I enjoyed this book in the series and look forward to more. I liked the characters and that this book takes us to England.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Isabel has the opportunity to travel to England. A long-time wish. Teddy, a mystery author, has invited Isabel to visit him at his home in Cornwall. The village is small and filled with quirky characters including Tuppence, Teddy's housekeeper, his sister who is a lush, and many others. The local meanie is named Hyacinth. She is a sometimes friend to Teddy's sister. She has also won the local Scone Baking Competition for several years. Tuppence thinks she is cheating and thinks that she might be the won to beat her! However, that is not to be and Hyacinth wins once again.
Shortly after the event, Hyacinth is found murdered. Isabel was walking Teddy's Corgis, Fred and Ginger when the dogs dig up the corpse. There is no dearth of suspects including Teddy's sister and Tuppence.

This is a fun cozy with cute Corgis and an English setting. The blurb calls Isabel Michigan's own Miss Marple which seems right. The story is cute with plenty of red herrings and suspects. The writing style is easy-to-read and quite enjoyable.

This book started out in Michigan, but most of it took place in London and Mousehole, Cornwall. I mention that because in March, I spent most of my fictional time in the Midwest, so this was a great bridge to tend the month on. Isabel Puddles is generally a likable middle-aged widow who finds herself, a la Jessica Fletcher, involved in mysteries wherever she goes. In this entry in the series, Isabel takes her first vacation and her first trip outside Michigan to England, to visit Teddy Mansfield, the famous mystery writer Isabel had met when he was in Michigan. Teddy is busy writing, and his housekeeper Tuppence is busy perfecting her scone recipe for a baking competition that the Duchess of Cornwall is going to attend. Tuppence's delicious scones are ruined before the competition, and when a murder occurs, she's just one of the many suspects. Isabel solves the mystery, of course, surrounded by a nicely-fleshed out cast of suspects and enough red herrings that it took me about three-quarters of the book to figure out whodunnit. A very pleasant book perfect for summer vacation.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Charming. That is probably the best word to describe this book. Isabel Puddles is a wonderful character who is living her best life in her senior years. When we first see her she is about to embark on a bucket list trip to England, where she is going to stay with her friend Teddy in the idyllic seaside town of Mousehole. Whether she is on the big red bus travelling through London or walking the Cornish lanes, the reader gets a sense of being there with her that only increases the enjoyment of the story. She meets fascinating characters including Teddy’s housekeeper, Tuppence. Tuppence is competing in the local scone competition but her nemesis has perpetrated a dirty trick on her, shattering her hope to win the prize that the Duchess of Cornwall will present.

When the evil Hyacinth is murdered it not a far stretch for Isabel to wonder if Tuppence has had her revenge. Quickly she realizes how wrong she is but as she and the local DC investigate, the magnitude of the nefarious deeds she committed makes the possible suspect lists almost endless. It turns out one of the primary suspects is much closer to home than even Tuppence. There is a great story with lots of dead ends and twists but when it comes down to two suspects, Isabel is the one who traps the killer. It is entertaining and enjoyable beginning to end. I truly love this series. Five purrs and two paws up.

M.V. Byrne's Mitten State Mystery series focuses on Isabel Puddles who lives on the peaceful shores of Lake Michigan. The recently licensed PI had been doing a college degree she didn't finish when she was younger and is now travelling to England to visit her pen pal, Teddy Mansfield in the village of Mousehole, Cornwall. Teddy’s housekeeper, Tuppence is an excellent baker and there's a competition taking place in Mousehole in which Tuppence takes part. When Isabel walks Teddy's Corgis, they dig up a body in a neighbour's garden...

There is a lot to like about Isabel; she lives an exceptionally fulfilling life, everything is done on her terms, she has her knitting, she works part-time at a hardware store, her family visits and she has her private investigator job if she intends to continue with it. This mystery with its different location is well written; the setting is fabulous and the characters are winsome. Very highly recommended.

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

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

I enjoyed this cozy mystery from start to finish! What a delight it was to meet Isabel, her friends in Gull Harbor, and her new friends in Cornwall, England! The characters are engaging, and most are very likable. I enjoyed learning some British expressions, some of which are quite colorful, and how some of the mystery seemed to hinge on the perfect scone. Even the Inspector (chief of detectives) had some very lighthearted moments while in the middle of his first murder case. There are some very funny scenes, some sad, and others scary.

Isabel is a widow in her early golden years who is content with her life. She tried her hand as a private investigator and was very good at it but didn’t want to see that much of the darker side of human nature.

Isabel’s best friend, Frances, had introduced her to Teddy, a best-selling author of a detective series. He lives in England, and in summer, spends time in Michigan. They have been writing to each other for some time, and he invited her to visit him. There has been no mention of romance; they are simply very good friends. One of Isabel’s ancestors emigrated to Michigan, so she has long desired to see England.

Isabel saw the highlights of London before going to Cornwall and the quaint little village of Mousehole. Tuppence is Teddy’s housekeeper; he had suggested treading lightly around her as it is easy for people to get on her bad side. She is a little rough around the edges and quite unspoken with a heart of gold underneath. Tuppence is preparing for a special bake-off. She has lost the scone bakeoff five years in a row, coming in second place to Hyacinth, and she is determined to win this year. Isabel thought her scones were the best she ever had, winning Tuppence’s loyalty. This year, one of the judges would be a pastry chef from a popular baking show. The guest of honor will be none other than the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla herself!

Tuppence did not win. She didn’t even place. For some unknown reason, the scones didn’t rise and were more like hockey pucks. She decided she might not try to ever bake scones again. A couple of days later, Isabel took Teddy’s beloved Corgis out for a walk. They accidentally got away from her and she found them digging in a neighbor’s garden, where they found the remains of a well-known, but unpopular, member of the community. Even though she didn’t want to solve murders, especially in a foreign country, at least two of the suspects urgently need her help.

This reader enjoyed meeting Isabel’s friends in Michigan and Cornwall. All were defined well according to their roles. The author is excellent at showing the characters rather than merely describing them. Even though this is the first book I’ve read in the series, I felt as if I got to know those in her hometown easily, especially Isabel and her best friend, Frances. I found Tuppence to be quite charming in her eccentricities. I also enjoyed Inspector Carlyle, who wasn’t too proud to ask for help solving his first murder.

I enjoyed this novel so much that I plan to read the first two and am absolutely looking forward to the next one! While the cover initially appealed to me, then the Michigan hometown, I genuinely like the personalities and the writing style. There were two people I suspected as the tale progressed, one more strongly than the other, and I was partially correct. Plot twists and turns kept me guessing, especially when first one person, then another, both very close to Teddy, looked good for the murder. I was very satisfied with the resolution, and all loose ends were tied up. I highly recommend this delightful cozy!

Isabel Puddles is a Michigan senior citizen who also has had success as a private investigator. But it's time to go on vacation after she accepts an invitation to visit her pen pal, mystery writer Teddy Mansfield, who lives in Mousehole, Cornwall. What neither Isabel or Teddy is expecting is a murder investigation, but when a long-time resident of the town is found buried in her own garden, they are on the case.

I loved all the references to British food and customs, and Teddy's housekeeper, Tuppence, absolutely stole the show with her outspoken ways and delicious scones, which have never won the top prize in the town's bake-off.. The whole cast of characters was fantastic. Matilde, Teddy's sister, is delightfully nasty, and Teddy's Corgis, Fred and Ginger, are a fun addition to the story. The mystery was very well done. Just when I thought I had it figured out, I hadn't, and just when I thought the mystery was over, it wasn't. The book moves slightly slowly in the beginning, but it's well worth the wait. This is part of a series but can be read as a standalone.

I received a free copy of this book from Kensington Books via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to @Netgalley for the ARC of Isabel Puddles Abroad by M.V. Byrne. This is book 3 featuring Isabel and just as enjoyable as the previous two.

Isabel lives a lovely retired life in her small Lake Michigan hometown, but she’s eager to explore the world. When her pen pal, acclaimed mystery writer Teddy Mansfield invites her to spend two weeks with him in his charming English village Mousehole, Cornwall, Isabel jumps at the chance. It’s not long into her visit that murder rocks the village and Isabel can’t help but try to solve.

This is a true cozy in every sense. The characters are unique and entertaining, the descriptions of the settings (both in Michigan and England) are lovely. It reminded me a bit of Murder She Wrote. It does take a bit of the story to reach the mystery, but if you enjoy the cozy details leading up to the action, it’s worth the wait.

EXCERPT: Fred and Ginger were nowhere to be seen by the time Isabel chugged her way up the drive and reached the house, completely out of breath. She called their names in between breaths, but nothing. She went up to the front door and knocked to see if there was any chance Hyacinth had let them inside, but there was no answer. Then she heard barking coming from behind the house. She rushed around the back and was overcome with relief when she saw Fred and Ginger in the garden. Unfortunately they were up to no good, both digging frantically in a freshly planted flower bed with dirt flying out behind their rumps. She yelled at them to stop as she rushed over, but they were oblivious to her pleas. When she finally grabbed their leashes and tried to pull them away, they refused to budge.

And then she noticed something strange in the flower bed, something the dogs were desperately trying to uncover. They began barking again as they dug, then kept looking back at her as though trying to bring something to her attention.

Isabel bent down for a closer look. She couldn't quite make it out at first, but when she did, she nearly fainted. An ashen-coloured, dirt-covered human hand.

ABOUT 'ISABEL PUDDLES ABROAD': Isabel has crafted a life she loves in her Lake Michigan hometown, but she's eager to use her golden years to make up for missed opportunities. That's why she's traveling to England for the first time to visit her pen pal, Teddy Mansfield, an acclaimed mystery writer who lives just outside the village of Mousehole, Cornwall. First impressions are charming--Isabel is staying in the guest cottage on the grounds of Teddy's beautiful country manor, and Mousehole is home to an assortment of characters as colorful as any in Teddy's books.

Teddy's housekeeper, Tuppence, is a dab hand at baking--her scones are regularly runner-up in the village bake-off, and this year she's determined to scoop top prize. But it appears that other, possibly more dangerous rivalries have been brewing in Mousehole. And when a resident is found pushing up daisies in a flowerbed, Isabel is drawn into an investigation that will require all of her newly honed skills to solve--and to survive . . .

MY THOUGHTS: This is my first outing with Isabel Puddles, and it was fun. But it is the characters I enjoyed far more than the actual mystery.

Isabel is delightful. She is kind, adventurous, and has a sense of humour that I can relate to. I do find Puddles such a strange surname though, and wonder about its origins. Something for me to follow up.

I also enjoyed the character of Tuppence, Teddy's housekeeper, who bakes magnificent scones and tells it like she sees it. Her observations are very astute. Teddy himself is a bit of a sweetie; not a bad or nasty bone in his body, but he does have a penchant for bad puns. He is diametrically the opposite of his sister Matilde, who is not only bitter, but downright nasty.

The mystery itself is a slow burn with the body not being discovered until almost halfway through the book. But don't let that put you off. Isabel is entertainment enough, as are the other characters. The village scone bake-off is another source of entertainment and sets the scene for the unexpected death. There is no shortage of suspects as the victim was not well liked. But who disliked her enough to actually kill her? And why now? Just like suspects, there is no shortage of motives.

Isabel Puddles Abroad, although one of a series, is perfectly able to be read as a stand-alone. The mystery within is complete and there are no references to previous books or mysteries.

An entertaining read. I look forward to more outings with Isabel.

⭐⭐⭐.6

#IsabelPuddlesAbroad #NetGalley

I: #authormvbyrnes @kensingtonbooks

T: #AuthorMVByrnes @KensingtonBooks

#contemporaryfiction #cosymystery #friendship #murdermystery

THE AUTHOR: M.V. Byrne was born in East Lansing, Michigan and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, although he spent his summers on Lake Michigan with family. He later returned to East Lansing to attend Michigan State University. After years of living in both NYC and LA, he has settled in LA full time where he continues to work as a writer/producer in unscripted TV, though he can now add the job title of "Author" to his resume.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Kensington Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Isabel Puddles Abroad by M.V. Byrne 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

The Mitten State Mystery series is new to me, which means I have two books I need to catch up on. This cozy mystery features Isabel Puddles, a woman of a certain age from Michigan, who is venturing abroad to meet Teddy, a mystery writer and potential love interest. Decked out in a yellow tracksuit, Isabel meets a charming woman on her flight and sightsees in London before meeting Teddy in Cornwall. His village, Mousehole, is filled with delightful, eccentric residents, with one of the more eccentric and less delightful residents Teddy's sister, Matilde. When another resident turns up dead, Isabel cannot avoid getting involved.

This is a charming, cozy mystery. There are a lot of potentially extraneous details about food, scenery, and dogs, which I believe added to the atmosphere. There's even some chaste kissing. Fans of cozy mysteries will love this series. #IsabelPuddlesAbroad #NetGalley

Now and again, a reader needs a respite with a cozy mystery. The generally accepted definition has these mysteries with a woman sleuthing around as an amateur who is probably dismissed by the professional detectives and police. Usually, the murder takes place only to be discovered after the fact in a small village or community with lots of gossips. I would add to the definition that the murder often doesn’t happen until the book is halfway finished in order to draw all the characters who may be suspects. That gives time to establish that the victim is someone who “deserved” to die.

Isabel Puddles Abroad by M.V. Byrne fits that description, including my addition to the definition. It furnished me a breather from some heavier reading I had been doing. Isabel finds herself across the pond in England in the village of Mousehole, Cornwall visiting her pen pal Teddy Mansfield. She arrives in time for the annual village scone bake-off with Teddy’s housekeeper Tuppence determined to win.

The contest appears to be the biggest thing on the calendar for the visit until a body is found in a neighboring flower bed. The victim is the person who most needs to die, and Isabel’s reputation for recent detective work in her home on Lake Michigan catches up with her as she is drawn into the investigation. She is a kindred spirit to Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote and comes from a similar community with eccentric characters. She sorts through various red herrings and clues that lead nowhere until she finds the killer as this reader knew she would.

The book will give some lighthearted diversion and teach you absolutely nothing ¬– perfect for holiday season reading. I loved it!

I fell in love with this series and Isabel Puddle since I read the first book in this series and they never disappoints: well plotted, entertaining, and well written.
Isabel is a lovely character and I was happy to follow her in her travel to UK. The mystery is solid and kept me guessing, the characters are fleshed out and the setting viviv.
Can't wait to read the next one.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading and enjoying the first Isabel Puddles book, I was excited to read this second in the series. Our intrepid heroine ventures out of small-town Michigan and travels to London and Cornwall upon the invitation of
her penpal Teddy Mansfield, an acclaimed mystery writer. Of course there's a death, and there's no lack of people delighted by the demise of what sounds like a thoroughly unpleasant woman - but there are no viable suspects. Isabel and Teddy are asked by the local police Inspector to assist in the investigations (certainly a bit unusual, but then this is definitely not a police procedural and so the rules are cheerfully bent).

Small-town Cornwall and small-town Michigan don*t seem all that different and Isabel gets along wonderfully with the locals - I especially enjoyed Teddy's housekeeper Tuppence and the great scone baking kerfuffle. The story proceeds at a leisurely pace, and time is given to show Isabel's love of the culture and landscape of England. However, I did find it a bit curious that for an Anglophile, she's completely flustered by any hint of a British idiom. Overall an enjoyable read, and I look forward to the next in the series.

Isabel Puddles has a reputation as Lake Michigan’s Miss Marple. Set in Cornwall, England Isabel has taken up her friend Teddy Mansfield’s invitation to visit with him.
The first half of the story is a slow sedate pace with a lovely view of London and the village of Mousehole, Cornwall. There is plenty of background on our main characters and you feel that you have been well versed in chocolate box village life when a murder is committed. This is a cozy mystery that you can curl up with on a cold afternoon and be very happy.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher, Kensington Books) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Isabel lives in a small town in Michigan and, until recently, she has been a PI. When she gets an invite from her famous mystery writer penpal, Teddy Mansfield, to come to Mousehole, Cornwall, she packs her bags and hops across the pond. This alone was enough to get my attention as Mousehole is one of my favorite places in England - lovely scenery, good food and fantastic ice cream. When I went the "dead body" was an actor in a mystery weekend who took his bows at the end of the weekend. Isabel got the real deal when the Corgis, Fred and Ginger, dug up poor very dead Hyacinth - planted in the flower bed. Attention turns to Teddy's housekeeper, Tuppence, as a suspect. Tuppence has been beaten over and over again by Hyacinth in the bake off contest and Tuppence so wants to be the winner and to get the winners handshake from Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall. (Yes, that Camilla, married to the King) Her scones might just do the trick. The local copper thinks it might have been a motive for murder and that means Isabel has to go into PI mode and flush out the real killer.
This is a well crafted mystery with the perfect pace and delightful characters. Don't expect poor dead and buried Hyacinth to be found much before halfway and that's a good thing as the reader follows along with Isabel as she plans, packs, and travels to England for the first time. What follows that is full of twists, turns and red herrings. Plus it works fine as a stand alone. I read them as they came out and I'm holding a spot on my "must not miss the next book in series" shelf, eager to find out out what's next for Isabel.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The latest Isabel Puddles has her hopping across the pond to visit Teddy in Cornwall and it is just lovely. Sprinkled with info some Americans might not know from Bob’s your uncle to the different ways to eat your scone (the Queen has them the Cornish way), this was a delight all around. Can’t wait to see Teddy back in America!

With a delightful protagonist, Isabel, on her first trip abroad, and a charming setting, a Cornish village, I loved this book and read it in a day. Although it is a murder mystery with plenty of suspects, this takes second place to the lives and loves of the characters.

When Isabel Puddles decides to accept the invitation from her friend (and famous author) Teddy Mansfield, she doesn’t realize that, on her first trip abroad, she’ll find not only the same sort of quirky characters that she sees in Gull Harbor, Michigan. She’ll also find murder. Isabel hasn’t been in Cornwall long when the body of Hyacinth Amesbury is discovered, buried in her own garden. Since she was the least liked resident in all of Cornwall, there is a long list of suspects. Naturally, Isabel becomes involved and combines sleuthing with sightseeing.

Isabel Puddles Abroad is the third in a series but can be read as a standalone. This cozy mystery stands out from the genre because of the well developed characters, the evocative description of the Cornish countryside and the deliberately slow-paced plot, leading to a surprising conclusion. M.V. Byrne is a former television writer and his talent shines in this delightful mystery. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books and M.V. Byrne for this ARC.

Isabel Puddles Abroad is an enjoyable cozy mystery. It's the perfect read for when you feel like taking a little trip to another destination in your reading life.

Isabel is in her 60's. Her children are grown, and now it is time for Isabel to take on new challenges. She's decided to return to college to finish the degree she'd meant to do when she had children. However, as a break, Isabel takes up her new friend Teddy Mansfield's offer to visit him in England. Ultimately, like Miss Marple, Agatha Raisin and Jessica Fletcher, Isabel gets herself tangled up in a murder mystery and aims to solve the crime.

While I have yet to read the first in this series, it is on my library wishlist. I am happy to report that not having read the first book had absolutely no impact on reading enjoyment or being able to follow the characters. The narrative of this book flows exceptionally well. It's a joy to read.

I look forward to going back to read the rest of the series. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the review e-book.

Who killed Hyacinth? She's the village pest and the woman who keeps beating out Tuppence in a baking contest. Isabel Puddles, who is more or less retired but who keeps her hand in investigating murders, is on her first trip abroad- she's in Cornwall (love Cornwall) visiting Teddy, her friend who just happens to be a mystery writer. Tuppence is his housekeeper and definitely not the murderer but who is? This blends classic cozy with a nice trip to a British village. The characters are good, there are corgis, and as unlikely as it might be in real life, the constable actively wants Isabel's help. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. And as a bonus - there's a scone recipe.