Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

With Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders, author Tessa Arlen brings into focus the struggles of daily life during World War II and a spunky new amateur sleuth to life. Full of details about the Blitz in Britain and village life, it is a wonderful start to the promising Woman of WWII mystery series.

Life has changed a great deal for the residents of Little Buffenden with the advent of the war and the arrival of American airmen taking over Poppy’s grandparents’ home and farm. Poppy, with her canine corgi sidekick Bess, takes her nightly patrols of her village as an Air Raid Warden seriously. Dangers beyond the war arise when two local girls are murdered, and all signs point to the Americans. Poppy and her new friend, pilot Griff, set out to get to the bottom of things before more people die.

This book had me at the moment I first saw the dynamic cover (as much as I try not to judge a book by its cover, I am sometimes guilty) the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Bess prominently displayed. I am one of those crazy corgi pet moms. But, the author, whose other books I enjoy, the World War II backdrop, and promise of a good puzzle to solve drew me in. I really like Poppy; she is clever, intelligent, and resourceful. American Griff is charming and affable. It is hard to dislike a man who becomes friends with your grandparents and likes to cook. The village residents add variety and color to the story, but I wish readers got to know them better.

The mystery is engaging with some tension and misdirection. There are few suspects, and, unfortunately, the guilty party is easy to identify. The pace is a bit slow at times, and the tale lacks some action. We spend a lot of time with Poppy’s thoughts, and I do not know that I love her alter ego, the heroine of the book that she is writing. That said the details of the era, and the contemplation that I might not be right about the resolution of the investigation, kept me reading.

I liked Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders. There is lots of potential for great reading in future installments. Recommended to Ms. Arlen’s fans and readers of historical mysteries, especially those set against World War II.

OMG that cover! And OMG is Poppy Redfern fab — a gutsy air warden and amateur detective extraordinaire in the English village of Little Buffenden. This charming mystery, the first in a new Arlen series, is set in 1942 during my fave historical era, the British blitz.

The War Office has taken over Poppy’s family home and farm for an American Air Force airfield. If that’s not troubling enough, two young women involved with American servicemen are found dead. Tensions run high between the locals and the Americans and shake the little village to its core.

Poppy investigates with help from an attractive American pilot. Can they unravel the mystery as she sets a trap close to home for the killer, or will she be the next victim?

I love Arlen’s fine writing, the compelling narrative, the characters, and really everything about this sweet mystery. As she wrote when announcing publication: “I was raised on stories of the Blitz in London. My father was given a thrashing because he and his cousin sat up on the roof of their house in Greenwich with their Spam sandwiches to watch a dogfight between Messerschmidts and Spitfires.”

That hearty spirit and heritage inform her writing and blitz us with delight. 5 of 5 Enthusiastic Stars!

Pub Date 05 Nov 2019.

Thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#PoppyRedfernAndTheMidnightMurders #NetGalley

Author Tessa Arlen (http://www.tessaarlen.com/) published the novel “Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders” in 2019. Ms. Arlen has published five novels. This the first in her “A Woman of WWII Mystery” series.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in 1942 England. Young Poppy Redfern left her small village for Air Raid Warden training in London. After living through German bombings there she returns to her home. That is the village of Little Buffenden where she will take on the role of their Air Raid Warden.

She comes upon the body of a young woman while on patrol one night. Most of the village believes the culprit cannot be one of their own. Instead, they think the killer came from the new American airbase situated near the village.

This is not an isolated death. Redfern unofficially supplements her Air Warden duties with discovering the killer. Along the way, she begins a romantic relationship with an American pilot from the airbase. Will she be able to overcome village bias and find the real killer?

She is a small-town girl with little experience and no formal investigative training. Her parents fear for her going out at night alone after the discovery of the body. She knows the villagers though and feels like she can succeed.

I enjoyed the 7+ hours I spent reading this 320-page mystery novel. I thought it to be a good mystery with the added benefit of being set in one of my favorite times in history, WWII. This is no action thriller. Though the young Ms. Redfern does find her way into some situations. I look forward to reading more novels in this series. I do like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

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I have droned on and on, to your great boredom, about how I love romance and how my second love is the mystery-romance-historical combo, like Deanna Raybourn, or Susanna Kearsley, C. S. Harris, Jennifer Ashley … *sobs* and the no-longer-writing-new-Renegades-of-the-Revolution Donna Thorland. Let’s face it, I love the hybrids as much as I love romance, so let’s let that second love thing die. Now, with Tessa Arlen’s first in A Woman of WWII series, I’m adding another much-anticipated series to the beloved list. Given the stay-at-home state of things, Arlen’s Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders made for the perfect comfort read: with a Christie-Foyle’s-War-inspired English village + eccentrics setting and intrepid, engaging, loveable heroine, the eponymous Poppy, a too-charming-for-his-and-Poppy’s-own-good American Army Air Force hero … and no less than a Midsommer Murders corps of village-body-count! While I toiled away at WFH and dabbed lipstick for Zoom meetings, I enjoyed, in the time-interstices, my reading of Poppy, her American hero, and their joint sleuthing.

When the novel opens, Poppy is the midst of a London-air-raid, the last of her training as an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) warden. She brings her new-found status and expertise to Chiltern’s Little Buffenden, where she lives with her grandparents, herds an array of eccentric villagers in air-raid drills with her loyal, stalwart, and heroic dog-companion, Bess, and becomes intertwined with the newly-arrived American Army Air Force pilots, whose base is on her grandfather’s temporarily-donated farm, Reaches. Not long after Poppy’s arrival, two young village women, Doreen Newcombe and Ivy Wantage, are murdered (Poppy finds Ivy’s body while on patrol) and Poppy with the ever-vigilant Bess are on the case, soon joined by the California-born, exemplary-cook and irresistibly-handsome Lieutenant Griff O’Neal, Poppy’s love interest.

There are sundry reasons why I loved Arlen’s Poppy and Poppy, but the one that has to stand out is the writing. A writer can have great ideas, premises, twisty tropes, but nought can come of them if the writing isn’t adept, or the pacing tight and focussed. Arlen excels at the former and wavers on the latter. But the characters are so lovingly drawn and developped I couldn’t help but be charmed by the novel throughout. Here are mere snippets that drew me in from the start. Poppy recounts her first impressions of Griff: ” … tall, over six feet, but all Americans are tall, aren’t they? … the closest feature in my line of vision was his mouth, smiling widely over teeth of film-star-white evenness.” Who can resist a heroine who is both funny and strives for justice and right?: “my young years still have me fighting for every injustice, a ready champion for a lost cause.” Poppy’s observation of the mama’s boy Home Guard officer, Sid, tasked with protecting her on her nightly air-raid-curtain inspection: “He is an earnest young man who suffers from a complete deficit of wit.” Love, justice, and a sexy lieutenant, what more does a mystery-romance novel need? Well, a dog who steals every scene, that’s what. Bessie only adds to Arlen’s engaging tale. (I know, I know, punning is the lowest form of wit, but Shakespeare … )

Arlen builds some great tension between the newly-arrived Americans and the natives, all in good fun, and provides an opposites-attract counterpoint to Poppy in Griff O’Neal. She’s justice and dry humour to his sharp, ebullient wits and expansive American bonhomie. Some of my favourite scenes are Griff’s taking-over Poppy’s grandparents’ kitchen after Jasper and Alice Redfern begin a tradition of bringing the Americans and select villagers together for a Sunday lunch. Their peace-making efforts bear fruit and a great roast beef when everyone gets to enjoy Griff’s superior culinary skills, even Bess: “He looked up from basting the beef; the smell was sensational. My mouth watered, and Bess made a wistful moaning sound deep in her throat.” No doubt Poppy would join Bess at the sight of muscled-gorgeousness in her kitchen, but she is a diffident English woman after all. Though Poppy has an alter ego who wouldn’t hesitate to jump the American’s bones any less than Bess would gnaw at the beef’s. Poppy is writing a Blitz-set murder mystery novel, starring the intrepid, knowing Ilona Linthwaite, who serves as the “voice” in Poppy’s head and alter ego, advising, encouraging, at times admonishing any timidity with men or murderers.

My moues of disappointment? Though I’m not one of those readers who guesses the murderer, too engrossed in the characters and their relationships and making notes on the writing to pay that kind of attention, I did guess this one. It didn’t take anything from my enjoyment, but you may care about this. I don’t. I thought Poppy did a weird aboutface on Griff, out of caution and insecurity, that spoiled the romance. Again, a niggling point given the HEA! The mystery itself lagged, maybe because Arlen created such great secondary characters (love the vicar!) and took much narrative time doing so, but this is something, again, I don’t mind. If you love a tightly-paced mystery, you might grow impatient. I didn’t, wanted MOAR Griff, Poppy, and Bessie. All in all, I loved Poppy and the Midnight Murders and can’t wait to read Poppy, Griff, and Bess’s next adventure. With Miss Austen, we say Arlen’s series start is indicative of “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Tessa Arlen’s Poppy and the Midnight Murders is published by Berkley Prime Crime. It was released in November 2019 and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-galley from Berkley, via Netgalley.

A cozy comfort read filled with food, fun, and fabulous characters. Nell Heads to Tuscany to help revitalize a farm to table cooking school. She is excited for the new environment as well as the opportunity to work with one of her idols Chef Claudio. But when she reaches the Italian Villa she finds it in a state of major disrepair. To make things even more complicated there is a documentary crew there to film a series on farm to table cooking schools. And of course one of the film makers is Nell’s ex-boyfriend. When he is found dead Nell wants to prove her innocence. Now Nell needs to trade in her chefs hat for a detective cap.

This was a fun story I loved the setting and all the food. There is a great cast of characters that I am looking forward to being further developed. My only tiny gripe is there might have been a slight overuse of Italian (not sure if I missed anything or not). The mystery was cleverly plotted and I enjoyed trying to solve it right along side Nell. Looking forward to many more installments in this clever new culinary cozy series.

This book in emojis 👩🏻‍🍳 🍲 👨🏻‍🍳 🔪 🔍 🇮🇹

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

There is a sense of nostalgic comfort in this new World War 2 mystery set in an English village. Tessa Arlen, the author of the Lady Montfort series, was born in England and this novel shows in her absolute command of place and the charmingly slangy language of the 1940s. Poppy Redfern is a charming creation, a shy but feisty, air raid warden who patrols the benighted streets with her charming dog Bessie – and therefore has an excellent reason to keep a close eye on her nefarious neighbours. The yanks are new in town, to the delight of the nylon stocking and luxury loving local lasses – but so unfortunately is an unknown strangler.
The characters are richly varied and engaged in war-time pursuits such as dealting with the severe rationing of clothes and food that Brits endured. The mystery itself is suitably puzzling and the closing chapter points to another fascinating war-time activity for Poppy to get involved in. A delightful cosy mystery brimfull of British war-time spirit.

During the summer of 1942, Poppy Redfern works as an Air Raid Warden in the English village of Little Buffenden. She likes her work - and the excitement of the American Air Force moving to an air field by her farm - until she finds a body of a childhood friend on one of her nightly patrols.

I wanted to read Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders because I love historical fiction set in the 1940's. I also enjoy mysteries.

The historical details in this book were exceptional. The author really captured life during war time. The details of Poppy's work as an Air Raid Warden were also fascinating.

I liked Poppy a lot as a character. She is intelligent and brave, with charming grandparents (that she lives with) and a lovable little dog named Bess. I liked her budding romance with the American airman Griff.

The mystery aspect of the story was rather slow moving and not as strong as the rest of the book. It seemed to play a smaller part in the story that I thought it would, as a historical mystery.

That said, I do look forward to the next book in this series because I enjoyed Poppy and the historical details so much. I would recommend this novel for fans of historical fiction set during the World War II home front.

I'm a huge fan of Arlen's Lady Montfort series, so when I first heard she had a new series in the works - and a WWII one at that! - my ears were perked. While I never got around to writing a full length review for this one, I enjoyed it immensely and am looking forward to book 2!

Mysteries which take place in small English villages are always cozy reading, even with a backdrop of World War II and a nearby American airfield. Perhaps its knowing that in a small village it is easier to paint the variety of personalities among the citizens. Perhaps it’s the slower speed of life. Plenty of red herrings to try to throw blame on the blameless have been placed in the story. I look forward to more books about the plucky Poppy Redfern and her village.

An entertaining cozy mystery set in WWII England. I will definitely look for more mysteries starring Poppy.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good start to a new mystery series. I really liked the main character, Poppy, and her dog Bess, of course. I liked that Poppy had doubts about herself and her investigation, but was able to muster the confidence that she needed to move things forward. I will be keeping my eye out for the next book in this series.

Murder on the Homefront in WWII

Poppy Redfern wants to help the war effort so her grandfather, who brought her up, sends her to London to be trained as an Air Raid Warden. Back in her village, Poppy is ready to assume her duties. She’s been in London and feels capable of walking the village alone at night, but her grandfather insists that she have an escort.

The War Office has taken over the farmland and house owned by Poppy’s family for an airfield for the American Air Force. Not everyone is happy to have the Air Force invading the village. Tensions escalate when two young women who were involved with Air Force officers are found murdered. The murders make Poppy’s grandfather even more sure that she needs an escort. Poppy wants to solve the crimes and gets support comes from Griff, an Air Force officer, who likes her and helps her in looking into the murders.

This is a delightful WWII mystery. Many WWII tales center on London so it was refreshing to get a peek at what it was like on the homefront. Poppy is very independent. I thought she was a great character. I also liked Griff. Poppy was attracted to him, but couldn’t quite decide whether is was a good thing to do.

If you enjoy historical mysteries, this is a good one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

I adored this one. I've loved historical mysteries a la Lady Sherlock by Sherry Thomas and other 18th century mysteries, but this is the first time that I've read a mystery set in the 1940s. The setting was fleshed-out and impressive. I don't know much about WWII but now I want to research and learn more! The actual mystery was kinda obvious, but I'll keep reading the series.

I love a good historical mystery, and I am so thankful for writers like Jacqueline Winspear and Susan Elia MacNeal for their series featuring women in war. Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders, Tessa Arlen's first Woman of World War II mystery, is an excellent addition.

From the opening scenes in London where Poppy was trained during almost nightly air raids, I was hooked. From London, readers move to the village homefront during the war. Fear, shortages, ration books, distrust of any stranger, Arlen brings the setting to life as Poppy walks the streets of Little Buffenden in the light of day and the pitch black of night. Poppy is an excellent protagonist. She's not quite village and not quite gentry, so she can move about in both worlds-- although she does have to outwit her overprotective grandparents when it comes to her investigating.

The mystery in Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders although good, isn't all that strong. It was very easy for me to deduce the killer's identity, for instance. No, this first book in a series is more about setting the stage and having readers get a feel for the time period and to become acquainted with the characters, and in this, it succeeds. So much so that I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series.

Charming 'who dunnit' set in a country village during World War II England

Ok, so a Poppy Redfern mystery is not in the same class, as yet, to Foyle's War, but she is quite a delightful and rather winning protagonist.
Poppy is the shy granddaughter to repected English landed gentry. Their house has been given over to the war effort and housing an American airfield base.
So the Yanks have landed! There are some attempts at developing relationships between the two communities but then things go horribly wrong. Two young women are murdered and a third was nearly done for. The Americans are in the spotlight as those responsible.
Poppy Redfern and her alter ego Ilona, along with Bessie the dog, (whom I adore!) a welsh herding dog apparently, (I can't decide if this means Bessie's a corgi or something else) set out to catch the muderer. Then there's American Lieutenant Griff O’Neal, whom Poppy doesn't know whether to like or dislike.
Of course things are so much more complicated than this. Poppy has all but discounted the Americans until a red herring is strewn across her path. I thought I'd sort of figured out the culprit, but in the end I kept running into brick walls. So I was kept guessing until almost the end.
I suspect the series title, A Woman of World War II, implies a whole lot more than we know at this moment. I can't help but wonder how it will unpack and where Poppy will go from her humble beginnings in this first in the series, as an Air Raid Warden to where she ends up at the conclusion of the novel. Poppy is certainly a sleuth to look out for in the future.

A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley

Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders by Tessa Arlen is the first A Woman of WWII Mystery. Poppy Redfern is a spunky woman who has become the Air Raid Warden for Little Buffenden, England. She spends her daytime hours working on a novel featuring her heroine, Ilona Linthwaite and her evening patrolling the village. But then someone begins killing off the young women in the town who are dating American soldiers. Poppy believes the wrong man was arrested for the crime and so does Lt. Griff O’Neal. The two work together to get to the truth. I thought Poppy was a great character with her red hair and zest for life. I appreciated that she had a unique position as Air Raid Warden. She is more progressive than the grandparents who raised her and she currently lives with in their small village. I wish the author had taken the time to establish the other characters. I would have liked more on Griff and Poppy’s grandparents. We are introduced to a number of villagers and I found it difficult to keep them straight. The author captured the time period with rationing, homes requisitioned, lack of men, air raids, planes flying overhead, Anderson shelters and bombs dropping out of the sky. I felt like I was transported back in time with the author’s descriptive writing. I did find the pacing to be on the slow side. I wish it had a little more pep. The mystery had some good components. There are two dead women, unique murder weapons, misdirection, and a unique takedown scene. Unfortunately, the guilty party stood out like a beacon on a dark night. I would have liked a complete wrap up instead of part truth and part supposition. I also felt the book needed more action and less of Poppy thinking (about her book, the town, Griff, the case). Little Buffenden is a typical small town. Poppy has known the residents her whole life. They like to offer advice plus pump her for information. Gossip spreads rapidly in this quaint hamlet. This is a good start to a new historical mystery series. The ending gives us a glimpse of what Poppy will be up to in the next book. Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders is an appealing new historical cozy mystery with bomb blasts, good natured gossips, ration regulations, a hijacked house and a conniving killer.

Berkley Prime crime titles usually come out at the beginning of the month. This month they have 4 to choose from and they are set to release on 11/05/2019.
Goodreads and Amazon links will be posted.

Enjoy!




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Air Warden Mystery Book 1

The start of an exciting new World War II historical mystery series featuring charming, quirky Air Raid Warden Poppy Redfern....

Summer 1942. The world has been at war for three long and desperate years. In the remote English village of Little Buffenden, the Redfern family's house and farmland has been requisitioned by the War Office as a new airfield for the American Air Force.

The village's Air Raid Warden, twentysomething Poppy Redfern, spends her nights patrolling the village and her days writing a novel of passion. It is a far cry from the experience of the other young women in town: within days, two of the village's prettiest girls are dating American airmen and Little Buffenden considers the "Friendly Invasion" to be a success.

But less than a week later, Doreen Newcombe, the baker's daughter; and the popular Ivy Wantage are both found dead. Poppy realizes that her community has been divided by murder, and the mistrust and suspicion of their new American neighbors threatens to tear this town, already grappling with the horrors of war, apart. Poppy decides to start her own investigation, but she soon unearths some unfortunate secrets and long-held grudges. She will have no choice but to lay a trap for a killer so perilously close to home, she might very well become the next victim....

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Chocoholic Mystery Book 17

In the newest mystery from nationally bestselling author Joanna Carl, a dive into house flipping becomes a deadly flop....

When a house near Lee and Joe's home goes up for sale, the couple teams up with Lee's aunt and uncle, Nettie and Hogan, to buy it, remodel it, and resell it for a sweet profit. But after the owners of the house, the Baileys, accept their offer, a local developer, Richard "Spud" Dirk, suddenly swoops in with a higher one, and it seems their dreams might be snatched away.

Lee, never as passionate about the plan as her husband and uncle, is anxious to get back to focusing on managing TenHuis Chocolade. But when a long-hidden gun is found behind a pipe in the Baileys' basement, she begins to suspect a mystery is afoot. And when Spud turns up dead in the Baileys' carport a few days later, it becomes clear there's something rotten at the foundation....

To solve the murder, Lee will have to strip away layers of secrets--that is, if someone doesn't level her first....

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Murder She Wrote Book 50

In the fiftieth entry in this USA Today bestselling series, two timelines converge as Jessica Fletcher returns to high school to investigate the murder of an old colleague, while we meet Jessica as a young teacher solving her very first murder--that of the high school principal.

Young Jessica Fletcher's life couldn't be more ordinary. She teaches at the local high school while she and her loving husband, Frank, are raising their nephew Grady together. But when the beloved principal dies under mysterious circumstances, Jessica knows something is off and, for the very first time, investigates a death.

Present-day Jessica returns to high school for a colleague's retirement party and has fun seeing familiar faces. That is, until the colleague winds up dead--and his death has mysterious links to Jessica's very first murder case.

With nothing but her own instincts to guide her, Jessica embarks on a quest to find out what really happened all those years ago and who's behind these murders. Because time is running out to catch this killer....

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Counterfeit Lady Book 3

Elizabeth Miles finds herself in a position no con can help her escape. Her beloved fiancé, Gideon Bates, is awaiting his turn in the draft to fight in the Great War. Elizabeth is finding it hard to think of anything else, but Gideon has thrown himself into his work, preparing wills for soldiers before they ship out. Corporal Tom Preston is part owner of Preston Shoes, a company that is making footwear for the army, so he has a rather large estate. He needs a new will, however, because he has just been secretly married to a woman whom his family would never approve. He wants to make sure she and their unborn child are provided for if he does not return.

When Tom is later reported killed, Elizabeth and Gideon learn that the new will has gone missing after Tom's bride revealed her identity to his family. Unless the new will is found and validated, the original will, which leaves everything to Tom's brother, will prevail and the wife and child will get nothing. If Tom's new bride survives, that is. Some terrible threats have been leveled against her, and Elizabeth and Gideon must figure out a way, legal or not quite, to secure Tom's fortune for his wife and child while saving her life in the process.

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3.75 stars

This series debut is set in a small English village during WWII. Poppy Redfern, our intrepid heroine, is the village air raid warden. The town has been sent into a bit of upheaval by the arrival of an American air squadron and base. Villagers are split about whether the Americans' presence is a blessing or ruination.

And then one after the other, several young women are murdered. They all were dating Yanks, so naturally the already leery townspeople assume an American is to blame. Poppy and Army Air Corps pilot Griff O'Neal are trying to combine their village and base knowledge to find the murderer.

Poppy is an appealing character and the war setting is quite interesting. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So much about this book called to me well before I ever cracked open the first page and read the harrowing adventure of an Air Raid Warden training in London during the bombings. First, that cover. I spotted that and I was a goner, but then I read the blurb and caught sight of the series title. A WWII ear historical mystery with a woman heroine. It was a cinch, as the American pilots would have said.

Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders takes the reader to the English village homefront during WWII. Intrepid, clever Poppy wants to do her part and she has no affinity for the domestic arts so her granddad helped her get trained and taken on as their village air raid warden who helps guide during an actual air raid and does nightly patrols to make sure folks are keeping it safe with blackout conditions around the village.

Poppy's parents died and she was reared by her grandparents. She grows up not quite village, but not quite country estate, either, as the granddaughter of the village squire so she has her foot in both worlds. It serves her well when she can observe the insular village types close ranks against the Americans, but is equally ready to defend the village of people she has known all her life. Poppy is something of a loner and is independent.

I thought the author did great painting the picture of how people made due or did without all to further the war effort, worried about their men at war even while carrying on as best they could sometimes with bombs dropping on them. I liked the details of the villagers and village life along with the adjustments to having a military base nearby and not even one of their own.

Poppy had some good adventures in this one and a few intense moments, but for the most part, it was a gently-paced plodder lining up one clue at a time or dismissing suspicion with each situation. I thought it was fun seeing the play between Polly and Griff. She's closed off, but he gets past her guard. He encourages her detecting and discovery of the truth, but he is one of the mysteries she can't quite solve, especially her feelings about him and his for her. I found the actual murderer easy to pin point and even why fairly early on, but there were other things going on so it never got boring.

This is a first in series and I can't wait to read the next Poppy Redfern adventure. I think historical mystery fans and those who enjoy books set during WWII might enjoy this one.

In the summer of 1942, Poppy Redfern's family home and farmland has been requisitioned by the War Office, to be used as an airfield for the American Air Force. Poppy herself, having recently finished air warden training, is now the only Air Raid Warden in her village, where she patrols by night and works on her novel by day. Soon after the arrival of the Americans, two girls are found dead and Poppy, possibly the only one who doesn't think the Americans are to blame, begins her own investigation.

This is the first book in a new series by a new-to-me author. I enjoy books set in this time period and was really looking forward to reading this one; thankfully, I was not disappointed. I liked the small town setting, which felt like an additional character, and I enjoyed getting to know the town's residents. The writing and details made me feel like I was there as everything happened, but I was not able to guess the identify of the killer until it was revealed in the book. I look forward to reading the next book in this series when it is released.