Susan’s move to the other side of the Isle of Wight was meant to be a new beginning, a life away from the stress of the past year. But death follows her. Joining the church choir should have been a joyful event, but when the local headmaster suddenly withdraws financial support for the choir musical director tempers flare. The anger amongst the choir and the local community is palpable. When a dead body is discovered in the church grounds soon after, suspicions arise. Was it an accident- or did someone have enough of a grudge to commit murder. Although Susan had sworn off any more investigations, she is pulled into the mystery. Can she unravel the web of secrets in her new village before anyone else dies?

Susan’s move to a new location on the island gave a different outlook on island life. I liked seeing her navigate her new life and make new friends. But a new home didn’t keep her from the dangers that lurk in insular villages. This time she had to delve deeper into the lives of her new neighbours.

I found the mystery compelling and couldn’t put it down. The more Susan investigated, the more unexpected and shocking the revelations. I love this type of mystery. You can’t beat a small village for intrigue.

I loved getting to know new characters - but not forgetting the old ones too. I especially liked Robert continuing to be a part of Susan’s life. Mary Grand knows how to write a great puzzle.

Love finding new authors and Mary Grand storytelling was very engaging. More than a cozy mystery, but not quite a suspense story. The main character Susan has moved to the Isle of Wight to start anew after her marriage of 40 years fell apart.. Settling into life in a small village she joins the church choir as a way to meet people. But when one of the choir members dies mysteriously and things don’t add up, Susan starts her own investigation.
There are of course quite a few possibilities and many secrets, had me guessing whodunnit till the end. The pacing of the story was great and definitely can be read as a standalone. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #DeathatStJudes #BoldwoodBooks

A good cozy mystery is an excellent way to spend some time in a lovely place, catching up with likeable and well rounded characters while you try to guess who-did-it. This is the synthesis of my ideas about this book.
A solid and entertaining mystery, full of surprising twists and turns, that kept me hooked and turning pages. I read it in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the characters.
There’s all the potential to become a favorite series and I wish I could visit the places and meet Susan.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Having a main character who is grandmother age was a refreshing choice, and I liked that she was also navigating changes and problems in her own life while trying to put all of the puzzle pieces together. There are a lot of characters in this book, but I was mostly able to keep them organized in my mind, with only a few misunderstandings here and there. Though this is the second book in a series, I was able to get a good understanding of the main character and her situation without having read the first.

The mystery was done well, with enough hints and small reveals that the final reveal was gratifying. I was not able to guess the killer, but I also did not think that it came completely out of left field. The stakes were high enough that I’m not sure I would classify this as a cozy mystery, but it also wasn’t quite intense enough where I would call it a suspense book either. Those looking for a quick whodunnit murder mystery with a unique main character will find this book a great read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

4/5 Murder makes for a complicated “fresh start.”

Adrift after divorce at end of a forty year marriage, Susan has moved across the Isle of Wight to the village of Bishopgate. She and her two spaniels have settled into a quaint cottage and Susan is volunteering at the local school and has joined the church choir committee. After a contentious committee meeting where finances threaten the future of a church fundraiser, Susan spends a pleasant evening (spoiler: if you like bats) in the bell tower with Lawrence, the school head. She’s shocked the next morning when his body is found beneath the tower. The police assume he committed suicide. Susan and Hazel, Lawrence’s widow, are not so sure. As Susan investigates Lawrence’s death, threats to her multiply and Susan realizes she may be the next victim.

Death at St. Jude’s blends a cozy mystery with a British police procedural with great success. Characters, especially Susan, Robert, Fiona and Hazel, are well described as are their actions. Bishopgate is a village where everyone seems to know their neighbor’s business although those neighbors are hiding deep personal secrets of their own. This is the first book I have read by Mary Grand but it will not be the last. I’m looking forward to the next in this series. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and May Grand for this ARC.

I was drawn to this title by the cover. It perfectly reflects the setting and the atmosphere of this novel. Death at St. Jude’s will be enjoyed by readers who like traditional mysteries with good characters and an interesting plots.

It was great to be back on the Isle of Wight with Susan and her dogs. Susan has moved to another part of the island and settling in just nicely, even joining the choir. We are greeted with meeting the other members of the choir and it sets the scene when there is a bit of an argument of sorts between Lawrence the school headmaster and Daniel the priest at St Jude’s regarding stopping funding. No I knew who was going to meet their untimely death right away, it was obvious and I guess writtten in that way deliberately, but what wasn’t obvious was who did it and their reason why.

There was several suspects from the get go all of whom had attended and witnessed the disagreement between the two men, but boy was I totally and completely wrong when all was revealed. I knew it wasn’t suicide, as did Susan, and in helping get to the truth she was meet with a lot of red herrings.

Death at St Jude’s was a great second book in this series, I am loving all the characters and especially rooting for Susan and Robert’s budding romance.

Death at St. Jude's is an absorbing, atmospheric, cosy mystery. It's the second book in The Isle of Wight Killings series and features Susan, an inquisitive but reluctant amateur sleuth. Its characters define cosy crime, and this story's characterisation is particularly astute. The vividly described setting is an essential component of the mystery. The unexplained death of the local headmaster has a locked room mystery vibe. The author provided us with many viable suspects and just as many false leads. It's an engaging escapist story that will hold your attention and evoke your investigation skills. I like the story's vibrant characters, the immersive investigation and the believable relationship dynamics.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I'm reviewing this book on NetGalley, for a book tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

I enjoyed the previous book that I read by this author, so I was excited to read this one too.

Something that I really like is when a murder mystery feels like a comfort read, but still provides a little uncertainty and a sense of unease that keeps me turning the pages. I think this book would fall into that category for me. I actually liked most of the characters, but the whole time I was reading this, I felt as though many of the characters were hiding something, or that someone could not be trusted. This is the type of book that would catch my attention, the type that I would pick up for a relaxing read, and the type that I'd need to finish in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, the publisher, and the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

ARC REVIEW

After her divorce, Susan moved to the Isle of Wight to start a new life. Susan has immersed herself in her new community and is involved with the church choir at St Jude’s. Following a regular evening choir practice, a committee meeting is held. At that meeting, Lawrence announced he was terminating Ross's contract, which did not go well. Shortly after that meeting, Lawrence is found dead, suspected to have fallen from a tower. Susan feels Lawrence's death is suspicious and was not accidental. Despite being asked not to get involved, Susan goes into amateur sleuth mode and tries to find the perpetrator.

Death at St Jude’s is a good cozy mystery filled with twists and turns that kept me on my toes. There are so many suspects that I had to keep notes! I love that everyone had something to hide, which made it harder for me to figure out the guilty party. I was fully immersed in the investigation and could not put this book down until I knew who did it. The author did a wonderful job describing the British Isle. The writing is fantastic and the story is easy to follow.

Thank you Mary Grand, Boldwood Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Life throws Susan a curveball when her husband of forty years ditches her for a younger model. Seeking solace, she escapes to the idyllic Isle of Wight, only to find herself embroiled in a mystery more chilling than a winter wind off the coast. When her neighbor takes a fatal tumble from the church tower, the idyllic facade cracks, revealing hidden secrets and simmering resentments, and the school headmaster meets a suspicious end..

Equipped with a sharp wit and a nose for trouble, Susan, harboring a past steeped in investigation, can't resist the puzzle. She delves deeper, untangling a web of whispers, grudges, and long-buried truths. The scenery is beautiful, great dog walks, somewhere I would like to live.

Susan's perceptive observations that hinted at a life beyond cozy cottages and afternoon tea. Her journey felt intensely personal, resonating with the ache of healing and the courage to rewrite your own narrative. The island itself became a character, its quaint streets and bustling markets buzzing with the unspoken, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the unfolding mystery.

This book isn't about jump scares or blood-curdling suspense. Instead, it offers a captivating puzzle wrapped in a heartwarming setting. If you're looking for a mystery that tickles your mind without giving you nightmares, and features a protagonist you'll root for every step of the way, then "Death At St. Judes the perfect escape. So grab a cup of tea, settle in by the fire, and let Susan whisk you away on an unforgettable adventure.
I recommend for people who like purely cozy mysteries.
Thank you #Netgalley I tried to give it a 3.5
carolintallahassee

This book may be labeled as a “cozy mystery” but “Death at St. Jude’s”, The Isle of Wight Killings Book 2, seemed to me a lot more mysterious, dangerous and thrilling than a simple cozy. Author Mary Grand has created a book that is so intense and chilling, I wanted to hide in a closet with my dog as I read it. This is quite the story and I couldn’t read it fast enough. Great book!

Most of Author Grand’s books take place on the Isle of Wight, a lovely place with beaches, downs, woodlands, villages and towns- idyllic and peaceful. Recently divorced Susan has lived on the Isle for years, but moved away from her ex-husband to a village on the other side of the Isle. She’s busy getting settled and meeting neighbors. When neighbor Lawrence, the Headmaster, invites Susan to go to the church tower and look for bats, she eagerly accepts. Shortly after she returns home, Lawrence is found dead by the tower. Self- inflicted death or a murder???

Susan and her nursing home friend have paired before to solve a mystery, so they start to research and unravel Lawrence’s death. There are many suspects, connected to Lawrence through school or church. Who did it?
Author Mary Grand slowly reveals the clues and this truly is a difficult mystery for the reader to solve. But it all adds up in the end. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review.

A close-knit community where they all know each other
An unexpected death they never expected to discover.
Susan is suspicious, she can't believe what they say
She's determined to uncover where the truth lay.

Revelations at the choir committee meeting
Causes altercations that aren't fleeting.
But surely no one would kill because of what was said?
It must have been an accident for him to drop down dead!

Only the widow seems suspicious and wants to investigate
Can Susan help reveal if there's a killer before it is too late?
With friendships tested and family dramas, too,
Susan will need Alice to help her see it through.

A brilliant read from Mary Grand, gripping and so well told.
With a great sense of community and characters young and old.
For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

What a brilliant story with well written characters. I loved the previous book and this one was just as good with plenty of twists and turns and just when you think you've got it, it goes off in a different direction

Set on the Isle of Wight the setting alone is atmospheric. It wasn’t remote or inaccessible but it had its charm. Susan has just moved there. After a divorce and three years down the line, she is trying very hard to get back to a single life. With her two dogs by her side, good neighbours and interacting with local church activities draws her into a good social circle.

When Lawrence is found dead, fallen from a tower suspicions mount especially as it followed an acrimonious committee meeting in the church. So much does not seem right to Susan, but the local police and the village want to go with the accidental death verdict. Susan follows her own detection, she knows she is ruffling feathers when her house is egged and then had graffiti written on it. Those who were her friends are annoyed that she is investigating, when the Police have stopped.

The entire cast of characters had stuff to hide and not wanting it to be aired in public, and they’d go to extreme measures to keep them secret. One by one from the Deputy Head of the school, to the vicar and his wife, junior teachers and the music director have secrets unveiled. The final outcome was a surprise though.

Good, classic detection skills.

I really enjoyed Mary Grand’s book The House Party because of the atmosphere and story, so I quickly decided I wanted to be on the blog tour for Death at St Jude’s.

The Isle of Wight is a setting often used by Mary in her books, and this time, instead of a house, the building is a church.

Lawrence and Susan’s trip up to the belltower was full of suspense because of the description of Susan’s feelings as she was going up the narrow steps. All Lawrence’s talk of bats was very unnerving, and I wondered what he was up to in the tower alone after she came back down. I felt like he was a good person and then I didn’t know.

I liked Hazel, Lawrence’s wife, and he and she were both teachers and I hoped Cerys did well in her new job. I was pleased to find, as the story went on, how good she was with children and I loved the girl’s painting of a Welsh dragon. I was happy to learn some more Welsh words along the way.

I felt fully involved in the choir and church, as well as the comitee meeting. The church was both beautiful and a little sinister with how dark it was. It seemed magical at times. I loved the description of the side door key and then the mystery of the locked door, and missing objects (the key and Lawrence’s silver pen).

The “locked door mystery” trope is one that’shat’s overdone in many novels, I think. Not here though. It’s woven in with ease and professionalism.

There was an an amazing atmosphere about the entire book that was very high suspense, and I felt as if I didn’t know what was going to happen when. I still wanted to keep going through the story as I was so gripped by it.

The backstory of each member was interesting.

Death at St Jude’s was another Mary Grand novel I enjoyed. It was very immersive in true Mary Grand style. It was suspenseful, shocking in parts and also gripping and relaxing. I was suspicious of everyone at one point. I especially suspected Daniel.

I felt nostalgic as Mary mentioned Reading and Swansea as settings within the characters’ conversation. These places are part of my past as I studied at both universities, and the mention of going over the bridge between Wales and England bought back my memore of when I left Swansea.

I spent the whole book hooked by the story and how twisty it was. I was wondering what would happen to the characters constantly. I I was so shocked by Lawrences’ death. The investigation was immersive and thorough.

St Jude’s and the whole island has a great sense of community. I was glad Susan had her dogs and I liked her home, the small detail of her family photos and also her as a character and the small glimpses into her past now and then.

The visuals were amazing. Death at St Jude’s made me wondering about feeling safe in a church again: it was so well written and is unforgettable.

Thanks to Mary Grand and Rachel’s Random Resources for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

5 stars

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another month, another cosy mystery! I’ve not read the first in this series but don’t think that hampered me in any way, there’s plenty of background of our main character, Susan, throughout and we learn more as it progresses.

I changed my mind a few times during this one who the murderer was, there are so many clues and red herrings sprinkled around. The writing style of this one was really good, a nice easy read and of course, there are dogs and wonderfully described scenery too. Have fond memories of the Isle Of Wight and family holidays as a child that were bought back whilst reading this one.

I’m definitely putting this author on my radar, always enjoy a cosy mystery and hope there is more to come in this series.

amateur-sleuth, island-life, divorced, threats, small-town, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, friction, friendship, frustration, family, investigation, secrets, lies, retired, cozy-mystery, pet-dog*****

A nice investigation by a natural snoop in a small village on a coastal island. Loved it!
I requested and received an EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Having read several of Mary Grand’s previous books I couldn’t wait to read Death At St. Jude’s. I wasn’t disappointed. Once again the story is set on the beautiful Isle of Wight and featured Susan who we last met solving a murder in Ventnor. She has now moved to the village of Brighstone renamed Bishopstone for the story. As an Island resident I was able to imagine every part of the book and will never be able to look at that church in the same way again. Susan is quietly settling into her new home and trying to involve herself in village life. She joins the church choir and a shock announcement at a meeting of the committee leaves everyone angry and upset. Shortly afterwards Lawrence, the headmaster of the village school and the person who made the unpopular decision is found dead beneath the church tower. A terrible accident? Or is one of the locals guilty of murder. His widow, Hazel won’t believe it was a tragic accident and asks Susan for her help in finding the truth. As with all of Mary’s books there are several suspects all of whom could have reasons to resort to murder but most seem far too nice. As usual Mary delivered a curve ball that, however hard I had tried, I didn’t see coming. I have yet to discover any of her culprits and this makes her such a good writer. I loved the complexities of this story and raced through it. I was delighted to read the final paragraph that hinted at a further book in this great series that has some wonderfully warm and interesting characters.

Oh, how I love a quiet mystery, especially a choir-singing amateur sleuth! I have never read anything by Mary Grand, but now I will play the amateur thief and search and download every book she has ever written. I enjoyed her writing style and her keen character development. I hope that she includes Susan in her next book!