Murder at Raven's Edge
An unputdownable English cozy murder mystery (An English Village Mystery Book 1)
by Louise Marley
Pub Date May 07 2024
Storm Publishing
General Fiction \(Adult\)| Mystery & Thrillers



Storm Publishing and Netgalley sent me a copy of Murder at Raven's Edge to review:


Milla Graham returns to Raven's Edge after 18 years away to discover that the perfect English village remains the same - all rose-covered cottages, nosy neighbors, and chintzy tearooms.



When a body is discovered in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest, her nostalgic visit takes a darker turn. A chilling parallel can be drawn between the murder scene and the death of Milla's own mother, whose death was never solved. It's not long before Milla realizes that this cute village holds some dark secrets as she begins to investigate the connection.


Policeman Ben Taylor doesn't believe in coincidences, and he doesn't believe the mysterious newcomer Milla Graham is as innocent as she appears. Is she really here in Raven's Edge, and why does she appear at his crime scenes so often? Can he solve this murder case without losing himself - or his heart - to the rather distracting Miss Graham?


When another body is found, everyone becomes a suspect, including Milla Graham herself. It seems that not everyone in Raven's Edge is as friendly or innocent as they first appear.


I give Murder at Raven’s Edge five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

What a cute little mystery story this was. It had some slow moments but im used to short stories that are to the point lol. If you dont mind a slow burn then this is definitely worth the read. If you are on the fence on slow burns i would say give it a try and push through because the overall story is worth it.

Really gripping, thoroughly enjoyable! I really enjoyed this book and enjoyed the author’s style.

A great find!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adored the opening chapter, a raging storm plus Ben and his heartbreaking personal life combined with knocking over a stranger set the tone for the book perfectly.

I loved how lovely Raven’s Edge was described as being, it sounds a lovely place to live apart from the obviously high crime rate.

I instantly warmed to Ben and Harriet because they are the dream duo, so different but they work well together. I was intrigued about Ben and his past because he kept thinking about it, but Milla I was unsure of all the way through and I couldn’t connect with her until near the end

The case was complex to say the least and it took me about a third of the way through to figure out who Milla was but obviously that was the authors intention and we found out the truth at the same time as Milla and Ben did.

The last quarter of the book was my absolute favourite and I felt like that book really came into its own and I’ll definitely be reading the second book.

Thank you netgalley and Storm Publishing for this arc.

18 year old murder, family secrets, possible identity fraud, all in a fairy tale like small town.

I really enjoyed this one. I liked the plot and all the twists and turns. It kept you engaged and turning the pages to get to the end. Definitely will read book 2 of this series.

5 stars

What an excellent and very cleverly written mystery! It was, in all actuality, a mystery within a mystery. With the constant question throughout, is this Milla Graham really the true Milla Graham? Is this truly the same person as the little girl who supposedly died in a house fire, or is this an imposter? Detective Ben Taylor is tasked with sorting this all out and solving a murder.

There is so much going on with this mystery and plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing until the end. This was very enjoyable and a fantastic start to a new series!

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

A cozy mystery with intriguing characters and a little bit of humour set a whimsical little town steeped in witchy history.

Our detective Ben Taylor and out heroine of sorts Milla Graham share a bit of a cat and mouse relationship after he gives her a place to stay one stormy night only to discover after she left that she is somehow involved in the death of someone who bears an uncanny resemblance to her.

This story is steeped in family secrets, deceit and all round skullduggery. Is Milla really who she says she is? Could the past secrets from Ravens Edge have any bearing on the recent murders?
All will be revealed and in good time, I really loved this book and dove right in and found myself looking intrigued by Milla from the get go.

This is the 1st of2 of The Raven's Edge and I did find there were too many characters in this story, Milla Graham returns home after 18yrs to find the murderer of her mother who was murdered and the house burnt down, but Milla survived only to be re-invented as her cousin who was killed in the fire.
Milla is a compulsive liar, who will break into property and take money but according to her, she borrows it as she leaves an IOU.
Ben Taylor is the local detective inspector and when there is an actual murder and that's when he gets involved with Milla but what can he believe as he finds out she can just spin yarns that come out of her mouth full of pelt
I was not keen on this type of novel I don't mind cozy-style novels but when too many characters are in play you end up going back and forth to make sure you read it right.
I also have the other book Murder at Ravenswood House which I read before this one and again found quite a few discrepancies but will read it.

Loved this book, thoroughly enjoyable read based on fairy tales and children’s stories.

Milla Graham returns to her childhood home after 18yrs and has some vague memories of the places she has been but tries to work it all out. Inspector Ben Graham has the case that maybe linked to Millas mother, Rosemary.

Lots of twists and secrets and lots of lies and truths but it’s all misleading. Good cast of characters, great setting and looking forward to the next one

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing

When a body is discovered in an abandoned manor, Milla's nostalgic visit to her childhood home of Raven's Edge takes a bit of a turn. The mystery deepens with the revealing of the village's dark secrets.
A complicated tale that took a while to get into but developed into a delightful cozy mystery.

Milla returns to her childhood home, her mother was killed there and she was wanting to find out the truth. Sometimes the truth is not worth it. Ben has crashed into something, he didn’t think it would be a person. When a body is found the same way as Milla’s mother was killed the mystery starts to unfold.

I liked this mystery, written well and a great plot line. The characters were good to read about and really liked Milla’s story. This was the first book in this new series and look forward to the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

A complicated but fascinating book which I did not like at first but which just kept getting better. The story is complex as is Milla. In the end I could not put the book down. I highly recommend.

It is a lovely story! I like this cozy English mystery. As the story develops, I find myself dreaming. Yes, I suggest you read this book before the next one in the series. You will find yourself in a very, very funny and nice story. I recommend this book!

Thank you to Rachel at RaRa Resources and the publisher for sending my review copy of the book and for inviting me to take part on the blog tour.

Wow, Murder at Raven’s Edge had more twists than a twisty thing and I’m sill not entirely sure I understood some of it but it definitely kept me interested and entertained throughout!

We first meet Ben and Milla on a cold stormy evening, Ben nearly runs over Milla and that is the start of their frosty relationship. Milla is quite standoffish and I wasn’t really sure what to make of her to begin with. She is confusing, a liar and it’s hard to keep track of what is the truth and what is made up! Deep down, you realise that she didn’t have the most conventional upbringing and you soon realise that she has returned to Raven’s Edge for a reason. When a woman is found dead in the derelict manor house, reminiscent of the death of Milla’s own mother, you soon start to think that her return and the events are linked – how though?

Very fairytale-ish, the creepy house in the forest is a homage to the scary fairytales you heard as a child and it doesn’t let up there.

The mystery with the Graham family and the previous murders are plotted very intricately and I had to go back a few times to get everyone straight in my head. The twists were something that I did not get which is always a good sign for me – I like to be bamboozled and then think ‘arghhh, I did not see that!’ and this is exactly what happened with the ending for me!

Is Milla really the dead Camilla as she claims? What really happened to the family all those years ago – you will have to read to find out!

Milla returns home after eighteen years to a rather strained welcome. Milla has lived by her wits, is a compulsive liar, will not pay for anything if she can help it and trusts no one.

A body of a girl dressed in vintage Dior eerily similar to Milla’s own mother’s death which was never solved, the incriminating part is that Milla’s handbag is found by the body. Ben Taylor is the local detective and though the evidence points strongly towards Milla, the timeline doesn’t.

A very compelling read involving murders, plus family history going back decades and deeply divided brothers - one who wouldn’t find it difficult to kill his own, after having killed before is a disturbing read but a page turner. The attraction between Ben and Milla is immediate and dangerous to them both, though that is not going to stop either of them.

Milla’s character is complex and everyone else plays strong roles in the story as well.

Excellent mystery murder.

Okay, I’m hooked! Great characters, great plot with plenty of twists and turns, and a satisfying ending to it all. Look forward to reading the next in the series!

A slow burner yet a decent read. Author sets the scene well; a year's old mystery surrounding a mansion house in a typical English Town. There are times when you are leaning towards the main protagonist being crazy but it's well worked and eventually becomes apparent who the real villain is. Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy

A new cozy mystery series from a new to me author. There is a lot going on in this book and there are a lot of characters to keep track which did make it a little tricky to keep up with but this can be the case with first books as the scene is set. The character's were strong and well developed the book well written and went along at a good pace with the expected twists and turns All in all a good first in series. Looking forward to more. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I truly enjoyed Murder at Raven’s Edge. Milla Graham has returned to her childhood home for reasons of her own. At the same time, Inspector Ben Graham has a case which may be linked to the death of Milla’s mother, Rosemary, 18 years ago. But is Milla really Milla Graham? Milla was presumed to have died in a fire the same night her mother was killed. Things get more complicated when Ben realizes he ight be falling in love with Milla, who lies as easily as breathing but is so likeable. She’s a member of a wealthy family but feels very much alone. Ben is a divorced cop who doesn’t always play by the rules, but is also uncomfortable straying too far from them. He’s also very competent at his job and has learned when to trust his instincts.

The setting was interesting. It’s a quirky, small English town, but this one leans into its witchy history.

The book just worked really well for me. I like Milla and Ben. Milla’s family’s secrets were confusing in a good way. The characters were all developed well and their actions felt believable. The mystery was put together well with plenty of red herrings and people not telling all they know. There are also some interesting flashbacks to the night of the fire and the Alice in Wonderland costume party

Murder at Raven’s Edge grabbed my attention and kept me wondering what was going to happen next and who was telling the truth. The twist was good, even if I should have seen it coming. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series.