Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

“An Unputdownable Page Turner”.

This is the second book in the cozy mystery series and what a book it is.

Nancy is excited and nervous, she is hosting her first author event at Deadly End’s Annual Fete. An author who’s series of books are popular everywhere and she’s loved reading will be attending, she’s hoping the event will be a success as It’s his 10th book.

Before the event and the author attending, suspicious incidents start to occur and Nancy is worried that something bad is going to happen at the fete. When the author arrives prior to the event, she informs him and his agent who don’t take it too seriously.

But then, a body is discovered on the day of the fete, it appears that someone has copied the murder exactly as it happens in the authors new book.

Nancy feels that maybe she could’ve avoided this happening, so once again, she, Jane and Jonathan begin to solve the mystery of the body, why the person was killed? Why threats were being made to the author?

I had guessed why the author was acting suspicious and what the murdered person was doing in Deadly End prior to the event and wanted to see if my guess was right, so it was late night reading to finish this.

Can’t wait for the next book with the trio.

Highly Recommend This Series.

Not my cup of tea, as they say.

A lot of tea was drank in this story. Pretty much every time two (or more) people sat down to talk there was tea. Though on a few occassions there were G&Ts.

The choice of drinks or their quantity of intake wasn't my issue. The way all the information in this book was repeated over and over again, was. There are whole conversations that are a repeat of a previous conversation. Just because there's a new person in the conversation doesn't mean everything that was said needs to be in the scene. At these times tell, don't show is a much better rule of writing. It would have made this book about 40% short, I am sure.

Bookshop owner Nancy has invited a famous author to do a talk at the Summer Fete in her village. And he's agreed to come! Someone's not happy about that Nancy realizes as she finds a defaced poster announcing the event. She manages the track down the person and warns the author. The author isn't worried. He's coming anyway and he's bringing a bodyguard.

Alas, the threats were not empty. There is a murder at the Summer Fete. The scene looks exactly like the murder scene in the author's latest book. It even seems the murderer has made the exact same mistake as the murderer in the book.

This leads to a quick case closed by the police. But something is bugging Nancy. No surprise, she was named after a famous fictional detective (this is mentioned twice). At this point something else was bugging me: what car was Thomas driving after Nathan took off with his car? Does Dedley End have a rental service? A used car lot? Did he buy it on eBay?

I admit, I read on to find out out about the car. And to find out if I had picked the motive of the murderer correctly. At this point in the story I was no longer all that interested in it. This became worse when Nancy and her friends make an important discovery through a clue left to them by the victim. That's not sleuthing! I read cozy mysteries for the sleuthing, and this story hardly had any sleuthing in it. Nancy tracked down the man who defaced her poster and later gains illegal access to his house, but that was it. That was all the sleuthing there was in this story.

For that reason (and because most people in this story get way to hung up about the value of a story idea) this was not my cup of tea.

Also, the car is not mentioned again.

Murder at the Summer Fete by Victoria Walters is the second book in the Dedley End Mystery series. This book opens with the protagonists, Nancy Hunter and her grandmother Jane, as they are planning for a town event that includes a visit and book signing from a well-known author. As the plans are progressing, one of the posters announcing the event is defaced and many others are torn down by a man from another close by town. At the event, this man is discovered murdered shortly before the author is scheduled to be onstage and as a result the entire event is cancelled.

As I was reading this book, I felt that the story was quite slow to build and found that much of the story was devoted more to detailing the backstory and history of the varied characters than the actual solving of the mystery. Additionally, there were several times when I found myself just wishing that it was over already and was actually quite relieved when I finally reached the end. This book did however end with a cliffhanger that makes me want to see where the characters futures lead but I hope that future installments of this series will be faster paced and will do a better job of holding my interest.

It's always charming to have older characters in a mystery, especially when there is a family tie in, such as this case where Nancy and Jane are mother/daughter, who enjoy each other's company, and the bookstore they manage. This is book two in the series (book one being Murder at the House on the Hill). The book fits perfectly into the cozy mystery genre, from its setting, to characters, to death scene, to stumbling coppers, to brilliant sleuths. yet, it manages to be just this side of believable, making for a fun quick read, with a couple of twists that keep you guessing!

Victoria has done it again with the second gorgeous and intense instalment to her cosy murder mystery series. It was delightful to be back with such gorgeous characters, especially our troublesome trio; Nancy, Jane and Jonathan. Another murder has arose in Dedley End and wow, was this a juicy and twisted case to solve. The whole plot was inticing and kept you on the edge of your seat the whole way through - just when you thought the case had been solved, Victoria throws a plot twist in there and takes you completely off course. I absolutely loved the plot twist, it was delicious and really kept me and the characters on our toes. Victoria has done a fantastic job at creating such a thrilling murder mystery and as much as I would like Dedley End to not endure any more devastating murders, I can't wait to see what book three may bring... especially after that jaw-dropping final chapter!

Another fantastic cosy mystery book, that caught my attention quickly and held it throughout the story.
It was marvellous to catch up with Nancy and her super sleuthing crew again.
An interesting story with added twists along the way kept me entertained and reading avidly.
Always such a pleasure to read a book by this talented author, I’m already looking forward to book three from this series.

Nancy and her Gran Jane are very excited when Thomas Green, famous mystery writer, agrees to come to their summer fete. But then there's a murder that's just like one in one of his books and well, Nancy is convinced it wasn't him. So,, she,, along with Jane and their friend Jonathan,, a journalist, investigate. This is classic cozy territory and it's set in an English village. The characters are good. the mystery not too twisty, and it's got some humor. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Murder at the Summer Fete follows Nancy and Jane on their journey to solve another mystery in their quiet village, Dedley End. Nancy is thrilled to invite author Thomas Green to the annual summer fete to talk about his latest novel. However, things take a sinister turn when events at the fete are eerily similar to the plot of Thomas' book. This cozy crime novel felt similar to reading a Nancy Drew book. There were likable characters following leads throughout the story desperately trying to solve the murder. It was fun to try to solve the puzzle as the book progressed however I felt that the pace of the book was a little slow for my liking. If you enjoy cozy reads with classic amateur sleuth detective work, this is a great read for you!

Being a fan of BBC mysteries, I felt right at home in Dedley Endings, a small village set in the midst of the Cotswold countryside, and the scene for a new, interesting, and sufficiently complicated, cozy mystery. Though this story is set in the current day, it has its roots thirty years in the past.

The story is particularly interesting in that it takes two distinct phases. The first phase is discovering the person responsible for the murder of Michael Jones. Phase two involves exposing the criminal to an unbelieving world. Both parts of the story are intricate enough to hold the reader’s attention from the Prologue to the final pages of the book. The story becomes more complicated when Nancy Hunter and her family and friends must stumble on the truth while having little trust in the local police force.

While thoroughly enjoying the book, there was one (two?) concerns - the current book is closely tied to the previous (i.e. the first) book in this series and to the next book (i.e. the third) book in the series. From a publisher’s and writer’s perspective, this will encourage purchase of more books; from a reader’s perspective, this is distracting and unneeded for the enjoyment of the current story. For this, I give the book 4-½ stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Take a team of likeable amateur detectives, a delightful bookshop setting and a cast of intriguing suspects and you have your day sorted. Tremendous fun - let the armchair sleuthing begin! The key players, crime-fiction aficionado Nancy Hunter, her grandmother Jane and journalist friend, Jonathan, make a great team. I love books where a close-knit gang collaborates like this – it gives the story a wonderfully warm atmosphere. The villagers join in too, when the call comes. The mystery features a host of pleasingly suspicious characters and shadows from the past – another element I always enjoy. And in the background there’s a sub-plot relating to book one in the series – the drama continues, leaving me wondering what will happen next!

I love a good cozy mystery. I love a good British mystery. Combine the two, and and it's bliss in a book. Unfortunately, this book is not bliss and falls short on both counts. Walters makes a bad first impression with this second installment in the Dedley End series when she uses 'fete' three times on the first page. I slogged on, but the sense of place continued to feel contrived and inauthentic. I realize that this author lives in Surrey, but it's like reading a superficial cliche of an English village setting. With it's almost cartoonish mystery set-up, I felt like this was geared more toward a YA reader, and the author relies almost exclusively on telling vs. showing. Her repeated use of questions to reveal Nancy's thoughts quickly grew tiresome, and this ended up being a DNF for me. The concept on this series has promise, but the execution is lacking.

I received a digital pre-publication copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Nancy, Jane, and Jonathan are back at it after a murder happens at their summer fair in honor of Author Thomas Green's last novel. This book is the second in the series, and just like the first, it was such a fun read! What I enjoyed most is that now you're familiar with the characters, you're not only rooting for them to solve this, but it's like being with friends. I love how they're written and the mystery of who did it in this book was fun to guess at. Now Will and Richard are back, I look forward to seeing what mess this brings! I'll be waiting anxiously for the next novel!

I recieved this book as an ARC from Hera Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book in the series which I did not realize initially, but you can absoluetly read it as a standalone.

The main character, Nancy is very likeable.

I loved reading about the cozy town. Very enjoyable read.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Hera Books, in return for an honest review. While the second book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Bookstore owners, Nancy Hunter and her grandmother, Jane, are delighted that their small English town’s summer fete will be highlighted by a visit from a famous local mystery author, Thomas Green. Even better, it’s Nancy’s first bookshop author event and she couldn’t ask for a more popular choice.
Thomas hasn’t been back to the area since his first book made him famous some 30 years earlier. Nancy’s concerned when, the day before Thomas arrives, she finds a publicity flyer has been written on and seems to threaten him. Trying to do some research, she discovers links to a book club in Thomas’ home town but they want nothing to do with his return. Thomas and his publicist dismiss the threats as standard high-profile common occurrences and agree to proceed with the author event.
But when the fete is held, a body is discovered in a similar situation to Thomas’ latest book. Who did this, why this person and what does it all have to do with Thomas? Calling on their recent experience in solving a murder six months earlier, Nancy and Jane enlist Nancy’s best friend and local reporter, Jonathon, to help solve the crime. This was an interesting cozy and I look forward to seeing what happens next for this intrepid trio.

Thank you NetGalley & Hera Books for the digital ARC.

Although I haven’t read the first book of the series, it was not difficult to understand the plot. The author gracefully & subtly embedded important points from the previous book into this one.

The female protagonist & our sleuth, Nancy is such a likeable character and the entire small town vibe is super cozy. There wasn’t a moment when I felt bored. Every chapter had lots to offer with secrets unraveling one-by-one.

If you just want to dwell into something that keeps you at the edge then this book should be your pick!

The second book in the Dedley End Mysteries series is even better than the first! Nancy, Jane and Jonathan find themselves caught up in murder and intrigue yet again, this time set against the backdrop of the village fete. I really enjoyed the literary focus in this story, with the bookshop playing a more central part in the action this time around. The story is well-paced and the characters are engaging throughout. I can't wait for more in this series and highly recommend this book!

A lighthearted fun exciting read you will not want to put down. A well written mystery that pulls you in and keeps your attention. Love the twists and turns especially at the end. Thanks #netgalley and #HeraBooks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

I loved this book, couldn’t put it down once I started. Love the fun and mystery all combined into one. A really fun and easy read! Recommend to all mystery lovers.

An excellent return to Dedley End. Jane and Nancy know just how to get to the bottom of a problem and their gut feeling is usually right. Victoria knows how to bring a story to life, with just enough detail you feel like you know the characters personally and want to be friends with them. I want to sit in the armchair in Nancy’s bookshop listening to village life and immerse myself first hand in the magic created by Victoria’s writing. A very worthy 5 star review.

A great lighthearted (sounds strange when speaking about a book containing murder!) read. The second in the series, I hadn't read the first but it didn't really affect the reading of this one - the author provides just enough information about it to help set the scene here but not give much away.

Nancy runs a crime bookshop, and she has arranged for a locally born crime fiction author to attend the village fete. However a murder takes place at the start of the fete - can Nancy, her grandmother Jane and journalist friend Jonathan solve the murder and help the police?

It did feel a little repetitive at times, but I really loved the characterisation - Nancy, Jane and Jonathan work well together, and I loved their relationship. I have the first book in paperback and am now going back to discover their first case!