A fun book and well written. I was exhausted by the end with all the rushing about, which kind of was the point I guess. Maybe some slower sections would have helped, but overall good read and would recommend.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This is the third book in the Bad Girls Detective Agency series. Amber's friends have planned a surprise birthday weekend for her, but their escape to the chateau doesn't go entirely as planned.

I read the previous two books in this series, and I enjoyed them both, so I was looking forward to this. The storytelling was humorous, and the characters made me smile. It was also an entertaining murder mystery that kept me guessing. If you haven't read the previous two books, I think this would work as a standalone, but I would recommend the previous two books as well.

Amber, Clio and Jeanie have strong personalities, and I appreciate their friendship. This is the type of book that I might choose if I was in the mood for something fun and sassy, or something to make me giggle.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

Even though this book can be read as a stand-alone, I felt like I was missing out on all the previous action and character development from the first two books, so I felt like I was missing out by jumping straight into this one. To be honest, I couldn’t really get into the story. If I don’t connect with the characters, I struggle to stay invested in the plot, no matter how fast-paced or exciting it might be. And this story is fast-paced. Someone seems to die, or almost die, on practically every page.

The tone was a bit too light-hearted, silly, and breezy for my taste. You also have to like British humor and endure occasional unknown words and references if you're American. However, I did enjoy the group of possible suspects and the way everyone has a believable motive. If you like following breadcrumbs in whodunits in an isolated setting, this book might be right up your alley.

I love these characters! They don't back down or take shit from anyone, which I greatly admire. This is part of a fun, cozy mystery series that is hilarious and perfect for fans of Finlay Donovan.

I am always eager to read mysteries involving a murder in a remote location where we have to figure out who among a limited group of people is the culprit. In Murder on the Menu, three friends head off to a foodie retreat at an island castle, but before they even get settled, the chef is brutally murdered. I enjoyed the characters, especially Amber, but couldn't really get into the plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley! From the book cover I was thinking more about a cooking murder type novel. But I was pleasantly surprised at the content inside. Throughly enjoyed this locked room thriller. I look forward to reading more from this author

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

This is book 3 in the Bad Girls Detective Agency series, and it's a smasher. I really like the dynamic between Clio, Amber and Jeanie, three feisty middle-aged women who take no crap from anyone.

Like the first book focusing mainly on Clio and the second on Jeanie, this has Amber as the main character, and there is an interesting personal component to the story for her. It's her birthday and she gets invited on a weekend away with her two BFFs to a luxury retreat with food from a world-renowned female chef from France.

Unfortunately, the retreat is on an island that gets cut off by bad weather, so when the bodies start to pile up on a dark and stormy night, there are only a handful of suspects, and they have to solve the case against the clock before they fall victim themselves to a murderer they are trapped with in very close proximity.

This is fast-paced, entertaining and easy to read. There is proper sleuthing and getting into danger going on, and it's all wrapped up in the relationships of the women with their friends and family. I found this compelling and was truly surprised by the ending, but equally charmed by the friendship of three strong women who stick together through anything. Recommended.

4.25 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book. I usually don’t like thrillers, but this one was really good. The book is a total of 238 pages long. It is a mystery and thriller. The story is the third in the series The Bad Girls Detective Agency series. Honestly, I had not read the previous books, but a reader could read this one before reading the others. It is an English/British story, so some of the terminology or references are unknown to this American, but that shouldn’t stop a reader from reading. The story starts off with a prologue and keeps in order on time, so it doesn’t really confuse the reader. There are a total of 37 chapters. Each chapter gives a different perspective from each of the women that work in the detective agency. They are lifelong friends that each have their own lives within and without the detective agency. Without spoiling too much there is murder, mystery, and mayhem in this book, but nothing too crazy. It has really good twists and turns that make the reader want to continue reading. The normal reactions to seeing a dead body and feeling exhausted are described and give the book a lighter feel. Plus the main characters are dynamic women who have multiple titles in life besides just being friends or mothers. They are fully themselves and recognize how important each of themselves is to each other. Specifically the book feels more human that way if that makes sense. There is some light humor while also being serious at times. The book was really good and definitely worth reading. Also I’d recommend reading the other books in the series.

Murder on the Menu is the third installment in the Bad Girls Detective Agency series, which follows a trio of women in their 40s solving murders in their hometown of Sunshine Sands. Having read the first two books back-to-back, I’ve grown quite familiar to the characters and their quirks. This time, the spotlight is on Amber — a former detective with a strong sense of justice and a knack for bending the rules to get results.

Set on a dark and stormy island during what’s supposed to be a relaxing birthday weekend, the trio finds themselves once again chasing a killer. But here's the twist: they’re all trapped inside the same castle as the culprit.

The book is loyal to its trademark British humour, with witty banter and nostalgic callbacks to childhood memories), while introducing a new lineup of eccentric suspects. It’s an entertaining, lighthearted read that offers thrills, female camaraderie, and some laugh-out-loud moments.

However, the frequent flashbacks to childhood didn’t always feel necessary and occasionally disrupted the flow of the mystery.

Overall, this is an enjoyable palate cleanser—perfect for those looking to break up heavier reads with a fun, cozy whodunnit.

This was a fun mystery! It had me giggling at points. I didn’t realise this was part of a series so I’ll have to go back and read the others now!

Book three in this series and although you don’t have to have read the first two, they are great reads and will give you some hilarious and endearing backstory on
Amber, Jeanie and Clio.

After some crazy times, the ladies are hoping for a relaxing weekend on an island retreat, but that wouldn’t be any fun for us, would it? Pretty early on in their trip, a body is found and The Bad Girls’ Detective Agency are back to work.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first two, which I loved. The plot didn’t really grip me and there was less humour. Where is the Nutella???

3 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Katie Marsh and Boldwood for an ARC in return for an honest review.

situational-humor, friends, friendship, family-drama, family-dynamics, private-investigators, local-law-enforcement, cozy-crime, verbal-humor, contemporary, investigation, island-life, locked-room-mystery, ex-cop, storms, murders, poisons, suspense, thriller, relationships, unputdownable, family-by-choice, fear, danger*****

Birthday celebrations on an island can be murderous or It was dark and stormy on an isolated island.
Three friends in their mid-forties won a fun trip to an isolated island. But the weather is nasty and the rest of the guests can't get to it. Neither can the police. The first body is that of the celebrity chef, yet it doesn't stop there but only gets scarier. And then there's the one liners and repartee to go along with the goofy situations and a twisty plot full of almost convincing sneaky red herrings. I knew this series was going to turn into a real winner! Laughed my sox off!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected reader's proof from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thanks!
Avail Jan 18, 2025 #MurderontheMenu by Katie Marsh #BadGirlsDetectiveAgencyBk3 #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks #CozyMystery #TrappedOnAnIsland #MurderMystery #Humour

Overall I've really been enjoying this series, but this wasn't my favourite instalment. There were a few too many characters and although the twist could have been really good, I had actually guessed it very early on so it wasn't very dramatic.

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Another solid caper in the series. It was nice to move off site but missed some of the the characters from previous books.

A good cozy mystery. When Amber and her friends go to spend a weekend at a luxury chateau. Until bodies start to show. Enjoyed this one. Book 3, but I wasn’t lost. Lots of characters and red herrings but enjoyed following the investigation. Would highly recommend this book and author.

Received this as an Arc Reader from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book I read by Katie Marsh, but not the first in this series but didn’t feel like I was missing anything by not reading the other books first. This follows the Bad Girl Detective Agency on a weekend away for Ambers birthday but it all ends in disasters when people start dropping dead. I found there to be unnecessary plots points about the characters which didn’t add anything to the story. I didn’t expect the plot twist but I feel like it wasn’t weaved together well and ended up being kind of confusing for me. If the story had been fleshed out and maybe 50 pages longer then I feel it could have been better but without the unnecessary details about the characters and other storylines making it confusing to follow.

Life is too short to finish books I’m not enjoying so I’m DNF’ing this one at 35%. I am sure I’ll be the outlier in this one because others seem to love it.

Fitting Addition..
The third outing in the Bad Girls Detective Agency and the girls are looking forward to some indulgence and relaxation following an unexpected win. The location is remote, the castle luxurious and the chef world class - but, needless to say, something more heinous is just around the corner. Fun and frothy with a cast of nicely drawn characters and a pacy narrative. A fitting addition to the series.

*Murder on the Menu* was a fun and light mystery that had me laughing and engaged, though I feel like I would’ve appreciated it more if I’d read the first book in the series. The characters are great, and the plot is full of twists, but I did find some of the backstory a bit repetitive, which took away from the mystery a little.

Murder on the Menu is a mystery that was a fun time and got some good giggles! I’ll definitely have to reread this book after I read the first one but this book provided enough blurbs about the girls’ history so I didn’t feel lost. I think I just needed to read the first book to really fully appreciate this one. Aside from that some of the blurbs felt repetitive and cut into time the murder mystery plot could have been further delved into. I do recommend it if you're looking for a mystery with drama that was really fun to be in on.