Terrific start to a new series, complete with locked room mystery and hints of romance.

Summer, 1924, Cotswold village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh: Wealthy spinster Miss Amy Phelps has a ghost problem. Well, perhaps not exactly a ghost itself, but more likely someone pretending to be the legendary family ghost Wilbur Phelps. As she’s not sure what to do, she turns to Arbuthnot Swift. Arbie is a local to Maybury as well, fairly well off (although he’s not due to get his inheritance until he’s 30), and rather lazy - he’d rather be fishing. He’s also the celebrity author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting and thus the perfect person, at least in Miss Phelps’ mind, to inquire into her ghost. In his attempts to get out of the investigation, he accidentally recruits former classmate Miss Valentina Coulton-James, one of the vicar’s daughters, to aid in his ghost hunting. Unfortunately, Miss Phelps is found dead in her bed a few days later, the victim of cyanide poisoning. The door is locked, and all the windows all shut. She didn’t eat or drink anything different from her guests. How was she killed? There are plenty of suspects: the nephew, heir apparent; the niece, fond of snooping in her very private aunt’s very private room; the old friends, both with hidden grudges; the former maid, still disgruntled about being let go; even the long time housekeeper harbors a secret resentment. Naturally, Arbie and Val have to investigate.

I’ve enjoyed some of Ms. Martin’s books in the past, and Murder by Candlelight was no exception - one of those books that I didn’t want to end.

To start with, Arbie and Val are engaging characters; Val is 22 years old, and given Arbie was a classmate, he’s probably with a year of that at most - old enough to be an adult and having written a book, but too young to be in the Great War and possibly suffering from shell shock or other injuries. Likewise, Val’s an adult, but under constant pressure from her parents to settle down and get married. Arbie’s very intelligent, but also would prefer to do as little as possible. When he’s researching his book, for example, he shifts the focus to also be a travel guide, resulting in him being very well treated as everyone wants a favorable review for their establishment. When describing his own personal experience with a ghost, he leaves out the logical explanation as it makes a better story without it. But since he’s a bit lazy, Val’s character is needed to assist (and encourage) his investigation. There’s also slight hints of romance between the two. Arbie’s frequently thinking of “protecting the ladies” when the only other person involved is Val. Meanwhile, Val has to pretend not to notice how handsome Arbie looks in his summer suit at tea and so forth. In one scene, he astonishes her with his logical thought process.

Other characters were also fun. Arbie’s Uncle is a trip! Miss Phelps was also very interesting as she started off as sympathetic, but then slowly changed as some of the less noble things she’s done to her friends were revealed. I also enjoyed the humor in the book: Arbie’s alcohol inspired idea for a book, for example, being egged on by his friend in the publishing business or the ultimate source of the mysterious bell. I felt like the reader was given a nice blend of clues and red herrings, too, to keep the plot interesting. Most of all, I loved how the climax was handled; rather than facing danger, being chased by the villain and so forth, it was like a classic Christie novel with Arbie presenting his theory to the police inspector and the suspect.

Highly recommended - I can’t wait to read the sequel!

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

Set in the Cotswolds in 1924, Arbie Swift is basking in the surprising success of his ghost cum travel book when Amy Phelps, owner of the Old Forge estate, persuades him to come to her home to help put to rest an apparently unhappy ghost. When Amy is found dead in her locked bedroom, Arbie, along with vicars daughter, Val, decide they need to find out what happened, as everything isn’t quite as it seems.

I love the relationship between Arbie and Val, who have known each other since they were children. They play off each other nicely, with just a hint of possible attraction between them. With only a few suspects it should be quite easy to work out who the murderer is but with nicely crafted plot twists the suspect list grows. My only small complaint would be that Cora just appeared to fade away at the end. However, very enjoyable read, and I’ll look out for the next in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Arbuthnot (Arbie) Swift just wants to go fishing. He doesn't need to work and tries to avoid doing so whenever possible. There was that unfortunate dare thrown down by his publisher friend, which led to him writing The Gentlemen's Guide to Ghost-Hunting, and the speaking engagements that resulted from the popularity of the book, but he's hoping that's dying down now. Therefore, he is a little bit dismayed when the wealthy Miss Amy Phelps seeks him out while he is with his old friend, Valentina (Val) and asks them to do a bit of ghost hunting for her. There have been some strange goings on in her house and she wants Arbie and Val to get to the bottom of it. They end up getting more than they bargained for when Amy Phelps is found dead in bed in a locked room and what seemed like a bit of a lark turns into a murder investigation.

I loved this book--it's a really fun read. It's set in 1924 and has a Golden Age vibe--Agatha Christie is brought up more than once. The characters are well drawn, the plot moves along at a good pace, the mystery is clever and the solution is unique in my reading experience. Plus, it's laugh out loud funny at times, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I will definitely read more by this author. If you like reading Golden Age and/or cozy mysteries, Murder by Candlelight is an excellent book to pick up and I highly recommend it

This is a highly enjoyable cosy murder mystery. In a beautiful Cotswold village, a great cast of characters and a fantastic period setting - I love all the details from that time. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie. I am looking forward to reading more of this series!

Arbie Swift, the reluctant author of a gentleman's guide to ghost hunting, is asked by a elderly neighbour to investigate her home as she believes herself to be haunted by a distant ancestor who made the family fortune. Aided by his friend from childhood, Valentina (Val) Coulton-James, the vicars daughter, they soon realise that Miss Phelps is not actually worried about ghosts but something far more nefarious.

In the style of the gentle crime stories of the early 20th century, this novel is an easy read. I must admit I did guess how the murder was committed due to a couple of clues that the author dropped. Luckily, I did not realise who did it until almost the end, although again the clues are there if you look for them.

There are a few typos in the edition I was given to read which will, hopefully, be sorted by the time the book is actually published.

I do hope the author writes another book with these characters including Arbie's rather unconventional uncle.

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley and the publishers for an honest review.

Great cozy mystery! I enjoyed following the clues and the characters. If you enjoy who-done-it mysteries, then add this to your list!

A “ cosy” who dunit set in the 1920s. I quite enjoyed the first fewer chapters but started to get annoyed with it trying to be too much of the time. Stunted dialogue and too much tootle pip.

The mystery was well weaved through the book.

Thanks to Netgallery for the ARC



The Old Forge had, like many buildings, morphed over the centuries, this particular one from being a simple smithy into something of a rambling country-house residence, with various outbuildings attached: not exactly a squire’s residence, but not the home of a mere artisan either. Neither fish nor fowl, it was built of the local creamy Cotswold stone, had a plethora of grey-slated roofs of various heights and designs, and was consequently prone to odd twists and turns both inside and out. Small, mullioned windows in some parts gave way to the wide sash-windows favoured by the Georgians in others. Higgledy-piggledy chimneys marched up and down in various heights and widths, giving the whole building a curious but definite charm. An ageing and beautiful wisteria that clambered and flowered all over a rather lackadaisical porch and south-facing wall helped significantly.

Maybe 3.5 stars. Tries a little too hard to be Victorian. Otherwise not bad. Characters were interesting, particularly Arbie. Lots of red herrings.

This book was just want I needled! I enjoyed it so much that I ended up reading it in one sitting! Not done in a while!

The Clues were there for us to play along and I r enjoyed the humour!

I highly recommend!

I know this book won’t be out for ages but the premise sounded so interesting that I had to sleuth it out immediately! “Murder by Candelight” is a delightful ode to all the great amateur sleuths, to whom we can now add Arbie (reluctant debut author) and Val (the vicar’s daughter). Bickering all the way (as only two people who will undoubtedly be set up in future novels can!), they try to uncover who murdered [spoiler] amidst a gossiping village, a possible ghost, and a slew of suspects. I thoroughly enjoyed my reading of this story and look forward to more installments.

I don't usually read English cozies but I really enjoy the books by Faith Martin. Hopefully this is the first in a new series. The plot is a rich, well I respected woman believes that a member of her close inner circle is trying to murder her (sadly, she's correct). Prior to her murder she asks a young man from the village, Arby, to help protect her. Arby has just written a book about ghosts that has made him surprisingly famous which has also led people to spouse he is a young Poirot.
This is masterfully written with witty dialogue, A challenging locked room mystery, and an abundance of potential murderers and reasons. Well done.

This was a great story, set in the 1920's, Arbie, an upper class layabout and the vicar's daughter Val set out to help Amy Phelps, the Grande Dame of their village, who thinks she is being haunted. Arbie is not fond of working and is shocked when Val talks him into actually being helpful and even more shocked at himself when he is. Too much information will spoil the story, but I hope Arbie and Val make a return.

Thanks netgally for giving me the opportunity to read this book,well the story was good,I liked the characters Arbi was good simple man but I really didn't like too much descriptions for things,it made me feel bored that I skipped few lines.thus I love the twist.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Faith Martin has done it again! This cozy detective story set in the 1920’s Cotswolds has everything that an die-hard Agatha Christie fan would appreciate: a locked room murder, a wealthy victim, multiple suspects, an eccentric uncle, and a gossipy village. Arbie Swift, who has recently written the much lauded A Gentleman's Guide to Ghost Hunting, reluctantly agrees investigate a ghost threatening the village’s wealthiest ramrod spinster. Along the way Val, the Vicar’s eldest and no-nonsense daughter joins in on the investigation and hijinks ensue.

Reading this book was fun — the characters were developed and the crime and its solution are very clever. If a sleuthing reader wants to solve the mystery themselves, they will have a full command of the necessary clues. While I was ultimately able to guess the murderer correctly, I couldn’t determine how the crime was committed. I’m hopeful that Arbie and Val will be back in a full fledged series after this installment.

A word of advice to fans of Faith Martin’s other series like Ryder & Loveday or Hillary Martin: read this! You’ll enjoy it!

The book was ok to read, sadly it felt like there were multiple stories going on at once. something about an ghost? The plot forms itself slowly so if you don´ t mind that read it
The writing was good and not difficult to read. Towards the end it became so much more interesting i wish that it had been the same troughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

I’m afraid this just wasn’t for me! I loved all the Hilary Green novels but this is totally different. Slow, amusing in places, a very light hearted cozy mystery. It was an easy read but not something that made me want to read it from cover to cover by keeping my attention..

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. I would rate this story a 3.5. It was a fun, cozy read, set in the idyllic Cotswolds. The mystery, and eventual solution were very creative, and the twist and turns had me guessing until the end, even after the end! I would have liked more imagery and development of the characters, this fell a little flat for me. A fan of cozy, time period mysteries will enjoy this very original whodunnit.

Murder Most Foul In Maybury..
The first in a new series, Cotswolds set 1924. and the usually peaceful, serene and idyllic village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh is about to experience a very nasty dose indeed of murder most foul. Locked rooms, ghost hunters, detectives, motives and suspects abound as things get more complicated by the minute. A tremendously enjoyable mystery in traditional vein with a deliciously eccentric and eclectic cast of characters and a plot laced with red herrings aplenty. The next in series is eagerly anticipated.

I have read and enjoyed Faith Martin before and this was no exception. A new set of characters to me but another gentle Agatha Christie style murder mystery. Would recommend!

Celebrated ghost-hunter Arbie Swift finds himself having to solve a locked room murder in a sleepy Cotswold village with his friend sassy Val.. Twists and turns abound and there's no shortage of suspects. If you're a fan of Agatha Christie or Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club books, you'll enjoy this.