This was an interesting storyline with quite a cast of suspects. The detectives use a simple but effective way of investigating and solving the crimes. The pace was a little slow at times but this is still a very good mystery with several twists and turns along the way.

I recommend this book to mystery fans. I received a copy of this book in hopes I would supply a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

It's hard to be precise in describing why this only rates three stars from me, since I persevered to the end and read it quickly - although I fancy that this might also reflect the fact that this is not a long book. Issues that were problematic for me include: a feeling that I was reading a much older novel and finding references to iPads and DNA testing did seem sharply incongruous; an excessive amount of dialogue that can leave the reader stranded by the lack of a more fluent narrative; and - finally - the idiosyncratic way in which clues were planted. On the plus side the two detectives are likeable characters and there was an attempt deploy humour which sometimes was successful. Plenty of five stars reviews so I guess this is perhaps a Marmite book! Oh, and remind me to steer clear of this particular corner of rural England which must compete with Chicago in terms of murders per head of population.....

Enjoyable British cozy! I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review. I really enjoyed this British cozy mystery. The characters were good and the story had the right amount of twists and turns to keep me involved.

It's not often you find a man killed by a sword nowadays. First off, where did the sword come from?

BooksGoSocial and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been been published and you can buy a copy now.

The nearest home had the sword in its collection, but it had gone missing months ago. Who had it, where was is it, and was this murder planned that long ago?

As they ask questions and look over the suspects, they are surprised by another murder, right there in the house. They have a suspicion about who the next victim may be so they set a trap...

This one keeps you guessing to the very end. You see if you can guess the murderer.

A methodical approach to sequences contributing to the murder, this way seems to work best for DI Knowles and DS Barnes as they go about their quest in order to find the murderer. I like the simple but effective style of sorting and sifting clues and witnesses. A truly effective and convincing way, oh, and DI Knowles knows how to play the game of charming the aristocrats, nicely done sir. Bringing order to the confusion and misleading statements given by some of the witnesses proved that the Detectives left no stones unturned. A quaint and intriguing book with a great storyline and a bunch of interesting characters. These gentlemen Detective matter of fact ways of going about their business grows on you, a nice must read.

I'm sorry I didn't read the first instalment in this series as this one is very good.
It reminds me of the Golden Age of Mystery books and it's well written and with an interesting plot.
I hope to read another instalment in this series soon.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

A man is found murdered among the ruins of a medieval monastery. The weapon used is an ancient sword belonging to the nearby Hall. It is obvious that the culprit must be found among its inhabitants, domestics or guests.
This is a strange one,everything points to a country setting in the ,say thirties (gardeners,butler,youngster down from Eton...)but the inspector and his sidekick are using ocell phones,e-mails, hi-tech DNA research. The thing is,it doesn't enrich the story,it has no real added value.
And it just drags on an on(I can imagine the reader tapping her or his fingers on the table!)
And to top it off, the denouement leaves one with a whole list of questions...unanswered questions...

This is the second book in the Inspector Knowles Mystery series, but the first I have read. The author gives you enough info to have an idea what happened in the first book, but not enough where you know the whole story, so that you will want to go back and read it! The book may seem slow at first, but part of that is that there is more dialgue and less of the writer supplying informtion, so you soon realize you have to pay attention to everything that is said! As most detectives don;t have the bliss of a narrator to help, this is actually a solid literary technique, for making the story more realistic. There is plenty of humor, to make it a lighter mystery, and to move the story forward. It's a decent mystery, perfect for picking up and putting back down, as one will on vacation when reading, so it's perfect for your Summer reading list!

this was hard work really. It read like a scripted TV show - almost completely dialogue with no connecting narrative. there were attempts at humour that did not always work coming across as crass or simply belittling - the final comment about Barnes and steam trains is just one case in point. I certainly wouldn't chase up further books in the series, although i could probably cast the TV show

Ok I admit it the tagline of “how many bodies can one dog find” drew my immediate attention to this light British police procedural.  The Manton Rempville Murders will readily appeal to fans of Midsomer Murders. It is a puzzling whodunnit full of quirky characters and humorous touches.  As in the popular Midsomer Murders series, DI Colin Knowles is competent and easy going with a wry sense of humor. Knowles and his DS Barnes exchange ideas and easy banter throughout.  While the beginning chapters are a touch awkward, by the end of the first quarter The Manton Rempville Murders has found its sweet spot.


Bingo the retriever has found another body - this time the former under gardener of Manton Rempville Hall, skewered by a ceremonial sword.  Despite the lord and lady of the manor’s insistence that no one of their standing could be involved in murder, they and their guests and staff are the most likely suspects, particularly since everyone present knew the under gardener and had a motive for wanting him out of the way.  DI Knowles and DS Barnes are tasked with case, made more difficult by the lies and omissions of the suspects/witnesses. Needless to say, the first death is not the last.


The Manton Rempville Murders is a charming novel.  The limited violence, the gentle humor and the assurance that justice will be done makes the novel a perfect escape from everyday stressors.  While cozies with amateur detectives abound, it is sometimes very nice to read a light police procedural instead, and those can be harder to find.


4 / 5


I received a copy of The Manton Rempville Murders from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

A 700 year old monastery. a couple of snooty aristocrats, a whole bunch of hangers on, shady characters galore, and we have Bingo our retriever whose job it is to find dead bodies. We have a detective as well. Seems a plodder but that is just a facade.

A lot of false clues and a lot of trivia seem to mask the murder. To get to the basics Knowles has to dig deep. Nothing is as it seems (as is very usual for mystery murders) but we get there eventually very nicely.

A simply mystery murder/s solved very well and descriptively told.

Although bang up to date, this had the feeling of an old fashioned murder mystery. Very Agatha Christie, with swords and secret tunnels 'posh folk' with servants and the servants. I'm now going to go back and read the first one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. "Another day in the life of Detective Inspector Colin Knowles and another murder. Bingo the retriever has been finding bodies again. This time someone left a sword in the back of Edward Pritchard in the grounds of a 700-year old monastery. " This is the only title I have read by this author and I found it very easy to read, humorous and engaging. It was rather heavy on descriptive detail and I did think that the conversations were too contrived (particularly in relation to the over referral to the first name of the person being spoken to). All that said, it's an ok read to pass a pleasant afternoon.

This book is not as good as the first book, yet it does not disappoint, filled with intrigue and light humour, it is a good story. A little slow and filled with too much detail, drags it from being a great book to a good book.

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the eARC.
Edward Pritchard is killed by a sword thrust into his back at the local ruins of a monastery. He was the dismissed gardener at Manton Rempville Hall and disliked by just about everyone he worked for and with. DI Knowles and DS Barnes interview the Hall's family and group of visitors, who happen to be the same visitors who were there when Pritchard was fired 3 months previously. Coincidence or not? It seems Pritchard was quite the Lothario, involved with both the Lady of the Manor and her daughter, infuriating the Lord. But enough to kill the gardener?
This light, amusing mystery had me smiling at times...I loved the reason for the nickname Bunny!
Knowles and Barnes' repartee is also enjoyable, and on the whole this was a pleasant, quick read.