Murder at Hawthorn Cottage by Betty Rowlands @bookouture #Review

ARC received from Bookouture via Netgalley.

Meet Melissa: cat lover, caring mother… daring detective? 

Melissa Craig is absolutely delighted with her new life in an old crumbling cottage, spending her days pruning the primroses and getting to know Binkie, the ginger cat next door. She only wishes she had made the move to the countryside sooner.

But when a knock at the door brings news of a shocking discovery, she suddenly finds herself thrown in to the middle of a baffling mystery: the bones of a young woman have been found in the woods just behind her new home.

Perhaps the little village of Upper Bembury is not as idyllic as it first seemed? 

Strange phone calls in the night convince Melissa that the police are barking up completely the wrong tree, so she can’t resist doing a little digging of her own. From the bingo hall to the beauty salon and beyond, her search ruffles a few feathers and uncovers many of the village’s most scandalous secrets, but gets her no closer to finding the culprit…

The discovery of a tatty old photograph in a drawer is the final piece of the puzzle she needs, but as a newcomer in this close-knit community, does Melissa have what it takes to get to the bottom of this extraordinary murder mystery alone? 

A joy to read! An absolutely unputdownable whodunnit for fans of Agatha Christie, P.D. James and Faith Martin.

This book was previously published as A Little Gentle Sleuthing.

Buy Link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07DP527ZW/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb_uk-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738

In this story we meet Melissa arriving at her new home and apart from a few issues with the builder everything seems to be pretty perfect. Of course it can't stay peaceful for long and what follows is an interesting mystery waiting to be solved.

The story moves at a steady pace as Melissa begins her investigation but there was enough detail to keep me intrigued. I will mention that if you enjoy a more faster paced story then you could be disappointed. However if you are a fan of the more cosy style mystery then you should be fine. It is a little slow to start with but I enjoyed Melissa and Bruce's interactions as they start to look into things.

Location wise this story is perfect as the scene is set wonderfully and you can really get a sense of the countryside. Along with a range of quirky characters to get to know who make for good suspects! The writing is descriptive and will make you feel as if you are a part of village life. 

With thanks to Bookouture for my copy via Netgalley.