Murder in a Country Garden - Betty Rowlands

Murder in a Country Garden: A completely addictive English cozy murder mystery by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel quite sad. This is the last in the Mel Craig series. I've been enjoying reading them over the last few months and now it has come to an end. Actually, that's not quite true, I missed book three in the series and will be going back to that. Even so, it seems to leave me feeling a bit emotional to get to the end. I suppose that there is a limit to how many bodies that Mel could fall upon and she is Melissa Martin by this book.
The storyline this time revolves around the seemingly accidental death of a local man after he was stung by his bees while beekeeping. After another similar death and details emerging about what kind of man the first victim was, it becomes clear to Mel and her new husband Joe that there might be something sinister at work here.
The manner of death in this story was a little unusual, being stung to death seems like a pretty horrid way to go! I have to admit that I didn't manage to solve this one. Not because I was blaming the wrong person, but simply because I hadn't a clue who had actually done the murder.
This was another great read and instalment in the Mel Craig series. I'm quite sad that it's come to an end, but I have really enjoyed reading them all.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Murder in the Dining Room - Betty Rowlands

Murder in the Dining Room: An absolutely gripping British cozy mystery by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This Mel Craig book as a little different to the previous ones in the series. This time, rather than Mel getting involved in a mystery and investigating what had happened, her mother was in the thick of things. Mel was reunited with her estranged mother in the previous book, after the death of her father. Now in a residential home for the elderly, which is more like a hotel than anything, while she waits for the extension to be done to Mel's house, Sylvia finds that she the death of a dog, followed by her owner makes her suspicious that a murderer is at large.
I did find it quite funny that Mel did her best to stop her mother from investigating when in previous books she's been the one nosing into things and ignoring everyone else. Of course, her mother doesn't listen and before long both Sylvia and Mel are independently trying to get to the bottom of what happened.
This was another really enjoyable mystery. Sadly, this time I didn't quite manage to solve it all before the reveal, but that never detracts from the enjoyment of a book like this. I think that there's only one more Mel Craig book to go, which is a bit of a shame, as I've been thoroughly enjoying them.

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Murder at the Old House - Betty Rowlands

Murder at the Old House by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love this series. Each one just gets better and better. This time, the story takes place away from Melissa's village. Her father has been murdered and her mother is the prime suspect. Mel hasn't seen her parents for over twenty years (possibly nearly thirty?) as they threw her out when she got pregnant with her son Simon and wasn't married.
Although the story is a murder mystery (one which I didn't actually solve this time, I was barking up the wrong tree completely) much of the actual story is about Mel and her relationship with her parents. We have been told that they are estranged previously and why, but it has only really been mentioned in passing. Now we not only get to meet her mother, but we find out more about both Mel's past and her parent's relationship.
We also see much more of Mel's agent, Joe in this book. He has been a background character in previous stories, particularly because Mel has wanted to keep him at arm's length. In this book, he not only features quite prominently but Mel herself come to rely upon him more.
There are another two books still to go in this series and I have one earlier one to go back and read. I'm loving them and I'll be disappointed when they finally come to an end. The Mel Craig series is highly enjoyable.

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Murder at Benbury Brook - Betty Rowlands

Murder at Benbury Brook: An absolutely gripping English cozy mystery by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great book from Betty Rowlands in the Melissa Craig series. I did wonder how she would fare now that Iris, her next door neighbour and close friend had left for France. The arrival of a new neighbour to live, at least for the time being in Iris's cottage soon throws Mel into the midst of another mystery and it isn't long before she finds herself involved in a little sleuthing.

With the changes that happened in the last book, I knew that we were likely to be without a few of the supporting characters from previous books. Although I have always enjoyed reading about them, they weren't really missed her and Mel still had a couple of friendly faces to rely upon.

This time the mystery focuses on the death of a girl was it an accident, or something more sinister? There is also something decidedly seedy going on in the village. It becomes pretty clear what's going on, although there are no graphic descriptions, just enough hints to make it clear what certain characters have been doing. I've said before that I feel that these books are more 'classic mysteries' than cosy mysteries. Although things aren't spelt out as such, I think that the crimes do make these more classic than cosy, but perhaps that's because I tend to be a little dismissive of the term 'cosy' and see it as twee and insubstantial, which these novels certainly aren't.

One of the joys of this series is the way that village life is depicted. I don't know if it's because I grew up in an English village and I relate to this picture, or just because it's so well written, a little of both perhaps? I suppose that there is a little nostalgia too, with these books being set (and written) twenty years or so ago now. That doesn't detract from the enjoyment though, these are great mysteries and a good read, even if the world has moved on a little.

The more of this series I read, the more I enjoy them. I can't wait to see what the next book has in store for Mel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Murder in Langley Woods - Betty Rowlands

Murder in Langley Woods: A completely addictive cozy mystery novel by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm getting through these Mel Craig mysteries at the moment, up to book eight already with book nine ready to go next. Like the previous books in the series, these are classic mysteries with a who done it to solve.
This time Mel finds herself drawn into the case after the disappearance of an old freezer from the house of a fellow resident of her village. To begin with, she thinks nothing of it, but when the freezer turns up twenty miles away complete with a dead body inside. Mel being Mel, she can't resist but find out what has happened and with the help of journalist Bruce, she begins to investigate further.
In the previous books, Mel has been involved in a relationship with ex-policeman Ken. She's kept him very much at arm's length and now he's pushing for more commitment. The main problem is that he doesn't like her getting involved in the investigations that she seems to find herself in the middle of.
The end of the book resulted in some changes or coming changes in Mel's life. I don't know yet what this will mean for some of the characters who have been regular so far. I am looking forward to finding out and seeing what mystery Mel gets involved in next.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Murder at Larkfield Barn - Betty Rowlands

Murder at Larkfield Barn by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm rapidly becoming a big fan of the Mel Craig mysteries. The more of them I read, the more that I enjoy.
This instalment, number seven in the series, is in some ways slightly different from the previous books. Where Mel has found herself in the thick of investigations, usually against the wishes of her policeman boyfriend Ken, she takes a less active role in investigating this time. It still works well though and I liked the bigger role that Ken played.
I wasn't sure about the relationship with Mel and Ken and wasn't sure if it was going to work or not. Things had changed a little by this book. Ken is no longer with the police service but has set up his own investigation service. He is away a bit seeing to other cases that he his working on, but much of the mystery this time is shown through him. Although Mel is still a little standoffish with him, I think that they will work things out in the end.
Again with this one, I had more or less solved it all by the time that they had. It worked and was enjoyable to read about, which ticks the big boxes for me with murder mysteries.
As I said, this book had a different feel to the others in some ways, but it was still a really good Mel Craig mystery. It goes without sayI received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.ing that I'm looking forward to the next one.


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Murder in the Orchard - Betty Rowlands

Murder in the Orchard: A totally gripping cozy mystery novel by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book 6 of the Melissa Craig Mysteries and I think that each one just gets better and better. I have to admit that I polished this off in one day, not quite one sitting, but I didn't want to put it down. This time Melissa finds herself in the middle of another mystery when she is supposed to be on a writers retreat. Needless to say, she doesn't get a great deal of writing done.
As well as the small cast of suspects, we have the return of regular characters in the form of Gloria the cleaner, next door neighbour and artist Iris and boyfriend and tame policeman Ken. I have to admit that I haven't decided how I feel about the Ken and Melissa relationship. On the whole, I think that I'm in favour, but with Melissa being a bit unsure herself and the two of them continually butting heads when it comes to how involved she seems to get in these mysteries, the jury is still out.
As ever the mystery worked well and I really enjoyed it. I didn't manage to solve the whole thing this time, but I had picked up on most of the clues and got my head around quite a bit before the big reveal.
I love these classic mystery stories and can't wait to see what trouble Mel manages to find herself in the middle of in the next book. No doubt Ken will be less than impressed with her snooping around.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


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Murder on a Winter Afternoon - Betty Rowlands

Murder on a Winter Afternoon by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These Mel Craig Mysteries just get better and better, I don't know if it's because I know the character a little better with each one. This book has, like the last one, a bit of an art theme going on. It's a bit of a different situation to in the previous book, but is interesting and works well all the same.
You might expect that by the third book, Mel might have been a bit more on the ball with this mystery. Mel is a mystery novelist herself, which is part of the reason that she gets involved in all of these crimes in the first place, so she should surely be able to solve things reasonably easy. In this book, she doesn't spot what I felt was fairly obvious though. I don't know if the mystery would have worked so well if she had, so I'll let her off, I was getting a little stressed and wanting to give her a shake.
One of the great things about reading a series is that you get to see the characters develop over time. In this instalment we see the development of a relationship that grew a little in the last book, I wonder if we'll see more of this in subsequent books?
The only slightly annoying thing about this series is that on the one hand, it is quintessentially English, but the book must have been prepared for the American market. There are a few too many cell phones and cookies for my liking that just detract very slightly from that British setting. Overall though, this is a great classic mystery series and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books.

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Murder at the Manor Hotel - Betty Rowlands

Murder at the Manor Hotel by Betty Rowlands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm really enjoying these Melissa Craig mysteries. Unfortunately, I've missed out on book number three in this series, but I don't think it really matters and I can go back later. Like the previous books that I've read this is another classic murder mystery. This time with the added threat of some other criminal activity (I won't go into details, as Melissa doesn't find out about it until later in the book).
These stories are marketed as being cosy mysteries. I personally am not a fan of the term and I think in this case it sells the story a little short. Most that fall into that genre are a little more humorous and light-hearted than this. That's not to say that this is some gritty dark tale, but there's more to it than a throwaway read in my opinion.
Melissa is again involved in the thick of the action and looks to find out more. I also like the development of her relationship with some of the other characters. Her next door neighbour is as always an entertaining side character, although she doesn't have a central role in this book and the same can be said for her cleaner. There is a little more of her tame policeman friend too and I suspect that he may feature a little more in future books.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series, although it doesn't really matter if you read this as a one-off or part of the series. It certainly works as a stand-alone novel.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


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