1924 in Maybury-in-the-Marsh in the Cotswolds is the setting for Murder by Candlelight. Arbi Swift, having written A Gentleman's Guide to Ghost Hunting on a bit of a dare, is approached by the town's spinster, Miss Amy Phelps to investigate the odd noises and incidents at her manor house. His inclination was to decline, until Valentina, the vicar's lovely daughter, insists that he should. Not only that, but she will join him in the adventure.

The adventure eventually leads us to Miss Phelps' murder in her locked bedroom. What follows is a well constructed and well written adventure full of clues and red herrings. I loved getting to know the characters including Inspector Bernard Gorringe and following their entertaining adventures. You may think you know "who dunnit", but there is always time for one more curveball!

I look forward to more tales and mysteries from Faith Martin and more time spent with Arbi and Val. This is just the book for lovers of Agatha Christie and Thursday Murder Club

My thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the ARC of this this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded down.
I think my enjoyment of this book was more a case of it's me not you... I really tried to get to grips with the author's style of writing and, although I did get through it, and enjoyed the story in itself, it was a bit of a slog to be honest.
It has all the elements of a cracking locked room mystery and, in that, the book really shines. But boy did Arbie annoy me! He's actually a "ghost hunter" and basically falls into investigating said mystery - the death of Amy Phelps - by virtue of being in the vicinity. We then go on to discover all the usual for the genre. Secrets, lies, affairs, other dysfunctional behaviour, suspects galore, and a fair few motives to boot. Again, all set up very well... Just the execution, the style, the telling failed to excite me. I know the era the book is set in lends itself to a certain quality but I think it was a bit overblown for me. Maybe it's by design and I just didn't get it. But it did irk me along the way.
But, as I said, I did get through it, and was rewarded for my endeavours. Even with the middle third dragging. This being my first book by this author I will definitely check out whether this is a change in style from her usual delivery before I investigate her back catalogue further.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I read 94% of Murder by Candlelight before my body betrayed me hours prior the new year, convincing me that there was no way I could stay awake the less than 20 minutes it would take to finish reading. As a result, I finished this rather quickly New Year’s morning. So is this last year’s book? The first book of 2024? Who knows. I do know, though, that this book was a delight of a cozy mystery.

What drew me into the book was Faith Martin’s writing style. It was effortless to read and kept me turning pages as I met our main characters and the set up for the plot. This is the highest praise that I can give a writer, because if it’s effortless to read on my end, a lot of effort went into making that happen on their end. Martin’s writing is also full of humor. The narrator and our characters make quick observations that made me chuckle throughout. So, yes, while there are multiple murders in this book, the overall tone remains a lighthearted mysteriousness.

Give this a try if you enjoy locked-room mysteries and the exploits of crime-solving duos like Tommy and Tuppence or Nick and Nora Charles.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on January 4.

A classic whodunnit in the Golden Age style. Set in a traditional English village where nothing can remain a secret. An accidental ghost hunter and friend and their attempts to explain ghostly events result in them turning detective to solve a murder. This is a well plotted book with engaging protagonists and I very much hope that it’s developed into a series. Recommended.

This was a cozy mystery pretty reminiscent of an Agatha Christie story, mainly to its detriment. It was very obviously trying to emulate that author and was not very successful except for the cozy, quaint village atmosphere. The in text mentions of Agatha Christie when this was so obviously inspired by her writing style was really ham-fisted and cringe.

I wasn’t expecting the second perspective of Val. I thought we would just be viewing the story through Arbie, the amateur detective’s eyes. But the narration is THIRD-PERSON OMNISCIENT which lets you into the minds and perspectives of whichever characters the author wants. This was only affective in throwing around a lot of red herrings but because you as the reader discovered things in character’s thoughts instead of through your detective, it made Arbie’s character seem redundant.

It reads quickly, which is nice.

I didn’t particularly find Val likable. I found her character kind of insufferable. And with the way the mystery wraps up, she was kind of irrelevant. What was her purpose? The few things she uncovered could have easily been done by Arbie.

Certain parts of the story seemed to deviate and give rambling info that didn’t really add to the plot or mystery. The subplot with the uncle seemed really unnecessary unless the author plans to make this a series.

I did guess the culprit pretty early one. One off-handed item is said that completely gives it away and not in a subtle way.

The ending is very abrupt.

This is an historical closed door Murder mystery that is set a hundred years ago in a Cotswold village. The amateur sleuth cleverly explains to us how it was done, thus revealing the murderer. There were plenty of suspects & some red herrings along the way. Entertaining

Murder by Candelight pairs a twisting plot with all the entertaining elements of a "British village mystery." Set in the Cotswolds in 1924, it features Arbie Swift, the youthful author of A Gentleman's Guide to Ghost-Hunting. Arbie arrives in the village to investigate a possible ghost in the home of a wealthy spinster. When she turns up murdered in a locked room, Arbie switches from hunting ghosts to hunting murderers.

If you enjoy "romp-like" Golden age mysteries, you're in for a treat with this title.

This story, set in the picturesque surroundings of a Cotswolds village, was a delight to read. The protagonist Arbuthnot Swift aka Arbie is a young man (soon to be) of means, once he comes into his parents' fortune at the age of 30.

In the meantime, he is quite happily whiling away his time with minor pleasures in the village where he lives with his uncle, after accidentally having achieved some fame and fortune as the writer of a unexpectedly successful book. This is a sort of ghost-hunter's guide about the spectral figures rumoured to be located in various parts of England.

Undoubtedly, that is why Arbie is asked for help by Miss Phelps, a wealthy spinster, who begins to suspect that the ghost of one of her ancestors wants to kill her. Since she is not generally given to flights of fancy, Arbie feels obliged to help Miss Phelps.

He is assisted in this endeavour by the vicar's eldest daughter, Val, whose long-suffering parents are desperate for their offspring to make a good match with one of the men they have selected for her. Yet she seems surprisingly reluctant to do so. Val is spunky and takes no nonsense from anyone, including Arbie...

I am not a big fan of cosy mysteries and I would not mischaracterize this as such. It is more like a cross between Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse, and great fun to read. Since I go through a lot of psychological thrillers, this reminded me how much pleasure reading a light-hearted but intelligent mystery set in the 1920s can be, despite (or perhaps, precisely because of) its lack of darkness! Worth checking out if you like the sound of what I've described, this gets 3.5 stars.

Welcome back to the golden age of crime writing in 1920’s England. This novel had quite a ‘jolly hockey sticks’ feel and was perfect for a cold winters evening curled up in front of the fire. Arbie Swift , local author/ghost Hunter and his friend Val, the vicars daughter find themselves embroiled in a locked room mystery and the death of Mrs Amy Phelps. The friendship and dare I say spark between these two characters suggest that this maybe the beginning of a series. A story that kept me guessing and a great Christie like reveal at the end. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

The Cotswolds, 1924. At the Old Forge in the quiet village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh lady of the house Amy Phelps has been discovered dead but all the windows and doors to her room are locked from the inside. Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift finds himself in the unlikely position of detective. The celebrated author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting is staying at the Old Forge to investigate a suspected spectre, but now the more pressing matter of Amy’s murder falls to him too. With old friend Val, he soon uncovers a sorry tale of altered wills, secret love affairs and tragic losses – and plenty of motives for murder.
A well written, well paced book with very good characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really liked Arbie & vicar’s daughter Val, there are, of course, twists, turns & red herrings & I enjoyed trying to guess who the villain & & the reasons for the murder. A fun, cosy mystery
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

If you enjoy cosy murder mysteries, then you’ll love this book. It’s set in the Cotswolds in the 1920s, is gently paced, rather antiquated in its language, and lightly humorous. The true nature of the crime and the potential perpetrator slowly unravels over time.

Arbie, reluctant author and local celebrity, finds himself drawn into investigating the crime with the assistance of his longtime friend, Val, who challenges his assumptions at every turn. They offer to ghostwatch together after the sudden, suspicious death of neighbour Amy Phelps.

There’s a hint of romantic tension amidst the friction between the two main protagonists which provides some comic relief. Val has her own perspective and doesn’t like to be outshone by Arbie’s seeming knowledge of ghastly ghostly goings-on.

Slow paced as it is in places, there’s an unexpected degree of haste in the conclusions that are made. Arbie’s deductions seem swift because his thought processes are not revealed to the reader, so the conclusions, while reasonable, appear unexpected.

One slightly jarring note for me was the unbelievability of the senior police investigator being quite as accommodating to the thoughts of the two amateur sleuths.

But it’s necessary, I guess, to reveal how Arbie and Val’s investigations are helpful for solving the case. Grateful thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the eARC. 3.5**

If you’re a fan of cosy murder mysteries then this book is quite a charming, period locked room mystery set in the 1920s Cotswolds. When the newly famous young author cum ghost hunter, Arbie Swift and his old chum, vicar’s daughter, Val find themselves coming to the assistance of Miss Amy Phelps, who suspects she may be being visited by the ghost of an ancestor, little do they think they will find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation. Having spent the evening with the suspects, Arbie and Val decide to carry out a spot of amateur sleuthing. I thoroughly enjoyed the rapport between these two young friends and thought Val a fantastically spirited young woman of her days. And despite the obvious suggestions of possible sparks between them, I was pleased the book didn’t veer off in that direction. I was kept guessing throughout as to the who, why and how, and I did enjoy Arbie’s big reveal at the end. The Inspector was a great character and I liked how he humoured the two amateurs as well as realising when they might actually be on to something. All in all a very enjoyable read and who knows, Arbie and Val could well be back together for a new mystery in the future, the ending certainly left the possibility open!
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, HQ Digital for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed this book, I loved our main characters Arbie & Val - they made a great duo although think they would make a lovely couple also! Arbie seemed somewhat reluctant to be involved as the book he had written was mainly a tour guide of places to stay with very little 'ghosts' involved!

I loved the 'locked door' aspect as it did make it very difficult to work out the 'how' even though we had plenty of options for the why! There were some red herrings thrown in along the way to help throw us off the scent of our murderer and that was nicely done. I loved the final scenes when Arbie had figured it all out and was revealing who had done it, why they had done it and most - how they had done it!

I enjoyed the fact that we also got to learn a little about Arbie and his past and also his uncle who seemed very eccentric but another great character! I do hope that we may get to hear more from these characters as I would love to see them solve another case!

I've read a fair bit of murder mysteries lately and Murder by Candlelight seemed to hit the mark. It's got a decidedly period feel about it, being set around the 20s, and is so charming with polite mannerisms. Just the ticket! I tucked in blissfully but failed to really connect with it fully. Why, I wondered? Because I guessed the murderer? No, that's not right, as the pool of potential killers was rather lacking, But the mechanism for murder was ingenious and well worthy of high praise. Was it the red herrings? They seemed a bit limp and not worth investing grey matter on so not quite the distraction intended. It just lacked a bit of motivation and felt full of filler, intended, possibly, to be taken for red herrings. Not by me, I can tell you.

I really liked the style of writing and the method of murder - how brilliant! - but felt the story lacked a bit of spark that would have propelled it to great levels. Suckered in by a smart cover but was time well spent. I did enjoy it.

A good cozy mystery for a cold winter night! I picked this one on a bit of a whim as I wanted something easy and cozy for the Christmas period. It really wasn’t a bad choice at all!
The characters are sort of likeable and the plot is easy to follow. Think afternoon episode of father brown type mystery!
The plot focuses on friends Albie and val who become embroiled in solving a murder that happens while they are ghost hunting.
The only negative was that at felt at times like the author had swallowed a thesaurus but once you work past this, it’s not a bad story at all. I did wonder if this was to try to make the story feel like reading a Victorian tale but it really didn’t work for me.
Read through netgalley for an honest review.

Such a fun little cosy mystery! The characters were entertaining and made me smile. Loved the plot twists and the story was definitely one I would purchase if I hadn’t had the chance to review prior to release date. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy for review. What a wonderful cosy story! I throughly enjoyed this!

If you’re in the mood for a cosy murder mystery, with plenty of humour and likeable characters, then Murder by Candlelight is a good choice! The book transports us to the Cotswold, where reluctant ‘author’ Arbie and his sort-of-friend Val are asked to help a local woman who is worried that her home, the Old Forge, is haunted. Soon, ghosts aren’t the problem – murder is…

I liked the characters in this book. Arbie is great fun, as is his friend Val, and their interactions together were very entertaining. I also warmed to the cast of characters around them, many of which were also fun to read about – though I did feel Arbie said ‘old bean’ a bit too much!

I found the story a bit slow to get going, as it took a while for the titular murder to take place. The solution, when it came, felt well-constructed and easy to follow – I just felt that the middle chunk of the book dragged a little, and I started to lose interest. However, it really picks up again towards the end, when the solution is revealed (it was clearly explained and felt cleverly constructed – often the solutions can feel a bit of a letdown, but not this one!). I enjoyed reading about Arbie, Val and the local police force trying to piece together the clues to work out who the culprit was. Together with the great characters, this made Murder by Candlelight a book that’s well worth a read.

First book in a new cozy crime series featuring amateur sleuth duo Arbie & Val, set in the golden age between the wars.
Brilliantly funny with hilarious characters and tongue in cheek humour.
A definite page turner as you want to find whodunnit.
A mix between Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse.
A totally spiffing read.
Thanks @FaithMartin_Nov, @hqstories & @netgalley for the eARC

I have recently discovered Faith Martin's DI Hiliary Greene series, so I was quite excited when I saw Murder by Candlelight on Netgalley. Unfortunately, Murder by Candlelight didn't blow me away. It wasn't the cosy Murder mystery I've come to love from Martin. I did see glimpses of Martins' usual humour, and the story had potential but I just found it lacklustre and repetitive.

Thank you for gifting me a free ebook for my honest review. I hope others enjoy it more than I did.

The story set out in a small village of Maybury has all the characteristics of a vintage cozy. The well to do family not aristocrats but wealth from hard work, then the residents all the usual characters, each adding a necessary piquancy to the whole story.

Two murders one the classic locked room scenario, one a supposed overdose baffle the local constabulary but with judicious thinking through, the young local author Arbie solves it methodically and presents it to the Inspector on a platter.

Ideal holiday read, charming background and setting and excellent characterization.