✨ARC Review ✨

4⭐

If you're in the mood for a delightful cozy mystery, "The Widow's Guide to Murder" by Amanda Ashby is a fantastic pick! Set in a charming small town, this book features an eclectic group of widows who band together to solve a murder. Think of it as a fun mash-up of "The Golden Girls" and "Murder She Wrote," with plenty of twists to keep you on your toes.

The characters are a hoot! There’s one widow who's always knitting and baking up a storm, another who has taken up breaking and entering after mastering lock picking from YouTube, and a third who dabbled in law school and insists on dishing out legal advice full of jargon. Then we have our main character, who really pulls this quirky crew together with her clever plans and charming personality, making her the go-to for information in their little escapades.

The dialogue sparkles with humor—seriously, I was in stitches! The older characters don’t hold back, and I loved every witty exchange. There were moments that had me in tears from laughing so hard. Here are a few gems:

“I prefer cold hard cash, but Hen – she won’t let us gamble anymore. Not since the stripe poker incident.”

“Now that right there is a power move. That stray car has been hanging around for weeks and seems to like tormenting Louisa just as much as Esme does.”

“I’m very rusty, and I do hate not knowing how everything works and where the paperclips should live.”

[JM] “I’m exercising my fifth right amendments. And I will be advising my clients to do the same.” Ginny wasn’t sure if JM realized that they lived in the United Kingdom and weren’t covered by the American Constitution. Still, it didn’t seem like a good time to mention it.

“I am cold. I am tired. It’s been a very long day. So could someone give me a good reason not to throw you all in jail?”

“And you’ve had a very long day, which is bound to make anyone hangry. Maybe you should have something to eat?” [Hen pushes plate of sandwiches towards DI Wallace]

“What we’re saying is our case is waterproof, and you can’t touch us.”

“So I can get a warrant to exhume the body, and to remind myself that I don’t have the energy to arrest four women who are trying to put me in a grave of my own.”

Amid all the laughs, the book also thoughtfully touches on the theme of loss. The author does a wonderful job illustrating how loss can affect people and how different coping mechanisms can help or hinder us. This theme runs through both the main and secondary characters, giving the story a beautifully rounded feel.

Even with the murder mystery element and its heavier moments, the tone remains light and entertaining throughout. It's easy to read and follow, with a nice mix of twists—some easier to guess and others that pack more of a punch. But honestly, I was just enjoying the ride! I can't wait to dive into the next book!

Big Thanks to Netgalley & Amanda Ashby for the gifted ARC.

This is a really enjoyable cosy crime book with lots of quirky and interesting characters. The detectives are older characters and the story does move at a steady pace but it's entrapping and still keeps you gripped. i haven't ready anything by Amanda Ashby before but I definitely will be reading the others in the series

I really enjoyed this cosy mystery. Ginny is a widow who carries through with her late husbands plan of moving from the city to a small village. Here she finds work as a part-time library assistant, only to discover that her new boss is something of an ogre and seems have made enemies with nearly all of the users of the service.
When Ginny discovers her boss has been murdered, she is taken aback and regretting her decision to move to the country. She soon finds herself though, taken under the wing of a small group of local widows who are looking for ways to occupy their time.
Ginny finds herself stepping right out of her comfort zone and eventually out of her grief.
Thank you Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

Endearing, eccentric characters (all widows), all quite vociferous in their views was not quite what Ginny expected when she moved to this small village after the death of her husband. Ginny was retiring, not forceful, taking a back seat and quite drab. Getting a job as an assistant librarian was for her a way to assimilate into village life. She didn’t anticipate her boss Louisa being a nasty piece of work but to find her murdered on the second day of her work at the library was overwhelming.

Lots of suspects because Louisa only made enemies wherever she went. The Detective in charge was not interested in theories put by the group of women, however sensible or ridiculous they were. Detective Wallace was also Ginny’s neighbour which did not help as he looked on them all as an irritant.

Complicated scenarios and relationships in this cozy. All the women had distinctive personalities which made for a very united, tolerant whole.

Idyllic Village Murders…
The first outing in the Widows Detective Club series of mysteries and Ginny’s move to a quaint and idyllic countryside village seems doomed from the outset. Thinking that she’s already had enough bad luck to last a lifetime, imagine her surprise when upon arrival at her new home she falls headlong into a murder. Enjoyable and entertaining cosy mystery with a cast of colourful characters and a well imagined setting. A promising start to a new series.

I really enjoyed this small English village cozy mystery! The characters were interesting and I hope to get to know them better in future books! I liked this book very much as an opening to a series and I look forward to reading the next ones!
Plot-wise, the stakes felt high enough to be interested in the mystery, and I enjoyed the twists and turns.
Ginny is so likeable as a detective and a widow trying to find her place in this small community. Hen, Tuppence, and JM are a great sleuthing crew, and I look forward to getting to know them better as the series goes on. The supporting characters are well drawn, from Connor at the library (who I'm really rooting for!) to grumpy Wallace next door. I especially like Edgar!
All in all, an excellent cozy read!

I was a little apprehensive going into this one. Sometimes, when you have elderly sleuths in cozies, it tends to get a little silly and is short on substance. That is not the case with this series and I loved it! The characters are quirky but well-developed and have common sense (except the whole not having the cell phone with you at all times but that’s quickly remedied), and the setting is quaint and welcoming. Besides the mystery, there are some tough topics covered as well, primarily coping with the loss of loved ones, which added a little heft to the book but was well balanced with the humor and shenanigans of the club. I enjoyed getting to know Ginny and her new friends, following along as they investigated the murders in town. Looking forward to the next in the series!

The Widows' Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby.
There are a lot of cosy elements in The Widows' Guide to Murder (the first instalment in the "Widows' Detective Club" series). Ginny Cole is a widow who has just moved into a quaint cottage in Little Shaw. She dreams of a peaceful retirement, working part-time at the village library- she's even adopted by a cat- but her plans take a sharp turn when she literally stumbles over the body of her disagreeable boss, Louisa.

What unfolds is a charming tale of mischief and mayhem packed with humour and heart as Ginny teams up with a quirky band of fellow widows to solve the case. Initially hesitant, Ginny quickly finds herself plunging into the world of amateur sleuthing, determined to clear the name of Alyson, the daughter of one of her new friends, who has been wrongfully implicated in the murder. With every twist and turn, Ginny's journey transforms from being a rule-abiding citizen into an unexpected heroine—much to the aggravation of her neighbour, Detective Inspector Wallace, who's not particularly thrilled with the widows and their meddling.

With humour and intrigue, this book has twists that keep you on your toes. If you, like me, enjoy a cosy mystery sprinkled with humour and a touch of whimsy, this book should definitely be on your TBR pile!

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC, allowing me to dive into this delightful whodunit!

Big thumbs up! 👍

Body count: 4, a surprisingly high number for such a cosy mystery!

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The Widows' Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby is an entertaining, fun-filled cozy mystery that introduces us to Ginny Cole, a recent widow who is trying to navigate her new life in the village of Little Shaw. Ginny moves into a cottage with plans to retire peacefully, but her quiet life is upended when she finds the body of her rude and unlikable boss, Louisa, at her new job as a library assistant. This marks the beginning of Ginny’s unexpected journey into sleuthing and friendship with three other widows—Hen, Tuppence, and JD.

What starts as a reluctant investigation soon turns into a delightful series of misadventures as Ginny and her fellow widows get on the wrong side of the law, all while trying to clear the name of Alyson, the daughter of one of the widows, who is a prime suspect. The dynamic between the widows is fantastic, with each woman bringing her own unique personality to the team. Despite being a rule-follower and having a fear of getting arrested, Ginny finds herself doing things she never imagined, much to the annoyance of the local detective, who isn’t thrilled about their interference.

This book is filled with humor, intrigue, and plenty of twists that keep you guessing. The charming setting, the lovable characters, and the delightful cat Edgar make for an enjoyable read. I found myself cheering on Ginny and her new friends as they unraveled secrets and solved the case. The mystery is well-crafted, and while the plot is light-hearted, it’s full of heart and humor.

The Widows' Guide to Murder is the first book in a promising new series, and I can’t wait for the next installment, The Widows' Guide to Backstabbing. If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a touch of humor and a cast of quirky, endearing characters, this one is definitely worth picking up!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this eARC for reading and reviewing!!

I enjoyed this book but didn’t love it. Perhaps I was just tired this week, but I had trouble sticking with it and it took me longer to finish than I expected. Maybe this just happens with the first book in a cozy series but the pacing felt a little slow. I enjoyed the small town setting, the library, and the characters. I will definitely consider reading the next book in the series.

This is the first book in The Widows' Detective Club series. Recently widowed Ginny moves to Little Shaw to start her new job as a librarian. She arrives for her second day in the job and finds the body of her boss. She quickly finds herself thrust into a friendship group with three other widows while they try and solve the murder.

This was such an easy read and a great mystery to follow along with. There certainly wasn't a lack of suspects and the clues were there all along. Ginny is a great main character, especially when she is trying to keep the other widows in check. I laughed out loud a few times at their escapades! I'm going straight into the second book and hopefully it's just as good.

Ginny is a likeable sensible character with a fair bit of self doubt, and the group of women who adopted her are quirky and warm. What a great bunch. I love the way the author used language - at times wry, witty, and always an easy flow. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Widows Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby is a really great mystery.

The characters are great, and the story really kept me guessing.

Can't wait for the next book in the series.

EXCERPT: At the surgery she'd always been so in control. And even though each day had brought new challenges, the overall running of the place had been as smooth as clockwork, with no real surprises.
She'd only worked at the library for one day and already felt off-kilter.
Still, there wasn't much else she could do. Eric used to tease her that she was a person who finished what they started. And he was right. So, even if she was about to be fired, at least she would have seen it through.
She turned the handle and stepped inside.
The lights were on, the low hum of the computer suggesting it was in sleep mode. The tall shelves were lined with new books, and a stepladder was lying on the ground. And there, in the middle of the floor, was Louisa Farnsworth, half covered in a pile of books, the pages spread out like birds ready to take flight.
The Lee Childs everyone had been waiting for.

ABOUT 'THE WIDOWS' GUIDE TO MURDER': Ginny Cole doesn’t want to be a widow. She’d rather not be forcibly adopted by an opinionated black cat. And she’d give anything not to have just found the murdered body of her rude and dislikeable new boss…

So she’s as surprised as anyone to realise that she doesn’t hate being on the wrong side of the law, searching a graveyard for evidence in the company of three fellow widows, and doing a whole host of un-Ginny-like things in order to solve a fiendish mystery.

It was a bumpy start, but Ginny might even be starting to like her new life. Certainly well enough that when her sleuthing puts her too close for the killer’s comfort, she’ll do whatever it takes to hold onto it…

MY THOUGHTS: I loved meeting Ginny and the other widows on their hunt for a murderer as they try and clear the name of Alyson, the daughter of one of the widows, who seems to be the prime suspect.

The Widows' Guide to Murder is the first book in a new series that promises to be full of fun and intrigue. Finding a dead body and collaborating to try to solve a murder must be the strangest way to make friends that I have ever heard of. Even worse - Ginny, an ardent rule follower, has capiophobia - the fear of being arrested and thrown in prison - and some of the things that the widows get up aren't exactly legal! To make things worse, her new neighbor is Detective Walker, the man in charge of the case and he is not particularly impressed with the widows' interference.

Each of the widows has a unique personality and I am looking forward to seeing how their characters develop in the next book, The Widows' Guide to Backstabbing.

A fun and easy read.

⭐⭐⭐.8

#TheWidowsGuidetoMurder #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHOR: Amanda Ashby was born in Australia but now lives in New Zealand where she writes romance, young adult and middle grade books. She also works in a library, owns far too many vintage tablecloths and likes to delight her family by constantly rearranging the furniture.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Storm Publishing via NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of The Widows' Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Overall, this was a sweet cozy mystery. Between the library setting, the sweet stray cat, the knitting, and all the tea, I wanted to just curl up in a good blanket with this book.

However, at times the pacing was just a tad over slow and I did feel like the main characters could have had a bit more depth. Additionally, the number of large side characters could make things a bit confusing at times, especially when I got to some of the twists.

While it was enjoyable, I’m not sure that I personally liked this one quite enough to continue the series. However, I still may recommend this book to a friend depending on their tastes.

Ginny, recently widowed and having moved to a small town, takes a job at the library. On her second day of work, the unlikable head librarian is found dead. The unofficial widows' club, a group of other women who also happened to be widows and enjoy other's company (as well as sticking their noses in everywhere) adopt Ginny to help them solve the murder and clear the name of one of their daughters, who is a suspect. This was about what I expected for another of the "old folks solving murders" books that are popular at the moment. 3.5 stars rounded to 3.

The Widows' Guide to Murder is the first book in Amanda Ashby's Widows' Detective Club Mystery series. It features Ginny Cole, an amateur sleuth in her sixties who’s just lost her husband. Instead of wallowing in grief, she decides to stick to their retirement plan and moves from Bristol to the quaint little village of Little Shaw.

Things take a wild turn when Ginny stumbles upon a body in the local library. She picks up on some suspicious clues and, with the help of three other widows from the village, dives into solving the mystery.

This cozy mystery is a total delight! The writing is charming, the characters are fantastic, and there are moments that will make you laugh and cry. Ginny is super relatable, and her three widowed friends add a lot of heart and humor to the mix. Plus, she adopts a clever stray cat named Edgar, who brings some hilarious moments to the story.

The plot is well put together and pretty suspenseful, with a nice ending that wraps everything up well.

Honestly, this book is one of my top picks for 2025 so far! I can’t wait to see where the series goes next.

If you’re into Agatha Raisin, The Thursday Murder Club, or The Marlow Murder Club, you’ll definitely want to check out the Widows' Detective Club Mystery series.

If Ginny Cole didn’t have bad luck, she wouldn’t have any luck at all. Or so it seems when she finds the body of the local library manager, who was not beloved by the town folk. If finding them body weren’t bad enough, her friend’s daughter is accused of murder and now she joins several other widows to help clear the young woman’s name. Can Ginny turn her luck around, or is this the end of the road for her?

I saw the start to a new British cozy series. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Ginny and the other ladies.

Short and fun mystery read. Anyone who likes older detective shows will find a lot to love here. Fun supporting cast and a wonderful and easy to like lead

I really enjoyed the first book in this new cozy mystery series by Amanda Ashby. Set in small town England it follows Ginny Cole as she tries to move forward in a new town after her husband's passing. Her plans for retirement in Little Shaw aren't going to be exactly how she planned now that she's a widower. She needs to get a job to help with her finances and she needs to adjust without her constant companion of decades.
She finds a job at the local library, finds a sweet cat and she meets a group of fellow widowers who welcome her into their "club" of sorts.
She needs their support when she finds a dead body on only her second day of work and when one of the widower's daughters is suspect number one in the death the group works together to uncover the truth.
There's lots of adventures that ensue and what comes to light will leave you guessing and surprised. I really enjoyed the twists and turns and was not expecting where the story ended up. I can't wait to read the second and get back to Ginny, her cat edgar and her friends. I also am looking forward to where things go with her detective neighbour and her mentoring relationships at the library.
Well crafted. I highly recommend this series!