After her husband dies in a car crash Sylvie discovers that he had two other wives. Along with one of the wives, and her best friend she sets out to try and find out all about his secret life. While this is not bad as far as cozy mysteries go, and you definitely shouldn't expect them to be realistic, certain things just seem to be far fetched, even more than usual. If you found out that your spouse had another wife/husband would you instantly become best friends with this person and invite them to stay in your house?

4.5 stars~
Imagine waiting on your husband to come home, only to have the police arrive to tell you that they were at the scene of his car accident and he is deceased, then you show up to the morgue and find out that not only is there another wife, younger than you, but also another much younger wife who seems to have disappeared, and who may be the suspect in your husband's death. Would you be able to put aside the hurt and pain and work with the second 'wife', to find out what happened to your errant husband? Sylvie does just that, and as the two actually become friends, they find out that their husband lied to all of them about a great many things and they need to find his new wife asap. A fun cozy, I can see this turning into a fun TV series!

Sleuthing Trio..
The death of Albert Franklynn comes as a shock to his wife, and now widow, Sylvie - but when three grieving widows turn up to identify his body, the shock trebles. As clear as it that Franklynn has been less than a devoted husband, the three women turn their attention to his more than mysterious death. So begins an unexpected and unlikely sleuthing trio. An enjoyable mystery with a frothy plot populated with a well crafted cast of characters in a well imagined village setting. A promising start to a new series.

This didn't really fell like a mystery, but it was certainly a very cozy read for the winter months. All the twists felt a little forced, and that took away from the general appeal of the book. I would have liked one more specific and intense twist rather that the multiple ones this read provided. Overall I would recommend this more as an easy book to read cuddled in a blanked rather than the listed mystery/thriller categorization.

This was a good start to a new series. The characters are engaging and likeable and make a good start to an interesting partnership.. The story has several twists and an interesting plot however it did feel like there were too many unbelievable surprises and the end felt a little rushed but a good start. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

"Death of a Ghostwriter" is a delightful, cozy mystery, perfect for fans of "The Thursday Murder Club." The story follows the investigation of a murder and a mystery surrounding Albert, a man who wasn't who he claimed to be. Three women take on the case, and in classic Miss Marple style, they set out to solve it. This book is well-written, with a charming plot, making it ideal for those who enjoy mysteries without blood and gore. Set against a classic British backdrop, the story unfolds smoothly, with the author providing a thorough and clear narrative from start to finish. There are no plot holes, and everything is precise and concise. While some might find this straightforward approach a bit dull, if you appreciate good writing and clear storylines, this book is perfect for you.

Thanks to Joffe Books and Net Galley for this ARC. After about 4 chapters i thought about giving up and i'm so glad i didn't. This ended up being a really funny novel. The characters are great, the plot was ok, not much of a mystery but a very good cozy light read. I do hope this isn't just a one off

This was my first Cozy mystery. It kept me entertained and couldn’t wait to turn the page. Just when i think i had it figured out BAM! PLOT TWIST! Very well written!

I enjoyed this cozy mystery featuring three women in a small English town. Sylvie and Liz are long time friends and business partners. When Sylvie’s husband dies in an accident, she finds out he had two other wives. One of them, Harriet, becomes friends with Sylvie and Liz as they try to work out what happened. I liked the characters, and thought the story was fun to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

This book isn’t a good fit for me. It’s more telling than showing, with little action. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

The perfect cozy mystery. It was not too slow that it felt boring, not too gritty that the atmosphere got too dark. It was just the perfect amount of fun and intriguing. Might not be the most original work of fiction, but thoroughly enjoyable. A perfect palate cleanser.

3.5

Death of a Ghostwriter begins with the death of Albert Franklynn, husband of Sylvie, who is killed in a terrible car accident. The problems begin when Sylvie goes to identify her husband's body only to find another woman, Harriet Joyce, there for the exact same reason. And the shocks don't end there. The question is who is Albert really?

This story has several twists and an interesting plot that kept my interest throughout. There were times that it felt like the author was trying to cram in too many unbelievable surprises and the end felt a little rushed but otherwise it's a fun read with a reasonably fast-paced story. The main characters of Harriet, Sylvie and Liz are all engaging and likeable.

I suppose this would be described as a "cosy" mystery because it's not gory and indescribably difficult to understand. It would definitely appeal to fans of Thursday Murder Club or similar books. Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books for the advance review copy.

Death of a Ghostwriter has all the makings of a charming cozy mystery: a picturesque English village, quirky characters, and an intriguing murder case. When Albert Franklynn’s sudden death reveals his shocking double—or rather, triple—life as a husband to three women, the story takes a hilarious and chaotic turn. Sylvie, Albert’s first wife, teams up with his other two widows, Liz and Harriet, to uncover the truth behind his murder, setting the stage for an unconventional sleuthing trio.

The premise is unique and entertaining, and I loved the dynamic between the three widows as they begrudgingly work together despite their differences. Each character brought something special to the table—Sylvie’s warmth and resilience, Harriet’s sharp analytical mind, and Liz’s no-nonsense practicality. The backdrop of Monksworthy, with its tea rooms, cobblestone streets, and nosy villagers, added a cozy charm that made me feel right at home.

However, while the book had its strengths, it fell short in pacing and plot development. The mystery, though intriguing, lacked the twists and turns I was hoping for, and the humor didn’t always land for me. Some parts dragged, and I found myself more invested in the character dynamics than the actual whodunit.

I enjoyed this as a mystery novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this. Gaynor Torrance was able to write a strong story and was invested in what was going on. I enjoyed the way the characters worked and left me wanting to read more in this series.

This book has Potential so im giving it 3 stars for a good plot and likeable characters.
It Needs some polishing up before going to print and could then Easily end up being 4 or 5 star. im sending my 'spoiler' notes to publisher, in the hope that somebody saves this book in time.
This could be the start of a very entertaining series.
Thank you to Joffe Books thru NetGalley for this ARC, this is my absolute Fave genre xox

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
A fairly pedestrian cozy murder mystery with some bright spots but overall for me lacking the sparkle of others that really exceed in its genre. I assume from the subtitle that this is setting up for a book series, and I’m sure it will attract readers nonetheless. I felt the ending was a touch rushed, but enjoyed some of the reveals which were unexpected.

Loving cozy mysteries, this one grabbed my interest quickly.
Albert Franklynn was leaving his home when he died in an accident, that later the police think that the accident was murder. Naturally, the shock is overwhelming for his wife, Sylvie. Grief pulls many emotions from a person; however, when two other women arrive, they say they are also Albert’s wives. None of the wives knew about each other, they all thought that they were the only ones. How did Albert have three wives without any of them getting suspicious? Sylvie, one of the other wives, and her friend Liz decide that they are going to get to the bottom of everything: his death, how he managed three separate lives, and then if he was hiding anything else.
So, this was the first of a new series and when I read the description, this one had so much promise and sounded intriguing. However, the pace of the story was slower, and I had to push through several chapters to get into the book. While this definitely was not the worst cozy mystery I have read, but its also not the best, but I still hold hope for the author and will look for the next book. I think that this series does have promise and I will check out the next installment, but this one was not my favorite. Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the opportunity to read and review this one!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

2.5 ⭐ Rounded up.

The premise of this is promising, a man dies, his wife is informed, only to discover as she is identifying the body that he was also married to 2 other women and has been leading a triple life. What other secrets is he hiding? Were any of the wives involved in the murder?

The problem is in the execution. First and foremost, it takes a little bit to get going and feels quite slow-paced for how short it is. For how slow-paced it felt, a lot of page space was wasted on the wrong things, there was plenty of room to find out more about Albert's multiple lives, more of his secrets, and more of the actual mystery bits. I felt like far too much page space was spent telling us how amazing various pastries were as the women met for another meal to talk about what great friends they were. Like I loved the female friendship, I adore that shit for sure, but we don't need to reaffirm their friendship every 5 minutes.

For example, without spoiling too much there is a climactic meeting between the two families and a third party who is also linked to Albert, but this is only described to us in a few lines after it has happened. No, go into that more, give us a chapter on that. That's interesting. Tell us more about this side of Albert, and show us the interesting dynamic between these families.

Also, justice for Simon! On one hand the police in this case are hilariously bad, apparently none of the three wives are treated as suspects at all? This is super weird because really they should be the first suspects the police have. But I also felt like the women were way too hard on Simon, considering he repeatedly puts up with them meddling in an active investigation and tells them that he believes them and will pass the information on and thanks them for all their help, they get mad because he won't just act on information they get from dubious sources, what do you want him to do? Break into a millionaire's house and accuse his fiancee of being a murderer? I get being frustrated by the lack of progress from the police but why they are angry at Simon specifically as if he has done anything wrong is wild.

The premise is intriguing and I enjoy the concept of these widows coming together to solve mysteries but the execution was lacking.

Death of a Ghostwriter is a cosy mystery set in the fictional village of Monksworthy.

Sylvie is a happy wife and loves her job running the local tea room surrounded by the most scrumptious pastries day after day. When her husband, Albert, leaves on one of his working weeks, she kisses him goodbye and wishes him a safe trip. But Albert doesn’t make it to his destination. Not long after he leaves, he is involved in a fatal car accident. And when Sylvie arrives at the mortuary to identify the body, her world is thrown into turmoil when she finds out that two other women are claiming Albert as their husband. Then the police reveal that it looks as though Albert’s brakes were tampered with. The plot thickens!

The premise sounded great and the idea of the wives all finding out about each other and the possibility of murder made for a story I wanted to dive into. The subtle clues about the ending are only hinted at in the beginning, which is good. The story starts off quickly and straight away you want to find out why it happened and who these other women are. But the pace slacks off and you find yourself having to read for the sake of reading to get to the next book.

The style is very light but tended towards being too much in places. And by that I mean it felt forced and as though the scene was pushed at you rather than you being in the scene. Some conversations felt unnecessary and for sixty-something year olds they tended to speak a lot younger and a lot more energetically (if you can imagine a bunch of girls squealing and gushing over something). There was a lot of eating and drinking involved in this too for some reason.

Now, while I understand that a cosy mystery has the characters investigating, it seemed the police did very little in this and that the ladies were able to find out far too much by themselves. That they could get in touch with “all” the people of a certain money class seemed a stretch too. And since the title had ghostwriter in it, there was actually very little to do with this. It felt like a missed opportunity for a subplot. And then the ending. All of that and it was over so quickly? I don’t mind a build-up but to just have action, action, action and then “cut”? Left me wanting more.

It’s a good book but not enough that I’d read it again. If you need a rainy day afternoon read then this is for you.