I've been a bit unsure about this series from the beginning. It sometimes feels as though I'm hacking my way through the deep undergrowth of the surrounding forest to get to the plot. Murder at Raven's Hollow, Louise Marley's latest offering, still feels dense and at times I had no idea who was related to whom. Not that that's surprising as most of the characters have a very complex family history! However, in this book I think that Louise Marley has written a more accomplished plot and her characters (particularly Iris and Whit) felt more developed. I almost passed up on the opportunity to review it, but I'm glad that I changed my mind and persevered with the series.

This is the third in the series but the first book I'd read. It didn't matter as all the characters were easy to follow and it could have been a standalone.

Overall it was a fun, easy read with different perspectives.

Thank you for the arc

I disliked DS Harriet March, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about DI Ben Taylor. Thus, it took a while for me to actually get caught up in the action. There were moments that I felt the novel was doing too much, meaning too many different POVs and different time jumps.

This is supposed to be the third in a series, but I honestly felt it was a standalone novel throughout my entire reading. I did not figure out the killer until about 50% of the way in, and then I could see the plot line. I wonder how many of the characters are returning characters, outside of the DS and DI, and how many will continue into the next novel, if there is a fourth.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Well paced, easy to read, the ending is a bit nebulous but I think it is a series so it would probably be resolved at a later time. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Having read the previous books in this series, this third book can be read standalone. It was just as good as previous ones too

It was a cozy murder mystery detective book and I enjoyed the fun , fast read, with several twists and turns that kept it unpredictable.

It was a great read - recommended

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing

This book didn't take me long to read, which, in my opinion, shows how much I liked it. I even enjoyed the slight touch of romance (not something I often say). I had to organise in my head who was actually related as it was one of the plotlines. The characters were well written, though the bad luck of one had me feeling sorry for them a bit! I also disliked a character or two but it turned out I was right about them. I'm going to have to look for more books by this author

Fantastic setting- so gothic with it crumbling mansions, tangled gardens, hidden lanes and buildings and of course the bones!
The relationships between the characters are as tangled as the undergrowth and the plot twists in a thoroughly satisfying way!

Harriet Marsh is a police woman. When a body is found in the garden of her flat she immediately joins the investigation team but finds herself more involved than she expected when she finds out that her dad was the original investigating officer. A quick, but enjoyable read full of red herrings to keep you guessing. Would certainly read more of Louise Marley's books.

The quiet town of Ravens Edge is shaken by the discovery of bones buried beneath the old glass house behind the town's florist shop. When Detectives Harriet March and Ben Taylor become entangled in the town's dark past in their efforts to identify the body, Harriet soon discovers that the secrets surrounding the mysterious skeleton are connected to her own family’s history.
Soon after a heavy snowfall hits the town, another body is found partially buried inside the village. The body is still warm, and Harriet fears that the killer is still present in town. Harriet now fears that things that have happened in the past are returning to haunt her, and her life may never be the same.

This mystery was so much fun. It was fantastically twisty, with extremely complicated familial relationships, mysterious woods and dead bodies old and new. I had not read the first 1, but had no trouble getting into the story and characters. I’ll be looking forward to the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this DRC.
#MurderatRavensHollow #NetGalley

Third in a series and better than the last two - Ben is growing up but how he's managed to become a DI I don't know. At least Milla is not much on the scene. Bones are found during renovation work in the big house now a local flower shop. They are about 20-25 years old - although using radiocarbon dating as a method for that date is a total nonsense. There is a newly arrived, mysterious writer/artist in the village. Ben's DS, Harriet, is at odds with her artistic mother, who is a nasty person anyway. The bones are identified eventually, throwing loads of cats and pigeons together - no-one is quite who they thought. It's a complex village with a complex and rather over the top set of characters but an ok read. 3.5 rounded up because of the cat. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I enjoyed this book. It was a fun, fast read. And I thought it was going to be a basic mystery detective story but it was more than that. There were several twists and turns that kept the book fresh and unpredictable. The characters were solid and while reading, you could tell the author tried to make them relatable. And the beautiful description of the town - I would want to live there!

The book did have multiple storylines, although one of them felt out of place, almost unnecessary. It didn’t add to the story. But, what did add to the story though were perfectly placed and well thought out flashbacks. These flashbacks kept the story moving while giving insight to what had happened.

I was a little frustrated with the ending of the book (no spoilers). Some storylines felt rushed without addressing everything that had happened, while other storylines were left unfinished and some storylines/ characters seemed forgotten about. The conclusion felt incomplete.

Overall, if you want a good small- town detective story, this was it.

Thank k you netgalley and Storm Publishing for this arc.

I didn't realize I'd missed the second book in this series, so I'll be going back to read that one and catch up on Ben's story more.

I really enjoyed this one. I honestly didn't expect the twist that came of who the killer was, but dang that was good! It paced nicely. I like the different point of views and going back in time. I definitely am looking forward to the next book and seeing how things pan out for Iris and the rest. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of florists, it felt like they were being set up as suspicious.

The only thing that bugged me was the use of cell phones 25 years ago when the deceased was still alive. If I remember correctly this is more present time so 25 years ago would have been late 90s which doesn't line up with the cell phone use, and texting mentioned. Not a big deal but just made the timeline of 25 years ago feel much more recent.

This talented author has written a page turner. Realistic characters kept the story moving quickly. Red herrings kept me guessing. A cannot out down mystery. Intrigue. Thanks Netgalley

This third episode in the Raven's series focusses not on Ben (DI Ben Taylor) or is on and of girlfriend Mila but instead on DS Harriet March. Like both Ben and Mila in the previous books it turns out that Harriet has a couple of bodies in the cupboard of her own as it turns out that there are a couple of shady details in het past as well that she would rather forget.
Well, what else would you have expected in the quirky and spooky village of Raven's Edge with its strange and sometimes murderous inhabitants?
As in the previous two books this episode introduces an eccentric outsider with a hidden past as well in the person of Iris Green. When an old skeleton turns up beneath a dilapidated green house, followed by a body that hasn't even cooled yet the fun is complete. Enough material for another delightful read set in Raven's Edge where nothing is quite what is seems.

Although I would have liked a larger role for DI Ben Taylor I totally get the focus on Harriet. Makes me wonder where the main focus will lie in the next episode, hoping that there will be another book.
I want to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Bones are found buried in a derelict greenhouse outside a residence and florist. Though the bones are decades old, DS Harriet March and DI Ben Taylor set out to determine the identity of the victim and the perpetrator of the crime. When a fresh body turns up nearby, is there a connection to a mysterious novelist who has moved into the village recently, or even a connection to Harriet's own mother?

I love a good British mystery, and this one had all the anticipated twists and turns. There were so many connections, or half-connections, between various villagers that it was a bit difficult to keep it all straight at times. Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable read with a satisfying ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the best book I have read this season! Harriet is investigating a 25 year old murder and there are so many fun plot twists that I wasn't expecting, that it has made me not want to stop reading this book! I love the characters and can't wait to read more of this series!

DS Harriet March and DI Ben Taylor find themselves with a complex case when decades old human bones are found in a derelict glasshouse behind the local florist shop. Things get even more complicated when a body is found on the side of the road in front of Harriet's mothers house. Harriet is shocked to learn secrets of the past connect to the recent murder and involve her own family history. This was an excellent book full of intrigue and suspense with a very twisty plot. I could NOT put it down until I reached the nicely tied together ending. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written complex mystery.

DS Harriet March quite likes living in the apartment above Foxglove and Hemlock, the florist in Raven's Edge, not that she's there very much. When she does get a day off, work intervenes as her landlady unearths decades-old human bones in the unkempt garden behind the building.

With very little information to go on or clues to point her and partner DI Ben Taylor in the right direction, they start hunting through missing persons files and eventually come up with names to investigate. As they dig a little deeper, Harriet finds links to her own past, which are compounded when a second body is discovered at the end of her mother’s driveway! As Christmas moves ever closer, can Ben and Harriet join all the clues together before time runs out, or will everything shut down for the holidays, while one villager pays the ultimate price?

This was my first visit to Raven's Edge, and, for the most part, I loved it. Harriet and Ben were great main protagonists and Harriet's mum. Wow, she totally rocked every scene she was in! One part near the end did get a bit silly and over the top but redeemed itself just in time, so it didn't ruin anything. There is far more to this storyline than just the murder investigation, with Harriet's life outside of work, and the everyday life of Raven's Edge described in such a way that it was easy to picture.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Storm, but the opinions expressed are my own. I'm delighted there will be more to come in this series, and I will definitely be on the lookout for book 4 later in the year.

Murder at Raven's Hollow, the third book in the English Village Mystery series by Lousie Marley, is a complex, multi-faceted mystery with an atmospheric setting, that has more than one mystery to keep the readers' attention to the very end.
I have not read the first two books in the series, but was none the worse off for that lack of background; this book easily stands on its own. The characters at the core of the book - DS Harriet March and DI Ben Taylor, and their staff - are well-rounded and relatable,. The three distinct mysteries introduce an element of intrigue and secrets that slowly unravel, and threats that become all too real.
What tangled webs are found here, all due to secrets and deceptions that go back decades and are revealed piece by piece, with chilling effect.
I am pleased to have found a new, wonderful author and series through receiving an ARC of #MurderatRavensHollow from #NetGalley.