everything. It's incredibly well plotted and I loved the addition of the logic puzzles scattered throughout. The characterisation is wonderful, she created characters you genuinely care about making the revelation at the end even more shocking. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

I’d give this 3.5 stars. This is a very strong opening to what hopefully will be a series. The ending is satisfying- not a cliffhanger at all- but it does leave you wanting to know what happens next with the characters. Jude is trying to run her farm after her husband’s death when she gets drawn into a murder investigation that soon involves a group of old friends. Jude has to question some basic assumptions about people she thought she knew while trying to keep her farm going and help her sister, who lives with her. Well written, and hopefully there will be future stories.

Engaging Mystery..
Is a killer lurking in the vicinity of Malvern Farm? Quite possibly. Widowed Jude Gray has more than enough to grapple with already but when she stumbles across a body, and the local constabulary appear more than useless, she needs to employ her own sleuthing hat. She is about to encounter even more obstacles along the way. Nicely crafted mystery with a cast of well drawn characters, an engaging plot and a well imagined sense of place.

Murder on the farm was a gripping read, with great characters and I couldn't put it down. When I spotted part way through reading it that it was book 1, I was very pleased. I can't wait to read more!

widow, sheep farming, rural, Herefordshire, family-dynamics, friends, friendship, frustration, gossip, small-town, local-law-enforcement, relatives, relationships, sisters, amateur-sleuth, family, grief, grieving, unpleasant-neighbors, investigation, diary*****

A nice rambling whodunit filled with life on the farm. But there is a murderer afoot, even if the senior constabulary thinks that the death of Jude's dear friend is a suicide. Jude doesn't believe it and neither does DS Khatri. There's just too much that doesn't add up. Then there's the cryptic diary, the gambling debts and the burgling loan shark. And into the mix Jude's younger sister invites herself to stay bringing her toddler along! I really liked all the sneaky clues and the entwining members of a close-knit group. A good read for a lazy day.
I requested and received an EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Reading this page turner you are inextricably drawn into the wonderfully spun tale. Absolute gem of a who dunnit with all the mastery of an Agatha Christie meets MW Craven. This is an absolute first rate read and I cannot wait for more. Huge thanks to @NetGalley and  Boldwood Books.

Young widow Jude Gray lives in the small Malvern village where her husband Adam grew up. Since his death she's been running the farm alone - not the future she has imagined for herself.

It's lambing season but Jude manages to escape to attend the wedding of one of Adams oldest friends, only to then discover the body of another one of their friends...

The police believes Sarah killed herself but Jude doesn't. She decides to start her own search for the truth but her path is littered with more and more bodies. Danger might well catch up with Malvern Farm if Jude doesn't solve the mystery fast.

I started reading Murder on the Farm and couldn't put it down! The plot is cleverly woven around attaching characters but - be warned! - you'll end up suspecting absolutely everyone. The pace is perfect, always keeping the reader engaged, the clues and bodies mounting steadily (!!!) while allowing some lovely moments learning to know more about Jude. Kate Wells describes the Malverns beautifully and the interactions between Jude and her small nephew offer some welcome relief from the otherwise dramatic events happening in her life....! I loved it.

A book once begun I wanted to read in one sitting. Jude has run the farm on the Malvern hills alone ever since her husband Adam sadly died a few years ago. She has help in the form of Noah and occasionally others when it's busy such as at lambing time. She and her friends attend the wedding of a friend who has been very successful due to an online quiz he developed and sold, one that Jude’s friend Sarah had a hand in but little reward. When Jude finds Sarah’s body in what looks like a suicide, she isn't convinced that's what it is. Who would kill Sarah and why?
I quickly took to Jude and her surroundings. She’s someone who has the qualities you perhaps look for in a friend- loyal, tenacious and caring. The plot is clever and has a few twists and turns also involving the puzzle which I liked as it's something that is a little bit different. This is the first in the Malvern Farm series and my first taste of this author- please sign me up for the others now! A book I thoroughly enjoyed and wasn't the cozy mystery I thought it might be- it's far more gritty with some surprising meanders. A cleverly thought out, well crafted plot and some very likeable characters. Loved it.

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Set in Malvern End, Jude Gray lives and works on a farm called Malvern Farm where she rears sheep. She’s friends with Sarah a local who’s dating a guy named Nate Sanchez whom Sarah’s Granny Margot, hasn’t quite warmed up to.

Jude is also friends with her late husband Adam’s friends— Charlie and Ben who’s is getting married to his new bride Tilda and they’re all attending.

At the wedding, Sarah confides in Jude about losing about seventy thousand pounds on internet gambling 🎰, and then taking a loan when she ran out of money.

Jude is shocked to hear but agrees to help Sarah sort herself out. The next day, however, Jude stumbles on her friends Sarah’s body near Jude’s farmyard.

Detective Sergeant Binita Khatri is called in to investigate. Jude does not believe her friend would take her own life and decides to do some digging of her own. Overall an interesting mystery with beautiful descriptions of the countryside. Would recommend.

Thank you to Kate Wells, NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the arc of this book.