Nurse Kate Palmer and her boyfriend Woody Forrest, a former police officer, are guests at a wedding when the groom drops dead at the altar. Kate desperately tries to save the groom but he is declared dead at the scene. A post mortem reveals poison... Kate then discovers that someone had previously tried to sabotage the wedding and other village weddings had been cancelled too...
A Body at the Altar is the 4th book to feature amateur sleuth Kate Palmer. I have previously reviewed the other books in the series: A Body In The Village Hall, A Body In Seaview Grange, and A Body at the Tea Rooms.
Kate cannot resist a new investigation especially as she feels threatened by the new police officer that her boyfriend seems friendly with. I love that these characters are in their 60s but they still have emotional intrigues and are well rounded and authentic. I hope I still have Kate's energy in 20 years!
There are plenty of suspects as the plot unfolds. Several weddings have been cancelled and a poison pen letter writer has successfully destroyed their relationships. Kate searches for possible clues which allows the village and peripheral characters to be brought to the forefront. She needs to uncover motive to lead her to the killer but why would anyone want to sabotage weddings?
Kate's relationships play a key role again. Her jealousy and own self doubt cast a shadow over her romance with Woody Forrest. Meanwhile her sister Angie is more settled and drinking less so I felt that their relationship was strengthened.
A Body at the Altar is a great addition to the series. This latest case has all the features of classic murder mysteries especially the poison pen letters and poison itself. I would LOVE to see these cosy mysteries turned into a TV series!

A Body at the Altar is the fourth Kate Palmer village cozy mystery by Dee MacDonald. Released 18th Oct 2021, it's 240 pages and is 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.

Readers who enjoy British village cozy mysteries are in for a treat with this series. Series protagonist Kate is a village nurse who is involved with a local expat American retired inspector. She keeps finding herself in the middle of village mysteries from poisoned pen letters to murder and the crimes show no signs of stopping.

I liked the characterizations here; the characters live and breathe and the dialogue was never clunky. There were several seemingly disparate plot threads which intertwined into a satisfying denouement and resolution. Despite being the fourth book in the series, it worked well as a standalone, though there are some minor spoilers for earlier books if read out of order. I was engaged enough with the writing and the mystery, that I've picked up the previous books in the series.

Four stars. This is definitely one for British village cozy readers. Very well written and constructed. Clean language and mostly off-page violence. The clues and plotting are "fair play" and readers are invited to figure out the puzzle alongside Kate.

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

This is book 4 in the Kate Palmer series. I have not read the previous books in the series and still enjoyed this story. Kate is a nurse and moves to the small Corrnish village of Tinsworthy in retirement. She attends a wedding where the groom drops dead before the bride walks down the aisle. Kate discovers this isn’t the only wedding to have been sabotaged. A series of peculiar letters contain the clues Kate needs to get to the heart of the matter. But is the mystery letter writer behind the unusual deaths? An enjoyable read with insight into life in rural England. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A cleverly woven storyline kept me reading this cozy mystery well into the night. Great characters and village secrets added to the intrigue, highly recommended.

Probably going against the tide here as I know it gets good reviews but I found this slow and a bit predictable.
Kate. lives and works in a quaint Cornish village where there seems to be never ending murders - truly could be Midsummer Murders village. Kate is nosy to the point that I don’t understand why people don’t avoid her.
It’s an easy read, more Agatha Christie than Val McDermid.
3.5 ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

Another excellent entry in the Kate Palmer series. There doesn't seem to be much point in anyone warning nurse Kate Palmer not to get involved in this latest murder mystery, because people in the village of Tinworthy just naturally seem to confide in her. Mysterious letters, jilted lovers are just part of the mystery. But will Kate finally realize how important Woody has become to her?

Someone seems hell-bent on preventing couples from getting married in the village of Tinworthy.
When Kate and her partner Woody attend the wedding of an acquaintance of Woody the groom dies suddenly before the couple can make their wedding vows. As it turns out this is not the first couple to have their nuptials spoiled and it certainly isn't the last death.
Off course Kate delves into the mystery, forewarned by her lover Woody to be careful. This time his pleas are repeated by the new detective as well. A new female detective. Does this mean that there are love troubles one the horizon for Kate as well?

Another interesting, well written cosy mystery in the Kate Palmer series. Bring on the next one.....

I thank the publisher and author for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for my honest opinion.

A Body at the Altar by Dee MacDonald is a Kate Palmer mystery. As you may recall, Kate and her sister, Angie, have retired to the Cornwall coast. Angie has skittered through several relationships as well as becoming an artist and now owning a pub. Kate, on the other hand, has always been a nurse and still is, several days a week, and had only one relationship: Woody Forrest, a retired police detective. They are at a wedding. The groom isn't looking too good. Is he sick or just nervous? As the ceremony is about to begin, Joe falls to the ground. Kate and Woody rush forward to give CPR, but it is too late. He is dead. How very odd. Then Kate discovers that several weddings have been canceled his summer and that the grooms have each received letters warning them off. Joe was the only one who ignored the warning and now he's dead. Kate has to investigate. Woody doesn't want her to. It always ends up with her in peril. She ignores him. Then one of her main suspects ends up dead, and she discovers the body. Suspects are eliminating themselves and Kate is now sure where to turn.

Kate is a fun character. Sixty years old, no unattractive, but very conservative as far as her private life. She really has no desire to remarry. The first one had not been a success, except for her children. Woody is willing to let it go, for now. His replacement at the station is a younger (52) and very attractive woman. He spends a lot of time with her. Is it all work? Kate is insecure, adding to her worries. The killer came as a surprise . . . someone not on Kate's radar at all. It nearly became a tragedy. People were surprised. Another success, although it nearly came too late. Will this keep Kate from getting involved in the future? A good read.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of A Body at the Altar by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #bookoutre #abodyatthealtar #deemacdonald

This is the 4th instalment in the Kate Palmer Mystery series by Dee MacDonald and features experienced nurse Kate who has relocated from West London to Cornwall along with her sister, Angie. The sisters live in the picturesque village of Lower Tinworthy, Kate, in the lovely Lavender Cottage, with Angie now at The Old Locker with her Irish beau, Fergal. Angie and Fergal are turning the recently acquired tearoom into a bar-café.

In this instalment, Kate is attending a wedding at St. Pirin’s Church when the groom suddenly drops down dead. Love interest and retired DI Woody Forrest is also there and is on hand and to figure out whodunnit with Kate as she doggedly begins following leads with a few suspects in mind. This is a superb cosy mystery with plenty of substance but still maintaining that cosy edge, with an alluring locale. Divorcee Kate is an intrepid and caring character. Her fondness for sexagenarian Woody is charming to read about and they make an effective sleuthing duo. This is a comfortably paced read with a hugely enjoyable plot, and a great cast of characters. It boasts a fair number of suspects with plausible motives, red herrings and disclosures. A quality, well-plotted cosy with stacks of riveting conversational dialogue and a fulfilling conclusion, A Body at the Altar is the perfect novel to curl up with on a chilly autumn evening. A delightful read with appealing characters, and very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

4,5 Stars

Dee Macdonald’s Cornish-set cosy mysteries featuring the fantastic Kate Palmer are so much fun and the intrepid sleuth is back in another fabulous adventure I devoured in a single sitting: A Body at the Altar.

When Nurse Kate Palmer had retired to the Cornish village of Tinworthy, she had imagined long days spent relaxing and pottering about – she never imagined that she would find herself becoming very adept at solving murders! In the last few years, Kate has put the local constabulary to shame, but even she is shocked to her very core when she attends a wedding and the groom drops down dead! Kate immediately suspects foul play and she cannot fail to notice the strange behaviour of the bride and the posh mother-in-law. Determined to get to the bottom of this case, Kate begins investigating – despite being told by new detective Charlotte Martin to keep her nose out of police business.

The more secrets Kate uncovers, the more she realises that the groom’s demise is by no means an isolated incident. Could a series of letters lead Kate straight to the culprit’s doors? Or are there more people responsible for the strange goings-on in this charming seaside village? The deeper she digs, the longer her list of possible suspects becomes. However, when her boyfriend Woody’s life is placed in danger because of her investigation, Kate cannot help but wonder just how much her quest for justice is going to cost her.

Will Kate solve this murder in time? Will Woody end up in the crossfire? Or will Kate’s finely-honed detecting skills end up surprising everyone again?

Dee Macdonald’s Kate Palmer mysteries are the best thing to come out of Cornwall since Aidan Turner took off his shirt and got to grips with that scythe in Poldark! In A Body at the Altar, she has penned a fun bucolic mystery packed with plenty of red herrings, twists and turns and shocking revelations that kept me hooked from page one until the very last full stop.

Kate Palmer is as fantastic as ever and readers are going to completely enjoy going along for the ride with her in her latest investigation.

Fast-paced, compelling and immensely enjoyable, Dee Macdonald has got another winner on her hands with A Body at the Altar.

I like that the detectives in the story are not so young and not so dynamic as the detectives one generally finds
in books.

Kate is in her sixties and her retired partner Detective Inspector is older. Kate has a propensity to be drawn to
danger, mystery and murders! In this story we start with a bridegroom who keels over at the altar - dead by poisoning.
Investigating further Kate discovers that four other weddings have been cancelled just before the date, for no proper
reason. Knowing that this is too much of a coincidence to be true, she finds out that each of the bridegrooms not got a
letter outlining some unsavoury part of their fiancee's past to make it too hard to continue with the marriage.
All of them are very bitter over it, but all have moved on.

Finding out who could be the murderer was difficult to pin point, especially when Kate's own suspect was found
murdered by electrocution. Now Kate and Woody had to set aside their earlier assumptions and work with the new
Detective Inspector - the very pretty Charlotte whom Woody liked and Kate did not, to find out who the murderer
was.

Settinngn of an English village was very nice reading (especially for someone who is not English and does not live in
England). Nice detection work. Though part of a series, fine as a standalone.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'A Body At The Altar' by Dee Macdonald.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Dee MacDonald, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 18th October 2021.

This is the third book I have read by this author. I have previously read 'A Body In Seaview Grange' and 'A Body At The Tea Rooms' which I highly recommend.


I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'If you love cozy crime mysteries by Agatha Christie, Faith Martin or Joy Ellis, this page-turning novel will have you reading late into the night!' I am a huge fan of all three of those authors so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Dee and if this is half as good as 'A Body In Seaview Grange' and 'A Body At The Tea Rooms' it is sure to be a page turning read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 37 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Cornwall, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 , UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually been on holiday to Cornwall on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Dee has based the book on.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Kate Palmer. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

Although this is the fourth book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.


Well done Dee on another successful cosy mystery!!! This book is very smoothly written with vivid descriptions which really help you see what's going on around you as well as the storyline. The blurb and the cover compliment the novel perfectly.

The plot really sucked me in and I really enjoyed curling up on the sofa and getting dragged into this cosy mystery. I was so absorbed I read it in one sitting. The storyline was realistic which I always prefer as it makes it more enjoyable to read when you can see that it is something that could happen. This book is well constructed and traditional and what starts off as one murder becomes quite multi layered with all the characters backgrounds coming out. It was a very compelling read. I would never have guessed who did what and I was completely shocked by the mega twist. I absolutely adored the ending and actually clapped my hands at it!!! Absolutely amazing and so chuffed (can't say anymore as don't want to spoil it for future readers) Congratulations Dee, it is getting harder and harder to surprise me and you did just that!!! I must admit I wasn't shocked in the second book in this series so it just goes to show how Dee has definitely improved even further, as although I wasn't completely shocked in the previous book it still held some surprises!! I'm looking forward to the next book in this addictive series.

I loved meeting all the characters again who are a delightful mix of personalities with intriguing backgrounds and each one was very compelling. I really enjoyed the main characters of Kate, Woody and Angie and think they really worked well together as a team, well Kate and Woody but I also enjoyed Kate and Angie relationship develop and am looking forward to see where it leads in the next book. I have mixed feelings with Fergus but he has definitely got a HUGE personality and I enjoyed meeting Catherine too am looking forward to seeing her again. I am certainly looking forward to reading more Dee McDonald's books especially the first which I still haven't got around to and any further books in this series.

Congratulations Dee on another successful book, keep up the fantastic work and I look forward to meeting Dee, Woody, Angie, Fergal and Catherine again!!

Overall an intriguing and compelling cosy mystery that is perfect for Agatha Christie fans.


Genres covered in this novel include Mystery, Thriller, Cosy Mystery, Police Procedural and Crime Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Agatha Christie, Joy Ellis, Faith Martin and anyone who enjoys a good mystery by the fire.


272 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

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EXCERPT: The lugubrious Reverend Roger Starling smoothed down his robes, looked at them all sadly over the top of his glasses, cleared his throat and droned, 'We are gathered here together . . .' just as Joe's ankles appeared to give way and he sank slowly to the floor. In retrospect, Kate couldn't help but compare his literal downfall to that of the blowing up of redundant blocks of flats and chimney stacks, which crumpled from beneath before everything else descended on top.

The bride shrieked, there were gasps all round and everyone rushed towards the altar. Kate, as a nurse, automatically got to her feet and dashed down the aisle, Woody directly behind her, shouting for someone to call an ambulance. She elbowed her way through the gawping onlookers while Woody roared, 'Stand back, please!' in his most authoritarian voice, honed to perfection by his many years as Tinworthy's detective inspector.

The bride, Melissa, was inconsolable, weeping all over her husband-to-be. Kate got down on her knees while Woody gently steered Melissa to her ashen-faced mother, and then kneeled down beside Kate. One thing was clear: Joe was not breathing.

ABOUT 'A BODY AT THE ALTAR': Jilted grooms, sudden deaths, broken hearts and threatening letters. All in a day’s work for super sleuth Kate Palmer!

Nurse Kate Palmer thought the pretty Cornish village of Tinworthy would be the perfect place for a peaceful retirement. She couldn’t have been more wrong! But even she is shocked when she attends a beautiful wedding at St. Pirin’s Church and the handsome groom drops dead in front of her very eyes.

While the rest of the wedding party panics, Kate notices the strange behaviour of the not-so-blushing bride and the posh mother-in-law – and vows to find out the truth behind the poor young man’s sudden demise. Especially when the new detective Charlotte Martin makes it known that she doesn’t want Kate involved – and also shows an interest in Woody Forrest, Kate’s partner in crime-solving.

Undeterred, Kate discovers this isn’t the only wedding to have been sabotaged. A series of peculiar letters contain the clues Kate needs to get to the heart of the matter. But is the mystery letter writer behind the unusual deaths? Or is more than one person responsible for the strange goings on in the seaside village…

As Kate digs deeper, she adds more suspects to her growing list: the world-weary vicar, the unlucky-in-love cleaner and the bride’s former flame. But, as a pair of boots bring Kate closer to the killer, it becomes clear their investigation has placed Woody in danger.

Can Kate solve the murder and save the man she loves at the same time?

MY THOUGHTS: Oh, I love this series! It just keeps on getting better and better. I fear that I am going to run out of review stars.

I want to move to Tinworthy and drink gin in the Old Locker. Although with the rate of murders in this village, perhaps not.

Dee MacDonald writes with an almost nonchalant flair for both characters and setting. The village folk are typical of any village or small town anywhere. There is the village snob, Penelope Bowen, a blatant social climber who is on every committee and likes to kick up a fuss about the smallest thing that upsets her. I liked the new Detective Inspector, Charlotte Martin, although Kate isn't too quick to warm to her. We don't see much of Angie, Kate's sister, in A Death at the Altar, but her love interest, Fergus a charming Irishman, provides some interesting moments. We also get to meet Woody's daughter, Donna.

The plot is superbly crafted and kept me guessing right to the big reveal. With poison pen letters, more than one death, and a plethora of viable red herrings, A Death at the Altar is an exciting read. At one point I shrieked 'Noooooooo!', and leapt out of my chair - you will know the precise spot when you get to it. And after all the deaths and mayhem of village life in Tinworthy, there is a very pleasant surprise at the end.

A Body at the Altar is easily read as a stand-alone.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.8

#ABodyattheAltar #NetGalley

I: #deemacdonald @bookouture

T: @DMacDonaldAuth @Bookouture

#fivestarread #contemporaryfiction #crime #murdermystery #romance #suspense

THE AUTHOR: Dee MacDonald wrote her very first book – at around seven years of age! This was a love story which she duly illustrated before sewing all the pages together up one side. Writing was what she ‘was good at’ in school and she won several essay competitions, but then life got in the way and she didn’t pick up a pen again until after retirement.

Dee left Scotland and headed for London at the beginning of the swinging sixties. After typing her way round the West End she became an air stewardess on long haul routes with BA (then BOAC) for eight years. After that she did market research at Heathrow for both the government statistics and for BA, she became a sales rep and was the receptionist at the Thames Television Studios in Teddington when they had the franchise.

She then ran a small B&B for ten years in Cornwall, where she lives with her husband. Dee has one son and two grandsons who live locally.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Body at the Altar for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This cozy mystery starts with a wedding - and a dead groom at the altar.
Kate and Woody are guests on the groom's side - showing support especially as the bride's mother is quite disappointed the groom is simply a plumber.
Kate can't help but investigate - Joe was liked by the little Cornish town, and a good friend of Woody's. She discovers several weddings had been called off over months - due to mysterious letters divulging secrets. Where could these letters be coming from?
The new detective, Charlotte, appears to be taking up much of Woody's time - not only to solve this murder, but also getting to know the town.
Then of course Angie, Kate's sister, brings her own drama to the plot.
I enjoyed this book - though it certainly was a cozy mystery, at times with slow plot movement.

I think this was the best story so far in this excellent series.
I had a lot of fun in following Kate's investigation, her doubt about Charlotte, and the evolution of her relationship with Woody.
The plot starts with a BANG and you meet the first victim in the first chapter.
The investigations are a good depiction of life in a small village and they reminded me of Miss Marple. There's plenty of secrets, gossips, quirky characters and some very clever social remarks. The social differences play a huge role in this story and I liked how the author deals with them never being preachy but always keeping the tone light.
I read this book in one setting and the twists and the solution surprised me.
I can't wait to read the next story as I want to know what will happen in Kate's life.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Kate Palmer & 'Woody' Forrest are looking forward to attending the wedding of Joe, the local plumber to Melissa the daughter of one of 'posh' families. When Joe collapses & dies before getting to the 'I do' it looks suspicious. Kate is not one to let a mystery pass her by! Local gossip reveals that weddings seem doomed at the village church. Other wedding have been cancelled due to one of the parties receiving an anonymous letter about their intended. Kate is not one to let a mystery pass her by! Although she is constantly told not to, she has to investigate- a decision that could end in disaster.

I love this series of books! The characters are brilliant & I can just visualise the Tinworthys. lower, upper & mid! I was kept guessing as to 'whodunnit'! I really thought I'd got it this time but no! I'm sure Kate will not be able to resist any mystery that comes along & I can't wait to read her next adventure! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

“Can Kate solve the murder and save the man she loves at the same time?”


How much more can my poor nerves take with that vital fourth element, ‘you can’t be dead’, which for me is always the mark of a good story! Yes, this one hits the ground running from the very first page. From then on the action is pretty much non-stop and relentless. The ending is one of the most satisfying I have read for some time and ties up those niggling loose ends beautifully. But goodness, how close can two people get to not making it out in one piece and how much longer can their luck hold out for? If they were cats they would definitely have used up all nine lives by now!

How many murderous misdeeds can occur in one small town, in such a short space of time and how does Kate manage to get herself drawn into the thick of the action every time? These locals most definitely aren’t people to be trifled with when they consider themselves to have been wronged. The local police force is now on its third Detective Inspector since Kate moved to Tinworthy a mere couple of years ago and yet they still continue to be bested by her when there is a serious crime to be solved. Such is the reputation she has gained, the local papers have dubbed Kate, ‘Tinworthy’s Miss Marple’. However, I do believe that given things such as her age and the fact that she has the added advantage of a law enforcement officer assisting her with her investigations ( I firmly believe that Woody is retired by definition only), I fear I must reluctantly cede to my mystery loving friends on the other side of the Atlantic, in declaring Kate to be the British equivalent of Jessica Fletcher, who together with Sheriff Amos Tupper, solves murder after murder in the quaint town of Cabot Cove, Maine, which is more than ably matched by Kate and Woody’s own small slice of the beautiful North coast of Cornwall.

There are always plenty of red herrings and twists in any case with which Kate is involved and this one proved to be particularly tricky, with the final sting in the tail being totally unexpected by just about everyone, despite the copious lists which she assiduously and meticulously makes when trying to narrow down her potential suspects. Even with a small mountain of names and motives to grapple with, neither Woody, Kate, the police, nor myself worked this one out, until two people had lost their lives and a third had only survived by the kind hand of fate.

This complicated and multi-layered storyline, is well structured and fluently told in short and well defined chapters, which seamlessly keeps the action progressing at an even pace. There is definitely plenty of dirty linen to be aired and Kate finds out more about many of her neighbours than perhaps she might have wanted to, although I just know that she is going to store away all those titbits of information for a ‘rainy day’, which there is certain to be eventually! There are also one or two more light-hearted moments to this nicely textured storyline, which would be more at home in the gossip pages of a magazine and Kate will always be the first to raise a smile, when she can see that reacting to the funny side of a situation is obviously a way to bring the tension down, put people at ease and encourage them to unwittingly open up the gossip channel for her eager ears. Masses of wonderfully assured observational and descriptive narrative, together with some excellent conversational dialogue, offers a really good sense of time and place, making it all too easy to follow events as they unfold, whilst still not being able to spot the real villain of the piece.

Dee has created a multi-faceted, well drawn and defined cast of characters, who I could clearly visualise in my minds eye. Whether they are on the side of good or bad, all are authentically realistic and genuinely believable in the individual roles which have been created for them. Theirs is collectively a strong voice, with which they tell their own story, although some are more reliable witnesses, easy to connect with and relate to than others.

I actually did see a few snatches of the other side of Kate this time, which quite surprised me. When ‘Charlotte the Harlot’ seems to take a shine to Woody, and he her, Kate’s claws are busy being sharpened up and she does make a few unconcealed verbal barbs, before she realises that Charlotte isn’t trying to lure Woody from her side and that they can all three work amiably together to solve this complicated and as it transpires, most dangerous of cases.

Will Kate and Woody be back to fight another day, or are they really going to hang up their investigative hats for good? I most certainly hope not, as each time I close the final page on one of their adventures, it is like saying au revoir to a couple of good friends as they take with them my wish that they visit again very soon, so long as they bring their fun loving, four legged friend, Barney with them of course!

Aah, a wedding. Perhaps this might be the quiet time nurse Kate Palmer needs. Having solved a few murders has given her a bit of a reputation. She is even thinking of retirement. But for now, she is attending a wedding. Shockingly, the groom drops to his feet - dead! How was Kate present for yet another death? A murder, as things turn out.

Kate doesn't shirk away from things. In fact, from the moment the unthinkable happens she notices things that others likely have missed, and those things include the almost bride's reaction, and also that of the bride's mother. There is no way Kate will let things rest, nor will she leave matters in the hands of the police. Defying detective Martin doesn't bother Kate in the least.

What does bother Kate, however, is that the new detective is quite attractive and seems to only be able to handle this case with the assistance of former detective, Woody Forrest. Well, Woody is Kate's love interest and Kate doesn't trust the new detective around him. Instead, Kate intends to solve the murder herself, with Woody's assistance, all while keeping an eye on the detective.

Before long, Kate recognizes a pattern that proves similar to what has happened at this wedding. There is a connected set of clues that Kate surmises and she is determined to discover what happened to the groom and to others in other similar circumstances.

Cozy mysteries are always so delightful, and A Body at the Altar is a perfect example of that. This is the fourth book in the Kate Palmer series and she proves to be an enjoyable protagonist. I love her age, her wisdom and her experience. Also, her relationship with Woody has made a good series even better.

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

Super sleuth Kate Palmer is at it again, doing what she does best, solving crimes. Kate thought the quaint, peaceful town of Tinworthy would be the perfect place for her to retire from her nursing career. When she attends a wedding at St. Pirin’s Church, the unthinkable happens. The groom drops dead at the altar. Everyone in attendance panics and can’t believe what they just witnessed. Except for the bride and the grooms new mother-in-law. They seem unaffected by the turn of events. Detective Charlotte Martin doesn’t want Kate involved in the investigation, but Charlotte seems very interested in Kate’s boyfriend, retired Detective Woody Forrest. Kate refuses to give up, she wants to get to the bottom of things. So when Kate finds out that there have been other weddings that have been sabotaged, she is even more determined to find the culprit. As Kate digs deeper into the case, she finds that there could more than one killer and her list of suspects is rapidly increasing. This cozy mystery is an absolute delight and a must read. I loved this book and seeing Kate and Woody’s story unfold is always such a joy and warms my heart. I really liked the introduction of the new Detective Inspector Charlotte Martin. The banter between Kate and her sister Angie is always enjoyable to read. This rapid page turner is one that will keep you up reading, unable to stop until the very end. I absolutely loved it!

Thank you Dee MacDonald for a wonderful addition to the Kate Palmer Mystery Series. This lovely series is sure to be a fan favorite. The characters are very entertaining and work so well together. I highly recommend this series.

I adore Kate Palmer, a middle-aged local nurse in the Cornish village of Tinworthy, not obsessed with bouncing curls and the usual dramas all too familiar with the typical 20-something woman found in a predictable cozy mystery. Then again, I’m not even sure this would be considered a cozy. Sure, there is a dog and a retired, but working, detective boyfriend. There is a small town and a small business; ok, it falls within the general cozy category, but in a way, it is different.

The reader will see in the widowed and deliberately single Kate a delightful but not unexpected surprise. When there is a jolt in a relationship, it can shift the picture, and Kate has had an upset that has put everything into a new perspective.