After a whirlwind courtship, Damaris and her new husband, Teddy, travel to the Greek island of Kalos for their honeymoon. At first it promises to be everything Damaris has always dreamed of. But, almost from the moment they disembark from the boat, things begin to unravel. They unexpectedly (?) find friends of Teddy’s on the island, there are mysterious occurrences in their suite that only Damaris witnesses, and, finally a woman is murdered on a secluded beach and Damaris is found with the body. Enter former Scotland Yard inspector Jasper, who happens to be vacationing on the same island and takes an interest in the case.

Honeymoon with Death is more complex than some cozy mysteries I have read and, therefore, I put it a notch above those books. It is a twisty story with great characters that reminds me of the writings of Agatha Christie. The plot is carefully and cleverly written, with many different avenues for the reader to consider.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

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

A delightful cozy murder mystery perfect for a rainy afternoon by the fire. I loved the previous book so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read the next installment. If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, this is a series for you. The setting for this book is the fictional Greek island of Kalos and the author certainly conjours up the image of an idilyic place... until of course murder strikes. Overall, the start of a great series with more to come hopefully.

I so enjoyed the first book in this series, and was very excited to get the chance to read and review the second - and, if anything, it is even better!

New bride Damaris Ramsforth is terribly in love with her new husband and is tremendously excited when he takes her on honeymoon to the Greek island of Kalos. Although Teddy comes from a wealthy family, Damaris has never had the means to travel before; why does their hotel seem familiar? With some strange goings-on, the new Mrs Ramsforth begins to doubt herself and struggles with her inner turmoil. Fortunately, former Scotland Yard Inspector Jasper arrives on holiday and sets his sights on working out what's going on. Can he get to the bottom of things and save her sanity?

It is no surprise that author Vivian Conroy is an admirer of Agatha Christie; this novel, in particular, is worthy of the great Dame herself. This isn't one puzzle but several, all entwined and very difficult to unravel - but never underestimate Jasper, the man with the logical mind. I couldn't have worked out things in my wildest dreams! A cracking read and one which played around with my head for the whole time. An amazing book which all mystery lovers are going to love! I'm looking forward to more in this series - this one fully earns every one of it's five stars!

My grateful thanks to publisher Canelo for my copy via NetGalley. As always, all stated opinions are entirely my own.

“The sky was a wonderful blue and it was a perfect day for boating or swimming. But he was knee-deep in murder and it all got more mysterious with each revelation.”

My thanks to Canelo for an eARC via NetGalley of Vivian Conroy’s ‘Honeymoon With Death’ in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in Conroy’s A Murder Will Follow series of 1920s cosy mysteries in the tradition of Agatha Christie as retired Scotland Yard Inspector Jasper is once more caught up in a complex mystery.

After a whirlwind romance and wedding Damaris Ramsford has been whisked away to a tiny idyllic Greek island by her husband Teddy. Yet almost from the moment she steps from the boat she feels unsettled. First, by a strong feeling of familiarity and then by a series of bizarre events that leave her fearful for her sanity. When she is discovered standing over a dead body, she becomes the natural suspect even though she claims no memory of what happened. Luckily former inspector Jasper is on hand!

I had enjoyed Jasper’s previous outing earlier in the year in ‘A Testament to Murder’ and was pleased to see him involved in another mystery even while feeling a bit sorry for him not having the peaceful Greek holiday that he was hoping for.

Conroy is open about her deep admiration of Agatha Christie and this shines through her writing and confident use of the tropes of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. Here she has Jasper engage in the classic summation gathering so beloved of Hercule Poirot.

I am not a big fan of cosy mysteries as I am more drawn to darker crime fiction yet this proved a fun summer read with an intriguing mystery that kept me guessing. I will certainly be recommending it to my cosy mystery addicted friends.

This story is very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's "Sleeping Murder." A newlywed comes to a faraway land and starts to recover memories of a long ago murder. And by reminiscent, this is very much a variation on the theme.
Damaris Ramsworth received a free play ticket in the mail which led to her meeting her handsome and connected husband. Hers is very much a Cinderella story and she is living it to the fullest. But then her husband chooses their honeymoon as a surprise and the more she's on this Greek island, the more she wonders what, exactly, is going on.
First are the things that she sees (skull in her room, beetles all over) that no one else seems to. Then, there's the sense that she's been to this place before. But how? And it doesn't help that her husband's friends have "accidentally" run into them in this remote place. Waking up to find herself standing over a dead body is the last straw.
At any other time, Damaris would probably immediately be indicted for murder. But, lucky for her, Inspector Jasper is vacationing on the same island and is willing to take up her cause...
This book starts with a LOT of frenetic energy. It is hard to follow the story and then becomes even worse when trying to follow the logic Jasper uses to solve the crime. An okay story but I probably won't follow the series.

Three stars
This book comes out July 1st
ARC kindly provided by Canelo and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Honeymoon with Death
(Murder Will Follow Book 2)
by Vivian Conroy

Kindle Edition, 245 pages
Published June 24th 2019 by Canelo



Goodreads synopsis:
Suspenseful to the last page, HONEYMOON WITH DEATH is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie’s Sleeping Murder and Evil Under The Sun

After a whirlwind romance and dream wedding, the new Mrs Ramsforth is whisked away to an idyllic Greek island by her adoring husband. But as soon as they arrive at their luxurious hotel overlooking the azure sea, Damaris is struck by the feeling she’s been here before...
Puzzling over the familiarity, Damaris’ honeymoon goes from unsettling to a complete nightmare when she finds herself standing over a dead body, unable to explain how she got there.

Now only one man can save her - fellow holidaymaker and former Scotland Yard inspector Jasper. But even he starts to doubt Damaris' innocence when he discovers that it's not her first time embroiled in a murder case...



***

3.5 Stars

This is the second book in the Murder Will Follow series.

To me this book is an Inspector Jasper mystery because it was all about him. In the beginning it seemed like Mrs Ramsforth would be the main character but quickly we realize that although she is in the forefront of the story, Jasper is the one who holds our attention.

The mystery and all the elements of the mystery in this were top notch. It is probably the most complex mystery I have seen in a long time… worthy of Columbo and Hercule Poirot. And every thread was figured out in the end and revealed. You don’t always see that with a cozy mystery.

The main problem I had with this book were all the jumps in logic that kept happening. We weren’t following along as Jasper figured it all out. Jasper would come upon clues and just suddenly seem to know and figure out how it was all connected. I would have liked to see his process more. I needed less internal dialogue from all the secondary character and more sleuthing and discovering clues so we could enjoy figuring it out along with Jasper.

Good mystery but not great follow through. I will definitely pick up another Inspector Jasper mystery. He was my favorite part of this.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

A very solid thriller with a fun vacation vibe! I liked that the perspectives jumped around so that we could get points of view from all of the characters involved in this complicated thriller/mystery taking place on a very smal island - and staying in third person throughout helped me not get confused who we were reading about. The mystery and the reveal(s) all seemed very well-developed. Overall a quick and satisfying read. Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo Digital Publishing for providing me with the eARC in return for an honest review!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Canelo in return for an honest review. If you're an Agatha Christie fan, this is an homage to 'Evil Under the Sun' and 'A Caribbean Mystery', with interesting twists by the author. The Ramsforths arrive on a beautiful Greek island for their honeymoon. But the bride, Damaris, is both struck by familiarity with the setting and plagued by nightmares and weird mental images. Things get much worse when she's discovered standing over a murdered body and with no idea how she got there. Luckily, retired Scotland Yard Inspector Jasper arrives on the island and is determined to find the truth, regardless of where it leads. Like others, I thought this book started quite dark and not very 'cosy', which is also true of many of Dame Agatha's stories. Ms. Conroy tells a well-told tale, with distinct characters and well-described settings on the island. This is the second in a series featuring the retired inspector but easily read as a stand-alone.

Poor Jaspar just wanted a Greek holiday and now he's found himself investigating a murder! Damaris was so happy to marry Teddy and thrilled when they went on honeymoon. But then things got odd. She feels she's been here before and then there's a murder and....she's a suspect. This is a mild historical cozy of sorts. You might indeed be reminded of Christie (in a good way!). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's nicely plotted, not too twisty, and just right for an afternoon read.

This past winter Vivian Conroy started a new cozy mystery series set in the 1920s. I really enjoyed the tribute to Agatha Christie. Now she has another book in the series - Honeymoon with Death. It kept me guessing to the very end.

As this is only the second book in the Murder Will Follow series, I wasn't sure how it would be. Would it be a whole new cast of characters? It opens with a newlywed couple arriving in the Greek Isles. They are carefree, but darkness seems to lurk in a long the edges. Strange things begin to occur and the questions come fast and furious.

Who is the other English couple on the island - the one with the Ford? Why did the painter include Mrs. Ramsforth in his painting? Did beetles really come out the bouquet of flowers or was it a figment of Mrs. Ramsforth's imagination? What are the images that keep coming into her mind? Are they long buried memories or strange dreams?

My first question about the series is answered early one with Jasper arriving on the same Greek island wanting a vacation from the murder mystery in the French Riveria. For a retiree, he doesn't seem to find much rest. Almost as soon as he disembarks the ferry he is caught up in the mystery of not one but two murders.

I feel really bad for Jasper. I like the character. He's a fun and easy going. I imagine he would be an amusing grandfather type. But unlike a lot of elderly, cozy mystery sleuths, he is not bumbling or clueless. He is sharp and observant. You can tell he was not only competent as a Scotland Yard detective but a superior one. The reason I feel sorry for him is that he just wants to enjoy a quiet retirement after a grisly career. But first, he was asked by a friend to watch over the house guests in the French Riveria (the first books) and now the local police dump this case in this lap.

Now the other questions that were raised in the story were a lot slower in being answered. There are a lot of twists and turns that will have you suspecting everyone and wondering really what is going on. Sure you will suspect a few things (and you will likely be right) but the whole picture isn't revealed until the end.

I'm not usually a fan of the sleuth gathering all the suspects together to reveal each character's role in the mystery, particularly when it involves providing information that hadn't been revealed to readers earlier (as opposed to just connecting the dots). But it works in this book. This series is a tribute to Agatha Christie and this type of reveal is a classic style for her. So for me, I was able to accept it.

Now that I know that we will be seeing Jasper in the role of sleuth, I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, particular Agatha Christie, you don't want to miss this series. Plus it is fun to spend the summer in the Greek isles, even if it is just in the pages of a book.

This review will go live on 22 June:

Vivian Conroy’s Honeymoon with Death is a delightful cosy murder mystery. I loved A Testament to Murder, Vivian’s previous 1920s murder mystery (read all about that here), so when she informed me that Honeymoon with Death was available for request on NetGalley, I didn’t even read the synopsis, I just requested it. And so I was pleasantly surprised to bump into Jasper again. A main character from A Testament to Murder, Jasper is a retired Scotland Yard inspector who once again can’t enjoy his holiday because a murder has been committed and he has to find the culprit and save the day. The setting is the Greek island of Kalos and the couple on their honeymoon are Mr and Mrs Ramsforth. Right from the start, and without there even being a body yet, I was properly intrigued by the mystery surrounding the couple. Mr Ramsforth is supposedly rich, but things don’t seem to add up; while Mrs Ramsforth finds big black beetles in the flowers in their suite and a skull on their bed, but there’s no trace of either a moment later. I loved Damaris Ramsforth right from the get-go so I was really rooting for her and hoping the “death” in the title would not strike her. Did it, did it not? Read the book and find out! If you’re an Agatha Christie fan, this is a series that you must look into. The finale of this second instalment involves an intricate denouement, Hercule Poirot-style. Like A Testament to Murder, Honeymoon with Death is a quick, fun read, perfect for a (beach) holiday when you need your dose of murder and mystery, but you don’t want to overexert those little grey cells with an dark and long-winded thriller. Recommended!
Honeymoon with Death is out on 1 July!
Many thanks to Vivian Conroy for inviting me to request Honeymoon with Death and to Canelo and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I wasn’t too sure that I would like this book after reading the first couple of chapters. The setting sounded lovely, the characters seemed interesting, but the overall tone of the story seemed a bit dark and therefore unappealing to me. I had somehow gotten the impression that this was a cozy mystery, but it’s more of a serious mystery with some cozy elements and a bit of police procedural thrown in as well. I didn’t really feel that there was anything Christie-ish about it, although the description gives that impression. Unfortunately, after setting the scene so beautifully, the author failed to do much more with the setting.

Despite these things, it turned out to be an engrossing mystery with a very complex plot. Approximately half the characters were suspects in my mind, and suspicion fell on one after another. I actually read the entire book through in one sitting. I was tempted to skip to the end several times, just because I felt that I just had to know “whodunnit”! I managed to resist, but it was tough. The ending was plausible, and realistic, but I was just a tiny bit disappointed in it. Al the bits and pieces were tidied away, but Things didn’t turn out quite the way I was hoping they would.

Damaris Ramsforth is on her honeymoon with husband Teddy after a whirlwind romance. Now they have arrived on the Greek island of Kalos. But she starts having flashbacks, has she been to the island before. Then she is discovered by ex-Inspector Jasper, next to the body of a dead woman. Jasper decides to investigates the case, but what will he discover.
An enjoyable 1920s set cozy mystery though I couldn't take to any of the characters except Jasper.

So very twisty. Like a winding. Greek road taken from a goat path. Damaris is on her honeymoon when her husband surprises her with a trip to a small island, where unfortunately, they meet some friends of his. The quiet, personal time is invaded by Teddy's friends - whom Darmaris hasn't met before. Everything starts to go wrong.

A good read, with interesting characters and lots of different angles to the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The characters were interesting and each one was a little complicated. This is a carefully crafted story with deep emotions. Its conceptualised in a way that you have to consider a number of suspects and then all the elements are woven together cleverly, despite all the twists and turns, I followed the threads to the end. Worth the read.

With thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for my free copy to review.

I was privileged to be given a copy of 'Honeymoon With Death' by Vivian Conroy to read and give an honest review and I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I had never heard of Vivian Conroy previously but I will certainly be on the lookout for her books from now on. The novel starts with a young couple arriving on a Greek island to begin their honeymoon and immediately strange things begin to happen. Flowers that her husband purchased for her from a gypsy women as they stepped off the ferry had beetles coming out of them, then she saw a skull on her bed. Fortunately for her a former detective with Scotland Yard happened to arrive at the same hotel for a break and was able to unravel the mystery.

A young couple on their honeymoon in a small Greek town are embroiled in a murder mystery. Mr and Mrs Ramsforth escape to the gorgeous Greek island of Kalo for their honeymoon. Upon her arrival Mrs Ramsforth is plagued by visions of her past, which she can not determine are real or simply images of her imagination. In the midst of trying to figure out what she is seeing, she is found standing over a dead body with no memory of getting there. As luck would have it, Jasper, a former British detective, finds her standing over the dead body and becomes determined to sort out why the woman died and what Mrs. Ramsforth is imagining.

The first couple chapters of this book were slow and darker than I had thought they would be. It quickly turned and grabbed my attention. So much so, that I finished the book in a day. Being from a smallish town, I appreciated the small town feel the author created. The author really understood how quickly rumors and gossip spread in a small town and how intertwined everyone is. The only complaint is that the main couple, Mr and Mrs Ramsforth, were very quick to get emotional and jump to really crazy conclusions. It was a distraction to the main plots when they are flipping out over a random comment. I couldn't put the book down and was desperate to determine who was the killer, who was related to whom and how, why did it happen, etc.

A very interesting read . Twists and turns to keep you engrossed. Wondering which way the author is going to take it. Nice and easy to read. Flows well. Enjoyable to read