3.5* - second entry into the cosy mystery series that delivers another good book. While it starts off slowly, it does build and end with a satisfying solution. The enjoyable characters all return, and we begin to learn more about Grazyna and her boys. If you like a cosy mystery on an atmospheric town with a plucky canine character to boot, you’ll enjoy this series.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and Inkubator Books, in return for an unbiased review.

Death At Neptune Yard is the second book in the Kipper Cottage series and I got a chance to read both the books in the series together. There is a supernatural element introduced in the form of an old legend of the Barghest (nicknamed the Dog of Death). The legend says that whoever hears the Barghest howling soon meets their death and it seems that's exactly what is happening in Whitby around Halloween time. Once again the mystery and plot was well conceived and I enjoyed this book as much as the first one. I couldn't help chuckling when the truth about the 'legend of Barghest' was revealed in the end.

I received an e-Arc of the book from the publisher Inkubator Books and the author Jan Durham via NetGalley.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A picturesque seaside village, upcoming Halloween celebrations, and a murder.... what more could you want in your cozy mystery? Well, one can never do with the talented nosy sleuth. This time it is Liz McLuckie.
Liz is trying her best to get one of the cottages ready for the tourists and is trying to stay out of police way and sleuthing... only to do it all over again.
The seaside town of Whitby is back in the crime news when an old legend of horror dog Barghest gets another breath of life after a supposed encounter... As the legend goes, people who hear Barghest howling will soon die... and they do.
Then, the story goes into the mystery and solving of one. Liz gets involved and steps on many toes and fingers, big and small. She gets to solve the mystery. Moreover, she gets to uncover some truths about herself and those around her.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery and am looking forward to the next Liz adventure.

This is becoming one of my favorite series: great characters, interesting setting, solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I can't wait to read the next story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Book 2 in the Kipper Cottage Mystery Series. The perfect book to wrap yourself around on a dark night. This book starts with action, which instantly got me hooked and keeps it and tension going throughout the book!

Brief Synopsis: Halloween is coming to North Yorkshire, and the seaside town of Whitby is getting ready for its annual Goth Festival, where Goths of all ages descend on the town for a week of music, costumes and spooky fun. A series of mysterious deaths and events are occurring. Locals say it’s the work of the Barghest – Yorkshire’s legendary Dog of Death, but townswoman Liz McLuckie and her friends are determined to uncover the truth.

Thoughts: Although this is book two is the Kipper Cottage Mystery series, it can be read as a standalone novel. At a little over 200 pages, it’s a quick read. The characters are realistic, their dialogue flows well, and the storyline is believable. The author did a great job researching Whittby and the Goth Festival which brought an even more realistic element to the book. This was a well written 5-star, cozy mystery tale.

Thank you to Jan Durham, Inkubator Books, and NetGalley for access to this! I would recommend this one to anyone who is looking for a cozy mystery with Agatha Christie vibes.

(Props to the team who wrote the blurb for this book, it is a phenomenal and “catchy” representation of the story within.)

Widowed Liz McLuckie has retired early from her job as an A & E nurse in Edinburgh and has moved to Whitby, a fishing community, in Yorkshire where she bought a couple of shabby and neglected adjoining eighteenth-century cottages - Kipper Cottage and Gull Cottage - she is renovating. Her friend, The Bride of Frankenstein, alias Niall Fitzgerald, a twenty-two-year-old archaeologist is staying as it's coming up to Halloween and the Annual Goth festival week in Whitby. Niall has helped Liz get Kipper Cottage ready for her first paying guests. Seventy-odd-year old local cleaner, Iris Gladwell is in the community hospital after a suspected heart attack and a fright when she sees the ghost dog, Barghest, that portends death. Soon after, a local journalist for the Whitby Bugle, Donnie Satterthwaite is found dead in his cottage with a bloody dog print on the kitchen wall near him.

This was a superb continuation of a series by Jan Durham which first captured my attention because of its Whitby setting. I enjoyed being in the pockets of Liz as she puzzled over clues, legends and folklore and irritated DI Flint, the local detective. Well written and intriguing with some colourful characters and great descriptions of community life and the locale. Now hotly anticipating book three!

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

The legend of Yorkshires legendary dog of death The Barghest reappears at the same time the yearly Goth festival is taking place in Whitby, sparking several fatalities whose deaths are attributed to the dog of death, when one of Liz's friend claims to have not only heard the howls but also saw the dog she knows that there is more to this than meets the eye

An enjoyable read

Halloween is approaching and the Barghest, the Dog of Death according to Yorkshire legend, has come to Whitby to herald the end of some of its inhabitants.
Again, our protagonist Liz McLuckie will be involved in the investigation of another crime and will take us with her to discover the truth behind the legend. Halloween has never been so exciting in Whitby as it is now!
Quick, nimble, and highly entertaining to read, the second book in the Kipper Cottage series is one of those stories that is hard to put down until you reach the end and find out what really happened at Neptune Yard.

Death at Neptune yard by Jan Durham.
A Kipper Cottage Cozy Mystery Book 2.
Halloween is coming to North Yorkshire, and the seaside town of Whitby is getting ready for its annual Goth Festival, where Goths of all ages descend on the town for a week of music, costumes and spooky fun.When one of Liz McLuckie’s friends has a terrifying encounter with the Barghest – Yorkshire’s legendary Dog of Death - it sparks a series of mysterious fatalities in the town. Are supernatural forces at work, or is there another, more human, explanation?Liz decides to find out, with the help of her motley assortment of friends and Nelson the English bull terrier, the ugliest (and bravest!) dog in Yorkshire.
A brilliant book 2. I love this series. 5*.

Halloween is coming to North Yorkshire, and the seaside town of Whitby is getting ready for its annual Goth Festival. When one of Liz McLuckie’s friends has a terrifying encounter with the Barghest – Yorkshire’s legendary Dog of Death - it sparks a series of mysterious fatalities in the town. Liz decides to find out, with the help of her motley assortment of friends and Nelson the English bull terrier.
The second book in the series & it’s easily read on its own but as with all series I have to start from the beginning. This book takes place a few months after the first & Liz now has Kipper cottage renovated & ready for visitors. Another very entertaining read, which I devoured in a sitting during a power cut. I really like Liz & her assortment of friends, not forgetting Nelson who once again saves the day. There were plenty of twists & turns & red herrings, DI Flint hasn’t mellowed towards Liz but seems easier on Kevin. Of course Liz seems to be at the right place at the right time or is it the wrong place at the wrong time? I look forward to more in what is becoming a captivating series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Death at Neptune Yard is the second book in the Kipper Cottage Mystery Series. I read it immediately after the first book and enjoyed it just as much. I love the setting of these books and the author describes it perfectly. This one is set around Halloween and the annual Goth festival which all adds to the atmosphere. I look forward to reading further books in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for my ARC.

In this second outing with Liz McLuckie, it is approaching Halloween in Whitby and everyone is preparing for the annual Goth Festival. Even Liz, who finally finished rehabbing Kipper Cottage and has rented to a couple for the festival.
Iris, the local cleaning woman, tells of the fright she had when she saw the ghost dog, Barghest, which portents death. And soon after, a local reporter was found dead in his cottage with a bloody dog print on the wall beside him. This intrigued Liz, especially when her dog, Nelson, started to act strangely and as she began to ask questions, this seemed to put her life in danger.
A fast paced and enjoyable British cozy mystery with a return of the same local characters as they all have a part in this mystery.
Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this e-galley of "Death at Neptune Yard".

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read, and review this book.
This is the second outing for Liz McClukie, who after losing her husband Mark, decided to take early retirement from her nursing job, move to Whitby and renovate a couple of tumble-down cottages, Kipper coattage & Gull cottage.
With the help of her some-time lodger, Niall, one of her cottages is finally completed , and her very first guests are due to arrive in the run up to Hallowe'en, for Goth week. The couple are excited for the spooky celebrations, and love the cottage.
However, people in the town get more than they bargained for when the dreaded Barghest is both heard and seen. The Barghest is a dog like creature in North England folklaw, and is known to be a harbinger of death. It big yellow eyes, and massive hairy body is enough to scare anyone, but for one woman, it brings on an angina attack. She makes a full recovery, but someone else isn't so lucky. Dead comes to Whitby once more.
Can Liz and her Mah Jong playing friends find clues to explain the death? Is the Barghest real? Why are two young boys causing havoc in the town? These, and more questions are answered in this thrilling book.
I look forward to the next one in this exciting new series. It is well worth the read, and anyone who loves Whitby, dogs, mystery & murder (only on fiction), are in for a treat!

Book 2 in a new cozy mystery series set in Whitby, England. Interesting place, that has the ruins that inspired the book Dracula. Liz was nurse, but after the death of her husband 5 years ago, she has quit and is now renovating two cottages with plans on renting them out. Love her dog, who makes me laugh. Set near the time of Halloween, and including the concept of the demon dog who is suppose to be a harbinger of death. When Liz finds a couple of dead bodies, the mystery is on. Finding out there is a blackmailer in town, touching on some she knows, she can't stay out of asking questions. With her friends, and of course her dog, this was a fun mystery and one I had trouble putting down. Highly recommend and look forward to reading the next in the series.

The residents of historic, seaside Whitby are preparing for the tourist driven Goth Week when a sighting of the legendary Barghest (rough translation: ghost of the town), a huge, slobbering, yellow-eyed black dog, causes one resident to have a heart attack and is thought to be responsible for the death of another. What else could leave a pie plate sized bloody footprint on a kitchen wall? What else, indeed? It’s a question that Liz McLuckie, a new Whitby resident who has already solved one crime, keeps thinking about. She’s been warned to stay out of the way by harsh DI Flint but that doesn’t stop her. With friends including Niall, Tilly and Benedict, she peels the layers away from a scheme that affects several well known villagers. However, the closer she comes to a solution, the closer the killer comes to her.

Death at Neptune Yard is the second in this engrossing cozy mystery series. Liz McLuckie is a strong female character, using the renovation of two fishermen’s cottages to heal her grief after the death of her husband. Jen Durham brings Whitby and its history and legends alive. I’m looking forward to the next in the series. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Inkubator Books and Jen Durham for this ARC.

Set in the picturesque seaside town of Whitby in North Yorkshire, Death at Neptune Yard by Jan Durham is a marvelous, engrossing and completely entertaining cozy mystery.

I have read the first book of this series - Death at the Abbey - and I was looking forward to reading more of Liz's sleuthing adventures. Consider me impressed! I am in awe of Jan Durham's storytelling. I only have praises and more of it for this series. Be it the setting or a dash of historical information (Barghest, in this case) or the character portrayal or the mystery surrounding the murder(s) - nobody writes it like Jan! Simply fantastic!

This is the second in the Kipper Cottage cosy mystery series and it was just as enjoyable as the first. In this book, Liz McLuckie, a 50-something widow who has moved to Whitby, is welcoming her first guests to the newly renovated cottage she bought. It’s Halloween and time for the annual Goth Festival, which brings tourists from near and far. The tourists are thrilled when the creature from folklore, the Barghest, is seen and heard, which means someone will die. Sure enough, someone does and Liz finds herself in jeopardy as she gets pulled into the mystery of whodunnit.

This was another entertaining book. I liked learning more about some of the ‘regulars’ from the first book and Nelson the dog is always fun to read about. The folklore element was interesting as well. I look forward to the next book in the series.

Its Goth week in Whitby and the place is crowded with goths of all ages and costumes.
Then Yorkshire's Dog of Death, the Barghest , claims his first victim. Several more fatalities follow and the Barghest and its howling is heard and seen more and more.
Can Liz McLuckie and her friends solve the murder and annoy the local Police force even more?

Book 2

I was excited to read the next installment of the Kipper Cottage series and see what all of the characters are up to. It was fun to hear about the Whitby traditions and festival as well as meet some new characters. I felt like Liz, the main character, had settled in more to be part of the town and the reader got to experience more nuances in her relationships. But you could also enjoy this book even if you hadn't read the first book in the series! It was a fun read with murders and a twist (and a huge black dog that predicts death!).