The second book in the Marius Quin mysteries series and yet another great read. Historical, cosy and thrilling, a book that kept me reading from the first page to the last! Quirky, which is always fun and with a bit of humour it makes for easy reading but with enough depth to make it interesting.

I continue to enjoy Marius and his amateur detective ways, love the small town setting, love the era and it has a great community feel. Lady Bella Montague is also a great character and brings a bit of character to the story as well. It is just a fun and easy book to read but also has the mystery and intrigue of a good cosy book. Can't wait to read the next one.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Hurtwood Village Murders is the second book in Benedict Brown's Marius Quin historical cozy series. Released 22nd Feb 2024, it's 294 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The two other volumes in the series are also currently available on KU.

This is such a quirky fun cozy read. The characters are very well rendered, with witty dialogue and sparkling repartee and the author does a good job of the closed suspect pool mystery format. Oddball pair Marius and Lady Bella are back on the case when they arrive too late to save Marius' friend, and join forces with Inspector Lockwood, and Marius' intrepid hound Percy, to uncover the killer before more deaths occur.

Really humorous, well written, eminently readable. Pure golden age classic fun. Fans of Sayers, Allingham, and the others will likely find much to enjoy here.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 28 minutes and is capably narrated by George Blagden. He has a classically trained, nuanced tenor voice and manages the varied accents without a stumble. His reading is pleasant to listen to an neutral enough not to be annoying or intrusive.Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

There are three books extant in the ongoing series. It would make an excellent series binge/buddy read.
Four and a half stars. Well written and eminently entertaining. Highly recommended for fans of classic golden age British cozy crime with a definite dollop of P.G. Wodehouse at his irreverent best in the mix.

I read the first of the series a little while earlier and have since subscribed to the author’s newsletter. It is a charming mix of personal and professional(regarding previous books and future ones)

I have realised I like his writing style and this does influence my reviews.

This is the sequel that provides a wider look at our lead protagonist’s background and his intentions regarding his detecting skills. Since I heard the first book in audio format, the voices and style of the narration followed the same way. That too might have influenced my reading experience.

Almost a long time ago, the author had a close name of friends who hung out together now because of proximity rather than similarity in thought. There were issues of the heart that were present a little in the background of an almost care free life until war happened upon them. Now, three members of the same family within that group have received death threats. What follows is a steady investigation littered with random asides, the bigger reason why I enjoy such tales.

I will not go into spoiler territory,but the ending took me by surprise while simultaneously not being unbelievable, a very enjoyable mix.

I highly recommend this series and the author to fans of the mystery plus humour combination.

The author’s historical notes at the end were quite interesting as well. I was quite impressed by the amount of research required if one wants to get all their facts right.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the reviews are entirely based on my reading of this and the author’s newsletters.

Another terrific installment in Benedict Brown’s Marius Quin series.

This is such a delightful historical mystery series, showcasing much of what the best of the subgenre has to offer.

Marius makes a terrific protagonist, a sharp, funny, self-deprecating amateur detective reminiscent of the best of golden age mystery sleuths.

The sense of time and place is terrifically well rendered, as are the characters. The story is peppered with all sorts of interesting historical content, and as is always the case with Brown’s work, the historical notes at the end of the book are just as fun to read as the story.

This was a notably well-plotted and solved mystery, particularly when weighed against the average book in this subgenre. Most get the history and strong sense of place right, but many miss on the actual mystery itself. Brown executed both components flawlessly, and I can’t wait to enjoy the next book in the series.

I enjoyed this second book in the series far more than the first. The plot is engaging and certainly keeps you guessing. I thought I had it figured out but a final twist foxed me! The setting and timing elicits interest with a future plot woven into the book itself, very clever writing. Good read.

Thank you Netgalley.

This charming snarky cozy takes Marius Quinn back to his childhood home of Hurtwood Village at the behest of his once sweetheart, lady Isabella Montague when some of their school chum circle receives poison pen letters. Can Marius and Bella get to the bottom of the rancor behind the letters?? This delightful book left me wanting more of Marius and his self-depreciating charm and his excellent sparring partner, Lady Bella.

Absolutely loved this! One of those books you just can't put down. Please give us more, Benedict Brown!

The story is very interesting. The scenario is a small village in 1928. Some years before, these friends were looking forward to the future, but some of them must leave for the war. Not all of them joined the war; nonetheless, very young men were sent. Once the war is over, some friends get together again; they are in London. Because the mystery occurs in their former living place, they go back to Hurtwood Village. It is a good story with some familiar drama. The ending is something very interesting. The only thing I particularly did not like was Mr. Marious Quin's very, very youthful behavior. He is 28 years old, and I expect that he would be capable of making more mature jokes. Maybe it was like that around 1928! I am looking for the author's new novel to learn.

Amazing second installment to a new favourite historical cozy mystery series. I love all the Marius Quin and Lady Bella Montague shenanigans, and was kept guessing throughout the whole book. If you love period whodunnits, this is definitely for you.

The Hurtwood Village Murders turned out to be the second book in a series about Marius Quin and Lady Bella Montague set in the twenties of the last century. The setting in a quaint English village with lots of roses and charming cottages is certainly nice but somehow I found this book lacking a bit of depth.
Of course it is advertised as a cosy murder mystery but also a cosy mystery should have a bit more of a "bite" to it, and with bite I don't mean just a couple of deaths.
A nice enough read for a summers day, but I absolutely think the comparison with Agatha Christie is of the mark.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I requested this book on NetGalley, as I was really drawn to the cover design and description. I typically like historical mysteries with settings such as countryside cottages and manor houses.

This is a cosy mystery set in 1920's England. It is the second book featuring Marius Quin as a protagonist. I haven't read the previous book, and there were some references to prior events. I think I would have liked to read the previous book, if only to know some of the characters a little better, but I still enjoyed this one.

Marius Quin is a writer, and I appreciated that quality, because I felt he was a very good storyteller. He narrated and expressed himself in a way that enabled me to relate to him, and I found myself smiling at some of his behaviours and thought processes; for example, making tea to help another character feel better. I found that his narration also brought the other characters to life for me, as he described them in a way that helped me to picture them.

I thought Marius was a warm, kind-hearted character, and I was surprised at how connected I felt to the characters. One of the murder victims was quite an unlikeable character, but something about Marius' attitude made me feel sorry that this character died. There was also a particular friend of Marius, named Tilly, that I identified with and found endearing.

I think I would like to read something else by this author. If you like cosy mysteries set in the 1920's, this series may appeal to you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

A good cozy mystery set in the English countryside in the 1920s. Marius and Belle work together to solve the case of three siblings who are given poison pen letters. Enjoyed this one, but must admit I did skim a bit during the middle part of the story. Still though, would recommend and did keep my interest to find out who the killer was and why.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! This is a historical cosy mystery with light-hearted humour throughout. I liked the plot, and the characters - especially the relationship between Marius and Bella. It is written very well, and I devoured it in two sittings.

Set in the 1920's, amateur sleuths Marius Quin and Bella Montague are tasked with helping to solve a case in their childhood village of Hurtwood. Who sent the poison pen letters? who is the killer? and who knows the secrets?

I am now making it a priority to read Benedict Brown's prequel to The Hurtwood Village Murders, Murder at Everham Hall.

This is a review of the two novels I read in this series
I assume that Marius is inspired by some of the detective of the Golden Age and he slowly grew on me Bella is a cute, clever and strong characters. I also liked Marius' family and the dog, lovely.
These aren't the first books I read by Benedict Brown and always thoroughly enjoyed his mysteries.
These two books are quite enjoyable and I appreciated the setting and the solid mystery.
I'm not a fan of love triangle and hope there's will be a HEA for the characters.
I look forward to read the next novel
4.5 upped to 5
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is book two in the Marius Quin mystery series, and it has been a very fun series so far! I adore the friendship between Marius and Bella and the will they or won't they get back together dynamic.

The mystery was well paced and intriguing. The characters are entertaining, and I love the humor throughout. I also can't wait to find out more about the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Marius' father. I hope the next book focuses more on that.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was a strange murder/mystery story. A crime thriller author, returns to his roots and meets up with old friend, some of whom start receiving letters with death threats. The amateurs and professionals get together to eventualy solve the murders. A very quirky story.

This is such a great series, I can't wait for the next book! I love the friendship between Marius & Lady Bella - will they or won't they get back together?? That's the question! I also can't wait to find out what happened to Marius' father so many years ago!

#TheHurtwoodVillageMurders
#NetGalley

It should be a quaint English village where the most egregious offense is cheating at the local fair. But the quietude of Hurtwood Village is shaken when three prominent community members start receiving letters promising their imminent deaths. Lydia Heaton, one recipient of the threatening letters, calls on her childhood friends Marius Quin and Lady Bella Montague to return to their hometown to investigate. Marius and Bella will have to work through past relationship issues with each other and members of the tight-knit village, face problems they’ve tried to leave behind, and solve the case before any (more) of their lifelong pals perish.

Set in 1928, this cozy mystery included colorful descriptions of Hurtwood Village and depicted the delicate intricacies of how relationships evolve. The plot was quite clever – just when you think you’ve put the clues together, the sarcastically charming protagonist reveals what you’ve missed. Great book that will keep you engaged throughout. This is the second book in the series. Having not read the first one yet, I can say this book can stand alone without readers missing anything. Looking forward to catching up with the first book (Murder at Everham Hall) soon!

England 1928

I love historical mysteries and this one was really good. Great characters and setting make this interesting with a few red herrings thrown in.

Will be looking forward to more in this series and getting the know the players even more!