This is the second book in the Nell Ward series and while each book does have stand alone mysteries, I would recommend reading these in order. There are a lot of character interactions and relationship growth that I think gets lost if you do not read book 1 first. Of course, Yarwood-Lovett does her best to sprinkle in the needed information from book 1 into this read as it comes up. For me, since I read the first one a few years ago, these served as gentle reminders of some of the big plot points from that read.

The maps at the beginning of the book worried me at first because there were so many different rooms and places that I was sure I'd get confused. I was reading an eARC so flipping back and forth every few pages would have been tedious. However, I found myself not needing to look back at all and my initial study of the maps was sufficient to get a feel for the layout. Similarly, all the names on the maps of who was in which room made me worry I would have a hard time keeping so many characters straight. However, Yarwood-Lovett does a great job of introducing the characters in such a way that I had details to latch onto. Each character was unique enough that I had no issues keeping them straight, which is something I do struggle with at times. I could see a reader using that map more if they were really trying to solve the mystery before the characters did but that isn't really my style when reading mysteries.

The mystery plot was a great closed-circle mystery with plenty of rich people problems at the center. The author does a fantastic job of giving the characters believable motives as well as questionable alibis so I really had no idea who could be the killer until it was revealed. I was surprised at the number of bodies that dropped but loved how that complicated the investigation. I was expecting a bit more of a police procedural, given we have a DI in the cast. There is still a basis in ecology, but I didn't find it nearly as present in this book compared with the first (although it does come into play during clutch moments).

The pacing was spot on and it really made this story potato-chip-readable. I couldn't help but want to keep turning pages. This read never had any sort of lull or saggy middle for me as we seemed to have a constant stream of new information. This is a multi-POV read, which I think helped keep the pacing moving. So when one character reached a lull in their investigation, the POV switched and we were picking right up with a different character and their investigation. One small complaint I've had in recent mysteries I've read is that the characters spend too much time debriefing and repeating all the information they have so far - purely for the reader's supposed benefit. In this read, however, I didn't have any of those feelings. The few moments where characters got together and ran through their investigation notes were usually when they were teaming up with another character so it felt like a natural part of the story instead of feeling forced.

Overall, this was a great next installment in the series as well as a great closed-circle murder mystery. I loved being back with many of the same characters from book 1 and got some great character development through their personal relationships. I'm looking forward to reading on in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for the ARC. Publication was October 18, 2022

I have been loving this series, and this latest offering did not disappoint. Also just how stunning are the covers!

A Cast of Falcons is the second instalment in Sarah Yarwood-Lovett's cosy(ish) mystery series featuring ecologist-turned-amateur-sleuth Dr. Nell Ward.

Nell (a.k.a. Lady Eleanor Beaumont) offers to host the wedding of her best friend Percy (Lady Persephone Doineann MacKenzie) at the Beaumont family seat, Finchmere. In spite of her parents' disapproval, Percy is set upon marrying Hawke McAnstruther, a flashy but ruthless hotel-casino magnate, who the reader can identify as a wrong-un from the outset. Members of the extended MacKenzie family and hangers-on mix awkwardly with the upwardly-mobile McAnstruthers as representatives of the British tabloid press look on, and sparks soon begin to fly. When the groom plummets to his death from the top of Finchmere's grand stairwell late on his wedding night, it seems someone has acted with murderous intent on their animosity towards the greedy and lascivious Hawke.

While Nell's boyfriend and fellow wedding guest Detective Inspector James Clark immediately switches into his professional guise, Nell and her colleague and best friend, Dr. Aravindan "Rav" Kashyap start pursuing clues themselves in an amateur capacity. Much of the madcap behaviour of the central and supporting characters in the lead-up and aftermath of the crime borders on slapstick, and there are suspects galore who might have wished Hawke McAnstruther dead. Following on from the previous book, the love triangle between Nell, James and Rav is further developed, with results that honestly left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

While this book doesn't contain as much ecological content as its predecessor, the plot incorporates fascinating snippets that aid Nell, James and Rav in solving the crime. These include the establishment of barn owl nesting habitats in barns, the location of otter spraint (droppings) to locate a safe river crossing and - as an allegory for the behaviour of some of the human characters - the aggressive behaviour of kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) in invading the nests of other birds. For me, this aspect of the plot was far more compelling than the hi-jinks of the upper-class characters, and I hope that author Sarah Yarwood-Lovett will re-amplify the ecological content in future instalments in the series.

I'd recommend A Cast of Falcons to readers who enjoy cosy mysteries and fiction featuring the British aristocracy behaving badly (think Jilly Cooper). Readers with an interest in ecology, specifically the habits of Britain's native birds and animals, will find the ecological details of additional interest.

My thanks to the author, British-born ecologist Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, publisher Embla Books and NetGalley (UK) for the opportunity to read and review this and other books in the series.

This is the second Dr Nell Ward mystery and, while you don’t need to read the first one to be able to follow the plot of this, I would always recommend reading in order to get the full benefit of things like character development and back-story.

This time round, Nell is investigating a murder on her home ground and so is at more of an advantage in some respects. The potential love triangle between her, Rav (her colleague and fellow scientist) and DI James (her boyfriend and fellow investigator) is one of the most believable emotional tangles I have read, and it really comes to a head here among Nell’s oldest friends. Weddings do seem to have a tendency to heighten those romantic feelings!

Speaking of which, this is one of the strangest and tensest weddings I have heard of, read about or attended. And that is before the string of murders even starts!

I really love all the characters we see here – familiar and new – and also thoroughly enjoyed the plot, which is packed with action and intrigue and kept me guessing throughout. In fact, this is one of those books that I had to stay up all night to finish, because I was just so caught up in whodunnit and why!

And to top it all off, there are bonus eco-facts at the end.

I enjoyed this book even better than the first and can’t wait for the next one now. Definitely one for cosy mystery fans to snap up – this book, and the series!

The second in this ecology-themed cosy series and a solid 4 stars from me. Although there is less ecology in this one and more mystery and murders, it is a locked room-type mystery and well done.

Nell is hosting her best friend Percy's (Persephone) sudden wedding at her own family estate, and as she gets to know the groom is beginning to question Percy's decision, as he is quite awful. The reason, that his mother is dying of cancer, seems a bit spurious, but because it's Percy, Nell does the right thing for her friend and organises the wedding. Mostly because Percy's parents (owners of their own substantial estate) have refused to have anything to do with him and have threatened to disown her if she goes ahead with it.

Unsurprisingly, the first victim (of three!) is the bridegroom himself. Nell's boyfriend, DI James Clarke, begins the process of investigating, while Nell and Rav, her ecological colleague, pursue their own lines of investigation.

The mystery is well written, although there are a lot of characters in this one - it being a wedding, there are lots of folks in the manor house - and the ecology aspect is limited to Rav and Nell setting up a nesting box for barn owls and some information about otters. Some frustrating points where conversations that need to happen don't (but, we've all been there, right?), until they do, and Nell manages to upset Percy, James and Rav with some ill-timed comments. But I think that while that's frustrating for some folks, it is very true to life in plenty of cases. I do, however, think that Rav gets upset about things that he finds out about Nell that really aren't his place to be upset about. The last book it was finding out Nell was Lady Eleanor, this one it's a sex tape scandal. I don't get why he's more upset that she didn't tell him than he is that someone took advantage of someone he cares about.

In the end, however, it's wrapped up well, with several relationships broken and reforming to boot.

It's still one of my favourite new series and I'm eager to read the new installment. Recommended!

A Cast of Falcons is the second Dr. Nell Ward book and is just as good, if not better, than book 1. Nell finds herself hosting the wedding of her good friend Percy to Hawke, a rake in love and business. It is no surprise that unease amongst the guests soon turns to murder. Agatha Christie style, we are in a process of elimination to work out who is responsible. Again, Nells expertise in ecology comes to the forefront. There is a great balance between these details and the crime/ police scenes. Whilst this can be read as a standalone, it is helpful to read book 1 to how Nell and some of the key characters have progressed. A quick and enjoyable murder mystery. #acastoffalcons #sarahyarwoodlovett #embla #netgalley #drnellward

Another clever murder mystery involving Dr Nell Ward and her colleagues. This one had the added intrigue of a family inheritance and many secrets. As in the first Nell Ward mystery, a mix of good old detective skills and luck surrounds Nell as she tries to work out what has happened- throw in an interesting ensemble of side characters and it’s made the next one in the series an intriguing wait.

When the wedding of her oldest friend ends with a shocking murder, Dr Nell Ward is once again caught up in a web of subterfuge, secrets and lies...
Thrilling and utterly compulsive! An incredible read, impossible to put down.

I enjoyed the novelty value of an aristocratic ecologist playing detective in ‘A Murder of Ravens’, but found this sequel hard going. Set at a society wedding at a stately home, the scene-setting early chapters were heavy on incidental detail, but tedious and it seemed an age before the first murder. From then on, the plot was pacier, but the characters were stereotypical and the novel lacked the wicked humour that Agatha Christie would have brought to such a scenario.

I have become a bit of a fan of 'cosy crime' novels of late. They provide all the puzzles, with none of the gritty reality, which is fine with me! I read the first in the series and looked forward immensely to this one - and was not disappointed. Okay, so the romance didn't go the way I hoped, but you can't have everything.
A light read, but gripping - you will find yourself turning page after page into the night as you try to figure out just whodunnit, and why.

The second book in the Nell Ward series. I really enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to the follow up. Another great cosy mystery and a series that I will be sure to follow.

This is the second book in the Nell Ward Mysteries. Now, I was surprised how much I liked the first instalment so, of course, I wanted to read the second instalment (and yes, I plan to read the third, A Mischief of Rats next year).

While I did like it, I didn't warm to the story as a whole, if I am being completely honest with self. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because it took me nearly the whole month to read it. I did enjoy this - mainly because of the characters, their relationships (LOVE TRIANGLE ALERT!) and I did like the mystery, up to a point. But something kept holding me back and I can't figure out what it was.

But I do love a good murder mystery this time of year so, of course, I have very high expectations when I read cosy crimes round Christmas time when the nights draw in. I going to change reading tack and read some Christmas queer romances and then going hard with murder mysteries (mainly collections of spooky short stories... Can't wait!)

#ACastofFalcons #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out! Really solid read.

The second Nell Ward mystery met all my expectations and more: it's a fast paced and compelling story, entertaining and well plotted.
I was glad to catch with Nell and loved the changed. The mystery is solid, full of twists and kept me guessing.
Can't wait to read the next story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A Cast of Falcons by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett is a Dr Nell Ward mystery which opens on a wedding day, not Nell’s, but her good friend, Percy’s. It was really supposed to be her engagement party but the groom’s mother had a serious illness and would not live to see them married, so it all changed. Now, Percy’s parents would not be there: her grandfather (90) was too ill. It was all very convoluted. But, Percy did manage to walk down the aisle, in a blood-red dress. Leave it to Percy. Nell did not really like, Hawke, the groom, but to be fair, she didn’t really know him, until he sat next to her at the wedding dinner and tried to feel her up. She stabbed him with a fork. Oh, how had Percy gotten mixed up with this man? Not to worry. A couple of hours later he was dead. Fell from an upper landing. James, Nell’s partner, was a Detective Inspector so he tried to control the crime scene and call the police. It was the wee hours when they finally got to sleep, but Nell was restless. She went downstairs to get a drink and found Linda, Hawke’s mother, in her her death throes, her throat had been cut. What was happening? The next morning when they went to wake up Percy’s grandfather, who had shown up after all, they found him dead as well. Presumably a heart attack, he was 90. Far too much going on: this was only part of it.

Nell Ward is a terrific sleuth. She is also known as a lady with a title, something she keeps quiet. She is an ecologist and with her parents is doing her best to keep the estate afloat. This is an excellent cozy mystery series, with complicated plots, excellent characters, and just a little romance. Yarwood-Lovett has created an interesting, yet, believable world with a large cast of characters, some permanent, some not. The theme of this book is families and how very complicated they can become. It is also about love and how very complicated it can be, as well. It is well-written and holds the reader in its grip, with the outcome not what one would expect in many ways.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of A Cast of Falcons by Embla Books, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #EmblaBooks #SarahYarwoodLovett #ACastOfFalcons

4.5★s
A Cast of Falcons is the second book in the Nell Ward Mystery series by British-born ecologist and author, Sarah Yarwood-Lovett. A few adverse circumstances see Nell Ward offering her dear friend Percy (Lady Persephone MacKenzie) the Finchmere estate as the venue for her wedding. There are some last-minute dramas with Percy’s parents, who vehemently disapprove of her fiancé, Hawke Anstruther, threats of disinheriting, even! But the wedding goes ahead.

Nell tries to spend some time with Hawke, trying to learn a little more about her best friend’s new husband, but his sleazy behaviour certainly doesn’t endear him to her. Soon Nell, too, thinks Perce has made a big mistake. And then, after most of the guests have gone, and the family are heading off to bed, Hawke falls over the balustrade, from the second or third floor, to his death, as his best man and the housekeeper stand below, stunned. Was it a terrible accident? Or was he pushed?

DS James Clark, now Nell’s boyfriend, quickly tries to control the scene, and summons his colleagues. The scene is processed by SOCO, and all those in the house are interviewed; Nell and her work colleague, Rav find a spot to eavesdrop. It quickly becomes apparent that many of those still in the house have a motive.

After this, the victims begin dropping like flies, and at least one of them has quite definitely been murdered, in the library, with a dagger. Barely twenty-four hours later, three are dead and one is in Intensive Care. Nell and Rav can’t resist mounting their own investigation; after all, three deaths in her own home! James thoroughly disapproves, both of their actions and their close association. And Rav and Nell need to remember that, while they dissect each death and discuss possible motives and opportunities, others might also eavesdrop.

Nell is puzzled by several lies her best friend seems to have told her, and an angry uninvited intruder presents as yet another possible perpetrator. As well, Nell has managed, with a few ill-chosen words, to somehow put James, Rav and Percy all offside.

Once again, Yarwood-Lovett gives the reader a clever plot with plenty of hints forming muddy trails that then have red herrings dragged across them. Once again, her ecology background is woven into the story, although quite a bit more subtly this time, but still forming an integral part of the mystery. In this instalment, Nel’s romantic situation undergoes a significant change, and it will be interesting to see what Yarwood-Lovett has in store for this quirky protagonist in the next book, A Mischief Of Rats. A very enjoyable cosy mystery.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Embla Books

A Cast of Falcons is the second instalment in Sarah Yarwood-Lovett's series featuring ecologist, Dr Nell Ward who lives in a village called Cookingdean, near Pendlebury, south-east England.

Nell is hosting the wedding of her best friend, Lady Persephone (Percy) MacKenzie at her family's estate, Finchmere. However, most folks aren't happy about the wedding. After a tense ceremony, there are contretemps at the wedding breakfast and the groom ends up falling to his death.

Nell's beau, DS James Clark investigates and tries to untangle the mess of clues, aided by Nell and her friend/coworker, Dr Rav (aka Adam) Kashyap. The trio works to uncover motives, putting themselves at risk. A good solid tale, I intend to continue the series.

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

A Cast of Falcons picks up not long after the first in the series, A Murder of Crows. Nell is hosting the wedding of her best friend Percy at her family home when it soon becomes clear that Percy's family do not want it go ahead. When someone is found dead after the wedding, Nell, Rav and James begin investigating in an attempt to uncover the truth. However, things take a turn when Nell is put in danger.

This is a brilliant addition to the Dr Nell Ward series.

I really enjoy a murder mystery where anyone could be guilty as it makes it so much fun trying to figure out the culprit and identify red herrings. I love that Nell is an ecologist as it is such a unique idea and makes for a great twist on the classic whodunit. Having previously read A Murder of Crows I was familiar with the characters and it was brilliant to see them all develop further in this book.

I would recommend this if you are a fan of Agatha Christie. I already cannot wait to read the next in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Embla Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

My thanks to Embla Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘A Cast of Falcons’ by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett.

This is Book 2 in the Dr. Nell Ward series of cosy mysteries. I very much enjoyed the first book, ‘A Murder of Crows’, and was excited to return for more sleuthing combined with ecology.

At the end of ‘A Murder’ Nell’s childhood friend, Lady Persephone (Percy) MacKenzie announced that she was to marry businessman Hawke McAnstruther following a whirlwind romance.

At the opening of ‘A Cast of Falcons’ Percy’s original venue had fallen through and Nell has impulsively suggested the wedding be held on her family’s estate. Now with only hours to go Nell is running about trying to make sure the wedding goes well. Then she learns that Percy’s parents fiercely disapprove of the groom.

Nell tries to smooth things over with all parties; though soon realises that the Mackenzies have good cause as Hawke is obnoxious. Still, there’s nothing like a body to seriously interfere with everyone’s day. No further details to avoid spoilers

Thanks to Percy’s invitation in ‘A Murder’, the two men in Nell’s life are also at the wedding. These are D.I. James Clark, which proves handy given the developments, and Nell’s colleague, Dr. Aravindan (Rav) Kashyap, who is also assisting Nell with installing nesting boxes on the property.

In ‘A Murder of Crows’ Rav was known as Adam, a name he had assumed in childhood in order to fit in with his British classmates. He now wishes to acknowledge his Indian heritage.

At the start of the novel with Percy’s Bridezilla behaviour and Nell trying to be a good friend while juggling multiple roles, this almost could have been the setup for a romantic comedy. Still, soon we were well into cosy mystery territory, though with a touch of romance still evident.

Again, I enjoyed this very much finding it a quick and thoroughly engaging read. I appreciated the integration of ecological themes alongside the expected cosy mystery tropes.

I was very pleased to see that Book 3, ‘A Mischief of Rats’, will be published in February 2023.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Three and a half stars.

Dr Nell Ward's best friend Persephone (Percy) is getting married in a hurry because the groom's mother is dying of cancer, Percy's parents are bitterly opposed to the wedding, so Nell generously offers to host the wedding at her family's estate, including having both families staying for a few days.

Nell is still dating DI James Clarke, but things are a bit strained because she still has feelings for her colleague Rav and everyone except Nell can see that he has feelings for her. FYI, Rav stormed off to India for six months when he discovered that Nell was actually Lady Helen, fabulously wealthy and a member of the aristocracy and he had no idea.

After a tense wedding, and an explosive wedding breakfast in which Percy's mother slapped the groom, everyone is just starting to wind down for the evening when the groom is seen falling from one of the balconies, did he slip or was he pushed?

This is very much along the lines of a classic golden age country house murder mystery, complete with bigoted Lords, jealous cousins, shady businessmen, and more secrets than you can shake a stick at. The plotting was good and held together well, in hindsight of course it had to be that person. It also answered the question I posed after the first book of how this could be a detective series when Nell's profession is such a niche one and the police would not need to call upon her expertise very often. However, there were a few irritations which brought down my rating.

First, the author has a very odd writing style, switching between first and third-person POV in the middle of a paragraph, one minute the narrator is telling the story and then it switches to Rav or Nell's inner musings without warning, It's the author's style, I noted it in the first book but every time it happened it threw me out of the story, and I had to reread the paragraph to understand it.

Second, Nell and Rav ran amok investigating things in the presence of several police officers, even if one of them was her boyfriend, eavesdropping on discussions, breaking into rooms, etc. All a bit implausible.

Third, the love-triangle was a mistake from the first book, very early on in this book I noted that the only way to resolve it would be for James to die or to turn out not to be the straight-up, honourable man he was portrayed to be, and I was pretty much proved right, so unnecessary.

It will be very interesting to see where this goes next.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.