There were definitely some intriguing moments. And some comical ones too. But overall I struggled with the tonal anomalies. The humour appeared in the oddest places and the protagonist's approach to the resolution of the murder just didn't resonate for me.

I selected the book as it was positioned as one suited to T E Kinsey fans, Whilst it is a cozy mystery set in a small village in England and there is a close relationship between Mystery writer Marius Quin and his sleuthing partner Lady Bella Montague, the similarity ends there for me.

I am confident that this style of writing and storyline will have a supportive audience, it just isn't my cup of tea.

With thanks to #Netgalley, storm Publishing and the author for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review

The Hurtwood Village Murder is the second book in A Marius Quinn Mystery series and is a cozy mystery book set in 1928 England. We see the return of Marius and Bella to their home, an odd place where nothing has changed, after a few years away.

In this book we can learn more about our characters background and their family, for example, we get to learn more about Marius father, and we meet Isabella’s father. The banter between our main characters was fantastic and we can follow the clues the author is giving us among the way to solve the case and still be surprised with the end.

This was such a great read, and I recommend it to everyone in a rainy day with a cup of tea since it’s the perfect cozy mystery. The story is well written, and the setting is fantastic, and I can’t wait to read more books in this series.

Thank you, Storm Publishing and NetGalley, for approving me to read this arc and write this review.

The Hurtwood Village Murders is a cozy little mystery set in 1928 England, where Marius Quin and his dear friend Lady Bella Montague try to solve the muster of who wants their childhood friends dead.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out who the culprit was.. I hadn’t predicted it would be that person at all, at any point in the journey.
Brown does a fantastic job of subtly laying out the groundwork so it’s not obvious but it makes sense once you get the reveal. I also really enjoyed the sweet, if not a little complicated, relationship between Quin and Lady Bella.

What didn’t work for me: I felt like there were just too many characters for me to keep track of. It’s almost as if Brown introduced every single last person in Hurtwood Village and I had a hard time keeping up. I also found most of them to be less than enjoyable. There was also a lot of time dedicated to building the world of the village and I found it took me a long time to get into the book because of it.


Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read this book

The Hurtwood Village Murders
1928 in a small village death threats are sent to 3 cousins - friends of Lady Bella Montague. She enlists the help of writer Marius Quin who also grew up in Hurtwood. The day they arrive to investigate, one is murdered. Will the sleuthing duo figure this out before more murders?
I thought it started slow - the characters are very well written but it took a while to set the scene and give some backstory. But I did want to find out who and why. It turned out to be quite the whodunnit. Definitely worth reading.

As I started this, I remembered that I had unsuccessfully tried to enjoy the previous book in the series, and my heart wilted a little. The Hurtwood Village Murders by Benedict Brown is written well enough and the plot is fine, but I just can't engage with the characters. In fact, the whole lot of them irk me!

Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. I'm so glad this will now be a series rather than a one off. The first was great and i'm happy to say the second is just as good. I love the lively wit, quirky characters, red herrings and cleverness.

This second book in the series takes Marius back to his home village of Hurtwood and gives him the opportunity to view it from eyes that have seen the devastation of war as well as life as a published author in cosmopolitan London.

Someone is sending threatening letters to their former classmate Lucinda Heaton, and it turns out her cousins Tilly and James may be in danger as well. But the Heaton family has a shed-load of bad history in Hurtwood and there are plenty of suspects.

Whereas the first book threw us into a murder at a house party and there was little opportunity to get to know Marius and Bella, here we get a chance to learn about their childhood, their first loves, and the dynamics of their current friendship. But we also get the sense of the claustrophobic atmosphere of a village where everyone knows you, knows your family, and it seems as if your entire life is planned out, without much opportunity for change.

The book also has the backdrop of the war that is still fresh in everyone's mind. "I was thinking about the war and everything it had changed. It wasn't just the people who died and the people who loved them, but all those whose lives were interrupted, paused and put on hold."

The murder / mystery here is well-done and densely plotted as layer after layer is peeled off, and it really keeps you guessing until the last moment ... and beyond. And the final pages are a perfect set-up for Marius' start to unraveling the mystery of his father's disappearance. 5 stars and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series!

Since this is book two in the Marius Quinn I wasn't really sure if I would be able to get into reading it. I surprised myself and enjoyed it.

One thing I loved about the book is the setting. I love the old English settings. I can picture old cottages, royalty and murder. Marius Quinn a famous writer returns home to find out his childhood friends are receiving death threats. These threats came in the form of a letter which were addressed to his friends the Heatons. Only no one can understand why this was happening. Even though the Mr. Heaton was a very callous man who was not liked by the townspeople why were Lucinda, Tilly and James targets.
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I also liked how the characters developed through out the book. Marius still has feelings for Lady Isabella Montague but holds them to himself. Marius does everything in his power to keep it friendly between them. Even though they are together daily trying to solve this mystery. One by one a Heaton is killed. By who and why. Until they discover a clue about the year 1917. What was so important that year? I enjoyed reading how the friends tried to keep each other alive while trying to figure out who the killer is. As always in these mysteries the killer is someone I would never have thought of. That is the kind of book I enjoy where it keeps you guessing.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. Thank you Benedict Brown for a very enjoyable read. Hope a new book is out soon. Love to see what adventure awaits Marius and Bella.

I started this series by reading all of the Christmas themed books and quickly fell in love. Now reading all of the previous books I haven't yet read and this one is a great addition to the series.
Great historical cozy

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book .

I loved this book, and this is is shaping up to be a wonderful series. There was nothing I did not like about this book, the characters are really believable and so well written for the time period the book is set in. The author has a way with red herrings that place him up there with the best of the golden age of crime books.
Waiting impatiently for the next in the series.

In this second book in the Marius Quinn series, Marius returns to his home village after his childhood friends, the Heaton cousins, receive identical death threats. In a village rife with motives, Marius and Lady Isabella rush to unmask the killer and save their friends.

I loved the 1920’s, Agatha Christie vibes of this story. It was the perfect cosy mystery for a dreary weekend read. Marius and Isabelle’s banter was great, and the author left enough clues so that I was sure I’d solved the case, but red herrings which ensured I was pleasantly surprised by the big reveal! I really enjoyed the flashbacks to summer of 1917, the complex relationships of the friend group, and all of the historical detail which really brought the setting to life.

I’d highly recommend reading the author’s note and research at the end of the book. His joy and care for his work really bounces off the page! I’m really looking forward to the release of the next book in series.

Thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

1920s, amateur-sleuth, banter, cozy-mystery, detective, England, ex-military, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, local-law-enforcement, murder-investigation, pet-dog, poison-pen-letters, read, situational-humor, sly-humor, small-town, unpleasant-friend, unputdownable, verbal-humor, writers*****

Not an unbiased review because I laughed myself silly with the first book in this series!
Old flames, a father who went walkabout years ago, an interesting collection of people who were schoolmates before The War To End All Wars and have returned, poison pen letters, and the first body.
There is a lot of real history revealed, but the author does state that there is a bit of poetic license about some of the timelines. Loved it!
I requested and received an EARC from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

What a cute little whodunnit! A small town village, two amateur detectives, a little romance, and lots of British snark. What more could you want?! The first thing I did when I finished this book was check if there was a third one on the way. I haven't read the first book in the Marius Quin series but I'm so excited to go back and see where it began. There are no spoilers in The Hurtwood Village Murders and it is entirely enjoyable without reading the first book. Marius the MMC is hilarious; I love his inner monologue, and his adorable family. I enjoyed so much about this book and it had the bones of a classic murder mystery.

I'm so glad I could read the second book in this fun series right on the heels of the first book. These are delightful cozy mysteries with likable characters. After a multi-year absence, Marius, an up-and-coming mystery author, must return to his hometown village of Hurtwood to help solve who is threatening some childhood friends. He is joined by the love of his life, Lady Isabella, who is engaged to another. Readers will find lots of misdirection as well as learning more about our central characters' backstories in this gentle mystery. The books should be read in order.

The second in the new Marius Quin series. Set in 1928 Marius is meeting with his delightful editor about his newest book, then sets off with childhood friend/ex-paramour Lady Isabella Montague for their hometown of Hurtwood. Their friends Lucinda Heaton and her cousin, Tilly have been receiving threatening letters and this new detective duo promises to get to the bottom of the mystery. Then tragedy strikes. What is going on in Hurtwood?

A delightful secind entry in this fun series. First, Isabella’s odious boyfriend makes only a brief appearance. Second we are introduced to Isabella’s wonderful father, whom I hope we see more of in the future. Then, we learn more about Marius’s father - he disappeared mysteriously one day while Marius was off at war. And all of this is separate from the central mystery of the book. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next with Marius and Isabella. But more dog please! And please use his full name, I love that!

I cheerfully admit that I'm an admirer of Benedict Brown's Lord Edgington series and had high expectations for this series - which so far, has not disappointed.

Marius and Bella return 'home' after a number of years away (for him, at least). The village is this odd place where nothing has changed yet everything is and is about to. Brown has provided red herrings galore; just when I thought I'd figured out who the murderer was, there was more evidence that pointed in another direction. Very nicely done; a tight plot with a lot of characters that you love, love to hate, and are utterly perplexed by. I love the commission Marius received at the very end of the story and I can't wait to see where Brown takes them for the next adventure.

I highly recommend this new series!

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

A very entertaining English village murder mystery set in 1928 with an appealing detective team and a dose of humor. The murderer was fairly obvious anc it took awhile for the plot to get going, but ghis wss sn enjoyable read.