Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced readers copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

I received this book from NetGalley over three years ago. Every time I planned to read it something would come up, I'd run out of time, and put it aside for another day. I considered marking it as one that I would not review because it had been so long, but when I would revisit the synopsis I still wanted to read the book... eventually. Well, that day finally came and I am so glad that I decided to keep it on my TBR.

This book is the fourth in a series. I did not know that when I requested it, but decided to go ahead and read it without reading the first three books. It works fine as a standalone. I may go back and read the previous books (at this rate it should only take me about 10 years) to gain more background on our main characters, Detective Sergeant Michael Brennan and Constable Jaggery.

This story was well-written and reminded me of the classic storytelling of Agatha Christie. There were many characters and you consider each as a possible suspect until all is revealed at the end. I enjoyed the capable Brennan as our investigator and the Victorian setting, though the expectations of women in this time period are always a little difficult to stomach. In addition, there were a few times when I laughed out loud by a surprising moment or witty comment.

Overall, an interesting mystery and enjoyable story. If you enjoy Christie's work, you may want to give this series a try.

#SittingMurder #NetGalley

Atmospheric mystery with murder, seances and mediums! Sounds right up my alley! This is the 4th title in the Lancashire Detective series and although the mystery and setting (Victorian village) were well done, the characters were lacking. Maybe this was developed more in the previous books? I would have liked to have read this series from the beginning to see how they developed.

I gave this book a fair shot but ended up DNFing it around ch 3. It didn't hold my interest. The writing itself flowed nicely enough but I just couldn't get into it for some reason. I don't feel right about giving the book a 1 star on Goodreads and amazon since I didn't finish the book.

Mixed feelings about this one. If you enjoy Edward Marston or Sherlock Holmes you'll find much to enjoy here however it often feels like the author is trying to ape better authors instead of being himself. The regional dialect in print is annoying rather than immersive.

Whilst I have not read any of the other books in the series, I did not have to worry as it worked as a standalone.
Detective Sergeant Brennan had been asked to investigate who was behind a death threat sent to a young widow. What made her special was since her husband died, she had been communicating with the dead.
This was an enjoyable read which I read fairly quickly. Brennan being a Catholic was very sceptical about the paranormal link. However, after there was a murder, he put his own beliefs aside. Whilst there were quite a few characters, it was easy to keep track of what was going on. As more information was found out, not only did Brennan’s suspect list begin to grow, so did mine.
The atmospheric description has you feeling that you are there, walking down the foggy street, looking for a murderer. As this is historical fiction, the case has to be solved by good old fashion police work and as lately I have read mainly modern stories. It was a refreshing change to read. There were plenty of twists and red herrings to keep me guessing and the unmasking of the murderer was unexpected. A good relaxing read.

This sounded like a good premise to me at the time but now I don’t really feel like it’s a book I would read. Might revisit it at another time

Set in Victorian times Alice Goodway’s husband is dying from a mine accident she hear’s his deathbed confession. Alice develops the gift of talking to the dead through Jack her husband. There are various people in the village who need this service due to their own sad stories. Then Jack’s aunt is murdered. She has been helping Alice with the sittings. Can one of the visitors to the sittings be suspect. You follow the investigation of Sergeant Brennan and find the plot comes with many twists and turns to keep a fan of mysteries satisfied.
The pace of the first chapters was a bit too slow but the story is worth staying with.
I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Great cover and I enjoyed the mystery to be solved; however, I had a difficult time with the heavy accents. There is quite a bit of dialogue and reading through it became a bit of a chore.

I so love Victorian crime novels. And Sitting Murder is definitely one of my favourites.
I realized this is the fourth book ín the series after I've started reading it but I thought I give it a try anyway. And I'm glad I did.
The plot was interesting enough. Kept me guessing. DS Brennan is a capable police officer, hé has his wits about hím. Oh and I truly liked hís loyal constable, Constable Jaggery. The dialogues were believeble, easly to follow. I never would have guessed who the killer was.
I will read the other books by A.J. Write.

A great Victorian mystery with a 'medium' angle that is finally solved by good, old-fashioned police work.

A fantastic murder mystery with all the right feels! I lived the plot, characters and twist!😍❤📚

I love the cover of this book. It really drew me to it. I did not realize that this book was part of series until about half way thru but I did not feel like I was missing anything by not reading all three previous books. This historical fiction based in a NOrth West English town in the 19th century. There is a mining accident and newly married Alice loses her husband Jack. Alice becomes a medium who offers comfort to others thru her husband Jack. Jack’s aunt Doris has moved in with Alice, supervising the seances and taking payments. When Alice receives a threatening note and her aunt is murdered in her bed, Detective Sergeant Brennan of the Wigan Borough Police Department and his side kick Constable Jaggery head up the investigation.

It is fun to read a story that involves crime solving without all of the "contemporary" scientific technology.

A whodunit Historical murder mystery.

In 1890s Alice Goodway has just lost her husband, Jack, in a mining accident and discovered the ability to speak to spirits, seeing as she is able to speak to her dead husband. .She then is persuaded by Aunt Doris to hold individual sittings for a few of the locals .When they receive an anonymous poison letter Doris calls the police.. DS Brennan doesn't know what to think of it but he's sure her abilities are fake, Before they figure out who wrote the letter things take a dark turn and ,Doris is found suffocated in her bed.


Not my typical read but this help enough mystery and suspense to keep me hooked till the end.

I received this book for free from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

This book is the 4th book in a series.

It is full of mystery and I enjoyed it. However, I do fell like it wasn't for me. The book was very well written and had good world building but I just could not get into it. That may be because of the somewhat ready slump I was in.

Not my cup of tea but very well written none-the-less. Very emotional and in-depth book and very descriptive.

This is a fantastic book. I enjoyed it immensely. The way the author created the characters so I cared about them was terrific. And the twist at the end...didn’t see that coming at all.

For such a long spiel it was a very mediocre book.

It took a while to read. A very long while. It was all fog, rain, frost, dirt, poor interior design and all in all doom and gloom of provincial English town.

The whole book was like one big foggy night. A whodunit set in industrial little town with all its misfortunes, hardship and grief. A murder mixed with clarivoyancy with an added taste of religious righteousness and blind stupidity of bureaucrats.

To be honest I was surprised with how this mystery turned out and who has done it (the murder). I have to give the author the right dues. But overall, I found this story dragging, lacking and... fogging.

I would not read any other books in the series, that is for sure.

Very good historical mystery. It's well research and well written. The atmosphere is dark and gloom, the characters are interesting and the plot really entertaining.
I started it and kept me interested and guessing till the end.
Recommended.
Many thanks to Endeavour Press and Netgalley

The atmosphere in the book was good but it was far too descriptive. I would have preferred there to be more dialogue. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish the book as my copy expired but I’m sure the ending was good.