I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters, in particular the lead, had depth and it was refreshing that she is a writer rather than a detective or member of the police force. This perspective helped explain why the villagers were prepared to open up to her.

There were some lovely twists and turns in the plot and a satisfying end. I think there is potential for a most enjoyable series, going forward. Its not a pacy read, but rather an easy read.

With thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher, Bookcouture for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I can see I am going to really like the character Eve Mallow who sounds like a bundle of fun. Nice easy read

When Eve Mallow is asked to write a professional obituary on a classical musician she makes arrangements and drives from her home in London to a small Suffolk village where the musician lived. After arriving at the rented cottage with her dachshund Gus it is announced that Bernard Fitzpatrick has been murdered. Then Eve overhears a conversation which worries her. As she delves into the life of Bernard Fitzpatrick she discovers that things are not all they appear. As she crosses suspects off her list there is another murder and Eve finds herself in danger.
A very enjoyable murder mystery which is quite gripping and leaves you looking forward to the next in the series.

This book was stunning with the story and it's characters. It reminded me of the Hallmark moves and mysteries channel. With the person that doesn't know anything about being a detective ends up helping solve the crime. I loved the story and the pacing and just everything about it. It was a great story that I couldn't put down. The twists and turns were great and I can't wait for the next one.

I cannot say that I disliked this book but I didn't love it either.
The book started off OK, yes Eve had an unusual profession as obituary writer and I liked the descriptions of the village . As the book went on, I found Eve's research about the victim and conjectures about the murderers irritating. I may be wrong, but I cannot imagine that an obituary writer would go so far ?!
In my opinion, the friendships with villagers seemed to be made extremely quickly and Eve was talking far too much about the murder case with people she had just met . I didn'tparticularly like the ending ... the book seemed to just stop. I may read another one of the series, but not yet

I received an advanced copy of this book from Net galley in exchange for an impartial review

This book is written by a new to me author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the setting and an obituary writer was a pleasant surprise. The book is very descriptive and I'm looking forward to reading more in this series. I was reminded of a modern day Miss Marple.

cosy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, family-dynamics, friendship, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, England

I loved it because it is actually a very good whodunit led by a woman with an unusual career who had been unaccustomed to sleuthing and set in a lovely village. And she has a long haired dachshund ;)
Eve writes obits for niche magazines about people of their interest, and in this case it is a renowned cellist. The easiest way to manage interviews and whatever is to lease a cottage for a couple of weeks, and the best part of that is the good people she met who want her to stay despite her other life in London. Lo and behold, it turns out that the death was not a simple misadventure but murder! Let the sleuthing begin!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!

I did request this as thought it was the Tara Thorpe series but although i was wrong i did enjoy this
A book about an obituary writer is a new one on me but having read the first i am eagerly awaiting the second

With the author having brought her Tara Thorpe series of books to a close I was quite excited to see what she would come up with next as I loved Tara and her shenanigans! Her new MC is seasoned Obituary Writer Eve Mallow - well that's a new one on me! She has been commissioned to write the obituary of famous musician Bernard Fitzpatrick who resided in a small country village so she duly up sticks from London and moves into a charming rented cottage in the quaint village, taking Gus, her dachshund with her. But, just as she was sharpening her pencil ready for her first interview, word starts to spread that his death wasn't natural as first thought. Evidence now points to murder. Well, this puts a new spin on his obit! Eve is determined to carry on regardless and decides that as she is already due to interview those who knew Bernard for their take on his life, she might as well throw in investigating his murder at the same time. So she starts to ruffle some feathers, throw in a few interesting questions, at the same time, building up her list of suspects and passing certain things on to the police. Until that is, her main suspect is also killed and it then becomes a bit of a race to get to the truth, expose the killer, before she too becomes a target.
Well, this series hits the ground running very well indeed. I read quite a few cosy mysteries and yes, I have to admit that they are quite formulaic in nature. Yes this book does follow that formula to the most extent, and it does that very well, but it also has, for me anyway, a rather unique main character which adds a whole new spin on things. I guess that there is a fair bit of investigative journalism required in writing obituaries but in Eve, the author has also created a character with a pretty guaranteed way of muscling in on the suspects interview wise. And I loved it!
I also loved the setting and the other characters that Eve met along her journey. And of course Gus is an excellent side-kick! I did get a bit hungry with all the delicious cakes so well described herein and got quite envious.
All in all, a cracking series opener which I thoroughly enjoyed and which has left me hankering for more from Eve. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I’ve long been a fan of Clare Chase and, with this new series, featuring seasoned obituary writer, Eve Mallow, doesn’t disappoint. There’s an effortless ease to her writing and a style that drags the reader right into the plot from day one. She writes so vividly about Sanford St Peter that I can almost imagine I’m on the dunes walking Gus, an inspiration of a dog that steals the show. The plot is strong, the idea of a Marplesque amateur sleuth, albeit a married one with relationship problems, is inspired. I can’t wait for the next in series.