This is the first book I’ve read by author Deborah Fowler, but it won’t be the last. With likeable and interesting main characters, good supporting cast (including a parrot and a dog), and an interesting plot made this a great first entry. Looking forward to more from this author!

A cozy crime tale, St Ives Christmas Mystery (2024) by Deborah Fowler is the first book of a new mystery series. After her husband, a policeman was killed on duty, Merrin McKenzie quits her legal practice and moves back to her childhood hometown of St Ives - on the West Cornish coastline. Reuniting with her old friend, Merrin agrees temporarily to clean her two holiday cottages, only to discover a dead body in one. A surprisingly integrated mystery unfolds with the disappearance of a local teenager and the death of a fisherman years earlier. A delightful read and police procedural, with its well-rounded characters and easily flowing narrative that is a four stars rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement. With thanks to Allison & Busby publishers and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes.

2.75 stars rounded up. If you like your cosy mysteries and accept the quirks of the genre (amateur sleuth, police divulging details they never would in real life, coincidences, etc), then you’ll probably love this. For me, it just felt a bit… I don’t know, I got major “debut writer” vibes from this, and yet the author has clearly published a lot. The tone of voice was quite newbie for me - that slightly prim and correct style of writing, rarely using contractions so speech sounds a bit stilted (like most people would say “I’d rather”, but here it would be “I would rather”. And a lot of “telling” rather than “showing” the reader. You could drown in the cojncidences here (Merrin seeming to always find the clues for the police, and the whole Oxford bit full stop (seriously, what are the odds of all that?). The over repetition of Clara calling Merrin “darling Pearl” virtually every time, and Jack calling her “my maid” over and over… yes, we got the message of CORNWALL, loud and clear thanks.

As I said, if you like your cosy mysteries - especially the fluffy amateur sleuth end of the range - you’ll probably love this. I’m not sure it’s a series I’d continue with myself at the moment though, given how many books I have on my TBR pile.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

Less Than Cosy..
Tragic circumstances bring Merrin MacKenzie back to St Ives in Cornwall - but with Christmas on the horizon she foresees some cosy creature comforts ahead, even given her situation in what is, after all, her hometown. What she did not foresee was her discovery of a very dead body in a local holiday cottage. As the case gathers pace, it becomes clear that something less than cosy is afoot in St Ives. A solid and well paced mystery with a well crafted cast of characters and a beautifully depicted backdrop. The next in the series will be well anticipated.

"A St Ives Christmas Mystery" is a cozy mystery set in England. The main characters were likable and interesting. Merrin was a solicitor and married a policeman, so she understood legal issues as well as thought things out (rather than making random guesses). She often came across clues that she passed on to the detective on the case, Louis. They worked well together, but Louis often felt like Merrin was making connections that weren't there...so she sometimes felt like she needed to get further proof. Louis and the police did most of the investigating, and we also follow that investigation.

This was a clue-based mystery that can be puzzled out, though generally Louis and Merrin came to the correct conclusions as fast as the reader could. There was no sex. There was some bad language (with about a third of that being British bad language). Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.

I received an ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

A St Ives Christmas Mystery is the first book in a new cozy mystery series. The pace here is somewhat slow, more character than action driven as the story builds gradually an we get to know the characters who are all new since it's a new story, The setting is lovely and beautifully described, An enjoyable start. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story introduces Merrin McKenzie, a lawyer whose police officer husband is stabbed and killed at the beginning of the story. The story moves forwards 7 months and Merrin has moved back to St Ives, where she grew up. He friend Clara asks her to help out by standing on for her missing cleaner by cleaning her holiday lets. Merrin is probably the world's worst cleaner but she agrees to help. Then, she stumbles across a body whilst cleaning and finds herself suspected of murder by Inspector Pepplatt. Eventually, the real story emerges with a satisfying conclusion. As a Cornish resident, I really enjoyed the descriptions of the St Ives area and I also found the characters enjoyable and, in most cases likeable. This was a pleasant, easy read and I'm looking forward to Merrin's future adventures.

Merrin is home following a tragedy, and for the time being, she’s taking time off from her career as an attorney to help some friends ready some holiday cottages for rental. Instead of finding a messy house, she finds a body. This is a lovely holiday mystery set on the coast of Cornwall

Thank you NetGalley and Allison & Busby Limited for a copy of "A St. Ives Christmas Mystery" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was the first book in what I hope will be a very long series! It hooked me from the first page with the interesting characters, descriptive setting and scenery. The story starts and ends on April 12th - one year apart. In Bristol on April 12th Merrin McKenzie experiences the worst day of her life. Her beloved husband Chief Inspector Adam McKenzie has been stabbed and does not make it.

Seven months later Merrin has moved back to her childhood home of St. Ives with Horatio the rescue African Grey Parrot with a serious attitude problem. Merrin and Adam had met in college where they both read law. Adam went onto the police force and Merrin into family law. They have one daughter named Isla who is studying at Oxford.

Clara ropes Merrin into helping her clean their holiday lets because their cleaner left without notice. Clara and her husband Tristan own a busy restaurant that takes up all their time. While cleaning one of the cottages, Merrin finds a dead young man. After calling 999 Merrin stays with the young lad. When Inspector Louis Peppiatt arrives he thinks Merrin is a suspect because he thinks she tucked him in and finds it odd that she sat with him.

Clara takes advantage of her friendship with Merrin again when she sticks her in as a waitress at the restaurant. She also shows up with William - "the ugliest dog in the world" - who is an absolutely adorable character. Merrin quickly bonds with this odd dog and even Horatio takes to him immediately.

Isla thinks there is a link between the dead lad and her landlady's missing nephew. So many questions: why didn't the aunt report James missing? Why is she so angry when Isla tried to help? And why so reluctant to give DNA? What is the landlady hiding - it becomes a huge piece in this complicated puzzle.

There is also an interesting link with a fisherman who washed up 3 years ago with the exact same injuries and cause of death as young James. We also have the cleaner who reappears and is rather unfriendly and hostile. Leading Merrin to believe that she might have known James.

When another body turns up, suspicion falls on Steve Matthews who drives a van for a shady character named Rick, but everyone believes in his innocence. Enough so that Merrin agrees to be his solicitor pro bono.

As all the pieces fall into place, Inspector Peppiatt places himself in great danger to save an innocent. As everyone gathers with their loved ones for Christmas, all the stories come out and everything wraps up neatly.

The story ends on April 12th, the first anniversary of Adam's death. Merrin has fit back into the St. Ives community, she has Horatio and William and hopefully many more stories and adventures in the future. Easily my favourite new series of the year.

Cozy mystery!

Merrin McKenzie remembers the day her husband Adam died. It was an ordinary morning beginning with toast and coffee. Then the telephone call! Her beloved husband has been killed, slain by an efficiently wielded knife attack.
Months later and Merrin has sold their family home in Oxford and moved back to the lovely village she grew up in, St Ives.
Helping out her friend Clara, Merrin who doesn’t clean’, has been persuaded to help out with the ‘changeover’ cleaning for a couple of Bed and Breakfasts Cara owns.
Only one contains the body of a young man laid out peacefully on the bed. Bizarre!
Next there’s police involvement, and a somewhat tenuous clue of her daughter’s land lady’s nephew being missing!
The tale flowed along at just the right pace. An enjoyable read.

An Allison & Busby ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

widow, lawyers, new-series, cozy-crime, friends, friendship, drugs-issues, drug-trafficking, smuggling, coercive-control, Cornish-coast, amateur-sleuth, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, lobstering, local-history, cafe, cooks, holiday-homes, due-diligence, felons, families, family-business, family-drama, family-dynamics*****

Fifty-four year old family solicitor Merrin McKenzie was recently widowed when husband CI McKenzie was killed on the job. She just can't face staying in her empty house and consoling friends what with her daughter Isla up at university. She and her African Grey Parrot (Horatio) move house back to St Ives where she grew up. There she reconnects with childhood friends who help her to acclimate as well as asking her to do some housekeeping tasks at the Holiday house they rent. And blessing her with a very odd doggo (William) whose owner had a stroke. After finding the first body she meets with Inspector Louis Peppiatt (who eventually becomes a friend) as well as a constable nearing retirement who remembers her from school days. It isn't until the second body that she is introduced to the Border Force and the local courts. This is a new series and I hope to read everything this author brings out!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected proof copy from Allison & Busby via NetGalley. Thank you! Avail NOW
##AStIvesChristmasMystery by Deborah Fowler #NetGalley @AllisonandBusby #CozyCrime #NewSeries

I was looking forward to this Christmas read.

The protagonist, Merrin, who is a lawyer, decides to sell her home in Bristol and move back to St Ives, where she grew up. I tried really hard to like her & her pets, but failed. For me, the storyline at times loses its way and I was struggling to continue. The book has interesting and uninteresting characters. I did enjoy the character of Cara Tregonning, Merrin’s school friend. Cara’s character was full of humour throughout the book. The writing style was not for me but the description of St Ives was atmospheric and enjoyable.

I give a 3 star rating as the book was not for me. I would recommend to friends

MY THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. ALL MY OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.

Moody, a little dark and plenty of atmosphere make this an enjoyable Christmas mystery. If you are looking for the usual holiday tropes, this book is not for you.

Deborah Fowler is a new author to me but one I will now be watching for when I want a good mystery.

A St Ives Christmas Mystery is the first book in a new cozy series that pulled me in from the first chapter. Ms. Fowler has provided a descriptive narrative that made St Ives and the characters come to life. The dialog between characters seemed realistic and flowed naturally throughout the story. The mystery was slow to build but I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the town and the characters as the mystery had quite a few twists and turns before the dramatic confrontation.

Merrin moves back to St. Ives after the death of her policeman husband. She is in her mid fifties and decides to retire from her job as a solicitor. Once back in St. Ives. a good friend from her past persuades Merrin to help clean her b & b's. Much to Merrin's surprise, a dead body is found in one of the beds. Merrin is drawn into the mystery of the death. Soon, she meets the local police, more friends from her past and an adorable dog. Merrin struggles as to where life will lead her after her husband's demise. She is concerned about her daughter at Oxford and her relationship with her daughter. The author does a good job of introducing characters who interact while Merrin finds clues to solve the murders in St. Ives. This is a good start to a new series. A possible love interest or companionship relationship evolves near the end of the novel. The Christmas in the title really just refers to the time of the year of the story. Thanks to NetGalley for this arc.

I received a free copy of A St Ives Christmas Mystery, by Deborah Fowler, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Merrin Mckenzie is back in St Ives, she is starting over, taking a break from being a solicitor and starts cleaning homes instead, all goes well till she finds a dead body. I liked this book. Merrin and Isla are great characters, in a beautiful setting.

This is the first book in a new series by Deborah Fowler and was such a good read! It’s very character driven which meant the pacing wasn’t too fast, but this was needed to help build the story and get to know the characters backstories better.

Definitely one to sit and enjoy snuggled up by the fireplace!

After the death of her husband, Merrin has moved back St Ives, the town where she grew up. When an old friend, who owns a couple of holiday rentals, asks her to help clean them up before the arrival of holiday guests, she agrees. Housekeeping is not exactly her thing and she hopes she won’t find too much of a mess. She definitely did not anticipate finding the body of a young man tucked up neatly, almost lovingly, in one of the bedrooms.

A St Ives Christmas Mystery is the start to a new cozy mystery series by Deborah Fowler and it is quite an entertaining beginning. The pace here is somewhat slow, more character than action driven and that’s not a bad thing, as it allows the story to build gradually as we get to know the characters who are well-drawn with interesting back stories as well as the countryside which Fowler describes beautifully. There are several plot lines, both in St Ives and in Oxford where Merrin’s daughter attends school but they are eventually all tied together satisfactorily. Over all, a quiet but very enjoyable Christmas cozy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Allison & Busby for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

An enjoyable start to a new series! I like the main character, Merrin McKenzie, who finds herself living in the coastal Welsh town she was raised in after her life changes forever. Her background as an attorney in family services and knowledge of police procedure serve her well when she stumbles upon a body, when she realizes she may be a suspect she needs to get involved. She’s intelligent and very empathetic, she can get people to talk, and has her old friends to rely on for help. The interaction between she and her daughter, off to college at Oxford, is believably written and I found myself rooting for them, the setting in charming St. Ives is beautifully described, and the ending was satisfying, I won’t give away details except that I liked Inspector Peppiatt’s decisions.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Allison and Busby for an advance copy, I’ve added the author to my watch list for the next in the series.

A well written cosy with a likable heroine. Merrin McKenzie has been recently widowed. Seeking a change, she returns to her childhood village of St Ives in Cornwall. It doesn’t take long until she is helping the police with a two suspicious murders that also involve drug running, and relationship abuse. The story develops gradually as Merrin and the local police piece together the clues. St Ives is beautifully described and it is obvious the author is well acquainted with the area. This is the start of a new series and I look forward to reading the next installment. Thanks to NetGalley, and Allison and Busby for the advance electronic copy. I recommend this book.
A true cosy with no bad language, sex, or graphic details.