Alice Carroll has spent 25 years with a man who was not willing to commit hoping that it’s long before he comes to his senses when he was caught trying to sell his half of the property they both owned to go find himself in India. Finally independent and recently at the age of 50 Alice does not waste a moment to snatch up a house in a fairly country for a ridiculous price in hopes of permanently living in a rural village as it has been her dream but she quickly realises she had purchased more than she bargained when a body is found and it sets up a series of event she never imagined.

The was a cozy mystery as it was advertised with little to no more suspense, it leaned more to Alice’s life and her new found independence coalesce with small town charm, peculiar characters and a bit of history. It was quite a light read and while it was a cozy mystery the mystery part felt rushed and incomplete as if the author just brush the surface with how straightforward it felt.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC

This cozy mystery leans more towards charm than suspense, offering a pleasant, light read rather than a gripping whodunit. Alice Carroll’s move to a Cotswold village is filled with quirky characters and small-town quirks, but the murder mystery takes a backseat to her personal journey. The writing is straightforward and the chapters are short, making it an easy read, but the ending felt rushed, leaving me with some unanswered questions. While enjoyable, it didn’t quite meet my expectations for a true mystery.

More cozy than murder/mystery, a friend that you enjoy rooting for.

Death at the Old Curiosity Shop tells the story of Alice Carroll's new life. After being dumped by her boyfriend, buying a new house in the Cotswolds, and being fired from her museum job, Alice is definitely feeling down. Yes, there is a murder, and an attempt at another one to spare, but I think the main story is how Alice adapts to a completely new environment with people she doesn't know, nor trusts.

I really enjoyed the funny comments, the funnier villagers and discovering a new author I would like to read more. The book is easier to read with short chapters and uncomplicated with no time jump nor different character's point of view. To me this is the perfect example of a cozy book that makes you happy, comfortable, and you root for the main character to solve the mystery but mostly to solve the sadness of her previous life.

The only thing I didn't like was the ending. Not because there was anything wrong from a plot point of view, but because it felt rushed. Alice jumps to conclusions after seeing something and I was left thinking "was she right? did that really happen or is only her theory?".

No trigger warnings that I can think of, besides the obvious of murder.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Death at the Old Curiosity Shop will be published October 11th 2024.

#DeathattheOldCuriosityShop #NetGalley

Marketing it as a mystery - even a cosy mystery - is quite misleading.
From the marketing and the description I was expecting something similar to A DEATH IN THE PARISH, or even THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB.
Instead, it felt more akin to a mix between A CASUAL VACANCY and EAT, PRAY, LOVE.

Apart from the unmet expectations, the writing relies too much on info-dumping, the characters feel like caricatures more than real people and the plot feels very predictable and almost "too neat".

Also, I love donkeys immensely, too... But come on!

It was a fun and relaxing read. There is a lot of exposition - perhaps setting up a new series - but it an abrupt ending.