Great little mystery with fun characters and nice setting. Fans of Ms Marple and Murdoch Mysteries will love this one.

This was an absolutely delightful cozy.
I haven’t read the previous books but I will be now.
Great characters and a well paced whodunit.
I hope this series continues.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

When a local artist is found dead, most people suspect natural causes at first. After all, she was elderly and had a bad heart. However, some things are not adding up. Rina is asked to investigate and finds a connection with some other mysterious deaths.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. The investigative process was really enjoyable. I don't love though in general when we already know the identity of the killer early on.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another fabulous instalment in this wonderful series. These books are populated by very well written characters, and it is them, as well as the plot, that keeps the reader enthralled and entertained. If I had the superpower of stepping into a fictional setting, I would love to have tea and cake at Rina’s house.

While this is the first bookI have read in this series, I had no trouble digging right in and was not lost at all. Though I WILL be reading the previous seven books in the series soon. I really liked the setting and the protagonist that runs a B&B. Rina is not only interesting, she’s got so much background and history that there’s never a dull moment with this mystery!

A good, well written story set in a small Sussex town/village. Rina Martin is an actor who runs accommodation for retired artistes. She has friends all over the place - including the local police force. She is wise witty and inquisitive.

Loved it. A serious story with humour.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I received a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

This is the first one I have read in this series, so I am still learning about the characters and their backgrounds. Nevertheless it's an interesting murder mystery revolving round the death of Jean Hammond, who was an artist and appears to die of natural causes in her garden without her walking stick!
I liked how it all unfolds and the twists and turns.

England, investigation, diligence, mental-illness, mental-health-issues, law-enforcement, senior-sleuths, emotional-abuse, toxic-people, friends, friendship, frustration, murder****

If I hadn't spent so many years working with the kind of problems the characters have, I would have enjoyed this story a whole lot more. I commend the portrayal of the kind of involved law enforcement personnel, and lament that "the system" in England is no better than in the US. We try, but...
The regular characters are excellent as is the world building and the diligence of law enforcement above and beyond the call. Well done, but not for this particular retiree.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed the quirky characters. It was a complex murder mystery that took a bit for me to get into, but then I couldn't put it down! I have not read this series's other books yet, but I will be. Nicely done!

Not too sure why, but this one did not jive with me.

I think maybe because this is the first book in the series I have read, but it felt like the characters were too many, and I could not place them all - it seemed like I needed prior knowledge to be able to tell who's who.

Story-wise, it was pretty interesting! I would not, however, classify this as a cosy mystery, but maybe that's just me.

Also, for some reason, even though I was interested in the book, it was a slow read for me.
This all could be just me, however!

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley!

Lots of characters. Multiple murders. A small seaside village. A complex murder mystery that took a while for me to get into, then I couldn't put it down! I have not read this series's other stories yet, but I intend to do so. Well done!

305 pages

4 stars

This is another delightful cozy in the Rina Martin series. Ms. Adams has created likable characters. I especially like Rina having opened up her house to a variety of characters. Her boarders add so much more to her stories and their interactions are interesting and attractive. Ms. Adams writes well and her plots are interesting and easy to read and grasp. They read quickly. I will continue to read the Rina series.

When a famous ninety-three-year old artist dies in her garden, not all is as it seems. Elaine was an acquaintance of Rina’s, so of course, she gets involved. The officer who was left at the scene of the supposed “natural” death believes there is something off. Mentioning the inconsistencies to her friend Detective Mac, he then becomes involved as well.

This sets off a large investigation as things become more suspicious and more deaths occur.

The murderer, although somewhat known to the reader early on, has an unusual motive and some serious mental health problems. How she came to murder these people is very sad.

This is a very good entry into the series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding to me a copy of this delightful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

Murder at the Willows was a fun story to read. It is the 8th book in the Rita Martin Murder Mysteries. It starts with a prologue where the police arrive at a house where Miles Cunningham is sitting on his steps covered in blood with a knife. He tells the police "It is all my fault". Inside are the bodies of his wife and his two children as well as their boarder William. He went to prison and died there never telling what had happened.

Rina Martin, actress of the show Lydia Merchant Investigation. She also owns Peverill Lodge, a Victorian boarding house in Frantham on the Sea. She has an unusual group of people who live there. She is a mentor of two college students, George and Ursula who were in foster care.

There is another story within this story, Sarah Fredericks is the daughter of Constance Tatum Fredericks who has died during covid. Her mother was not a nice person who had Sarah under her control throughout her life. Her mother's cousin Clieve Tatum comes to the house to tell her that he is going to write a book about her mother. She denies the request. When he leaves she goes into the kitchen and turns on the gas on the stove. Her mother always told her that fire cleanse. After the funeral Sarah decides to put the house on the market. Her mother's will stipulated that any profit from the house profit was to be put towards her fight in court for the death of her brother breach of promise. Sarah sold the house to a developer for cash. Also got extra cash for white goods and furniture. Sarah moved into a little flat.

Calvin (CaL) Hammond has arrived at Willow Tree House known as The Willows to visit Jean Hammond, a woman who he came to live with when he was 10. He finds her in the garden lying against a tree dead with blue flowers in her hands. He calls the police and an ambulance. Yolanda was the police woman at the scene.. Rina after attending Jean's funeral Cal tells her he still feels that something is wrong with her death. Rina decides she will talk to her friend, DI Mac McGregor to put Cal's mind to rest. She talks to Mac and his partner Miriam about the situation at lunch. Miriam had been the CSI at the scene, Mac said he would look into it. Mac speaks to Yolanda about the case. She tells him that she took a picture of the flowers. While waiting for the mortuary van, she looked around the garden but he blue flowers were not there. What she told Mac about the scene got him interested in pursuing.

Ursula told Rina that she had been Jean's cleaning lady and that she also took painting lessons from her. While Rina and Jean were visiting Cal at Jean's studio to pick up her paintings and viewing the garden Ursula also took an envelope and a package out of another drawer fulfilling Jean's wishes if anything happened to her that she was to take these and do what is right. There was Jean's last painting called The Wedding Coat. Rina took a picture of it while she was there. When back at her apartment Ursula and George open the envelope and package and after viewing it they decide to take to Rina to help them with Jean's wish.

This is where the story takes off taking the reader on an exciting journey. There is so much going on that can't be put on paper so I will leave it to the reader to enjoy to the exciting climax where the two stories come together.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this ARC.

Oohh this was so good! I love mysteries that have layers like this one did, it keeps me on my toes.
I just reviewed MURDER AT THE WILLOWS by Jane Adams. #MURDERATTHEWILLOWS #NetGalley
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This book was a bit different for me, it had light suspense, intrigue, a good who done it and good police work! The storyline was pretty Interesting and flowed nicely! I do prefer a bit more danger and angst, its worth reading but was just ok for me! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Murder at the Willows is 8th in a series featuring retired actress, Rina Martin, but I have not read any of the other books. I still enjoyed this intelligently written mystery because of the fully-developed characters, the quaint English seaside town setting, and the focus on art in this mystery.

A painter, well advanced in age, is found in her garden. Although death by natural causes is not unexpected, there are signs that lead detectives and Rina to believe it was murder. When detectives find similarities to other deaths, the hunt is on for a serial murderer.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and mystery as a stand alone, I think I would have even enjoyed it more with Rina’s backstory. So, I plan to read the first book and continue with the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
Jane Adams is a go-to author for me and I
've enjoyed a number of her books. This is the first Tina Martin book I've read (no. 8 in the series) and as usual I really enjoyed the read.
Tina is a retired actress who seems to enjoy involving herself with police cases, to the sometimes irritation of her police detective friend...although he is grateful for her insights!
This particular case starts with the death of a famous painter who apparently died of old age, but is found to have been murdered. Soon other murders occur with the same blue flower crushed in their hands.
Well-fleshed, likeable characters and a good story make for an enjoyable read. Definitely recommended!

Engaging Mystery..
The eighth Rina Martin mystery finds the retired television sleuth with another perplexing case on her hands when a renowned artist is found dead. Found in the garden at her home, The Willows, Elaine appears to have simply slipped away but for Rina it appears a stage set - a stage set pointing to murder. It’s not long before Rina is once again investigating for real. With a nicely crafted cast of characters, a likeable and empathetic protagonist, a well described setting and a solid mystery at its’ heart this is another engaging instalment in this long running series.