This is the first book in a new series.
This is a cosy crime mystery which is something that I love.
At times it is more like a character study than a mystery but this series has potential.

This book did not have any get up and go. It took a while to complete as noting truly kept me intrigued. The characters and writing were well defined and made the book worth reading but the plot, atmosphere, and logic of the story lacked. This is the first book of a series and is wondering what the other books will be like. The mystery was the best part as I did not figure out who the killer was to the end.

I loved this story, Eve Mallow is kind of Nancy Drew for grown ups! I look forward to her next story with Gus! Thank you to the NetGalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this book!

Mystery in hidden lane is a truly gripping start to a brilliant mystery series.

When Eve Mallows finds herself in the village of Saxford St Peter to write an obituary, the last thing she imagined she would be doing is investing a murder !

As she spends her time trying to find out information about the life of a famous cellist, Bernard Fitzpatrick, she uncovers a darker side to his world .

This hidden story lies just beneath the surface of a quaint village . In a place where gossip travels faster that you can possibly imagine , the village pub is part of the daily routine and church services are attended even if it’s just for the mingling afterwards , how well do you really know your neighbours is all the question on everybody’s minds .

Two murder , 1 musician and a whole load of unanswered questions.


This is the first book I have read from Clare Chase and I really enjoyed it . As a fan of murder mystery novels I enjoying trying to work out the killer before the grand reveal . This book kept me guessing with each chapter .

The characters , the setting and the plot twists were expertly written. I can’t wait to read more of Eve Mallow and her new life in Suffolk .

Many thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Clare Chase for sending me a copy of this book for an honest review .

What a great start to a new series! Eve is an interesting and spunky new sleuth... I look forward to more of her adventures!
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mystery on Hidden Lane by Claire Chase is about seasoned obituary writer Eve Mallow who has a new assignment: to tell the life story of famed musician Bernard Fitzpatrick. On the day she arrives, news breaks that the charismatic cellist was the victim of a grisly murder. Could this quaint English village be hiding a dark secret?

As Eve starts to interview Bernard’s friends and colleagues, there’s barely a person in town who doesn’t have some reason to hate him… is one of the friendly villagers a cold-blooded killer?

This was a good well-written mystery. Nice background of an English Coastal, small village. Eve went there to write an obituary and stepped into a huge mystery. She took us through many lanes to find the killer. Thank you to Net Galley for sending an advanced reader’s copy for review.

I love a good cozy mystery! This series has a unique main character. Her REAL job is as an obituary writer...pretty unique. Her traveling partner is her dog with whom she interacts much as I do with my dog. She knows all my secrets and shares them with no one. The story starts as most, stumbling onto a murder and then being tasked to help. But the story is very well written with characters that entertain along the way. Clare Chase has now moved onto my "must read" authors list!

I enjoyed reading this book and the author sets the scene very well. There are lots of twists and turns that keep the reader involved right up to the final chapter. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this genre.

Favorite Quotes:

… she reached down to ruffle Gus’s fur as he looked up at her, no doubt after another treat… ‘No, Gus – no more. Because I love you and I’m taking care of your health.’ For a moment she imagined how it would be if the roles were reversed, and Gus was in a position to ration her cake intake at the teashop. It didn’t bear thinking about.

Can’t blame you for not trusting DI Palmer. You have to chivvy him if you want something in a hurry. When Simon had that horse stolen, he had all the urgency of a dormouse on Valium.


My Review:

I enjoy cozy mysteries for a change of pace between my habitual reads of women’s fiction and thrillers as they are almost medicinal as they generally allow me the novel experience of sustaining a consistent pulse rate and blood pressure at normal levels. This slowly developing tale was rather complex for a cozy and entertained and amused me with the quirkiness of the characters and originality of the plotlines.

So, a Londoner arrives in a small village to write a celebrity obituary for her part-time job. Who knew there was such a thing as a celebrity obituary writer? But the character of Eve was perfect for the task as she was a full-on natural-born snoop who was eaten up with curiosity, oozed diplomacy, and easily put others at ease while she finagled and finessed interesting bits of information out of them. Eve was highly observant and spent endless hours researching everyone, even those on the fringes. She was also apparently in love with my beloved Mr. Google. And yes – I do know that my love is unrequited and that he cheats on me relentlessly, sigh… Regardless, Eve arrived in the small village to interview her subject’s peeps only to learn that her assignment had not only died but had been murdered, which was her first, but I have a feeling it won’t be her last.

I adored Eve! She talked aloud to her little dog Gus and sought his opinion as well as assigned him thoughts, motivations, and emotions. I reveled in these anthropomorphized bits as I do the same with my fur babies who, of course, re feline geniuses and possible serial killers/ninjas. The storylines were heaving with colorful and amusing descriptions, copiously noted details, and possible suspects. Eve kept track of her carefully curated details on spreadsheets and was quickly befriended by Viv, a gifted baker who conjured divine cakes, whom I loved just as much as Eve because, well, cake, and, she was good fun and had pink hair. I am eager to read the next book in the series, which is locked and loaded on my impatiently idling Kindle.

I picked up two new clever bits and bobs for my Brit List with playing away – being unfaithful to a partner, and chivvy – pushing or nagging someone repeatedly to do something.

An entertaining whodunnit

This is a very classic mystery in the style of Marple or Midsomer. A beautiful rural setting, small village gossip, a “genteel” murder (and by that I mean the death doesn’t involve gallons of blood and serial killers) … you know what to expect! So if you usually enjoy this sort of classic whodunnit, I highly recommend this book.

Eve is a likeable protagonist and the idea of her being an obituary writer is ingenious. Her profession means she has a legitimate reason to poke around asking everyone questions about their relationship with the deceased. This means her interactions with the other characters feel natural and logical rather than contrived and forced.

The mystery is handled well and left to unfold gradually. The essential ground work is laid subtly in the early chapters meaning I was able to figure out the murderer’s identity just before Eve did. I always think this is exactly how the best murder mysteries are structured: they’re written in such a way to allow the reader to keep up with the fictional sleuth and so share the satisfaction of their big “a-ha!” moment. There’s nothing worse than getting to the reveal and thinking, “What the heck?!”. If the writer has done a good job, it should all make sense, and it truly does here.

And if you need further encouragement to read this book, it also features a lovely village setting and a cute dog!

You can see lots of foundations being laid in this book to support future installments, including the introduction of secondary characters with their own mysterious pasts, possible hints at future romantic attachments, and drama with Eve’s family. I’m sure the author has lots planned for Eve in the future and the second book, Mystery at Apple Tree Cottage, is being published on March 12. So this would be a great time to start the series at the beginning and be able to read straight on to book 2.

Overall: If you like classic murder mysteries you should definitely seek out Mystery on Hidden Lane. The Eve Mallow murders promises to be a very entertaining series.

Mystery on Hidden Lane was well written and engaging. Complete with an original story line, this cozy mystery is excellent addition to the genre.

I am a big fan of English cozies and this is one of the best I have read. I loved the charming village, the village residents and Eve the protagonist . This has all the elements of a long running English cozy series. I look forward to the next in series. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

This is such a charming series ! Set in a small picturesque English village complete with thatched roofs and cottages abound, I loved it right away.. Eve Mallow travels to the Quaint English village of Saxford St Peter to write the Obituary of a famous Cellist . She hopes to take in the village life and enjoy long walks with her dachshund. She is starting a new career writing obituaries as her children are grown and she is now starting over in life. As she arrives to the charming village she finds out that the cellist was in fact murdered and it was quite the gruesome murder. . She is shocked and decides she will investigate and find out what happened. As she asks questions of the villagers she finds out that the cellist did indeed have many secrets. The underlying secrets of his life soon come to light and she find out that village life may not be as charming as she hoped.

I loved this for a debut series. The sleuth is well crafted and has a pleasing conclusion. The supporting charcters including the village are pure English village charm. .I like Eve as a savvy investigator that is intelligent as well as kind to those around her. I look forward to the next in series.

I am a great lover of cozy Mmysteries, especially of the English variety. There is nothing like settling down in a comfortable armchair, with a cup of coffee and losing yourself in a book set in a quaint English village. This is the first book in the Eve Mallow mystery series. I enjoy cozy mysteries because they are not as gritty or as graphic as say police procedurals. This story details the adventures of Eve in the village of Saxford St. Peter, Suffolk. She is sent to write a fitting obituary that is to appear in the local paper for renowned cellist, Bernard Fitzpatrick, who has recently passed away.

I enjoy the author's writing style, which is appealing. Her descriptions are wonderful. This book is reminiscent of Midsomer Murders, which I love. It's very enjoyable, with wonderfully detailed plot, a wonderful narrative and an excellent cast of possible suspects. I look forward to the further adventures of Eve Mallow.

I would like to thank the author/publisher/Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The essence of a good British murder mystery is an intelligent amateur sleuth. Good observational skills, an unassuming manner, which encourages confidences and an unbridled fearlessness, to confront, potentially dangerous people, and situations head-on. Writer Eve Mallow has these qualities.

Eve Mallow writes obituaries. An American, living in London, she is divorced, and her twins are now grown-up. She takes a job writing an obituary for a famous cellist and visits the Suffolk village where he lives to find out more about him.

Observant, she soon realises that this is not a straightforward death. Finding out her subject was murdered, draws her further into his previous life, to find the truth. She quickly endears herself to the villagers and begins to uncover some surprising revelations.

The setting is perfect for a murder mystery, unspoilt, picturesque, remote, with many unobserved places, perfect for committing murder. The cast of characters is complex, eccentric, and flawed. They are the sort you may find in any English village, which makes them relatable. The plot has twists and misinformation. and many suspects. The first victim had many unpalatable traits and so there is a veritable queue of people who may want him out of the way.

Eve is relentless in her investigation and willing to put herself at risk, unsurprisingly she solves the case. There is lots of scope in this series, both in terms of the protagonist and the setting, and I look forward to reading the next book.

I received a copy of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

An excellent start for a new cosy mystery series: good storyline, solid mystery and a cast of interesting characters.
I liked the style of writing and the mystery kept me guessing.
Can't wait to read the next instalment.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Eve Mallow has a secondary job of writing obituaries for famous people. She goes to a small village of Saxford St Peter in England, there she is writing the obituary for a world famous cellist Bernard Fitzpatrick. What she doesn't find out until she gets to the village is that Fitzpatrick had been murdered.
Eve quickly makes friends in the village but soon finds out that a lot of people had grudges against Fitzpatrick. Which person has killed him? Eve starts to investigate with her trusted dog Gus.
This is the first book in a series and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more.

Mystery on Hidden Lane is the first book in the Eve Mallow Mystery series, and it is a good one! In many ways, it is exactly what a British cozy is meant to be. I was really enticed by the premise – an obituary writer who gets involved in solving the mystery surrounding the death of her subject. It is a unique take on the cozy mystery trope, and one that makes logical sense.

When Eve Mallow is assigned to write the obituary of cellist Bernard Fitzpatrick, she travels with her dog, Gus, to the Suffolk village of Saxford St. Peter to gain insight into his life. Once there, however, she quickly learns that his death was, in fact, a murder, and her research leads her to discover several suspects with definite motives. One thing leads to another, and Eve finds herself on the trail of a killer.

The pace of this book is more leisurely than many of the cozy mysteries I have read lately, but it is filled with beautiful, almost lyrical description. The pace seems to suit the book and its protagonist. Eve is a thoughtful and meticulous woman with a sharp wit and commonsensical approach to life. Interesting, too, are the townspeople, especially Viv (with her pink hair) and Robin. Gus, too, acts as a character in the story, and the relationship between Eve and her dog is truly charming.

The mystery is fresh and interesting, with a town full of suspects, who each have secrets of their own. There are enough twists and turns (and red herrings) to keep the reader guessing and intrigued throughout. I was particularly impressed with Eve’s method of tracking the suspects on a spreadsheet. That really fit in with her character. The resolution, too, came at exactly the right time, the subsequent wrap-up brought needed closure to the story.

There is no doubt that Mystery on Hidden Lane is a promising start to the Eve Mallow series. I look forward to reading more about Eve’s and Gus’s adventures in the next book.

Note: I received an ARC of Mystery on Hidden Lane from NetGalley and Bookouture. The above is my honest review.

When Eve Mallow travels to the Quaint English village of Saxford St Peter to write the Obituary of a famous Cellist she is shocked to discover that he has been murdered. Whilst researching for the obituary she soon uncovers information that could lead to the murderer but has she put herself in danger? An intriguing cosy murder mystery and a great start to a new series.

A new series a great first book an introduction to Eve Mallow an obituary writer.From the first pages I was drawn in by the setting the characters the mystery.I love discovering new to me series looking forward to next in the series. #netgalley#bookoutture

I love a good cosy crime mystery so I was thrilled to be able to read a brand new series.

Eve Mallow writes obituaries and thinks nothing of starting to write an obituary of a world famous musician. As she starts to research the musician’s life, the police declare the death a murder, and she finds herself questioning possible suspects.

Her skill for researching soon puts her in danger as she finds out things that maybe she shouldn’t have.

A brilliant debut outing for Eve Mallow, the story flows really well and I can’t wait to read the next instalment.