I must start this review by saying that the murder did not occur at the pub. The setting of the pub is more as a central location because of the identity of the victim, and the ease as a meet up point.

Sarah is new to town and this is meant to be her retirement. As she goes to help her friend, she finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery that no one has asked her to solve, in fact she’s expressly been asked not to interfere. Sarah admits that boredom might play a part in her dogged determination to find the culprit. She keeps eliminating people until it becomes quite obvious who it is. Sarah eliminates people by thinking that it’s them for sure until logic or evidence proves otherwise

I liked the banter and random asides, more than the actual mystery itself. The narration suited the tone of the book and I chuckled at quite a few of the dialogues. That said, I was not as invested in the people. At least not enough to want to continue with the series. I think people who read more of such books might better appreciate it than me.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own listening experience.

This was a fun read and I can't wait to read the next in the series! This was my 1st book by Alice Castle but will not be my last! I'm adding all her books to my TBR!

#MurderatanEnglishPub
#NetGalley

Murder at an English Pub by Alice Castle

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

When retired doctor Sarah Vane moves to Merstairs, she has no idea that the quaint seaside town isn’t quite as friendly it seems, and something sinister is bubbling under the picturesque surface…

Recently widowed and looking for a fresh start away from city life, Sarah Vane moves into a lovely little cottage by the sea. The rustic charm is everything she hoped it would be, but her new home doesn’t quite have enough space for her things. Her old friend Daphne offers to store Sarah’s boxes in her messy beach hut, but while clearing it out, they are shocked to find a heavy trunk… containing a dead body.

They immediately recognise the poor man as pub landlord Gus Trubshaw. Sarah concludes that he was suffocated, but who could have wanted jolly Gus dead? Unimpressed by the police’s lack of interest, Sarah realises she will have to solve the case herself.

Soon, Sarah discovers that not everyone loved Gus as much as she’d thought. Could the killer be scoutmaster Bill, who was recently banned from the pub? Or perhaps it was antique store owner, Charles, who owned the beach hut before Daphne? Or was it brewery director Mr. Grimes, who was livid with Gus for squeezing him on the purchase price of his delicious ale?

My Opinion

When Sarah Vane discovers a body in a trunk, she is determined to do her own investigating. This is the first book in a new series and it was definitely entertaining. I have previously enjoyed Alice Castle’s writing so I was delighted when I saw that there was going to be a new series – I am already hooked. A great introduction to the series and the characters.

Rating 4/5

Widowed doctor Sarah Vane has moved to be closer to her friend Daphne, while navigating her new life without her husband. 

But things take an exciting turn when they discover a dead body in Daphne's beach hut. But another body appears and the two must work to find the killer before more bodies turn up, or before they are next.

A fantastic first novel in a series about friendship, change and new beginnings. 

These characters were so real, I felt I knew them, and loved how her little dog Hamish had a point of view in the novel also.

I liked this murder mystery! It was spooky and I loved the friendship between the two main characters. The dog was a good addition too. I could not figure out who dunnit until the very end!

Book Review: Murder at an English Pub by Alice Castle

Alice Castle’s Murder at an English Pub is a cozy mystery set in the seaside village of Merstairs. The story follows Sarah Vane as she relocates following the death of her husband. She has not long been in the village when she finds a body and begins to investigates the suspicious death of a pub landlord. With a sharp wit and an eye for detail, Sarah delves into the quirky village characters and hidden secrets lurking beneath the surface of the seemingly peaceful community.

Castle blends humor, charm, and intrigue, creating an engaging mystery filled with twists. Fans of cozy mysteries and small-town whodunits will enjoy this lighthearted yet satisfying read.

AH! Sarah and Daphne were such fun characters to spend time with! The narration was perfect, Jilly Bond did an excellent job bringing the characters to life. I am so excited to continue spending time with them! I love a good cozy mystery and I usually go for the food or book store themed ones.--sometimes paranormal. This is my first with this age demographic and I am here for it!

A wonderful, quintessentially English who done it. A lovely English village, some quirky characters and a loveable dog! A great listen.

A light hearted cosy crime plot set in the fictional town of Merstairs with retired doctor, Sarah Vane. Sarah moves to the seaside town to enjoy a quiet retirement, but when a body is found in a beach hut, Sarah starts looking into the mysterious circumstances.
Very Midsommer Murders.

I really enjoyed the characters of this book, and Sarah especially, but I felt very let down by the plot. Although the premise of the story was interesting, the murderer was glaringly obvious - especially since the book is called "Murder at an English Pub". That gave it away immediately, and I was even more convinced I'd guessed right when none of the murders themselves actually took place in a pub. The fact that the very title of the book refers to the killer is frustrating to me and I struggle to understand just why the author did it. But as I said, the characters themselves were sufficiently developed, each with their own backgrounds and motives, and the little twists and turns in their own personal lives is what kept me listening until the end.

Quintessential Cozy Crime!
I really enjoyed the lovable characters, the many meals they ate and the many walks along the seafront they did. I felt like I was in a cute little town by the seafront. This was just the right amount of restful, dare I say "boring" while still keeping a little bit of that crime tension going underneath.

I thought the speaker was just doing too much, honestly. But then, I am very new to audiobooks and may just have to get used to it.

DNF 50%

I try to finish books even when I don't like them but this one broke me. It was boring, unengaging and I can't even remember what happens 'cause it's so unmemorable

Cozy mystery that had me engaged from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley aan the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One Liner : Cozy read !

Synopsis : Sarah Vane, a retired doctor moves to Merstairs with her dog Hamish after the death of her husband Peter. Merstairs, a seaside quaint town also houses her best friend Daphne. Sarah's stuff was received by Daphne at her beach hut. Sarah doesn't expect her first day in the new place would begin by finding a dead body in a trunk at Daphne's beach hut. Sarah is determined to help and solve the case since the cops on scene didn't seem to do much and also to help her friend Daphne since the body was found in her beach hut. Is Sarah successful in solving the case?

My thoughts
* I really loved the setting of the story. Merstairs seemed to be such a quaint and beautiful town with lot of places to eat and the description of the sea was marvelous. Any day I would love to settle down in a place like this for my retirement
* I couldn't connect with Sarah's character much. She seemed too judgmental and seemed to be trying to be center of attention most of the times
* Hamish was my favorite. His presence felt so nice in the story including his love for Tinkerbell, the chihuahua
* I also felt that Sarah judged her best friend Daphne way too much for her eccentric nature. She would have surely known about that side of her given that they were friends since long.
* The sleuthing abilities of Sarah really did not seem as great as she thought which kind of made the mystery drag on a little. It did not have that "Oomph" factor in it
* I went with audio book for this and the British accent threw me off a little bit. There were many places where I had to rewind and listen, especially when the narrator was making deep throat voices for men. I think this book would have worked better if I had this instead

All in all it was a decent listen for me. I look forward to more in this series. My rating is 3.2 rounded to 3

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture, for this audiobook. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Such a quaint and interesting story of a widow who moves to the country after the death of her husband. She is brought into the middle of two murders and she works to find out what happened and who is responsible. I loved the way she picked a part everyone's stories and then finds the clues that lead to the answers. The narrator was perfect for this book. Thank you #NetGalley for the ARC.

Excellently narrated small-town cozy mystery with a retired GP as the amateur sleuth. A dead body in the boot of the car is the perfect start to this addictive mystery. Sarah is good at asking questions and working through all the clues. She is accompanied by her friend, Sarah, and her dog, Hamish. I enjoyed all the twists the story took, which certainly kept me guessing and entertained. A good start to the series and I look forward to the next one.

Murder at an English Pub" by Alice Castle is a cozy mystery. It is set in modern day in England in a small fictional town.

Following the death of her husband, Sarah Vane moves to Merstairs, a small oceanside village where her college friend, Daphne, lives. As they are cleaning out Daphne's storage shed, they find a deceased body in it.

Sarah was a medical doctor, but now she fancies herself a detective. She goes around asking everyone lots of questions. Daphne is supposed to be funny, but mostly, she is just annoying. I liked that the main character and most of the rest of the cast are 50+, probably 60+ in age.

The narrator, Jilly Bond, did well in some aspects, but I had difficulty telling the female voices apart at times. I also didn't like her voice for Charles at all.

There is a lot of drinking in this book. No cursing. No romance. 2 murders.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 3/5
Plot - 3/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 3/5
Narration - 3/5
Cover - 3/5
Overall - 26/8 = 3 2/8
Rounded to 3 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, and Alice Castle for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Murder at an English Pub - A completely gripping and addictive cozy mystery by Alice Castle and narrated by Jilly Bond is utterly fantastic! I am really excited to get into this series as Jilly Bond is a wonderful narrator and absolutely perfect for cozy mysteries

Sarah Vane is a retired Doctor. She pootles of to a quiet life (or so she thinks) in Merstairs, a quaint seaside town of gentle sensibilities and small community vibes. However, when moving in (with the help of her incredibly vibrant friend Daphne, whom I absolutely adore) the pair come across a trunk stuffed with a dead body. Not really the best start to moving in, especially when you know the victin#m

The murder of Gus the pub landlord immediately creates an investigation which changes everything Sarah thought she knew about her new home. Who did it? What's going on?

A fantastic cosy, very well narrated, perfect

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, Alice Castle and the narrator Jilly Bond for thishighly entertaining ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Murder at an English Pub by Alice Castle is the first in a new cozy series about a retired doctor. The retired doctor is recent widow Sarah Vane, who recently moved to the fictional town of Merstairs, a lovely seaside town near Kent, England. She moved there at the behest of longtime friend Daphne.

Sarah is renting Daphne’s beach hut and almost immediately discovers a dead body. Sarah decides to play detective to find the real murderer as her best friend is one of the prime suspects. There are several suspects and even another body. In the end, Sarah solves the murders and even helps out the police with her doctoring skills.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jilly Bond who did a fantastic job. All in all, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook and enjoyed Sarah’s character, but Daphne, was a bit too bizarre and kind of an unbelievable character. I think of this as a summer escape and good way to pass several hours. And, I look forward to the next book in the series.

Retired doctor Sarah Vane, recently widowed, has just moved to Merstairs, a lovely seaside town that should be the perfect place to settle down. Instead, even before she could get settled, Sarah and her old friend Daphne discover a dead body in a trunk. It was soon learned that it was the landlord of a pub and his name was Gus Trubshaw. Completely unimpressed with the local police, Sarah decides to discover for herself what happened to poor Gus and how he ended up in the trunk.

It doesn’t take Sarah long to realize that Merstairs is not the sleepy little town she thought it was. Also, her quickly growing reputation as an amateur sleuth begins putting people on guard. Along with Sarah’s predilection for demanding answers, she is often accompanied by her long-time friend Daphne, who also lives in the quaint little town Between the two of them, this first book in a new cozy mystery series is off to a good start. Sarah’s no-nonsense manner and the references of her past career as a GP work well together when it comes to looking for answers.

As in many cozies, there is the presence of beloved pets. In this case, one of those pets is Sarah’s dog Hamish. I look forward to joining Sarah, Daphne and even Hamish in future installments in what looks like a promising new series.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.