Whether due to the murder of pub landlord Tupper or a slew of missing dogs, Belinda Penshurst is on the case. Amateur detective to be sure, Belinda has every intention of solving both cases. When Harry Powell, a retired dectective, moves into Belinda's small town, he certainly had no intention to be dealing with yet another murder. In fact, Harry and the police in the small village just don't appear to be taking things as seriously as Belinda.

Just as the police are certain that they found the killer, Belinda digs even deeper, proving that she is the perfect person to solve the mysteries at hand. Murder in the Village most certainly makes a fabulous first book in what promises to be an entertaining series. I loved Belinda, Harry and other characters in this story. Belinda's doggedness (pun intended) to get to the bottom of what was going on was enjoyable from start to finish. I loved the possible romance between Belinda and Harry and especially how the book ended which no doubt made me anticipate what just might be next.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I really do like these cozy mysteries that have an amatuer sleuth and a retired police officer in a quaint little town where everyone knows everyone else. Throw in some dogs and this takes place in England and you have me.

It took me a little while to connect with Belinda, but I liked Harry right from the start. And I can see their potential as this is the first in the series.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed Lucy Patterson’s narration. I’m a sucker for an English accent and had no trouble understanding her. Her voice was so calming.

I recommend this for anyone that likes cozy mysteries in quaint little towns.

It was a fun listen but, it was also repetitive and illogical. The narrator is perfect for the role of Belinda and has a range for the others. Belinda is someone with an entitled life that lives in a castle and owns part of the village, which makes rooting for her hard sometimes. Harry and Belinda do balance each other nicely and, I do feel for their relationship. Part of the repetitive problem is how many times the book mentions animal cruelty is worse than murder, especially in the last two chapters. Overall I wish it was tighter and less animal-focused but, it does a good job creating characters and has an interesting mystery to solve. 3.5/5

Murder in the Village is a charming cozy mystery. It's a lighthearted, easy read - or in my case, an easy listen.

This is the first book of a new series featuring a retired policeman and an amateur sleuth. Their relationship is endearing and funny. The retired policeman, Harry Powell has just moved in a new home and he leads quite a different life than he had. He works as a dog food seller. The amateur sleuth, Belinda Penshurst lives in her family's castle and is a business woman in her own right. However, her brother has always been a burden/trouble for her.

Both of Harry and Belinda's lives change when a murder occurs in their village. They team up not just to solve that murder, but to solve the case of the missing dogs. There's not only a murderer in town, but also a dog-napper.

The writing style is simple yet beautiful and the story is easy to follow. The plot itself is not something that wowed me, to be honest. The setting and the characters made the book fun, not the actual murder/dognapping mystery.

When it comes to the narrator of this audiobook, I have to say that I have no negative comments to say. She did an excellent job and there were no technical difficulties or problems.

I'd recommend this book to lovers of cozy, laid-back mysteries.

Story rating: 3.8/5 ⭐
Narrator rating: 5/5 ⭐

I listened to this cozy mystery - a first cozy by Lisa Cutts a seasoned writer of police procedurals and herself a detective constable in Kent.
Of course the actual police play a minor role in this book while the sleuths Belinda Penshurst and retired detective Harry Powell do their sleuthing - suspecting half the village of murder and crossing of alibis. For anyone loving British tv series or older British crime writing this felt like a cross between Midsomer Murders and Agatha Raisin ! I loved the English village charm Lisa Cutts created with the fictional Little Challham and slight zaniness of the investigative techniques used was just right for my mood and this genre - a little escape to a nice cup of tea and a fun story !
I enjoyed the audio narrated by Lucy Patterson a lot, I felt transported to the scenes.

I listened to this rather than read it.

This is a comfortable and enjoyable murder mystery. It is very much in the style of Agatha Raisin or Midsummer Murders.

It took a while for me to warm to the characters, but once they started to develope I enjoyed their antics much more. I am hoping that this is the start of a series, and I would very much like to join Henry and Belinda in future escapades.

There is a good deal of humour in there too, I particularly enjoyed the scene where there was fight involving a sack of Turkey Twizlers! All done with the tongue very firmly in the cheek.

The narration was good, the story was well told and engaging.

I found it a perfect story to listen to when you don't want to concentrate too much, the plot isn't complex, and it's an easy listen, with a satisfying ending.

I found this audiobook a bit twee due to this being a very cosy story and the narration being very spot on. So I would not re-listen to this title again.

However, I would try reading this book to see if I enjoyed reading the words by myself more than I enjoyed listening to it.

I think also fair to say that their would be a lot of people who would enjoy this book as an audiobook. Anyone having a staycation in England would really enjoy listening to this cosy, easy-to-listen-to read in the car. Also anyone who has ever enjoyed watching Miss Marple or Midsummer Murders over the years would also enjoy listening to this audiobook.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to listen to this title in exchange for an honest review.

The first book in the Belinda Penshurst Cozy mystery series is set in a small British country town. One murder and the missing dogs make two people decided to solve the mysteries until they could continue quiet living in Little Challham. Well, that is what will happen, more murders and missing dogs!

Belinda Penshurst, the owner of Challham Castle, worried about the pub owner's death and his relationship with her brother, Marcus. Harry Powell is a retired detective who now works in a dog food company, he delivers food to customers, and he is worried about missing dogs and a stranger car in the neighborhood.

Belinda and Harry were a fun team and I like to read their next case. I've enjoyed the voices the narrator used, different accents for both sexes, and she beautifully expressed the emotions!

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the chance of listening to Murder in the Village (A Belinda Penshurst Mystery Book 1) by Lisa Cutts, Narrated by Lucy Paterson, I have given my honest review.

This was kind of a cozy mystery. Nothing really in the way of frills and excitement but also not a bad book.

Well written, clear, concise. I got kind of lost with all of the dog breeding stuff but other than that, a fine read!

A Series Of Bizarre Events…
The first outing in the Belinda Penshurst Mysteries set in the enchanting village of Little Challham where all is peaceful and serene - or is it…? A series of bizarre events begins with the suspicious death of the local pub landlord and soon escalates. It would seem that Belinda is perfectly placed to investigate. With a colourful and eccentric cast of characters and a fun storyline this is enjoyable cosy crime and a promising start to a new series. The narrator in this audio edition does a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life and narration is perfectly placed and nuanced. A fun listen for some ideal escapism.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this book.

I really enjoyed this detective mystery set in a quirky little English village with great village life and characters.

I like Belinda and Harry and hope their relationship blossoms in future books. The story had humour and mystery and overall it was a fun read.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was good and easy to listen to.

Is he seeing crime where it doesn't exist to make himself feel more connected to the life he left behind when he retired from the police force? Is she getting involved because she is a bored heiress who is trying to connect with the town she grew up in or could it be that there really is a sinister group dognapping pets and killing people off. Intriguing storyline with extremely interesting characters that draw you and have you wanting to help them figure things out as well. A story wrapped with humor, wit, intrigue, murder, mystery and a lot of intriguing interpersonal interactions between the two main characters as well as between each of them and the townsfolk. I am really hoping to read or rather listen to more from this author as this audiobook definitely entertained and has me intrigued to listen to more. The narrator did an excellent job of helping breathe more life into these well developed characters. I'd recommend putting it on your must listen list!!

law-enforcement, amateur-sleuth, England, small-business, small-town, murder, murder-investigation, dognappers, dogs, family-dynamics, ex-cop, friendship, situational-humor, verbal-humor*****

What great fun!
Belinda is hyper, shares an estate with her unrealistic brother, and is devoted to her village and does everything she can to help everyone in the community. Harry has been recently retired as a homicide detective after thirty years on The Job (and got dumped by longtime girlfriend), works as a home delivery man for a dog food company, and doesn't really know how to adjust. All the characters certainly are.
Odd things are happening around town and dogs are going missing. Then the landlord of the pub owned by Belinda is found dead and the whole tangle begins. So do the laughs! When something is this good I don't want to say too much for fear of running on or doing the evil spoiler thing. Just get into the book and it will keep you there and roaring with laughter just as it did to me! Loved it and am waiting for more!
The audio is actively performed by Lucy Paterson who is so great that she didn't crack up even once!
I requested and received a free temporary audio copy from Bookouture Audio, Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!

Miss marple style investigation, up to date with dog napping! If you like easy read and dogs then this will appeal to you. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

When Belinda discovers Tipper's body at the pub she enlists Harry, retired police detective and current dog food delivery van driver, to help her investigate the crime.

The main reason Belinda solicits Harry's help finding the killer is she suspects her brother has something to do with missing dogs and she believes the missing dogs have something to do with Tipper's murder.

The narrator does an excellent job on this book. I liked her voice and the speed of narration. The plot was twisty and just as I thought I was getting it figured out the author brought in a new person to suspect. The characters were quirky and I think they will be more likable as we get to know them. Harry seems like a good guy, Belinda seems like a bit of a snob, but then she lives in a castle and doesn't seem to have many friends. It also seems like she is bringing in businesses to make the village more successful, which is a point in her favor.

I really liked this book and I think as Harry and Belinda work together in the future the series will be even better. I hope to see more of Marcus and Dawn and especially Dawn's daughter, Alissia.

Fun facts: Belinda and her brother live in a castle, Harry arrested Belinda for protesting naked 20 years prior

#MurderintheVillage #NetGalley. #Bookouture #LisaCutts #audiobook #CozyMystery

If you like to read a cozy mystery set in a picturesque English village then this is the book for you. The narration of the audiobook is excellent and the story itself moves along at a lively pace. The protagonists are, to be generous, no longer young. The violence is usually off screen and never graphic. The language is comfortably modern yet never steps over that line that makes one worry about who else can hear what you are listening to. There are both male and female p.o.v. characters, and no group is cast as outsiders or inherently dangerous.

As a bonus, a book that suggests that the best way to judge a person's character is how they interact with dogs.

(https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4187978301?book_show_action=false)

Very enjoyable start to a new cozy mystery! I cannot wait for the next one!
Belinda moved back to her small village when her brother, Marcus, proved he cannot be responsible for their family estate. Though she enjoys her town, Belinda still has the need for big city life.
Harry retires from decades of police work - to become a dog food distributor. He finds the work fulfilling if not slightly boring.
Until a local pub owner is found floating in a beer barrel.
Harry and Belinda work together to uncover the culprit, while investigating dognapping leading to pregnant thoroughbred dogs.
I loved the banter between Harry and Belinda, as well as the characters of the Little Challham.
The audiobook was excellent - love this narrator! Great job with accents, clear differences between characters.
Great start to a new series - lots of action, short chapters and great plot.

Overall I really enjoyed my reading experience with Murder in the village. I think the narrator did I great job finding the right voice for every character. Belinda seemed a tad young to be so annoying, bossying her way around town and I hope we'll get to know a bit more of her story to make readers understand why she acts the way she does in future books. Needless to say, I loved the dogs:)

I listened to the audio version of this book and enjoyed the narrator. I love a good cozy mystery, especially those that involve dogs. I will definitely continue reading this series!

Murder in the Village is the first book in a new English village cozy series by Lisa Cutts. Due out 25th Aug 2021, it's 286 pages and will be available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This was a good series start with a solid small village cozy. The author is a technically adept writer and provides necessary backstory without info-dumping. The narrative is lighthearted, including an ensemble cast of oddball small-town characters.

There are some fairly silly and over the top developments and plot twists (including a murder involving cling film), but it's a village cozy, so it's really part of the whimsy. The "over the top" characters and dialogue were always on the right side of charming and didn't shade over into annoying or yank me out of my suspension of disbelief, so it was a fun read. There's also an almost slow-burn on/off romance subplot with the handsome former detective who's new to the village, again par for the course. The language is clean, the murder(s) are off screen and free from gory violence, there's no direct graphic sexual content; it's a well written and charming cozy. The plot threads include dog-napping, light blackmail, extortion, and murder, and amateur sleuth Belinda, castle-dwelling, clever, and single minded, is determined to get to the bottom of the skullduggery infesting *her* village.

The audiobook version is very well narrated by Lucy Paterson and has a run time of 7 hours 31 minutes. She has an impressive facility with different local accents and they come across clearly in her dialogue recitation between two or more characters (of both sexes). One of the characters she narrated was an older resident in the village and she was perfectly convincing portraying the stressed and crying septuagenarian.

Charming, diverting, and well written. I intend to seek out future volumes in the series. Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes