The setting of this story (an Abbey in the countryside) was very cozy and set the stage for an enjoyable read. It was very interesting to learn about life as a nun: how they work together, the challenges they face recruiting members and maintaining their home, the Gouda business they run etc., The multiple mysteries woven throughout the story made this a really fun and fast paced read.

The Shadow of Death didn't quite hit my expectations. The story has a lot of characters and some situations that were a bit hard for me to believe.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

Jane Willan's first book in the Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery series is The Shadow of Death. Sister Agatha is a mystery writing nun living in Wales. When Jacob, the church caretaker, is found dead in the Abbey's cheese aging room, Sister Agatha is the only one who believes it is murder. Once the strange events at the Abbey start piling up, Sister Agatha plans to use her mystery novel skills to solve the murder. I adored Sister Agatha, Father Selwyn, and all of the nuns at the Abbey. The book was full of action as it had a side storyline in addition to introducing all of the characters. I am already looking forward to the second book!

The Shadow of Death by Jane Willan is the first installment in A Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery series. Sister Agatha is an Order of the Sacred Heart nun at Gwenafwy Abbey in Pryderi, North Wales where the sisters make their own gouda cheese known as Heavenly Gouda. Sister Agatha is the librarian for the abbey and, in her spare time, is working on writing a mystery novel. She enters the cheese barn to find Jacob Traherne, the sexton for St. Anselm’s Church, on the floor under a heavy steel shelving unit that had held their gouda. Constable Barnes rules the death an accident, but Sister Agatha has her doubts. This is an opportunity for Sister Agatha to utilize what she has learned from reading mystery novels, her writing classes and her favorite podcast on How to Write a Mystery Novel. With help from her fellow nuns and Father Selwyn (her designated sidekick), Sister Agatha sets out to find Jacob’s killer. But she cannot devote all her time to the case. The abbey is in trouble and they only have a short time to save their home. Plus, there is something fishy about their new postulant, Sister Callwen has been acting secretive lately, and their cheese is getting a bad rap. Join in on the adventure with Sister Agatha in The Shadow of Death.

I loved the description of The Shadow of Death and was eager to read it. The Shadow of Death starts out by sharing too much information. We are introduced to the abbey, the nuns, their gouda, the town, and so much more. It was an overload of details in the first sixteen percent of the book. I did enjoy the authors descriptions of the buildings and North Wales (makes me want to catch a flight to Wales). Ms. Willan is a descriptive writer who can get overly detailed at times (needs to find a balance). There are several storylines going on in The Shadow of Death. Unfortunately, they all do not tie together into a cohesive book. The author jumps around from one item to another. It makes for a choppy story. Sister Agatha reminds me of Mrs. Fletcher. I like that she is a librarian who loves mysteries and wants to write her own mystery novels. Sister Agatha has read hundreds of mystery novels and the names of numerous fictional sleuths are scattered throughout the book (they are her inspiration along with a pod cast). It was interesting to find out about the inner workings of a modern-day convent. These nuns have cell phones, computers, fancy sneakers, indulge in wine, and get to explore their dreams after age sixty. I was curious how they paid for all of these items when they were having trouble paying their bills. I thought the murder mystery was straightforward, and I could quickly identify the killer. I was more curious about Sister Callwen (she was being secretive). The pacing of The Shadow of Death was slow, the case details kept being repeated, and the book was too long (I did not think it would ever end). I wish the author had not put so much into this first book. The Shadow of Death was not the right fit for me. I do suggest that you obtain a sample to see if The Shadow of Death is the right cozy mystery for you. Everyone has different reading tastes.

Thanks Crooked Lane Books and netgalley for this ARC.

This series will pull your heartstrings while giving you a dose of a great murder mystery. Loved the concept, setting, everything about this book.

Sister Agatha is the librarian at Gwenafwy Abbey in North Wales and walks into their cheese processing barn looking for her friend Sister Callwen. She is shocked when she instead discovers the dead body of Jacob Traherne, the sexton at St. Anselm Church and at the Abbey. Sister Agatha isn't what you expect of a nun. She's currently writing a mystery novel and it's clear to her that Jacob is a victim of murder and won't let it go until she gets to the truth of what happened, which is harder than she thought since so many people are keeping secrets.

This book is well-written and I enjoy seeing characters who are not stereotypes of what is expected from a nun or a priest. I liked Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn, her friend since childhood, working together to solve the crime. I really enjoyed seeing the fascinating mix of history and modern times coming together. Gwenafwy Abbey was built in medieval times and yet the nuns now living there carry cell phones, shop online, and listen to podcasts.

There is a subplot of the bishop threatening to close the abbey, and I disliked all the things going on to conspire against the nuns to try to force that to happen. There were just too many bad things happening for too long and for me, it went from suspenseful to depressing. However, another subplot concerning the abbey's new recruit is intriguing and entertaining.

All of the various storylines are resolved by the end of the book. Sister Agatha is a great fan of Agatha Christie and this mystery will delight Miss Marple fans everywhere. Although some aspects of the book are more enjoyable than others, I still recommend this cozy mystery and think these characters with a different plot in any future installments would be even better.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Crooked Lane Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Whenever Agatha started to think about the mystery solvers she admires and what she should do next I smiled. I also loved the meetings with all the Sisters, it was neat to imagine them seating in the warming room and Agatha making her faces. I was surprised in many ways on how this book turned out, it was well done in the mystery level. I would rate the mystery a 10!

Overall, the entire book was fun, light hearted, and a perfect 10 in the cozy mystery world. I loved every single page of this book, and can’t wait to get my hands on the next book. Truthfully, my christian fiction fans, and cozy fans alike will love this mystery! Hope this makes your Monday a bit more exciting and that you get this book into your TBR pile.

Sister Agatha is a delightful sleuth. She is obsessed with popular literary sleuths and relies on them for inspiration as she solves a murder that happened on the convent grounds.
The Shadow of Death has some pacing problems. There are a lot of subplots that weigh down the main action. The mysteries are engaging despite the extra weight and the resolution was satisfying. I would definitely give this series a chance and read the second book.

A very good mystery, fun to read and entertaining. A good start for a new series.
I enjoyed the plot, the unusual main hereoine, a die-hard mystery fan nun, and the interesting and lovable set of characters.
The books is well written, it hooked me since the beginning and was a real page turner. The different stories are interesting and the settings is very interesting.
Cannot wait to read the next instalment in this series.
Many thanks to Netgally and Crooked Lane.

The Shadow of Death by Jane Willan is the first book in the new cozy Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery series. The story takes place at the Gwenafwy Abbey when unfortunately the Abbey’s sexton is found dead and the local law is called in.

Sister Agatha is a diehard mystery fan and aspiring writer so while she watches on the death is declared an accident she immediately begins pointing out the evidence to the contrary.

To the sheriff it looks as if Jacob was reaching for the Heavenly Gouda on a high shelf when it all fell on him. But Sister Agatha is quick to point out he is facing the opposite direction. There are also a few other questionable things around to point her towards thinking this was a murder so what else could she do but try to discover the murderer herself.

The Shadow of Death looked like it was going to be a cute cozy mystery that I might enjoy but when finished this one was just not my cup of tea unfortunately. The story starts off feeling a bit info-dumpy with it being chapter three before the characters begin to interact and speak so a bit too much telling to begin for my taste already leaving me a bit disconnected to start.

As the story gets going it also gets a bit boggled down with a lot of extra going on besides just the murder to solve. This brings in a lot of characters and action to keep track of for an opener when I’d rather be getting to know the main characters better. I also wondered here and there how realistic some things going on were. So while this one just didn’t pull me in there are others that seem to enjoy it more than I did so feel free to give this one a try for yourself.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

When a body is discovered at Gwenafwy Abbey, Wales, Sister Agatha decides that it is not an accident and recruits Father Selwyn to find the murderer using information retreived from a podcast on 'How to Write a Mystery Novel' as guidelines in the investigation.
Two stars because I finished it, but it needs to be better proofread.

The Shadow Of Death is the first book in the Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn series.

I think this is a wonderful new series. It brought to my mind the Father Dowling series that I enjoyed watching on TV and also reading.

Sister Agatha is one of only ten nuns left at Gwenafwy Abbey, fewer women becoming nuns have had huge aimpact at the Abbey. Sister Agatha’s main role at the Abbey is as its librarian and now that she has taken a course on writing mystery novels has been working on her first book in her spare time.

The convent, in need of a source of income has started making Gouda cheese and have aptly named it Heavenly Gouda and are looking forward to the annual Cheese Festival at Gwydion Castle. They are hoping to win an award they are hoping their sales will reach heavenwards. Sister Agatha heads for the cheese barn to confront Sister Callwen about a disturbing voice mail that she had heard, but upon entering instead of finding Sister Callwen, she finds Jacob Traherne, Sexton at St. Anselm, face down and bleeding having been crushed by the heavy metal shelving and many rounds of Gouda cheese. Constable Barnes rules it an accident, but Sister Agatha believes otherwise. Her belief is reinforced when there is a fire, confined to the roof of the barn. The Sisters hope that they will be able to salvage enough cheese to at least have decent sales and showing at the festival.

Sister Agatha, knowing having read enough mysteries, know she needs a “sidekick” and enlists the help of Father Selwyn, vicar of St. Anselm, to solve the mystery of who killed Jacob. They also need to learn who is trying to sabotage their cheesemaking operation.

This book has a very enjoyable cast of characters. I particularly liked Sister Agatha, as she knows she no detective and is often referring back to podcasts, that she listens to, by retired Chief Constable McFarland and asking herself what would he do. Another interesting character is Sister Gwenydd, a young lady who shows up at the Abbey and wants to become a nun. Her past is a mystery, but she is an excellent cook and the Sisters love to eat, so they welcome her, hoping she will find her calling with the Abbey.

This is a wonderful start to this new series, with a well-plotted and told story. For me, it was a book that was hard to put down and am looking forward to learning more about the Sister of Gwenafwy Abbey and, of course, Father Selwyn, too.

I’m anxiously awaiting book 2, The Hour Of Death, due out in October 2018.

I really enjoyed this new series, Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery, about a convent in Wales. The nuns are getting older and money to keep the convent is hard to come by so they start to make and sell cheese. As they start to enter contests and win awards the business is starting to pay off but someone isn't happy. When their sexton is found dead under a collapsed shelf of cheese wheels, Sister Agatha is sure it's murder. She is the Abby's librarian and an avid mystery reader. I was so glad to see this was the beginning of a series because the story is wonderful and I can't wait until the next group of nuns arrive. This appears to be Jane Willan's first book and she did a great job Enjoy. I received this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I almost had myself convinced that this book was never going to end. With its constant repeating of where the reader was in the story to adding in never ending clues, Jane Willan turned what should have been a delightful first book in a new series into a hopeless case for me.

Sister Agatha, the librarian of Gwenafwy Abbey in Northern Wales is a mystery writer at heart and when an actually murder takes place on the abbey grounds, she turns to the teachings of her favorite podcast and literary heroes. With death and sabotage running amok on the Anglican abbey’s grounds, Sister Agatha with a reluctant Father Selwyn, set out to answer the relentless questions and tackle the suspect list.

Unfortunately, Jane Willan threw too much into this freshman outing of the Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn Mystery series. Certain characters could have been saved for subsequent books that would have allowed them to shine; unfortunately, they just faded into the hodgepodge of too much.

A nice start to a new series but not the usual cozy. That's a good thing. We are introduced to the world within the walls of a Welsh convent housing just 19 nuns nearing their retirements. Sister Agatha is the librarian and, like her namesake Agatha Christie, loves mysteries. She even has her sights set on writing one of her own. Little did she know one would land in their midst when the sexton dies by their Heavenly Gouda cheese. The police, of course, say accidental death but try convincing Sister Agatha that it isn't, in fact, murder.
The setting, the characters, the humor and the mystery all blended well to make this a very satisfying mystery. Add to the story - a glimpse into their daily life. I'm looking forward to the next encounter with Sister Agatha and the other nuns. They are a wonderful group of ladies.

This is a delightful mystery with a new setting and protagonist that are unique to cozy mysteries.
The setting is a wonderful Welsh Convent. The sisters of Gwenafwy Abbey have a quiet life spent in prayer, reflection, tending the vegetable gardens and making their award-winning organic cheese, Heavenly Gouda. They are all life long Nuns and approaching retirement. They work hard to maintain the Convent and show that they are capable of being productive and turning a profit Their gardens and cheese are very profitable.
Sister Agatha is a die hard mystery fan who has decided to write her own novel. She makes notes from mystery pod cast she listens to daily and is a fantastic reader. She also is the Convent librarian. She has been a Nun over 40 years and hopes to produce her book upon her retirement to support her.
When a murder occurs by Gouda, she is on the case and eager to lend her skills to solve the trail of clues.
This is a fantastic read and I cannot wait to read the next in series. I love Sister Agatha, her love of mysteries and all the supporting characters. The author has a well plotted mystery and the details are perfect. This is a fun birds eye view of life in a Convent .
Thank you for the ARC which does not affect my personal review.

This book struck me as a cozy mystery I would enjoy and turned out to be a little Louise Penny-like. I used to read A LOT of cozy mysteries but then I got burnt out on them. Over the last year or two I have started reading them again occasionally when one catches my attention...and doesn't have a cat on the cover. Also, I should warn you that I am a bit of an Anglophile so the setting really intrigued me too. :)
I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters from Gwenafwy Abbey and found the main characters, Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn, delightful and fun. Sister Agatha is feisty and her mystery writer aspirations made her relatable and was a perfect excuse for her nosiness! I loved that she paid homage to some of her favorite literary detectives that also happen to be mine.
The only thing I can think to complain about is that there is A LOT happening in this book...murders, cheese festivals, confirmations, burglary, sabotage...it was occasionally overwhelming but I did still really enjoy this mystery. I will definitely be looking forward to more in this series. 4/5 stars

This was a fun debut and first in series. It wasn’t a typical story about a religious order – these nun’s make cheese, write mystery novels, play pokemon and attend yoga classes. But I enjoyed meeting each of the characters with their individual quirks and following Sister Agatha and Father Selwyn on their hunt for the killer was a kick. There were a few inconsistencies with details but they didn’t take away my enjoyment of the story. I will read the next installment when it comes out.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I was not able to read the entire book.
I could not connect to any of the characters and I had a difficult time following the story. It seemed to jump around a lot and some of the writing just did not make sense to me.

I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.

The nuns at Gwenafwy Abbey in a Welsh convent lead calm, contemplative lives while the rest of the world scurries on at an ever faster pace. The author, Jane Willan, does such a delightful job of describing them that I’d love to spend some time there. Each of the sisters has a different task that they excel at, and they work well together, having formed a family of sorts over the years. Now that most of them are ten years from retirement, and hope to live out the rest of their lives in the abbey, things are suddenly turned upside down when the sexton is murdered and the bishop threatens to close the abbey if they don’t find a way to bring in more nuns, help save the planet and make money.

Jane Willan does a great job of bringing this book to life. I got a really good sense of what life is like for the sisters who live there. The mystery was well written and wrapped up nicely.This is one of the best cozy mysteries I have read so far this year, and I am looking forward to reading more books by this author. I also liked that the sex and swearing, so prevalent in every book these days, isn’t found in this one.

I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.