This is the first book in a series
This was an enjoyable read with nice characters.
Perfect for fans of cosy crime mysteries.

I love crime stories the more complex the better I like them, unfortunately, this was not one of them. 2 sisters re-locate to Cornwall and as they are trying to integrate they join the WI and that's when a murder happens. There is police in this but this is more Miss Maple as Kate decides to investigate all be it on her own, so this turns out to be more of a cosy mystery OK for holiday reading, but if you prefer something stronger you will be disappointed. It's a nice little story, but you can work it out straight away so for the avid reader so no edge of your seat. I would like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for a copy to review.

I love British mysteries so I already knew this book was for me. I really enjoyed all of the characters in this book, especially our main character. I felt like she was very relatable therefore I was rooting for her the whole time. The author did a really good job of not giving away too much throughout the book and it ended being very a shock as to who had done it. Overall, a very fun, fast paced thriller/mystery!

I am not usually a big reader of "cozy mysteries" but this one sounded like fun. It was rather slow moving for me and did not feel very believable. I realize that most mysteries aren't terribly believable, but this one lacked that sense that an author has done lots of homework, so to speak. It also felt very dated and didn't really hold my interest. It's a nice clean read though and will be especially appealing to those who want to imagine living in a small, quaint English town.

This is the first book in the Kate Palmer series, and it was certainly a wonderful wat to begin!.

Kate Palmer has moved to Cornwall in search of a quiet life. She moves to the little village of Lower Tinworthy, and into the beautifully picturesque Lavender Cottage with her Sister Angie. This should be the perfect place for a new start, but soon after their arrival, there is a death within the small, close-knit village community.

This book had me intrigued from the start. The storyline was paced perfectly and kept the suspense level ramping up as the story unfolded. The characters were given their own individual traits and quirks which added new depths to the story.

I will certainly be looking forward to continuing to read this series, as this is undoubtedly an incredible start to what looks to be a very interesting series.

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in return for my honest review.*

A body in the village hall by Dee Mcdonald.
This is book 1 of the Kate Palmer series.
Kate Palmer has relocated to Cornwall for a quiet life. Moving into picturesque Lavender Cottage with her sister Angie, the little village of Lower Tinworthy should be the perfect place for their fresh new start. But within weeks of their arrival, there’s a death in the close-knit community…
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Kate character. I liked Woody too. I had a reward goes at guessing who the killer was. I really hope there is more of Kate Palmer coming. 5*.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

A Body In The Village Hall by Dee McDonald
Kate Palmer has relocated to Cornwall to live in Lavender Cottage with her sister, Angie. A woman is found dead in the village hall.
The close knit community is very upset. Will Kate work out who’s responsible before she becomes a victim?
I enjoyed this cozy mystery and I liked how close the sisters were. I recommend this book.

This book is a great start to a new series. It is an easy, fun to read mystery. I liked the setting of Cornwall and also the characters. This book reminds me of a Masterpiece Theatre series.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This British cozy is a quick,fun read. I particularly enjoyed the setting and the older characters. There were quite a few red herrings in this book which I enjoy. My only complaint would be I feel like the characters need a lot more development, hopefully that comes with time.

I did like this book. Murders in small towns where nothing else usually happens is a trope which I love. And this book did not disappoint on that front. It was an enjoyable book to read, and I liked my time reading it.

Moving with her sister to small town life seemed the right thing to do. After all, nothing really happens in small towns. Until they do. A murder, a break in and a flirtatious detective keep our transplanted nurse busy in her new life. An entertaining cozy mystery with a little thriller thrown in to spice things up. An all around good read.

I love murder mysteries, especially British ones. When I saw that this was British murder mystery I was intrigued, even though I usually prefer my murder mysteries dark and bloody. It reminded me of something similar to PD James’ novel, but wasn’t quite the same. . I thought it was interesting that it was told from the perspective of the main character who was not a detective. It ended up being more light and fun than I expected. I found it to be lacking some needed suspense and thrill. It read more like a contemporary novel with a dash of murder. There’s nothing wrong with that, I just prefer my murder mysteries to be darker. I also thought the characters to be a bit too dull. Overall it was a quick, easy read, but too light for my tastes

A murder during a WI event at the village hall unleashes a torrent of village gossip and suspicion. Kate Palmer, a nurse newly arrived in the village, finds herself in the midst of the action as well as being attracted to the lead detective DI Forrest. Kate can't help investigating but could she be the next victim...?
A Body in the Village Hall opens with the murder so we are straight into the plot. We only ever see the victim Fenella through the opinion and gossip of others in the village. Old grievances and personality clashes are at the fore as Kate decides to use her position as a nurse to speak to the suspects.
The gentle romance between Kate and Woody Forrest is a lovely touch and adds a lightness which contrasts with Kate's unhappiness at her sister's alcoholism. Kate is definitely a character that the reader will be rooting for within just a few chapters. She is pleasant and hard working as well as curious.
There are plenty of suspects and I was kept guessing until the very end. It is cosy in so far as you can imagine it as a Sunday night drama. There is some violence in the murders but it is not graphic.
A Body in the Village Hall has the traditional feel of an Agatha Christie novel, thanks to its traditional Enlgish village setting. It feels familiar and almost welcoming whilst also being an interesting mystery.
I believe that this will be the first in the series and I would like to catch up with Kate and Woody again.

Fans of traditional British cosy mysteries are going to lap up Dee Macdonald’s A Body in the Village Hall, the first title in a fantastic new series featuring nurse and sleuth Kate Palmer.

When Kate and her sister Angie had moved to the countryside, they certainly never imagined that they would end up embroiled in a murder investigation. The sisters had come to live in a small Cornish village in order to enjoy a quieter and more sedate pace of life, but when they attend a WI meeting about growing their own vegetables, Kate and Angie come away with more than seedlings and gardening tips when the body of chairwoman Fenella Barker-Jones is found stabbed in the village hall kitchen! In her line of work, nurse Kate has seen many a distressing sight, but what she found unsettling was the look of sheer terror on Fenella’s face. Who would want to murder Fenella Barker-Jones? As newcomer Kate begins to do some digging, she quickly realises that there are a lot of people in the village who had a good motive for murdering Fenella!

According to the village grapevine, Fenella had her fair share of lovers – indeed Kate cannot help but wonder how she managed to find the time to have all these extra-marital affairs when she was so deeply involved in village life! Then, there was Fenella’s husband Seymour, who lived in London where he was a very important civil servant and who hardly ever saw his wife. Had Seymour had enough of his wife cuckolding him and in a blind fit of jealousy and rage had proceeded to stab her? Or was it her former lover just released from prison after being jailed for a decade after running someone over when he had been high on drugs after a bender with Fenella? Or could it be someone in the village wanting to make Fenella pay for past slights and transgressions?

There is certainly no shortage of suspects and Kate cannot resist digging deep and trying to piece the whole thing together – especially as it means spending time with dishy local detective DI Forrest. However, not everyone is as keen as the detective inspector to have Kate involved in this investigation. Somebody is determined to keep Kate from getting too close to the truth and when a warning note is left on her pillow, she realizes that time is running out and she must find who killed Fenella – before she ends up paying the ultimate price for her curiosity.

A brilliantly written cosy mystery sure to have readers gripped, A Body in the Village Hall will delight fans of Faith Martin and Ann Granger as they find themselves completely glued to the pages of this addictive bucolic thriller. Kate Palmer is a terrific heroine – she’s intelligent, humane, resourceful and her fledgling romance with Woody Forrest adds an extra level of enjoyment to the story.

Dee Macdonald is sure to delight readers and aficionados of the cosy genre with A Body in the Village Hall and I cannot wait to see what else Kate Palmer gets up to.

What happened to the humor?

I have enjoyed the past wit and plotting of Dee MacDonald’s books and was eager to see that she is branching out into the cozy genre - a genre that needs more mature sleuths and less bouncing red curls. Unfortunately, the author let me down with slow pacing, very little humor, and the all too familiar “let me find a man” maneuvering.

Kate and her sister Angie have left their city lives behind and have taken to the Cotswold’s where things move at a slower pace. What Kate didn’t anticipate was the dead body in the Village Hall with a rather large and ominous knife sticking out of Fenella, the town floozy. Determined to mind her own business and not get involved, Kate the new practice nurse receives an earful from her patients as to the carryings-on in Lower Tinworthy. Once the murderer feels that Kate is asking too many questions, and getting to close, she must be dealt with. But Kate has other ideas which involve her clandestine relationship with the local detective inspector.

There is great potential for this series if only for a little more humor and a little less repetition, and with this, the Kate Palmer series could be enjoyed for years to come.

I really enjoyed this one. I loved the characters the setting and everything about this book. I did not want it to end. I had a hard time putting it down.

This is the first book in a proposed new series featuring amateur sleuth Kate Palmer, a recently retired nurse who finds herself having to return to work part time. She has moved to a small village in Cornwall with her sister, a former “B” level actress who has turned to alcohol to ease her disappointments regarding her career.
Early on in the book, Kate meets the DCI in charge of the case “Woody” Forrest and they almost immediately recognize an attraction between themselves and start flirting with one another. At the same time, Kate becomes more curious about the murdered woman and sets about trying to solve the case. Woody, contrary to what might be expected of a policeman, does not warn her off of her endeavors and only casually seems to encourage her to be careful as she is not a professional.
There are a few clues regarding the identity of the murderer and some red herrings, however they are somewhat shallow in their detail. The characters are also somewhat shallow, seeming to be more two-dimensional; lacking in depth. The plot and progress of the book comes across as being more writing to formula, i.e. body by a certain page, attraction between amateur sleuth and professional detective, worrisome relative creating some distraction, etc. than original work. All this leaves the reader with something of a “been there, read that” feeling at the end of the book.
There is some potential in the book. Cornwall is a beautiful area and could contribute to the overall enjoyment of the series. Also, Kate, being an older woman, might appeal to an older reader who is searching for contemporaries who are still having adventures. Unfortunately, some of her behavior is more consistent with what I would expect from a twenty-something with little experience in work, love, or life.
Perhaps this series will improve as the author does more character development and continues to develop a picture of the Cornwall Village where Kate now lives. There is potential here, this one just didn’t resonate with me.

I found this an enjoyable cosy mystery that I think fans of MC Beaton’s Agatha Raisin or Simon Brett’s Fethering mysteries would enjoy.

Kate Palmer is a nurse who has recently moved to Cornwall with her sister. Kate is a very likeable character with a strong will, strong morals and an inquisitive nature.

Not long after she settles in the village Kate is at a meeting in the village hall when Fenella Parker Jones, another villager, is murdered.
Fenella has chalked up a surprising amount of enemies in the village and the local policeman Woody Forrest (yes - I laughed too) welcomes Kates help in tracking down the killer.
The book was set in a charming location with some lovely characters and I enjoyed very much reading it cosied in the house over a wet weekend. If you enjoy cosy mysteries I would recommend it.

Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book.

I can't wait for the next instalment in this series because I loved Katie and want to to know what will be next in this quant village.
It's a great start for a new series, well written and well plotted. that kept me involved till the end turning pages as fast as I could.
The author delivers a fun to read and engrossing story with a great cast of characters and a lovely setting.
Katie is my favourite characters: she's a strong willed woman, likable and well rounded and I have great hopes for her future adventure. The other characters are quirky and fleshed out and I liked the empathy of the author toward those who were hurt.
The setting is lovely and I loved how the author describes the small village dynamics with the gossip, the prejudices and I laughed reading the descriptions of the tourist looking for murder places.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and turns, and kept me guessing. I hope that Katie will be a bit more reckless in the future and not join the "cozy mystery club of wish death heroine".
I also like the slow burning romance and look forward to read about its development.
It was an excellent and fun read that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.