When a pretty, slightly(!) manipulative young woman is killed in her own home, the fingers of suspicion start pointing. But never fear, crime writer and college tutor, Melissa Craig is on hand to solve the case even though the friendly local police force are investigating. It is always fun when an amateur takes on the professionals in the crime fighting game isn’t it?

As Melissa starts to scratch the surface of this murder, she starts to discover that her colleagues at the college aren’t all what the seem. She uncovers people’s hidden lives and loves. How well do you know your work colleagues 🤔🤔

A Murder In The Morning is an old school cosy crime. Some slightly less modern concepts discussed but this possibly reflects the time of writing in the early 90s no mobile phones, no internet. A different society. But don’t let this deter you. It’s got everything you could want from a murder mystery.

If you like your crime fiction soft boiled, the Melissa Craig books are for you. I loved this trip in to amateur crime solving. The characters are just the right balance of likability and intrigue for a cosy crime novel. There are clues dotted around for you to solve the crime alongside Melissa. A rather enjoyable lighter crime read.

This light crime mystery set in the Cotswolds is a re-release and feels pretty dated - not least by some of the stereotypes and attitudes. Those who enjoyed the first book will probably be happy with more of the same. This mystery has a slower start and the whodunit is not challenging. Our heroine decides to investigate a death, when the man she's getting romantically interested in is a suspect in the case.

I downloaded an e-ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

Writer of detective stories Melissa Craig has settled into life in her cottage in the village of Upper Bembury living next door to artist Iris Ash. Iris has been asked to present prizes at an art college and reluctantly agrees as long as Melissa accompanies her to London. There they witness the dramatic slashing of a winning portrait by the artist himself after the subject of the portrait spurned his marriage proposal. Some time later Melissa is asked by one of the village's new residents, a university lecturer, to run a creative writing course at his college and there she runs into Angy, the portrait subject herself who is subsequently found dead by Barney, a fellow lecturer and self-appointed protector of Angy. It is proved to be murder and several very plausible suspects emerge. Despite being warned off by the policeman heading the investigation who has previously advised her on some of her novels, Melissa becomes romantically entangled with one of the prime suspects and takes it upon herself to do a bit of amateur sleuthing to prove his innocence. The colourful characters are easy to like or dislike, and are well described. Since the book was originally written in 1992, there is noticeable lack of modern technology together with some outdated attitudes in places. However the story is well written, moves along at a decent pace with some humour thrown in and enough clues are given to enable the reader to work it out, although there are a few unexpected turns on the way. This is more of a gentle crime story than a cozy mystery and is most enjoyable.

The second book in 'Melissa Craig Cozy Mysteries' did not disappoint. Characters are lovable, laughable or easy to dislike and even hate. A very straightforward 'whodunit' set in a picturesque English countryside. A bit of art world, a bit of love triangle, a bit of foodie passion thrown in to make this story even more cozy and comfortable.
I read the book very quickly and was left with an unsettled feeling. Given that I called Melissa my friend in the review for the first book in the series, her choice in men and her choice of men is to be desired for...
Anyhow, I am looking forward to reading more of the series. Yes, two very cruel murders did not turned me away...

Our favorite sleuthing author is back in action in book 2 of the series. This time she is determined to prove that a teaching colleague that she might have a wee crush on is in fact not a grisly killer. Fantastic character development and an intriguing plot will keep you turning the pages until you have whizzed through the book. The characters truly draw you in. You find yourself flinching at the annoying characters as if you were on the street with them and cheering for the endearing characters as if they were a long time friend. I am so looking forward to the next story in the series as I can't wait to see what mystery Melissa finds herself embroiled in next time!

I thoroughly enjoyed this second book in the Melissa Craig mystery series. It was time well-spent with Mel and her friends and neighbors in Upper Bembury and the surrounding areas. Once again Mel, a mystery writer, is drawn into the murder investigation. This time it is a young woman. Mel is acquainted with the victim because she worked at the university where Mel is a part-time teacher. As the investigation unfolds, a variety of characters enter Mel’s world. She finds herself attracted to a fellow teacher, she meets the former fiancé of the victim, and she begins to wonder if there isn’t more to the murder than just a crime of passion.

I think one of the reasons I like this series is because it’s more than just another cozy mystery. The writing is top-notch, the characters are well-developed, the description of the surroundings is well-done, the mystery itself is convoluted enough to make it interesting, and even the vocabulary is a step above the typical cozy. For lack of a better term, I would classify this series as a cozy on steroids.

For someone who enjoys a “grownup” cozy mystery, I would highly recommend this series!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Murder in the morning by Betty Rowlands.
Melissa Craig is settling in nicely to a new teaching position in the quaint little village of Upper Bembury, getting to know her way around, drinking tea with the eccentric staff, even sowing the first seeds of romance…
But when she arrives one morning to find police outside her classroom, Melissa is shocked to hear that her beautiful colleague Angelica has been found dead in her home.
As everyone in Angelica’s life comes under suspicion, ­Melissa makes it her mission to go in search of the truth, not least because she’s romantically entangled with none other than the police’s prime suspect.
The discovery of a vandalised portrait of the murdered girl might be just the clue that Melissa needs to clear her lover’s name, but when a second body surfaces, she knows she needs to act quickly. Can Melissa uncover the ugly truth in this beautiful village before another innocent life is taken?
This was a good read I liked melissa character. I thought I knew who done it but I was wrong. Still a good read. 4*.

Melissa Craig is the very nice protagonist in what looks to be a longer British set cozy series. I thought the beginning was a bit slow and the lack of electronic devices odd. It's just not old enough for me to enjoy as a historical novel.

Hello, my fellow friends readers and bloggers!

It’s a bright sunny day here and I hope you are having a great time. Today, on my day off (it’s a national holiday here) I am reviewing one very interesting cozy mystery, Murder in the Morning. It was published on 20 September 2018 by Bookouture as the second in the series. Originally, it was previously published in 1992 as ‘Finishing Touch’. I had a great time reading the first book , so now I am sharing my review for the second one with you.

Remember Melissa Craig? The mystery writer who solves mysteries in real life too? It seems that she finds trouble where ever she goes. It doesn’t matter that she has replaced her urban life for a quiet village. A murder is a murder, no matter where. This time Melissa goes to college to teach creative writing. She is a witness to a scene when an artist literary slaughters his portrait of a young and very beautiful woman. The very same young woman is a department head’s secretary at the college and very soon her dead body has been found exactly the same way as the portrait has been destroyed. Slaughtered with a knife. It seems that the dead bodies find Melissa everywhere she goes. When a person close to her is accused for the murder, Melissa starts her own investigation.

I had a great time reading this lovely cozy mystery. Melissa Craig reminds me a lot like Jessica Fletcher from Murder She Wrote. I had a feeling like Jessica Fletcher entered Midsomer Murders. Comparing to the book number one, this time there is more action, more people involved, more characters. Iris is here too, the one of a kind neighbor next door, with her yoga poses and vegetarian dishes. There are no more vivid descriptions of rural country like in the first book (I missed those). But there is also the old school, no cell phones, no laptops, no emails, just an ordinary land line when you want to call someone and talking face to face. I love Melissa as a character and I love the way she solves the murders, both in the real life and her books. Can’t wait to read the next book!

After reading the first book in the series, I wasn't sure I wanted to tackle the second one, but I gave it a go anyway.

Melissa is caught up in investigating Angelica's murder, she does a bit of amateur sleuthing, as you do. She meets various people who were in Angy's life and gradually gets a sense of what this girl was all about. Unfortunately, one of the suspects is a recent love interest of Melissa's, which makes things tricky. I am never convinced that she is actually all that interested in Barney, so it matters not so much at the end of the day.

I wish I could have liked this book more but I am going to have to stop reading this series here. It is really dated - from typewriters, to the subtle "men are in charge and that is that" messages, to a lady having a conniption because it turns out one of the ladies that is being interviewed is gay! I also still couldn't figure out if Melissa and Iris (her neighbour) were actually friends or not, it was a bit of an up and down relationship....or I just misunderstood.

Anyway, I know this is a cosy mystery but surely cosy mysteries don't have to be quite so old-fashioned?

I gave this book 3.5 stars because it IS charming in its own way, just not for me, I'm afraid.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Murder in the Morning was previously published in 1992 as 'Finishing Touch'. I did read the first book in the series, and while I was not terribly impressed, decided to give the second book a chance.

Book 2 in the series, pretty much continues where the last book left off. The story is easy and light, as a cozy mystery should be. I was definitely reminded over and over that this book was written around 20 years ago because the content did feel dated.

The story did not seem to have focus and jumped around too much for my liking.

I would consider reading a 3rd book in the series if it was updated more.

My rating: 3.5 Stars

If you enjoy cozy mysteries set in a nice little village, before the age of cell phones and modern policing, then you may very well find Murder in the Morning to your liking. This story is the second in the Melissa Craig series. I enjoyed the first story, which allowed me to get to know the primary character, as well as a few others.

In this entry, Melissa is currently working on her next novel, but is also enjoying a new teaching job. She is happy where she moved a while ago and has found some good friends. However, a colleague has been murdered and Melissa gets involved - in more ways than one. There are several suspects immediately, yet Melissa develops a relationship with one of them, with a firm conviction that he could not possibly be the murderer.

Although cozy mysteries are generally easy reads, I did not find myself as engaged in this book as much as I was with the first one. It is not that there is anything wrong with story, it just plodded along. I did feel that Melissa was a bit reckless in trusting the primary suspect, but it was a relief when others cautioned her. The mystery itself is well done, especially as there are things about the victim that are revealed. I indeed was able to be surprised at the ending.

I will continue on in this series, because it is a nice break from some of the tough psychological thrillers that I read. As noted above, this is a reprint. I do look forward to the next release in this series. It can be read as a standalone, but I think if you want to know Melissa well, then reading the series in order might be beneficial.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is one of those cozy mystery crime books, where you wish you could live in one of those villages where everyone knows everyone, sometimes not a good thing but mainly fine and all seems nice and bright.

Melissa is just settling into a new job when her colleague is found dead in her own home. Melissa goes digging as to how and why mainly because she has got romantically involved with the chief suspect.

The story flows easily, the characters are spot on if a little too sweet sometimes to be true but it is a cozy to the last.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This was the second book in the series about Melissa Craig and I thoroughly enjoyed it but really should have read the first book as this continues on from it.

This is book #2 in the Melissa Craig Mysteries series. Whilst it can be read as a standalone, it does make sense to read the books in order for continuity. This book does continue from the first book of the series Murder at Hawthorne Cottage. Also, please be aware that this book was previously released in 1992 under the title Finishing Touch but has had a makeover and a new title given thanks to its Publishers, Bookouture.

Melissa Craig is settling into the village of Upper Bembury. As well as amateur sleuth, Melissa has also got herself a job in the local school. When she arrives for work one morning and finds that her colleague Angelica has been found dead in her home, Melissa makes it her mission to go in search of the truth. The only problem is Melissa has managed to find herself romantically involved with the police’s prime suspect. Can she clear her lover’s name and find who the killer really is?

I love these this genre of books. They are so easy to read but with just enough excitement and mystery to keep you interested to the end. I met Melissa in the first book of the series and took to her character immediately. She takes no prisoners when letting people know what she thinks yet manages to remain charming and likeable throughout!! As in the first book, Melissa finds herself right in the middle of all the action when her colleague Angelica is found dead. The story was well paced and with a dash of humour thrown in. You do work out who the culprit is quite early on in the book but it was a delight to read, so it didn’t really matter! Of course, as this book was originally written in 1992, you can feel the lack of modern technology throughout the storyline. Whereas in more modern writing, people would use their mobiles or smartphones, but in these books we are back to using public phone boxes and writing letters! It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed going back a few years and seeing things done ‘the old fashioned way’!

If you enjoy crime stories with a gentler pace, or if you are a fan of Agatha Christie or MC Beaton, then this is definitely the book for you. An enjoyable read with a classic twist!

Having previously read, and enjoyed, book 1 of this series, I couldn’t wait to get reading this one. I was not disappointed.

Melissa Craig finds herself in the thick of things once more when someone she knows is found dead. Alongside trying to work out who is responsible, she also finds herself with a new love interest who may or may not be involved. Has she put herself in danger without knowing it?

The love interest side of things was good but it did annoy me a little as Melissa seemed to jump into bed with this person very quickly. Maybe it’s because this story was originally written a number of years back that I didn’t expect it to happen, or maybe because I saw Melissa as someone who wouldn’t do that kind of thing. Either way, it annoyed me but didn’t spoil the story for me.

Another good story from the author.

This is apparently a re-release of a book that was originally published in 1992! To that end, it is a bit dated - no discussions of mobile phones, computers, etc. - although not so much as to take you out of the story entirely. It does, however, move quite slowly and unlike most mystery/cosy mystery books which take place over the course of, at most, a couple of weeks, this takes over 18 months to even get the premise in place. It does so by leaving out huge gaps of time at the beginning of the story, but eventually evens out at about the 30-35% mark into a reasonable story.

It was okay, although there weren't really any specific clues to identify the murderer (despite which, I pegged the killer very early in the book) and the reasoning behind it was a bit flat. I suppose, however, there is no logic in murder to anyone except to the murderer.

Still, it was an okay read, although I'm not in a rush to read the next one even though I've got it on my TBR pile for NetGalley. Melissa is a decent enough character, although not particularly interesting, and while I don't dislike her neighbour, Iris, who also plays a big(gish) part, her way of speaking is a bit jarring. Iris was also surprisingly prudish in some respects. Melissa's 'romance' also falls a bit flat because the man she involves herself with also isn't particularly interesting.

So not awful, but not the best cosy mystery I've ever read, and it took me some time to make my way through it. It is definitely a gentle mystery, enjoyable and straightforward enough.

Another cozy read by Betty Rowlands. Melissa as the crime writer, works her charm in this investigation too. There is a gentle mystery set in an English village, the story was a fun read but lacked the freshness of the first book. I knew the identity of the perp long before it was revealed, so it spoiled the fun a bit for me. Overall a good read.

MoMo Book Diary recommends ‘Murder in the Morning’ which is the second of the Melissa Craig cozy mystery series by Betty Rowland.

Having enjoyed the first Melissa Craig instalment I was eager to get into the follow up.  I found this instalment, which begins where the previous book concluded, to be more entertaining than the first.  However, this could be due to reading them both in order and in the same week – I would definitely suggest reading them in order and together as I did.

Whilst the book focuses on a new crime the characters involved were developed in the first instalment and I assume will continue through the ongoing series.

This series will be enjoyed by those who enjoy Midsomer Murders, Agatha Raisin and Father Brown type of mystery!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The second in the Melissa Craig series lives up to its predecessor in every way. The feisty crime author is once again up to her eyeballs in murder and mayhem, with a new love interest thrown in for some added intrigue. A riveting story with some unexpected twists and revelations along the way.