Donna Nightshade, the latest in a long line of Nightshades to rule the roost in Penberth Manor in Cornwall, has just opened a detective agency – the End Of The World Detective Agency, named after its location in Cornwall. This seems appropriate timing, as a Detective Agency might be just what’s needed when Jack Crowlas returns to town. Jack was the distinctly unpleasant ex-husband of Donna’s aunt, and it comes as no surprise to anyone when a) he’s still distinctly unpleasant and b) someone murders him.
Admittedly, nobody expected him to be murdered during a play, stabbed inside a kennel while wearing a dog costume that belonged to one of the actors – and that’s not the only odd thing about the murderer. The biggest problem for Donna, though, is that the Agency’s first case is to clear the name of the person running the agency. It seems that all the evidence points towards Donna, and most of the locals seem more than happy to believe it…
So, NetGalley, my source of review e-copies, sends me emails sometimes, suggesting things I’d like to review. The answer is usually either yes please, or goodness me, no. But occasionally, something catches my eye and the response is what the hell, I’ll give it a go.
I’m not quite sure what it was about this one that caught my eye – possibly the lack of quotes such as “in the style of Agatha Christie”, which as we all know, is never a good thing to see. I couldn’t find out much about the author – this is her first foray into crime fiction – and you know what? I really enjoyed it.
What’s not exactly clear from the blurb is that while this probably comes across as a cosy crime series – the sleuth is in love with the local police officer and has a pet (admittedly a macaw, not a cat) – it isn’t really. It’s a comedy crime series, although more in the sense of things going to all sorts of extremes than being full of one-liners. There’s some good backstory here, some of it revealed, some of it left for later instalments, and the dynamics between the characters is full of energy. The lead characters are far from saints, which does open up some possibilities in who did what to who that wouldn’t be there in a more traditional cosy.
As for the murder plot, you can see where it is going with the multiple murder methods quite early on, but even so, there are some good reveals, not least in a good misdirect with the identity of the murderer. There are clues to aspects of the plot, but a lot of it did seem to there to be guessed at, rather than figured out, and the motivations of at least one character were a little unclear to me – again, maybe that’s for Book Two.
There is also a great book-sized misdirect that adds a different spin on the book and where the series might go from here, but the less said about that the better…
It’s not perfect – there are times early on where the narrated sections and the third person sections seem to be written in the same voice (with the same amount of brackets) but this settles down by the halfway point, and I think there is perhaps a bit too much that the reader is told, rather than can figure out.
Most importantly though, I really enjoyed reading this book. Yes the plot gets a bit over the top at times – it’s a comedy, it’s allowed to be – but it kept me reading and put a smile on my face. And I can’t ask more than that. A really promising debut and I look forward to the next one.
The Wrecker’s Curse is out on 10th March 2023 as an ebook and 30th March 2023 as a paperback from One More Chapter, part of HarperCollins. Many thanks for the e-copy for review.

This is a very readable improbable farce of a story that is great fun! In fact there were times when I was laughing out loud and causing a disturbance! With Marvel comic names, Donna ‘Deadly’ Nighshade and far too many ‘Js’. Jase, Joe, Jack and Jago all mentioned several times on one page thus causing the reader much confusion. However, once sorted I read with great gusto and enthusiasm! There is a wonderful chaotic air about the whole story - Donna ‘Deadly’ is in the process of setting up her own Detective Agency when a murder scene appears right on her own doorstep or rather her own stage! Donna not only runs her own flower farm but also writes her own plays and for ‘one night only’ her parody of a crime thriller - Sleeping Dogs Lie - conveniently supplies a dead dog in human form! Joe Enys, from the local police, is quickly on the scene. He and Donna have history and Donna becomes Joe’s immediate suspect! However, they are both out to prove her innocence! There are dotty twin aunts, a musically eccentric sister, an Uncle and of course a Macaw plus other fascinating characters each one alive with Cornish colour. I loved the portrayals, the humour, the music and the sheer fun! Greatly entertaining and I look forward to the next enthralling episode!

A fun read for those that love Cornwall, Pirates and a good old fashioned murder! Set in beautiful Cornwall and filled with lots of descriptive detail, this will keep you guessing til the end.

The Nightshade Family

An entertaining Who Dun It detective story. One murder, many suspects.

Donna Nightshade, just starting out as a detective never thinks she will be investigating a murder where she is the prime suspect. Besides that she would not believe that her whole family and all of her friends would also become suspects, nor that she would be investigating it with the policeman who sent her to prison once. The very one she shared many teen years with and still has a crush on.

Delightful and humorous at times this is a nice easy going book to read on a leisurely weekend or when you just want a little something not too dramatic.

I especially enjoyed the characters and their unique ways about them. They each carried secrets and it seemed that no one was who they said they were or should have been. A very twisted plot. I liked the ending.

Thanks to Jo Silva for writing the book, to Harper Collins U.K., One more chapter for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing a platform to receive a copy for reading and reviewing.

Oh my gosh! So much fun! So twisty and fun to read. I never guessed whodunnit. In fact, I’m going to go back and reread the final few chapters just to take it all in. I was so invested in the story I read them too quickly. I know nothing about Cornwall, but now I want to visit there! If you like a fun mystery, do yourself a favor and read this book! I cannot wait for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
I'd give this a 3-3.5
Good for fans of cozy mysteries, with eccentric characters. Set in Cornwall, very picturesque.
I wanted to like the extended family of eccentrics with a somewhat shady past (huge fan of the original Addams family) but the segues and pov changes were often awkward and the book felt like it was really dragging.
I liked the young policeman the best, he seemed the most realistic character. TBH, most of the protagonist's family members came off as unappealing and / or one-dimensional.
I liked the setting, and I know that this is a first book (I wish publishers would do more work with authors to tighten up books like this)...maybe this is a really long setup to what might be a quirky series...
I felt quite 'meh' about the book at the end; maybe a beach read?

5* Completely wacky

The Wrecker’s Curse reflects (exaggerates) the eccentricities of the British people, in particular the Cornish. Because the humour is so British, sadly this excellent book is unlikely to be appreciated or understood by US readers. The author, Jo Silva, has brought wicked sarcasm and snark into her character's thoughts, conversations and actions, all resulting in a very funny book, it's a cross between farce and chaos within a murder mystery. The plot contains constant twists and turns to hide the identity of the murderer, all is revealed at the very end.

I would love to have read this on a beach (in Cornwall), unfortunately I was stuck in bed fighting a nasty bug. I'm sure that my fuzzy brain missed a lot, there's so much here that warrants a second reading. Feeling still under the weather, I won't add my impression of the plot, anyway you've probably read what other reviewers think. I strongly recommend The Wrecker’s Curse, it's great.

Watch out for the second book in the series, Murder on the Mount, due to be released later this year.

ARC generously supplied by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.

I love this. My only disappointment is that I wasn't on a beach somewhere when I was reading it. I rally enjoyed this so much. I can't wait to read more in the series.
I just reviewed The Wrecker’s Curse by Jo Silva. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL

Thank you to @netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers UK for this ARC. Belladonna Nightshade aka Donna or Deadly is the owner of estate passed down through several generations of women. She is also a florist and just recently opened The Edge of the World Detective Agency. Her first client unfortunately is her infamous Uncle who shows up after going missing for several years. He wants her to find who is threatenign to kill him. Before she even starts her investigation, he in fact is found murdered. Between her and the local detective, maybe they can find out who did it or is everyone guilty? Cute and quirky. #TheWreckersCurse #JoSilva #HaperCollinsUK #March2023

What a breath of fresh air for the mystery genre! Belladonna Nightshade, a florist, hangs up her tools and branches off into investigative work when she opens ‘The Edge of the World Detective Agency.’

It doesn’t take long before her first case tests her in unimaginable ways.

The humour and wordplay at work are fantastic; I loved the Fitbit warning! The sense of place and the author’s ability to put me there are outstanding, and her cast of characters is unique and engaging. The inclusion of the folklore was a great addition, as was the crossover botanicals knowledge becoming useful for her deductive skills.

I’ve loved the author’s historical fiction books and this was good for me to see how capable she is with other genres. I look forward to book two this summer, “Murder on the Mount,” set in France. Thank you to the lovely people at Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for inviting me to read this refreshing galley.

I was gifted this copy by HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This was recommended to me as the first in a new comedy crime series and for me, it really lived up to that billing!

Belladonna Nightshade is diversifying her businesses and starting up The Edge of the World Detective Agency! Her first case tests her belief in her friends and family and possibly reawakens a past love.

The characters were well written and the way they interacted and flowed around each other was fun to read. I've never been to this part of Cornwall but the descriptions of the locations gave me a great view into where this story was staged.

I do still have questions about Donna's past and her relationships, past and possibly future so I'm going to be looking forward to the next book in this series too!

Disappointing. Although this is the first in the series I felt that I'd missed out on something. Bits of Donna's previous life were drip fed in dribs and drabs in no coherent way. A cosy mystery with eccentric characters sounded great but it did not work for me. I liked the setting especially as I have been to the Minak. I could easily be a lone voice with everyone else loving it. I do however feel it could make a good TV series.

private-investigators, law-enforcement, Cornwall, myths-legends, sly-humor, situational-humor, murder, murder-investigation, contemporary, pet-parrot, verbal-humor, snarky, first-in-series, new-series,*****

The Edge of the World Detective Agency is out in the far reaches of Cornwall and is run by Belladonna Nightshade. All of the Nightshade family are a bit different and have the names to go with it. Some of the humour is particular to this area and there is an immersion in the myths/legends of this pirate ridden area.
But this is more than a fun read, it is a good cozy mystery with fascinating characters, sneaky twists, and incredible red herrings. Great read!
I requested and received an EARC from HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter via NetGalley. Thank you!

A fun Cornish mystery with plenty of colourful characters to keep me entertained along the way. As a Cornishwoman, it can sometimes be tedious when people write about Cornwall and get it wrong. No chance of this here as this author clearly knows her Cornish stuff, even though the stereotypes were exaggerated for good humour. The names were a bit similar Jago, Jack, Jo, 2 Donnas but otherwise a good and engaging read.

Fantastic fun read. This murder mystery set in Cornwall has it all murder (obviously), drama and a lot of fun thrown in. I enjoyed this book from cover to cover and found it hard to put down. The characters are fabulously written, how exciting it would be to be part of the swashbuckling Nightshade family. There are lots of twists and turns, I changed my mind several times about who I thought was the murderer, it kept me guessing till the end. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series as the ending certainly set the scene for that. I will be glad to be back in the company of the Nightshade family and the lovely DC Joe Enys. A must read for sure.