This is the fourth book in the Birds of a Feather mystery series. I think this book might well be the best. That may be because I know the main characters from the previous book and am excited to continue with their story. It could be because relationships of all kinds play a big role in the story.
It is well written and enjoyable. Julia and Michael are getting closer. The TIC in Smeaton is doing well. It's fun to imagine visiting England and a small village with heart. It's nice that they care about an unknown dead man and work to find out who he is. I like that the story lets you get to know this man who has died.
I am grateful NetGalley introduced me to Marty Wingate's novels.

Marty Wingate is in top form in “Farewell My Cuckoo,” the latest entry in her Birds of a Feather series.  I enjoyed it very much and found it virtually impossible to put down. This cozy mystery is set in a quintessential English village, Smeaton-Under-Lyme, where Julia Lanchester continues to manage the Tourist Information Center (TIC) six days a week and, if necessary, solve mysteries all seven.  Her relationship with Michael Sedwick continues to deepen and she is hoping a proposal is imminent. While a good deal of the action in Farewell My Cuckoo revolves around the murder of an unidentified man, there is also a significant subplot involving the unexpected and unwanted visit of Michael’s sister, Pammy. The storyline involving Pammy is handled deftly as her character and her place in Julia and Michael’s lives evolves.  

One of the charms of a cozy mystery, especially a series set in a small town, is the recurring cast of characters and this series has many, adding color and depth to the novel. These characters are written with such vibrancy that I can easily picture them  and can almost taste Nuala’s chocolate cake. Farewell My Cuckoo also has so many new characters including Tony Brightbill, Guy Pockett, and a young couple that keeps appearing around town, either alone, together or with their children, that ferreting out the murderer is nearly impossible. Kudos to Ms. Wingate! All this adds up to a very enjoyable mystery. 

I very much enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. While part of a series, I don’t think it is necessary to have read the other books.

I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley and the publisher, Alibi, in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions stated are my own.

'Farewell, My Cuckoo' is another outstanding Birds of Feather Mystery by Marty Wingate. My trips with her to England are suspenseful, educational and downright fun. All of the characters are engaging and I am invested in their lives. I highly recommend the entire series and would give it more stars if I could.

Farewell, My Cuckoo is the fourth entry in Marty Wingate’s Birds of a Feather mystery series. When manager of the Tourist Information Center for the Fotheringill Estate, Julia Lanchester and her love Michael Sedgwick arrive back to their Pipit Cottage after the lovely wedding of her second in command, they do so with stars in their eyes and unspoken plans of their own. But what they find is his slightly older and very flighty sister Pammy sitting on their doorstep surrounded by her meager belongings stuffed in plastic bags. She is seeking a place to stay for the night having just left her married boyfriend. But like the cuckoo, when she moves in she takes over the living area and it becomes a trial for Julia and Michael.

Julia throws herself into work projects, but the project she didn’t expect was to be thrown into the middle of a police investigation to solve the murder of an unknown man on the church grounds. She also didn’t expect to learn that Pammy would be the last person other than the killer to have seen the man alive.

As the list of suspects grows there are more on the list from outside than there are locals. DI Tess Callow is on the case, but that has never kept Julia from following bits and pieces to be sure if they are indeed important before turning them over to Tess. When Pammy does the same, they find themselves at the mercy of the murderer.

Another well written and intricately plotted story from Marty Wingate. I have always enjoyed her work, as I did once again, and I do recommend this book

When Julia and Michael return to their cottage after a wedding celebration, they find Michael's older sister, Pammy, camped on their doorstep. What starts as a one-day place to crash turns into a much longer stay, much to the consternation of Michael and Julia. When a body is discovered on the grounds of the estate where Julia works, and no one knows the identity of the man, Julia throws herself into learning who he is, how he died … and when Pammy will move on.

This is the fourth book of this series, and probably the book I liked best of all of them. Maybe it's because I know what it's like to have an uninvited guest overstay his welcome, but I could really identify with Julia's frustration and the need to distract herself from the situation at home. I'd love to visit this little town and browse the shops along the way, especially Nuala's bakery. Too bad these books don't include some of the recipes for the goodies that sound so good!

Once the victim's identity was established, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place, and I guessed the killer almost from the moment the character was introduced. Other possibilities entered my mind as I read, but it was good to know that my initial impression was right – for a change. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

This cozy mystery set in Britain is another fine installment in the 'Birds Of A Feather ' series.
Julia and Micheal not only have to deal with his prima donna sister showing up on their door expecting them to host her...without an expected end date, but the body of s man not known to them shows up on the estate.
Julia and the police search endlessly for information...information it turns out Micheal's sister has and she doesn't realize it's important.
The killer is aware of Julia's questions and had her in his sights.
Don't miss the list of suspects...added to and ruled out..until the last desperate scene.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse.

Sister-in-law Pammy has just shown up and is totally wrecking Julia and her boyfriend, Michael's life. Michael and Julia were just getting cozy and headed toward marriage and now Julia is worried about keeping her boyfriend and solving a murder so that she can get her life back. This cozy mystery is the newest installment in author Marty Wingate's, Birds of a Feather Mystery books. I do enjoy this series and think that anyone who likes mysteries would enjoy the humor and quirky string of characters.

Farewell, My Cuckoo by Marty Wingate will be available April 10, 2018 from Alibi, an imprint of Random House Publishing Group. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Another remarkable tale from the mind of Marty Wingate. I loved going back to this series and seeing the continuing story and adventures of Julia and the charming characters on the Fotheringill Estate. I loved the introduction of the new characters and the trying to solve the unravelling mystery along with Julia and Tess. The sweet romance between Michael and Julia always warms the heart. I can't wait to see what is in store for them next. Positively delightful book.

I always look forward to a new Marty Wingate novel, but this newest installment in the Birds of a Feather mystery series was a tad lackluster for me.

Wingate’s mysteries are easy to follow and allow the reader to successfully sleuth alongside Julia. I like the village and the characters. I love how Julia & Micheal grow with each novel as well as the minor characters who make reappearances. Pammy and her plastic bags were hilarious!

Usually, I read Wingate’s books in one sitting but this book took me several days. The clues were drawn out and perhaps that was my problem. Regardless of the pacing, the mystery is solid and well-written.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

This is my favorite Birds of a Feather Mystery so far! (I did not care for book #3 in this series, but loved the first 2.) What I love about this series is the combination of English village life, family chaos, and heart. I also feel affection for...people by the time I finish one of these books. Wingate does not write sappy stories at all--but I always feel a bit better about humanity when I finish one, somehow.

Besides, it's a cracking good mystery. Enough characters to have plenty of suspects and red herrings, but not so many I need an encyclopedia to keep them straight. Enough subplots to add depth to the world she's created, but not so many they distract from the mystery. And excellent writing on a scene-by-scene basis.

Can't wait for the next one!

Review copy provided by publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review.

I’ve loved two of the previous three of Marty Wingate’s Birds of a Feather cozies, The Rhyme of the Magpie and Empty Nest however, Wingate went badly awry with No. 3, Every Trick in the Rook. But good news! Wingate — and protagonist Julia Lanchester, tourism director at Smeaton-under-Lyme, Suffolk, have gotten their groove back for the latest installment, Farewell, My Cuckoo.

Julia’s patience is being stretched beyond limit: Not only does boyfriend Michael Sedgwick get interrupted every time he tries to propose, but Julia and Michael have a human cuckoo in their nest: Michael’s feckless older sister, Pammy. Three certainly isn’t company in a one-bedroom cottage! At the same time, Julia’s drawn into the murder of a peripatetic self-trained naturalist/odd-jobs man about whom the police know nothing: not even his name.

All in all, it’s another fabulous foray with Julia and her family, friends and neighbors in a cozy mystery that returns to the series’ true form. Highly recommended.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Alibi in exchange for an honest review.

A delightful cozy mystery that makes life in a small English village seem wonderful. Julia Lanchester is the head of the tourist information bureau in Smeaton and lives with her boyfriend Michael in a small but delightful cottage there. The cuckoo in her nest arrives in the form of Michael's sister Pammy who shows up on their doorstep just as Michael is prepared to propose and does not seem interested in moving on. Julia's friend Willow is heading a watercolor competition at the manor and when she goes to check out the spot for the competition finds the body of a man no one seems to know. Because of Willow's distress Julia helps find out who the man was and why he was killed. But the real charm of the book is in the characters and their relationships. I highly recommend this book.

Love this series! So happy to see Julia finally get engaged - woo hoo! This time round the murder mystery was rife with twists and turns, which I absolutely loved. Have to admit to enjoying reading about all that cake, too. Another great book in the series!