An unassuming heroine, an author by trade, who wonders what has happened to her Washington, DC, neighbours, who have suddenly disappeared, is a wonderful start to a new series by G M Malliet. A bit different than her previous series’, so took a chapter or two to find the rhythm, but I loved this and the fact that widowed Augusta is so…unobtrusive and, dare I say it, dull? Not everyone can be exciting and adventurous and daring, but it doesn’t mean that a widow has to fade into the background. She just prefers a quiet life. I found myself really relating to Augusta, because I consider myself unobtrusive and, dare I say it, dull. Perhaps ‘wallflower’ is a better term, or introvert.

I’m a big fan of G M Malliet, and like every book, this won’t be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and am very much looking forward to the second one.

Let’s get one thing straight – if you’re looking for an action-packed, foot-to-the-floor thriller, then pass on this one. Instead, you get a slow-burn building sense of wrongness that gradually develops into an investigation – although Augusta is the first to admit that she largely started looking into her neighbours’ disappearance because she’d hit a bit of a wall with her latest manuscript. Indeed, it’s debatable whether the pacing is a tad too slow at times, though I was never in any danger of abandoning this one. Augusta’s dry humour held me throughout. Her personality and my liking for her is the outstanding aspect of this book – I definitely am looking forward to reading more in the series.

Not in the first flush of youth, Augusta was widowed when her beloved husband died in a car crash. Upsettingly, the circumstances of his death led to very hurtful discoveries about him hand the double life he was leading. And since his death, she has retreated into her writing, watching the world from her window and her regular walks with her dog. I liked how the devastation of Marcus’s death slowly is revealed – this aspect of the story could have so easily slid into a self-pitying whine. However, Augusta uses humour as her defence and refuge, which had me grinning and thoroughly rooting for her. The writing is accomplished and Malliet is clearly an experienced storyteller with a particular talent for writing a strong, sympathetic protagonist capable of engaging this reader’s affection – I really cared about Augusta.

That is particularly important when the stakes suddenly become a whole lot higher as the book suddenly shifts up a couple of gears during the climactic denouement. And while I’d a suspicion about the actual villain – the backstory and extent of the antagonist’s wrongdoing came as a shock. Recommended for fans of contemporary mysteries that aren’t too gritty or dripping with gore and feature a strong female protagonist. While I obtained an arc of Augusta Hawke from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

Told in the first person, I truly enjoyed G.M. Malliet’s new character, Augusta Hawke, speaking directly to us, the readers. She herself is a successful mystery writer, so when a mystery unfolds in her own back yard, she can’t help but investigate. A somewhat lonely widow who normally keeps to herself, she is forced to reach out to neighbors for information to find the missing couple. The conversations, Augusta’s asides to us, her dry wit, and the story in general kept me laughing, and wondering how the mystery was going to unfold, I didn’t see the ending coming.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for such an fresh story line, I’m hoping this is just the first of many in a series.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

OK, I didn't really read the description carefully before jumping into this book. I definitely enjoyed the author's Max Tudor series, so I ws prepared to enjoy this book as well - and I did, but I was pretty surprised. This wasn't a cozy set in a quaint English village - no, it's set in the DC area, primarily in Alexandria, VA. And the protagonist isn't a vicar, but a successful mystery writer, getting over the death of her unfaithful husband, and showing a fair amount of interest in flirting with nice looking men she runs across!

This book is another trope in the cozy mystery field - the amateur detective, who is sure that her private investigations will be so much more helpful and fruitful than those of the police. Not to mention the standard practice of interrogating random people, who tell her all sorts of stuff! But, you know what? It's a fun book to read. There are enough questions about what's really going on in this case to be intriguing, and there's a lot of fun in hearing an author describe how a mystery author is going about detection and also about how she's maintaining a successful writing career. It's written with a lot of humor, and it's really enjoyable to read.

I'm hoping that this is the first in another series - it certainly would lend itself to more - and I will definitely be looking for #2.

In Augusta Hawke, author GM Malliet delivers a somewhat younger and more solitary Jessica Fletcher-type sleuth, a widow who writes mysteries, in a cozy mystery set in Old Town Alexandria, an affluent section of suburban Northern Viriginia outside of Washington DC. As a former resident of the area, I especially enjoyed the clever insider barbs aimed at local types. (Malliet is particularly laser-focused on those who shop at Trader Joe's.) Unfortunately, the mystery itself is low stakes and just not that interesting. I found myself caring more about the mother of the subject of the mystery surrounding Zora than about Zora herself. While all sleuths have their eccentricities, there is a certain amount of creepiness in Augusta that bothered me. While she has spent a lot of time watching her neighbors, Augusta has never engaged them in conversation. In any event, the Rear-Window movie allusions are many.

I love GM Malliet and was very curious about this new series as I love her style of writing, humour, and characters.
This is a mystery but it's also a satire of the world of mystery writer. It's very funny reading Augusta's musing about the life of a bestseller writer and how her creative process works.
The mystery is well plot even if a bit slow at times. This is the first in a series so there's the introduction of the character and of the setting.
Even if I prefer her books set in UK this was compelling and highly entertaining and I can't wait to read the next.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I've read quite a few of G.M.Malliet's books and always appreciated her ability to use humor to such good effect and her deft plotting. Most of her whodunnits are set in the UK, and she created the perfect English village in her Max Tudor mysteries. I've read quite a few of G.M.Malliet's books and always appreciated her ability to use humor to such good effect and her deft plotting. Most of her whodunnits are set in the UK, and she created the perfect English village in her Max Tudor mysteries. Augusta Hawke, however, is set in the Washington DC area in Georgetown. Augusta is a successful mystery writer, with 18 novels to her credit. She is widowed, living in an upscale townhouse community. She is intensely private and organized, knowing little about her neighbors. Like many such developments in America, people come and go, keeping themselves to themselves. She does take some interest in the young couple living directly across from her. Zora and Niko Norman are a handsome pair with an almost-year-old baby. It's not that she watches them purposely, but they have no curtains, and she is home almost all the time. Plus, she is stalled on novel #19.

When the perfect couple goes missing, the dishy Detective Narducci asks what Augusta knows about them. She realizes that she is probably the only one who knows there is trouble in the Norman marriage. Augusta saw a heated argument through the window and heard a shriek from who she thought must be Zora. Augusta doesn't want to be stereotyped as nosy, so she doesn't tell Narducci at that time. Instead, she contacts Zora's mother at the downtown DC gallery she owns. The baby is safe, and Zora's parents never liked or trusted Niko. Augusta enlists Misaki Nelson, a retired lawyer, in her search for the Normans. The two are off to the races. A sleazy PI (and true crime writer) involves himself in their investigation as well. Detective Narducci is decidedly not happy. There are moments of wry humor, hilarity, and great danger before they find the missing Normans. The only negative is an overly quick wrap-up.

Some people don't enjoy the first-person narrative, but I enjoyed being in Augusta's head. She is unique and fearless. I hope there are more novels to come. I like Augusta, and new opportunities open up in her life, which has been stagnant. Thanks to NetGalley and Severn Books for an advance digital copy.

A fun, low-stakes mystery with an absolutely terrific sense of humor.

I was a bit skeptical coming into this book because I wasn’t a huge fan of Malliet’s Max Tudor series (and this is coming from someone who is a pretty easy sell when it comes to English countryside mysteries), but this was a pleasant surprise.

The mystery itself is fine, nothing especially unique but competently plotted and solved. What really makes this book is that it’s kind of hilarious, and plays with genre tropes in a way that is both unique and delightful.

Augusta is a fantastic heroine, funny and likable and self-deprecating in a way that is endearing without even feeling maudlin.

Can we make this a series? I could absolutely do with more of Augusta and her world.

My favourite new sleuth! Author G.M. Malliet has given us a smart, and very funny new character in Augusta Hawke. Although I have previously read and enjoyed the Max Tudor series by this author, this book is so very different and I loved it. Great characters, great plot and lots of humour….can’t wait for the next one in this series!

I love the author's other series Max Tudor and have read her other series as well, so I was excited to get this one. I am sorry to say that for me, it was nowhere near as good as the Max Tudor books. Some of this I believe is because of the setting. The author has a great talent in writing excellent British humor and because I never look at book descriptions to closely [because often the <b><i>WHOLE FREAKING BOOK</i></b> gets told to you there and it is such a disappointment to be spoilered this way], I never realized this was set in the USA until I started reading and I think that added to some of my ambivalence towards this book. I was used to a certain type of humor and that is decidedly missing in this book.

The mystery was okay, but the end was severely lacking [what a tepid reveal - I never felt anyone was really in danger; there was no edge-of-your-seat feeling] and it just added to the overall meh feeling. Augusta <i>COULD</i> become a really good MC, but right now she is just okay. She is 42, but the author writes her like she is 70 [some of the conversations before she reveals her age made me think she was ancient, and then her age is revealed and I just rolled my eyes]. <i><b>FORTY-TWO</i></b> is not old. It was rather infuriating if I am being honest here. It is something I wish authors would stop doing. Most forty-two year olds aren't mostly retired and writing novels and living in Old Town Alexandria like they are 70; they are working hard, raising families and living life. Stop making MC's who act like life is over after 40 for pete's sake. If there is going to be a second book, I highly recommend that the attitude around Augusta's age change. Its offensive and off-putting.

For those who really enjoyed this book, I hope that there is a second book for you all. Do I think it could be a better book than this one? Absolutely. There <i>WERE</i> parts of this book that were funny and pretty good, so I believe that a second book could be even better. Will I be reading it? I doubt it. I just didn't enjoy this enough to want to continue on with this character. I am very disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley, G.M. Malliet, and Severn House for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy Malliet’s writing. I repeatedly read passages from her books. They just appeal to me on a literary level. I consider her more of a literary mystery writer than a cosy mystery writer. The writing is above what you find in most cosies but would not be considered high-brow. She also delivers well-developed mysteries, great characters, and some thrills along the way.

In her newest series, Augusta Hawke, a woman mystery writer living in Washington, D.C. investigates the mysterious disappearance of a couple who happen to be her neighbors. The “voice” of her main protagonist is very different than the last series. That is hard to pull off. The reader is not going to mix up these two series.

While these two series are very different, the one thing that is the same is the quality of the story and writing. I was very satisfied with this book. I look forward to reading more in this series and recommend this book (and her previous series the Max Tudor mysteries).

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Augusta Hawke is the successful author of a mystery series set in France. Working in her second floor office, she can observe her neighbors as she plots out her stories. Niko and Zoraida Norman live behind her with their infant son Harry. When the. Normans disappear Augusta is interviewed by the police and she is surprised to find that their infant was left behind. Augusta has a deadline for her next book looming, but this is a real mystery. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she starts her own investigation. Her activities come to the attention of Detective Narduzzi, who repeatedly warns her not to interfere. Her publisher, however, thinks that this would be a wonderful true crime story and agrees to an extension of her deadline if she will pursue it.

Augusta is a widow whose life has been wrapped around her characters, Detective Claude and his brilliant assistant Caroline. When her investigation leads her to danger, the biggest question is what would Caroline do? She is a keen observer of the people around her and her research for her mysteries could just save her in the end. Along the way she enlists the help of her friend Misaki, who helps her plan out her disguises and keeps her company along the way. She also collaborates with Kent, the private investigator who originally looked into Niko’s background for Zora’s parents before their wedding. He is also a true crime author looking for a story. Augusta finds him paranoid and a challenge to work with. G.M. Malliet’s story is filled with humor and a number of surprises. This is the first book in a new series and Augusta Hawke will have you looking forward to her next appearance. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for providing this book for my review.

3.5 stars

It must be difficult to be the author of a mystery series who decides to start a totally different line. G.M. Malliet has two charming and dryly humorous British series and anyone expecting more of the same will be confused.

Her new endeavor stars a widowed American mystery writer, Augusta Hawke. She is a bit quirky, a bit of a loner and not entirely done processing her husband's death several years earlier. She lives in an exclusive area near Washington DC in northern Virginia and when a neighborhood couple disappear, she is intrigued by the story. After all her research on plots and murder methods and suspicious circumstances, she simply can't leave the investigation alone.

Soon she and another neighbor have involved themselves to an unbelievable degree in finding out what happened to the missing pair. There is an over the top but fun ending. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Augusta Hawke is the introduction to a new series that left me wanting more. With its theme of someone sitting at a window watching the comings and goings of the neighbors, some readers may think of A.J. Finn's The Woman at the Window. If you're vintage like me, you might think of Alfred Hitchcock's classic Rear Window. At least Augusta is looking out the window while she's writing one of her books, and not being an idle curtain-twitching busybody.

Since the death of her husband, Augusta has, for the most part, shut herself away in her suburban Washington, DC townhouse. Her life revolves around writing her long-running police procedural set in the south of France and those vignettes she sees of her neighbors' lives. Once the police start investigating the disappearance of Mr. and Mrs. Norman, Augusta's writing radar begins to ping. There could be a bestseller in this! What's fun is watching how her investigation begins to pull her back into the real world with face-to-face interactions with real people.

Although I did deduce what was going on, it didn't bother me a bit because Augusta had a stranglehold on me. Malliet really made me like the woman. I was sad that she'd shut herself away and then happy when she began getting out and investigating. In no time at all, I found myself caring about what happened to her.

The story, the main character, and the wit are first-rate, and another facet of the book that I loved was the inclusion of all the insider information on the publishing world and the Washington, DC area. One of Augusta's comments that mentioned James Patterson had me crowing with laughter, so not only does she make me care about her, but she also makes me laugh. You can't beat a combination like that.

Now that I've met Augusta Hawke and want to invite her over for coffee, there's only one thing left to do: wait months for her next adventure. It will be worth the wait, I'm sure.

Augusta Hawke is the first title in what will most likely become a series written by G. M. Malliet. Augusta is a widow living on the outskirts of Washington, D. C., the author of a well-established series of mystery novels set in Italy and financially independent due to the success of her writing. Augusta notices thigs. She certainly isn't a "village busybody" but she does pay attention to the neighbors living close around her, just doing so from afar. The beginning of this story gave me a decided "Rear Window" vibe, but the story soon takes off in a direction of its own. This novel is presented as a first-person narrative which requires a steady handed author to keep it from dissolving into a messy muddle. Having the location of Augusta's fiction novels set in Italy helped keep the information regarding fiction and real crimes firmly separated.

For me a first novel in a series or even a standalone book requires that I hand over control of my tendency to be critical until I've given the author a chance to sink or swim. So far I like the Augusta Hawke character even though I did get to the point of wishing she wasn't quite so chipper all the time. Maybe dial that back just a tad and I wouldn't cringe so often. The mystery is very well constructed, and I was genuinely surprised when the culprit was revealed. I'm looking forward to another Augusta Hawke, maybe next year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing for an e-galley of this novel.

Where are the Normans and why did they leave their young child behind? That's the question Augusta Hawke, a wealthy widow sets out to answer, She writes mysteries for a living but lately she's been living vicariously- watching out her window. That's how she knows the Normans and why she knows that they argued. I'm probably the only reader who struggled with this because of the setting. Old Town Alexandria has an effective police force and it's worth noting that the whole region is filled with law enforcement agencies from local to county to state to federal which made the idea that Augusta would be the one to solve the disappearance, while plausible, a bit of a stretch. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's an interesting start to a new series.

I really enjoyed reading this book, having read several GM Malliet books previously and always having liked her writing.

This novel centres on the title character, Augusta Hawke, who lives by herself in what seems to be a fairly posh area. I loved how Malliet writes the character and how we get little insights into Hawke's insecurities about herself and her life.

We get the impression that Hawke doesn't have much of a "life" in the sense that we're supposed to have one. She doesn't do a lot or have many friends or go out much. So she kind of keeps a keen eye on her neighbours and what they're up to. But when two of them go missing, leaving behind a baby, Hawke is drawn into the investigation to find out what happened to them.

The pace of the novel is good - not too slow and enough interesting characters and detail on Hawke's internal worryings to keep it all interesting. Hawke as a mystery writer kind of reminded me a little of Ariadne Oliver in Agatha Christie's Poirot. Her friend Misaki is a good character too, as is the main cop investigating the disappearance.

Bits of this are honestly laugh out loud funny, particularly the dialogue between Misaki and Hawke, and bits of Hawke's internal conversations with herself.

There are truly creepy parts of the book - including when Hawke ends up in real danger as a result of trying to track down her missing neighbours. We get a good feeling of how a character apparently bland on the outside can slowly appear to be much more sinister and threatening, and none of this is written in an over-the-top way, simply as a description of Hawke's shenanigans.

This is a great, easy to read novel that I would recommend to anyone and if Malliet writes a further book involving Hawke I will definitely be reading it.

Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "Augusta Hawke" by G.M. Malliet.
Having read a number of this author's "Max Tudor" series, I naturally jumped at the chance to read what is the start of a promising new series.
Of course, there are no shortage of 'amateur sleuth' mysteries out there, but Augusta Hawke is one-of-a-kind: a prolific mystery writer with no real need to make a change, who is thrown into a 'real life' mystery when her neighbours suddenly vanish, leaving behind a young child (and a cat).
Since her Washington DC-area house backs onto the street from where the couple have vanished, Augusta finds herself in a position to possibly be of some help to the investigating detectives (one of whom is, of course, very handsome and to whom Augusta is immediately drawn).
Ms. Malliet pulls out all of the tropes in this one: the next door neighbour, eager to help investigate; the wealthy parents who are eager for anyone to find and return their daughter; and the co-workers who may or may not also be involved in some way with the missing husband. Throw in a fellow writer who is also a Private Investigator, and you have all the elements of a classic whodunit.
Ms. Malliet pulls it off nicely, and I expect that the following books will continue in the same vein (and possibly some romance with a handsome detective?). Highly entertaining and recommended.

Augusta Hawke is a fantastic narrator. She self-aware but doesn’t let that stop her from snooping. I previewed this title here: https://www.mwgerard.com/books-for-june-22/

For the devoted Malliet reader, take note. In this overture to a new mystery series, missing are: the British village and subsequent charm of that intimate social setting; the attractiveness and allure of the lead male character; funny, offbeat names of British places and people and the authentic-appearing hand-drawn maps, and much of the storytelling style for which the previous G. M. Malliet series are known and read.
Here the curated charm of the scenic English countryside is replaced by the Old Town, Virginia/Washington DC geography during the Covid pandemic, creating a suffocating air of near boredom to the degree that Augusta finds herself observing (as a writer does) her neighbors from her own window views. Partly confessional in tone, initially almost hinting an unreliable narrator, the story is told in first-person, unlike the earlier Max Tudor and St. Just series. True to mystery genre and method, the long-published mystery crime writer Augusta investigates on her own volition (against the warnings of the attractive police detective) the disappearance, sine corpus delicti, of a husband and wife, perfectly beautiful and youthful neighbors.
Augusta Hawke gestures at a theme of Rear Window meets a variation of Gone Girl. Besides allusions to classic-era mystery novelists (a bit of Sayers’s Harriet Vane folded in), the narrator also draws all sorts of contemporary culture references for comic diversion amid plotting that includes a grandmother, a baby, a cat, a dog, a friend, a lawyer, a competitor mystery author et al. Oddly though, this fortyish narrator weaves in another thread: the vicissitudes of her personal publishing experience in a kind of jeremiad about publishers, editors, agents, and the writing life. Beneath the surface of this missing-person mystery (solved in slapstick flair of disguises and devices) is the backstory—the recent loss of the narrator’s cheating husband and what that loss means to the relatively young widow Augusta Hawke.