A fun cosy crime book. The main character was very flawed but likeable. The mystery was clever. This is part of a series and would be best if you read the whole series.

All aboard for a look at Death on the Isle, an amateur sleuth mystery from M.H. Eccleston with a nautical theme.

This isle-set mystery takes you to the Isle of Wight during yachting season. When freelance art restorer Astrid takes on a freelance job of appraising the art in an estate on the island, she ends up investigating a suspicious death with help from an artsy crew.

A dash of family drama and a peek into luxury lifestyles of the uber rich set this drama apart.

Read-alike suggestions cover other island mysteries.

Full episode aired on Mystery Books Podcast on Oct 19, 2023 and is available for download on any podcast app. Thanks to Head of Zeus for a review copy. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Astrid Swift series, The Trust, so was excited to see more adventures with Astrid. These two books can be read as standalones – there is enough of an introduction that new readers won’t feel like they’re missing anything. If anything, I felt that this was a separate book from the first. Astrid’s personality has really shifted – she’s gone from the city-girl who loves her modern luxuries to someone who embraces the simple living in the country. She’s given away almost all of her belongings and is enjoying life on her houseboat.

She’s also left the locale of the first book for a new location. Astrid has “temporarily” moved to the Isle of Wight for a new job, but it feels more permanent. She has surrounded herself with new friends, who help her with her sleuthing.

Of her new mystery-loving friends (members of The Art Club), I really liked Wren the best. She’s independent and talented, and while she is in a wheelchair, that detail is so subtly mentioned that it’s easy to miss it and it doesn’t define her as a character.

The mystery itself was quite intriguing and mixes old mysteries with new murders. I loved the complex backstory and the new setting of the Sailing Club. I have absolutely no knowledge of boating whatsoever and this book made it sound so exciting, while introducing the nautical appeal (and technical terms) in a very easy to understand way.

Because one of my favourite reasons to read cozy mysteries is to return to the same familiar characters and settings, I was a bit thrown off with the new setting and new set of friends. It really feels like a completely separate book, with only Astrid as the common link to the first book. It’s not a bad thing and is done really well, it’s just a bit jarring when I was expecting to return to the lovely characters I enjoyed from The Trust.

One thing I wasn’t going to mention at first because I wasn’t sure if it would be a tiny spoiler, but after thinking long and hard about it, I don’t think it counts (but please feel free to skip the rest of this paragraph if you don’t want to know anything at all about the plot). I know that authors always have to come up with clever ways to get the protagonist into a “sticky situation”, but Astrid, agreeing to go on a date… on a boat… without her phone. Let’s just say you could see trouble coming a mile away (I also had Ted Lasso season 3 flashbacks but let’s not go there today).

Overall, I enjoyed the book immensely and am already halfway through the third book, Death Comes to the Costa del Sol. Astrid is off to another, sunnier location (so, I guess, we’ll be meeting another set of characters?)

*** Thank you to the publisher, Head of Zeus, for providing me with an e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Sadly I didn't enjoy this as much as the first one. It's still a nice gentle murder mystery, perfect for those cold winter evenings in front of the fire. I am looking forward to book 3 though.

The sailors are ashore, and murder is afoot.

It's summer in the Isle of Wight, and the islanders have little more to do than munch crab sandwiches, sip pints of Wight Squirrel, and complain about the hordes of tourists arriving for the world famous Cowes Week regatta. But when the local busybody drowns in the harbour, what was set to be a relaxing sailing festival starts to turn deadly.

Art restorer Astrid Swift realises she has stumbled on a fresh case that only she and her new art-club friends can solve. Soon she is embroiled in an investigation involving a grand seafront mansion, a dead billionaire's nautical paintings, and a sailing prodigy who mysteriously went missing at sea three years ago.

As the deaths stack up, and Astrid confronts ever more dangerous suspects, the Isle of Wight's reputation for being England's friendliest island is put to the test...

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Thank you Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC
The blurbs are really good even though this book is mediocre compare to other mystery thriller books. I still pretty enjoy this book and I like Astrid just fine.

A good classic mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

A highly enjoyable murder mystery that once I started I devoured in about 2 days as I couldn't stop till i found out who had done it.

Death in the Isle is the second book in the Astrid Swift series and she’s off to Cowes Week and she must be the only person who sails a ship that doesn’t know what Cowes Week is. I don’t own a boat and even I know what Cowes Week is, anyway she’s not there for the boats she she’s there to look at a dead billionaires collection of paintings to see if there’s anything worth flogging and finds out about a sailing wunderkind who went missing and was never found.
Astrid has had a summer of good Cob loving and pints with Kath and has had a complete personality transplant. I don’t know what’s happened to her she’s become all nice. I don’t like it. I don’t trust it. She left Cob without a backward glance and I can’t forgive her for it. It’s not even my imagination because the personality change is addressed and is put down to her previous unhappiness. But the point was Astrid wasn’t unhappy in her previous life she liked her job and her fancy flat and her fancy husband before she found out her was cheating on her. So it doesn’t stack up. I liked snobby Astrid. Nice Astrid is tepid. I get why the writer has done it but I’m not happy about it. The plot itself was was a wild ride, it’s all over the place and I love that about it. But bring back snappy Astrid!

Probably 3 1/2 really. Another art=based investigation for Astrid Swift. She has spread her wings to the Isle of Wight for this story. Most enjoyable adventures. Thanks to Netgalley.

What new adventure waits for Astrid?

Astrid Swift, fell apart when her marriage dissolved. She left her very cosy life in London and moved to the boat she inherited from her uncle in Hanbury, Dorset. She had found employment with The Trust and now that the contract has ended, must find a new project. As luck would have it, she’s no sooner thought of her precariously financial position, when Andy Marriot from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs asks if she would be willing to inspect and value a maritime art collection that is part of an estate on the Isle of Wight. Astrid’s experience is in restoration, however, in this instance what she will estimate is the cost of the restoration.

Astrid decides that this is an opportunity to try out her newfound sailing skills and sail to the island. However, moorings are virtually not available as it’s Cowes Week.

While out exploring the island on her bike, Astrid meets a girl who is part of an art group that meets daily at a potting shed. She meets with the group and decides that it will be fun to be part of the group thanks to the free time she has in between the valuations.

A body turns up, it looks like the fish and crabs have been nibbling on it and the isle’s police think it’s suicide. Astrid thinks it’s murder and gets the members of the art group to help her search for the killer.

I enjoyed this novel. I didn’t think that the storyline was as strong as that of The Trust and I didn’t particularly find any of the characters very likeable. Having said this, I did love “visiting” The Isle of Wight – one of my favourite places to explore.

Rony

Elite Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

⭐⭐⭐

I quite enjoyed the first book in this series and was excited to dive into this second book and see what Astrid would get up to this time. Unfortunately, i just didn't love this one. The art assignment aspect was non existent, as was the Celeste/Harlow storyline. Which frankly I was more interested in than the center mystery. 🤷🏻‍♀️ None of the secondary character's stood out for me, and Astrid herself was pretty annoying through the entire book. I am still onboard to give book three a read, with my 🤞🏻 I enjoy it more than this one.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I loved the Trust and loved Death on the Isle. This is becoming a favourite cozy mystery series as the stories are highly entertaining, well written, and compelling.
This one is set on the Isle of Wight and I was glad to catch with Astrid.
The plot is fast paced and kept me turning pages and guessing.
Can't wait to read the next book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Absolutely brilliant. I loved every bit of this. As someone who knows her way around the Isle of Wight I could picture it all the story was wonderful definitely 5 stars great story and cover .Would make a brilliant holiday read. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review it for you.

This is my first cosy murder mystery and I am so glad I finally read one! The plot is exciting but warm, and the writing style is accessible and friendly. For someone new to murder mystery like myself this is a fantastic introduction!

Death on the Isle By M.H Eccleston.

I have been waiting for this book since I read The Trust ( a book which I loved) and this book did not disappoint.

This time Astrid is now in the Isle of Wight and it is the famous Cowes week (something to do with sailing) and Astrid is cataloguing a deceased millionaires art collection..

While on the Isle, there is an unexplained death of a nosy parker that Astrid met on her first day on the island, which is classed as an accidental drowning and then there is another death which Astrid connects to the first and the race is on for her to find the killer….

I loved Astrid and what I am loving in this book is that there is a new group of friends that are helping Astrid get to the bottom of the murders… I would of actually liked to have seen more of them. I liked each of these characters and I liked that they were each given their own time to shine.

Astrid is more settled in this book and she is more like the person she wants to be.. I hope Astrid continues to grow and that she becomes the person she wants to be.

The mystery was really well thought out and although the killer is revealed earlier in the book than normal, the mystery is both how does Astrid convince other people and how to make sure they receive the punishment they deserve.

A good book and I highly recommend that people read book 1 first to get to know Astrid first..

And now I hear there is a third book for Astrid Swift and hopefully it will shed some light on her missing father… and will Astrid ever go back to Dorset and Cobb??? MORE ASTRID PLEASE!!

#Mystery #Contempary #English #Netgally

Found this to be a bit slow and dull. I have no experience or interest in sailing, and am also not familiar with the location.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Death on the Isle (Astrid Swift #2) by M.H. Eccleston from Net Galley and Head of Zeus Publishing in order to read and give an honest review.

…I enjoyed this entry with its new and quirky cast of characters, including a sociopathic antagonist…

After the events of The Trust, book one of the Astrid Swift series recently separated and, on a mission to find oneself in Death on the Isle, art conservator Astrid Swift decides to leave Dorset to take on a freelance gig on the Isle of Wight. Finally getting used to living on the boat Curlew’s Rest bequeathed to her by her favourite uncle, Astrid is seeking out a change. A far cry from the materialistic and entitled person she was when she arrived. Astrid’s hoping for some time to process what has happened and find what she is seeking in life. When she is given the opportunity to work on an estate’s art collection, Astrid eagerly sets sail to start her new assignment.

When she arrives, she lucks out finding a slip in the harbor during Cowes Week, one of the biggest sailing events of the season. As she did in book one, it does not take long for Astrid to connect with the locals, become the focus of a stalker and stumble across a dead body…. or two. Add in a missing woman connected to Astrid’s new job and this book keeps one guessing until the end.

Having enjoyed the first book in the series I was concerned that she was leaving Dorset and her new friends behind, but I grew to understand Astrid’s motivation for moving on. Although I enjoyed this entry with its new and quirky cast of characters including a sociopathic antagonist, at times it felt a bit muddled with a feeling of uncertainty as the story ends, which I am guessing could continue and add intrigue to the next book in the series. I really enjoy this well-written and quirky series and look forward to reading more of Astrid’s adventures. I highly recommend it!

When I saw that this was an art mystery and set on the Isle of Wight, I wanted to read it. I'm glad I did. Astrid Swift, art restorer, is on the Isle of Wight to appraise the nautical paintings of a deceased billionaire. She has arrived just in time for Cowes Week regatta so the place is packed. Add to her job and the festivities, the is a killer in their midst. The body of a disliked local turns up under a pier, sleeping with the fishes. As Astrid has already had success unmasking a killer she decides she can do it again. With help of a local art group who welcome her as a member, off they go to find out who done it. Added to the mystery is the three year old disappearance of one of the dead billionaire's daughters who was lost at sea.
Overall I found it to be an enjoyable read due to the setting and the art theme. As I had somehow missed the previous book in the series, The Trust, I do want to get a copy and find out how Astrid got involved in sleuthing. The next in the series, Death Comes to the Costa Del Sol is due out April 13, 2023 and it's now on my TBR list.
My thanks to the publisher Head of Zeus and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

art, art-history, art-detective, island-life, amateur-sleuth, channel-islands, sailing-activities, cosy-mystery, family, friendship, inheritance, sly-humor****

I haven't read the first in series, so I can't comment on any continuity. The story itself is a pretty good whodunit and I had no trouble following the art conservator assessing a maritime artwork collection on the Isle of Wight. It was all the sailing references that had me at disadvantage. But the sometimes peculiar characters and sly humor made it all worthwhile to stay up late to finish.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Head of Zeus/an Aries Book via NetGalley. Thank you!

Death on the Isle feels like a cross between the Famous Five and Richard Osman's Thursday Murder club crew. The story begins with a visit from the HMRC and spins on from there. I have a feeling the author was trying to pack too many ideas into one book, choosing one or two of them and giving them room to breathe would have benefited the book a great deal. A very easy read, nothing too challenging.