I recently read Death at Lover's Leap by Catherine Coles, and it was a thrilling and intriguing mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. The story follows Martha Miller, who finds herself at Lovers' Leap, a local beauty spot, feeling melancholy about her own love life. However, her visit takes a dark turn when she discovers a body in the river.

As the investigation unfolds, Martha becomes embroiled in a web of secrets and lies in the small village of Westleham. The plot is full of twists and turns, and the characters are all suspects in this gripping whodunit.

What I loved about this book was the way the author managed to create a vivid and atmospheric setting that added to the tension and suspense of the story. The descriptions of the village and its inhabitants made me feel as though I was there, trying to solve the mystery alongside Martha.

The characters were also well-developed, with their own motivations and secrets, which kept me guessing until the very end. The relationships between the characters were complex and added to the intrigue of the story.

Overall, Death at Lover's Leap is a captivating mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good whodunit with a twist.

An interesting mystery full of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Full of interesting and engaging character's who are somewhat flawed. However I really do feel for Martha with her being left in limbo of not knowing if she is a deserted wife or widow. I think that when we finally find out what happened to Stan which I thought might be in this book but isn't it with either be fantastic or a bit of a let down.

Set in post war 1948 this story has all the necessary ingredients for an intriguing cosy murder mystery. The main character and narrator is Martha Miller, who married in haste before the war into a loveless but civil marriage and whose husband is now missing. Throw into the mix, a local vicar (with some love interest), a gossip or two, a fierce landlady and a dead body and this story is off to a great start.

The main characters and their relationships are quickly introduced. The growing attraction between Martha and the village vicar and the constraints of the social norms of the time makes for an interesting sub story, and there is clearly more scope for this relationship in future books.

The book has good pace and is a quick light read. The plot though is a rather weak and the conclusion was a bit disappointing and left some key questions unanswered.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the free ARC. Death at Lovers’ Leap is a cute, historical cozy mystery. It is the 3rd book in the Martha Miller series and was an easy read during a snow day. I always love a historical fiction and this one was enjoyable. The characters were good and I enjoyed the plot and subplots. If you like cozy mysteries, I think you’ll enjoy this one!

Martha Miller is sad this Valentine's Day. Her husband, Stan, is still missing, her would-be beau (Luke, the VICAR) is off-limits, and it looks like her sister, Ruby, will soon be leaving her to get married herself. Martha and her dog Millie take a walk to Lovers Leap and find a body in the river at the bottom of the VERY muddy hill. Shock after shock hit Martha as she recognizes the body, meets Luke's father who deserted the family years ago, and wonders if the sometime girlfriend of the victim is hiding something. Despite the gossip of the village, Martha and Luke investigate, finding a rationing scheme right there in their little village, and who is in on it is a major shock!
As always, Martha puts the pieces together and the culprit is found and punished.
This book series draws you in the the lives of the characters and you like them in spite of (or maybe because of) their flaws. I really feel for Martha in her limbo of not knowing if she is a deserted wife or widow. I keep thinking that when we finally find out what happened to Stan, it will be a doozy.
Really good series!

Murder off-screen, village setting, lots of ‘interested’ people, toss in a bit of romance and star crossed not-lovers and it is a cosy in the finest old tradition. A good read for a rainy afternoon. I received this as an advanced reader copy from the author via NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

3 Stars
One Liner: It was okay; could have been better!

Westleham Village 1948
Martha Miller is lamenting her life with Valentine’s Day around the corner. With her husband Stan missing for a while and her growing feelings for the handsome Vicar Luke Walker, she wants to focus on something other than herself for distraction.
However, she doesn’t expect to stumble upon a dead body near Lover’s Leap, a famous beauty spot in the region. Did the person jump from the bridge, or were they a victim of a crime? It’s up to Martha and Luke to solve the case.
The story comes in the first-person POV of Martha Miller.

My Thoughts:
It’s been a while since book #2, so I was excited to read this one. Martha and Luke are back in their village, back to routine lives.
The book starts with a (not-so) brief intro by Martha. This is useful for readers who haven’t read the previous two books. Still, I did sympathize a little with her situation. Not easy for her.
There’s a new entry who tries to create trouble. I won’t say more. We meet another new character as well, though she is a delight to read. I hope the latter continues to appear in the series.
The mystery, as such, is the coziest of cozies. Yeah, there are deaths, but the sleuthing is more of gossiping, questioning the same people, and drinking cups of tea. The resolution is weak, too.
Not much excitement either since the focus is more on the rumors about Martha and Luke’s ‘relationship’. Can we bump off Stan already and get these two together? There’s only so much of pinning I can read.
What I do like is that we see how hard it is to blend into a village and become one of them. The gossip, rumors, nosy neighbors, judgments, etc., are highlighted well in this series. Life is not rosy and happy quaint little towns!
Given the period (post WWII), food rationing, women’s rights, financial concerns, etc., are integral to the plot.
There’s a development in the subplot, which made me happy even if Ben has almost nothing to do with the sleuthing.
Despite the lack of action, the book is decently paced and can be read in a couple of hours. That said, the book feels like it was written during a slump/ writer’s block. Hopefully, the next will be back on track.

To summarize, Death at Lovers' Leap has a few moments but ends as an average read with a thin plot. This would have worked better as a subplot in a more complex main mystery. I did like revisiting the characters and enjoyed the development in the personal track, but that’s it.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Thanks to Boldwood Books at Net Galley for this ARC. It took a long while coming but the wait was worth it. This series is still going strong, the character development is brilliant, plot a little predictable but the characters make up for it. Hoping book 4 doesn't take as long to arrive.

1948, pet-dog, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, friends, family, small-town, missing-persons, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, siblings, clergy, suspense, suspicion, apparent-suicide, relationships, secrets*****

A possible suicide with no apparent motive, a black sheep father returned to where his son is the vicar, a really nice bunch of busybodies, a husband of the main character who went missing several years ago, and lots of cooperative sleuthing. There
s more, too, but all in all it makes for a really good cozy!
I requested and received an EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

As Valentine's Day nears, ridden with melancholy for her lost husband and falling deeper and deeper in love with ten and vicar Luke, Martha goes to Lovers' Leap, the best beauty spot in the village. However, her plans of solace are thwarted after finding a body floating in the river. Martha cannot tell whether it was a tragic accident or a planned act and, thus, becomes set on finding the truth.

The author masterfully interlaces an alluring storyline with ingredients of love, mystery, and small-town drama. Martha is an identifiable and compassionate character, and her inner struggle makes the narrative richer. The cadre of villagers, each with their secrets and motives, adds depth to the plot.

The following investigation is well woven with unexpected plots and subplots that will keep readers off their toes until the end. The author pays great attention to detail in recreating the post-war era, which lends an air of authenticity to the setting as the village of Westleham seems to come alive.

To the fans of cozy mysteries and historical fiction, "Death at Lovers' Leap "is enjoyable. It's well-written, well-paced, and makes for gripping reading from start to finish. Set in a beautiful place, marked by exciting personalities, and filled with a fascinating mystery, this book is bound to draw the attention of both novice and frequent readers.

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources, NetGalley, and Boldwood Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

It is 1948, and Martha Miller has found another dead body. The local Vicar, Luke, is assisting Martha. Westleham Village is gossiping about a Vicar associating with a married woman. Martha’s husband has disappeared, but she has to wait 3 years to get a divorce, and 7 to declare him dead. Can Martha and Luke solve the murder while dealing with the gossip?

I absolutely adore this series. Martha, Luke and the occupants of Westleham are back and there are a few more murders to solve. I do like the undertone of the books in the respect of post war Britain and the ongoing rationing that some today may never believe could happen. I do hope that there will be another Martha and Luke book again and just a few more murders to solve.

Ah, the good ol' days. The days where when you stumbled across a dead body, instead of taking out a cell phone and calling for help, you had to leave the body and go summon the police in person. The days when crime scene photos were actually sketches, at least in small villages like Westleham Village. Cameras were too expensive for small town police, thus a rarity. A time when old stories connected to an old bridge clouded investigations and thoughts. Has Lover's Leap claimed another victim?

It's 1948, England. Westleham Village, to be exact. Ration books are still the norm. People have learned to make do with the bare necessities. It's also a time where gossip and everyone knowing your business can be both a blessing and curse. For Martha Miller, frequently the topic of gossip, it's definitely been both. After her husband simply disappeared, rumor had it that they'd find his body buried in her garden. Only now was she beginning to make inroads with friendships and trust, both of which were challenging as she and the local vicar, Luke, developed feelings for each other. Since she's still technically married, this is a bit of a scandal. It seems that despite her husband deserting her, she can't file for a divorce for three years. At this time, the idea of a small town vicar being involved with a divorcee was considered scandalous, not to mention that Martha's husband, Stan, would have to be missing for seven years before he'd be declared officially dead. That's a long time to wait when romantic feelings are kicking up. To be honest, I found myself as entranced with the chasm keeping Luke and Martha apart as I was the murder. That they work together so well as sleuths only upped their time together and, of course, the tension.

So, was it murder? Or was it suicide? After all, it did happen near the bridge dubbed Lover's Leap. Why did the victim rush out of the building so suddenly? Was it that he saw his supposed girl friend with a bouquet of flowers? Where did they come from? Are the rumors right that she'd been seeing two different men? Could the victim's rival had offed him to leave a clear path to his romantic target? What does the sudden, unexpected presence of Luke's father mean? It isn't like they're close. Will the partnership Martha and he have formed to sleuth....as "just friends" .... create more problems for Martha and his relationship? Hey, it's a small village. Gossip flourishes. What problems does a shirt left behind create? Why is Martha so fixated on using lavender tea? Why do you have to be in line early to claim even a loaf of bread at the store? How do Martha's friends both help and, occasionally, distract the investigation?

Who .... oh, way too many teasers. Despite the charmingly quaint slow pace of the plot, the story is an intriguing one. The characters are interesting, even aggravating at times, and, hey, Lizzie the dog is a delight. While we tend to fantasize how wonderful it might be to live in a small British village, it's clear that there is more to Westleham than meets the eye. Makes me curious to see what comes next, not to mention how the author will solve the problem of bringing Martha and Luke together at some point. Sit back with a hot cup of tea (not lavender), prop up your feet, and prepare to enjoy the somewhat leisurely trail to the conclusion which, quite frankly, kept me guessing until the very end. That reveal was rather a long, zig-zagging one, I must admit. Thanks #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for giving me this sneak peek. It's rather fun to slow down and enjoy a visit to village life circa 1948.

This is the third in the very enjoyable village crime series featuring amateur sleuths Martha and her local vicar.
So far so Agatha Raisin you might be thinking, but you would be very wrong!
This series is set in rationed post war Britain and Martha is having constantly to struggle to rein in her feelings for Luke, the vicar as they work together figuring out murder cases.Why?
Because she is married.....sort of! Her husband, Stan walked out of the house a couple of years previously and has never walked back!
Martha has lived with villagers believing she has murdered and buried her husband in her back garden...the garden in which she grows all her vegetables.
Fortunately, the arrival of new vicar, Luke draws her out from her somewhat self imposed isolation and by the end of book one in this series, Martha has even become something of a local hero, having solved the local murder.
Clare Coles has created very rounded characters who one warms to throughout each story. Of course we want Luke and Martha to be together, because they are so obviously smitten, but Martha, as our narrator, leaves us in no doubt as to why this cannot be, in book two she even brings in a Bishop to spell out the reasons!
This murder touches on the crimes around rationing and Coles pulls no punches with how ruthless murder really can be, even in a cosy crime set up.
The sense of outrage at injustice, which drives Martha and Luke is what sets this series apart from others in the same genre. Martha is keenly aware of those who are dismissive of others and is always very aware of the victims and their need for justice.
I really enjoy the picture of post war village life with all it's gossip and speculation, but also, it's care and concern for fellow villagers. Two sides of the same coin I guess.
I am eagerly awaiting book four in the series...and impatiently waiting for that wretched man Stan to get found with another family ( previously hinted at as a possibility in the storyline!) so that Martha and Luke can have the happy ending they deserve.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an eARC of this title in exchange for this honest review

This "Martha" series just keeps getting better!
I really enjoyed the revelations about Luke's family, and the progression of his relationship with clever Martha. They are so 'right' for each other! They're a great sleuthing pair too, and this case of two separate murders cements their reputation in the village. I love the feeling of living in post-war Westleham as I read these charming books. Grateful for an early peek via NetGalley; I was not required to post a review.

Requested from NetGalley as it had the word ‘leap’ in the title and was an easy way to fulfil one of the 2024 PopSugar prompts. Though part of a series, it serves well as a standalone.
I’m probably not the target audience for this. Cosy mystery in a setting that seemed rather antiquated, and the sleuthing abilities of the duo in question appear rather over-egged. Harmless fun, but nothing that is going to push the boundaries.
Our main character is Martha Miller, deserted by her husband, but secretly in love with Luke Walker, the village vicar. The duo have, as is pointed out frequently, been collaborators in solving previous mysteries so it is no surprise that upon discovering the body of a local lad Martha is keen to undertake her own investigation.
From start to finish I got sick of hearing the gossip about the relationship between these two, when it’s pretty obvious they are likely to end up together somehow. The mystery was not exactly setting things on fire, and characters appeared at unlikely moments to serve their purpose in moving the plot on.
I’m sure this will have its fans, but it didn’t do much for me.

(Standalone book in a series)
Set in post war England this tells the story of a murder in a village called Westleham and some of the people around it. Martha, having discovered a murderer in the next village a while ago has got herself a reputation for sleuthing so when she discovers a young man's body under a local bridge she decides to investigate. Her reputation isn’t helped by the fact that she likes the vicar Luke, which wouldn't be so much of a problem if her husband hadn't gone missing during the war so technically she is still married and even when she can divorce him after a number of years, a divorced woman could never marry a vicar. This is book three in the series but happily stands alone- I hadn't read the others. Martha, with Luke, is well placed to hear gossip and through this discovers more than the police which makes for a charming, old fashioned mystery investigation.

I liked Martha and Luke and the book very easily kept me between the pages. It's lovely to have a crime book unfettered by modern trappings and be reminded of how simple life was back then, with all the attached difficulties of things such as rationing- something that is hard to imagine happening now. It's a charming read and one with a wistful smile. A thoroughly enjoyable read and I look forward to more in the series.
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It started off strong and I was addicted, but it got bogged down early on with too much of "what should be said, what was said, etc" so you got double explanations, time being wasted over prime and proper etiquette. Though much Due to the period this distracted from the story. If you Iike that time period and explanations you will enjoy this more than I did for sure. Just too much on the time etiquette and not enough around the mystery for me.

I love this series and could hardly wait for Martha and Luke's next adventure. How apt it is that the events are happening on and right after Valentine's Day, exactly when the book is out in 2024.
It's good to meet the familiar members of the Westleham community again as well as the new additions - I hope they are here to stay for the following episodes.
Book 3 was as good as the previous two, a pleasant mixture of cosy mystery, romance and historical fiction. I can absolutely see these novels turn into a TV series - I would binge watch them in no time just to complain afterwards of how much I have to wait for the next episode.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an Advance Review Copy.

I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. It is a great addition to the Martha Miller series of cozy mysteries. I appreciate that not only does the author write a good mystery, but she also does a wonderful job portraying life post-WWII in a small English village. Americans often don't realize that wartime austerity continued long after the war ended. I also found it interesting to see how prudishly people behaved then. I was happy to read more about the continuing characters and their personal lives. The book is a wonderful blend of suspense, romance and historical fiction. I highly recommend this book to fans of cozy mysteries.