Book Four in the Julia Bird Mysteries series is the first I have read. The mystery is complete and acceptable to read as a standalone. The community characters are fundamental to cosy mystery, so reading the books in order is probably best.
The main characters have a believable dynamic, and their animal companions add a lovely humorous element that gives the story authenticity. The murder mystery is twisty and has many suspects. Julia's investigative processes are well described, immersing the reader in the investigation. I liked the location, the cast of characters and the balance of humour and crime.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I enjoyed this book. It’s definitely has a feel to it that's quintessentially English and the descriptions of the village were detailed and vivid The characters are quirky and interesting. I did suspect who the killer was about midway through and was right but this didn't harm the story for me. I loved the story of Jake and his chicken too. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Julia Bird and her mischievous labrador Jake, loved walking the paths around Berrywick, keeping active and fit. And now Julia was joining the quiz night at the local pub. Fun, entertainment and laughter surrounded the participants and when Lilian, the local police constable and DI Hayley Gibson were walking home after one such night and were run down in the lane, Lilian managed to jump free, but Hayley was left badly injured. Fast forward to the following week and with Hayley out of hospital but recuperating at home, Lilian decided to stay at the Inn after the quiz night. But when Julia went to see her the following morning, she found Lilian had been stabbed to death.

Frustration filled Hayley at being unable to participate in her good friend and colleague's murder, and with a Superintendent brought in whom Hayley had had dealings with in the past, she knew nothing good would come of it. Julia decided to help Hayley out and investigate herself. Digging deeply along with her friend from the library, Tabitha, they slowly made progress. And when another of their friends - and another quiz participant - was attacked, Julia knew the race was on. But could they find the murderer before someone else died?

Murder at the Inn is the 4th in the Julia Bird Mysteries by Katie Gayle (combining two people - Kate and Gayle) and once again I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Jake, and his new friend Penny (short for Henny Penny, a chicken!), and loved catching up with the usual characters of Berrywick. A great addition to the series, Murder at the Inn is worth recommending.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I am finding harder to review series I love and read since the beginning than a new series. I love them and enjoy the stories but I’m never sure I’m not rewriting the same review or telling things I already told.
This blah-blah because I thoroughly enjoyed this new Julia Bird mystery, a novel which is high on my sleep deprivation and fun scale, and it kept me reading till late in the night.
Julia, Sam, Jack and the characters I love are at their best and their evolution is making them more likeable and interesting.
There’s a solid and twisty murder that kept me guessing and surprised me.
I would kill for a garden like the one in this book as it’s something on my bucket list.
I strongly recommend this entertaining story.
Many thanks to Bookouture for this ARC, all opinions are mine

On the first Tuesday of each month, the Topsy Turnip pub in Berrywick holds a quiz night Julia Bird and her Agatha Quizteam team mates take part. Then Lilian Carson, the local police constable and all-round general knowledge expert, is found fatally stabbed after the evening’s final round. DI Hayley Gibson is stuck home with a broken leg and an incompetent Superintendent is brought in from the nearby town, it’s up to Julia to make sure the investigation stays focussed. Then another quiz team member is attacked
This is the fourth outing for retired social worker Julia & another captivating read. The pace is good & the characters well portrayed. I love the way the mystery is intertwined with Julia's private life. There are twists & turns & plenty of red herrings to keep your interest. Jake the labrador has a new friend which makes for some light hearted moments, Julia’s ex husband has some surprising news & Julia’s relationship with Sean is progressing nicely. An entertaining cosy mystery
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

A pub quiz should be fun and entertaining. In this village it is quite a serious one and everyone taking part wants to win. The teams are quite level, there are all sorts of people taking part and all of them are experts in one field or another. The problem begins when one of their more distinguished panellists are found murdered, and then the numbers seem to increase with murders and attempted murders abounding.

Julia and DI put their heads together to sort out random unconnected clues. Even the hit and run where the DI was injured in hindsight, does not look accidental so the need is immediate before more murders take place.

This murder streak in this small village in the Cotswolds is jarring for the inhabitants as well as the serenity of this village. The end was not surprising for me, though the reasons unraveled were.

A good cozy mystery.

The Julia Bird Mysteries series has been a fun series, but Murder at the Inn was especially good. I enjoy the atmosphere and comradery of small village life. Two people who are friends or acquaintances of Julia's were attacked and one was killed, both were participants in the local pub quiz. But what would make someone try to get rid of them because of a quiz competition? Once again, Julia and DCI Hayley Gibson put their heads together to find answers. The answers just might surprise you. The path to get those answers was one with twists and turns and clues to sort through.
On another note, another contestant in the pop quizzes might bring about a possible kink in the romance part of Julia's life. Or will she? One more stressor for Julia. A call from her ex-husband gives Julia a shock and surprise that she had not seen coming. On a fun note, her pup Jake has a fun, new, and interesting friend, one that brings on a few chuckles. Changes are happening in Julia's small village of Berrywick in the Coltswolds. This is a great addition to the series, and I am glad to hear that there will be more in the future.
I received a copy for the purpose of an honest review. These are my thoughts.

This series is getting better and better! It’s so gentle, but they are actively trying to solve a murder and it’s great to see them not do anything dangerous. Plenty of red herrings and the way they’ve tied it all together is pretty good.

I enjoy the characters and the mystery kept me guessing .

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review

Who knew a pub quiz night could lead to murder? But it does and Julia puts on her sleuthing cap. This soon to be Granny is NOT going to let a new generation in her family line side track her, and she’s determined to find the answer to “Who committed the murder?

I love British cozies and this is one of my favorite. Julia is such a great protagonist and I love her family and friends…it makes each entry feel like a visit with friends. LOVE this series!

Julia Bird has a large role in solving the mystery this time when DI Hailey Gibson is off with a broken leg. I liked how the author wove together a pub quiz team competition, history, a research project and a new book for the reason for deaths, injuries and danger.
Julia and Dr. Sean’s relationship continues to grow. Jake, the dog, gets a new friend, which is a funny part of the book.
I like the pacing of this mystery series. Set in the Cotswolds, there is urgency to finding answers but an overall restful feel to the books.
I recommend getting to know Julia Bird.

This is one of my favorite cozy series. The relationships, the plotting, the impact of the story--they all just feel a step above many of the cozies I read. This installment involves pub quizzes, the interesting village residents, along with new characters as needed for the story. And best of all, there's main character Julia, who's a smart, appealing amateur sleuth. This series just gets better with each new book!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 4 in the series. I love Julia- she's an older character, who is finding herself after major shake up in her personal life. With her daughter soon to give birth, she's now looking at being a grandmother, and managing it from the other side of the world. So it seems like a great idea to fill in on a quiz team, and see if it is something he and her boyfriend would be interested in. Only things go from good to worse when her favorite coppers get run down and one is out of commission, and then a body turns up. Soon Julia is on track, getting people to open up to her, and to be DI Gibson's feet on the ground. When the worse happens, it will need all their combined mind power to solve the case and determine who is the true murder among them. One of the better books in the series, this is one you can't put down!

This is a cosy mystery about Julia Bird who gets mixed up in nefarious deeds in the Cotswolds. It all starts at the weekly quiz night. After the quiz is over someone tries to run over the local police officer and her friend. From here we follow Julia as she tries to unravel the facts while looking after her naughty dog Jake and tending her garden and hens. The story goes along in the style of cost mysteries whereby there is no bad language and even though people are attacked it is tastefully handled. It seems fun to live in the Cotswolds and follow the adventures of Julie and Jake. It is an enjoyable diversion and easy reading. I give it 5 stars. I can't find anything negative to say about this book. Bravo.

Oh, I do love these stories, settle down with a cuppa and cosy up with Julia Bird, her loveable dog and her chickens and lose yourself in the English countryside and murder, excellent!

When Julia Bird retired to the small village of Berrywick she expected a quiet life. To some extent she found that. She volunteers at the local charity shop, has coffee at the Buttered Scone, adopted a rambunctious dog, bought some back garden chickens, made new friends, has a relationship with the local doctor and is part of a pub quiz team. She also regularly finds herself involved in murder investigations.
When two local policewomen are run down by a hit and run driver when leaving the pub quiz followed by the murder of one of them, Julia is determined to help find the killer by helping Hayley(on medical leave as a result of a broken leg caused by the hit and run). When an elderly historian is found almost dead, Julia begins to make connections - all of the women are members of a pub quiz team but what did they know that threatens the killer?
This is the fourth in the series that features strong characters, interesting mysteries, a good sense of setting and a bit of humour to lighten the tone.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the opportunity to read the latest in this series.

I really do love this series. Julia Bird is a wonderful character to spend time with and although Berrywick does seem to have an attrition rate to rival Midsomer's, I never hesitate in diving in when a new book comes out. This time the attention turns on the local pub quiz nights and in particular one of its attendees. Now you would think that, with the quiz teams including Detectives and Police Constables along somewhat successful amateur sleuth, Julia, that people would think twice before doing anything underhand or dastardly. You would think that but, fortunately for us readers, you would be terribly wrong. With one of the quiz team members murdered, and Julia's long term friend and police ally, Hayley, laid up with a broken leg, its down to Julia to get to the bottom of things once again.

This was a really fun story. The way in which the authors set the scene is perfect, drawing us in to the cosy setting of Berrywick and establishing all the main characters, or in this case, suspects, really quickly and brilliantly, whilst still hiding the truth from us all until the critical moment. You wouldn't expect a quiz to turn so sour so quickly, even if the winners get to go to the regional finals! I love the blend of warmth and humour that emanates from these stories, that sense of community and that Miss Marple-esque, St Mary Mead kind of vibe to the village that lends itself perfectly to this murder mystery. Although it's fair to say that Julia Bird is far from being a Jane Marple spinster, with her romance with Dr Sean O'Connor ticking along very nicely.

What works best for me in these books, apart from the cracking mysteries which really get the minds whirring, is the very down to earth nature of everything that happens alongside the mystery. This time I found myself charmed, and somewhat distracted, by the strange friendship between Jake, the chocolate lab, and Henny-Penny, Julia's most disobedient and Houdini-like chicken. The pairing made me chortle and it definitely brought a smile to my face each time they got into a new bit of mischief.

This is a cracking story, that flows perfectly, with brilliant pacing and quite a few moments of misdirection. Whilst I could see where some of the story was going to lead me, the identity of the culprit remained closely guarded and the motive a complete surprise. I love the elements of jeopardy that feed through the books and Julia's intrepid nature, never really thinking about herself or her safety before ploughing into a case, loving the thrill of the mystery which becomes just as addictive for me as a reader.

If you love a cosy crime with brilliant characters, a good dose of humour and a beautifully tranquil, if not sometimes alarmingly deadly, setting, then I would heartily recommend this series. It's a gem.

Another great book in this series - loved the dog/hen friendship too
Will be sharing a longer review on the blog tour

I really love this series, and this latest book was a great addition. Getting roped into Trivia Night at the local bar was a lot of fun. Or it was until members of a rival team seemed to be meeting with bad luck. Heart attack, hit and run, and murder - all within a few weeks. Julia, and of course Jake her trusty dog, decide to do bit of sleuthing, especially since Haley, the detective, is laid up with a broken leg from the hit and run. Some motives, few suspects, and some action before all the dots of this case are connected. Great book. Can be read as a stand alone easily.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In this fourth outing for Julia Bird, a retired social worker, a member of the local police force is found murdered in her room at the pub after taking part in the monthly quiz night.
Police Inspector Hayley Gibson is confined to bed with injuries sustained during a hit and run and so she needs Julia to be her eyes and ears on the ground as D I Gibson does not trust Superintendent Grave who has been brought in to carry out the investigation.
I enjoyed this cosy mystery with its Cotswold village setting and varied cast of characters, some familiar and some new. I especially enjoyed the developing friendship between Hayley and Julia. The mystery is pleasantly involved with lots of suspects but no apparent motive. There is a nice balance between the mystery and the continued development of Julia’s character as her romance with the local doctor appears to be under threat.
Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.