Hilarious, relatable, ridiculous and fun! It’s everything a novel about pregnant women surrounded by mysterious deaths should be!

I so enjoyed the wit and humor of this debut novel. It brought back all of my hilarious and horrifying pregnancy feelings and I found myself laughing out loud so many times! The mystery is satisfyingly twisty and convoluted without being too far fetched. The characters were simply drawn without being caricatures, but Alice was undeniably the star of the show. I’m not sure we’ll be getting a series out of this, but I definitely need more Alice in my life!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

My first book of the year: THE EXPECTANT DETECTIVES by Kat Ailes. I expected this book to be a quick and fun read— it is but even better than I anticipated! It’s hilarious with laugh out loud moments and a good murder mystery.

Alice and her partner, Joe, have moved out of London for a quieter place to start their family. As a pregnant mom-to-be in a new area, Alice is looking for new friends to bond with. (And we all know making friends as an adult isn’t easy.) At one of their evening antenatal classes, someone in the building is murdered. Alice teams up with some other expectant moms, and they start their sleuthing around in attempt to find out what really happened that night. As you can imagine, these amateur detectives get in over their heads for a fun (& funny) ride. For fans of the Finlay Donovan series, I highly recommend you grab THE EXPECTANT DETECTIVES this Tuesday 1.9.24!

Thanks to @minotaur_books and @macmillan.audio for the invitation to read/listen to this entertaining book! It was a great way to kick off my year of reading!

I switched between audio and ebook and found the audio to be my preference.

This is a cute cozy whodunnit where a group of pregnant women start investigating a murder that happened in their town - ironically downstairs from where their prenatal class was being held.

There was definitely some humor, especially about impending motherhood. Mostly likeable, but somewhat unforgettable characters.

I did love Helen the dog! Overall a cute cozy mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and MacMillan Audio for an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

At first, I was overwhelmed by the number of characters in this book. I was listening to the audiobook and I decided to follow along with the ebook and that made a huge difference. Once I learned all the names of the expectant women and their significant others, I began to enjoy the book more.

There was a lot of wittiness in the dialogue and I found myself enjoying the interplay between Alice and her friends. Helen, the dog, was my favorite though. I can relate to crazy pets.

The mystery in this was pretty convoluted. There were so many moving parts that I found myself not even really caring so much about "whodunit" or what they did. It's like there were so many things to solve at once: the murder(s), why Alice's husband was acting strange, the disappearance of a woman long ago, the current husband of one of the women maybe cheating, etc. Too much in one book.

I liked the way it wrapped up and I liked the characters so much I'm willing to give the next in the series a try.

I was very excited to receive the chance to read The Expectant Detectives from Minotaur Books. The premise of the story had me very intrigued but unfortunately the execution missed the mark for me. It’s an original storyline and there’s some humour but the story seems to drags along too long. I persevered as far as chapter 38 but gave up shortly thereafter. This one just wasn’t for me.
Thank You to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Appreciative to the publisher to have been invited to read this book in exchange for a review. I was excited to dig into this book—the premise of pregnant detectives sounded cute and charming and a few pages in I was already ready to give it five stars—the voice reminded me of Sophie Kinsella or Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan.

But after a few more pages I lost interest. Alice began to wear on me and I found her an unconvincing 30-something (she’s a bit…naive? Dumb? for her age). The pace dragged, I (forgive me!) hated the dog, and it all really put a damper on the reading so much that I eventually stopped. I’m unfortunately not the target audience, but I did appreciate the look!

Thank you to Kat Alies, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book. The premise behind it sounded so good, but a couple of pages in, and I could tell this wasn't going to be a book for me. I tried, I did. I could not get into it. I did not like Alice, the plot was flat. I couldn't connect to any character.

There’s nothing greater than finding a debut that just works for you.

I had a time with this one! I instantly chuckled as I read about pregnancy through the main character’s eyes. It brought me back to those days when I was pregnant with my girls. This story is cozy and fun while keeping you on your toes. It is for the fans of small town mysteries shows where hijinks and hilarity surround a simple, yet plain great mystery.

I will be continuing this series!

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy.

I devoured this book. I absolutely loved Helen the dog. I'm a dog person so I always love when there is a dog in a story. This book is full of wonderful characters. I loved this fun mystery that had me laughing through out the book. I can't remember the last book I read that had me laughing this much. I can't wait for the next book in this series, which is set to come out in June 2024. I would HIGLHY recommend this book.


Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for allowing me to read this ARC in advance for my honest opinion.

Alice and her boyfriend, Joe, uprooted their lives from London to settle down in the quiet countryside of Penton for the sake of their unborn child. Alice meets a peculiar man on her first stroll through town which rattles her and makes her question their move.

Alice joins a prenatal class that’s held in the upstairs room of a shop that’s owned by the crazy old man, Mr. Oliver, that she bumped into in town. Mr. Oliver takes one look at Joe and goes into a tirade of questions about knowing him, but Joe has never met the man. In this prenatal class, she meets the other pregnant in town and desperately wants to become friends.

During Alice’s second prenatal class, one of the women goes into active labor! Everyone is running to help, or trying to run away but the baby is born right in front of them. The paramedics arrive, but have stopped downstairs to examine Mr. Oliver’s dead body slouched over his desk. Through all the chaos of childbirth, someone murdered a man downstairs.

Alice rounds up the women from the prenatal class; Alisa, Poppy, and Hen to investigate poor Mr. Oliver’s murder before one of them is suspected for his death.

This was a cute, cozy mystery from debut author Kat Ailes. If you need a laugh while solving a small town murder, this is the book for you. I loved all the characters, but I loved the ditzy long haired blonde, Helen, the most. Alice’s friends constantly tell her “don’t bring Helen!” but she brings her anyway and that dog finds trouble everywhere she goes. Another favorite character was Dot, the prenatal instructor, she reminded me of the quirky character, Val, from the tv series Working Moms.

I cannot wait for the second book, Dead Tired: A Mystery, that publishes this summer! I need more adventure alongside Alice and Helen.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan audio for this advanced audiobook copy.

Unfortunately, the story was not for me. I DNFd at 20%. It was just moving a little too slowly for me and I didn’t have desire to push through.

This was definitely entertaining and fun. I will say that Helen the oblivious Golden retriever stole the show and unknowingly found a lot of clues. Loved the group of pregnant women trying to solve a murder, they were all so different but going through a huge life event. My birthing classes weren't this exciting🤣

“I was starting to feel like I had entered some sort of Faustian pact with the beast in my womb. It would take my sleep, sanity and youth in exchange for … fun? Carte blanche to watch kids’ films without feeling like a loser? A comfy care home and fortnightly visits in my old age? All good things, sure, but … 𝘴𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱.” 👏🏻🤣👏🏻

This was a cute and fun amateur sleuth murder mystery with a group of late term pregnant women doing the sleuthing. It is as funny as you could imagine it would be under those circumstances!

I know that there are a lot of pregnant characters in books but these women talk openly about the struggles of pregnancy and new parenthood in a way that I haven’t seen done before but is necessary in the -keeping it real- realm. Given that, I felt that the characters were genuine in dealing with the very real struggles facing new mothers and partners when two becomes three.

I loved the accent of the narrator adding quite a bit of humor to the story.

“‘Welcome to the world, small one,’ I whispered. ‘It’s a shitshow. But it might just get better now you’re here.’” ❤️

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what I was expecting when reading about a group of pregnant amateur detectives and a sidekick dog that was compared to the girl who could tell the weather from her boobs in Mean Girls, but I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this book. I loved the main character and how "real" she was in social situations. She was completely awkward making new friends and learning about her pregnancy. I could totally relate. This book was just as much a comedy as it was a cozy mystery. This group got into so many comedic and awkward situations in the town of Penton, I wondered what they were going to do next.

I was intrigued by the murder investigation. It seemed that all of the suspects had something to hide, and I was happy with how this book ended. It looks like there is already another book in the works for the Expectant Detectives series called Dead Tired. According to Goodreads, the current release will be June 4th, 2024, so we won't have to wait long to see Alice and the rest of the group (including Helen) again.

Audible: I was approved for both the digital and audible version of this book. I highly recommend the audible for The Expectant Detectives. The narrator is great, and I enjoyed the audiobook while following along with the digital version.

The Expectant Detective comes out January 9th, 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to review The Expectant Detectives. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Kat Ailes' debut novel, The Expectant Detectives, is a charming murder mystery set in a bucolic British town.
Alice and her partner, Joe, decide to move out of London to the village of Penton where they hope to raise their soon to be born child, All is okay until the second night of their prenatal class where they find the shop owner has died one floor below them as the chaos of the class took place upstairs. Now Alice can't leave well enough alone and she is determined to solve this murder mystery and make sure the small time police forces are looking into the correct suspects.

The Expectant Detectives is a fun to read mystery that allows the audience to laugh along with the flaky hijinks of Alice the entire time. My one criticism of the novel is the pacing of the plot. There were long periods of no action, and then all of a sudden, clues were found/connected in rapid fire. The book had to fight to keep my attention on a few occasions, but overall the ending tied neatly together and the whole group of characters were very enjoyable go along with.

Thank you to NetGalley, Goodreads, and Minotaur Press for the chance to read this novel in advance of its Jan. 9th release date.

Fast paced and funny, this one was even better than I expected. It was unique, witty, had great characters, and an engaging mystery. I loved the concept and I think cozy mystery fans will really enjoy this one! I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

This was a cute, funny debut cozy novel surrounding a group of expectant mothers and a murder that happens during one of their classes. I liked the English setting and the dog. Overall though I had a hard time connecting with Alice. Her naivety was just too much for me personally & I the humor was a bit too much or quirky for my tastes.

I think readers who are mothers & those who enjoyed the Finlay series will enjoy this one.

Important things you need to know about the book:

Pace: The pace of The Expectant Detectives is fast (the entire book takes place within two weeks of Alice arriving in Penton).

POV: The Expectant Detectives is told from Alice’s 1st person POV.

Trigger/Content Warning: The Expectant Detectives have trigger and content warnings. If any of these triggers you, I suggest not reading the book. They are:

Childbirth
Pregnancy
Cancer
Dead Bodies
Death
Grief & Loss Depiction
Poisoning
Sexual Content: There is no sexual content in The Expectant Detectives.

Language: There is mild swearing in The Expectant Detectives. The language used could also be considered offensive to readers who are triggered easily.

Setting: The Expectant Detectives is set in Penton, England.

Age Range: I recommend The Expectant Detectives to anyone over 21.

Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Wanting to leave London before the birth of their 1st child, Alice and Joe pick the village of Penton to move to. Being from a big city, Alice needed to prepare for rural Penton and wasn’t thrilled with it. Expecting a dull backwater with nothing to do, Alice is surprised by the variety of prenatal options. She is also surprised by how crunchy the town is. She is even more surprised when the owner’s body is discovered during her first prenatal class at the local natural health shop. Determined to clear her name, along with her other pregnant friends, Alice starts investigating the murder. Her investigation takes her from the shop to a commune just outside town. She also uncovers a mysterious death and the girl that the three founding fathers of the commune were in love with. Also, she wants to solve how and why her beloved dog, Helen, was poisoned. How is everything connected? Will Alice clear her and her friends’ names?

Main Characters:

The main character of The Expectant Detectives is Alice. I loved her. She was one of the most relatable characters that I have read. She was socially awkward, so I giggled whenever she had to interact with anyone. Her thoughts on pregnancy were hilarious and echoed mine while I was pregnant (the whole naming conversation with Joe had me rolling). She was also a tiny bit self-centered. The way she investigated everything (and that statement is all-encompassing) was funny.

My review:

I was surprised to like this book more than I did. When I first started reading it, I honestly thought this book was going to suck. Then I got to reading it. The more I read it, the more I liked it. The humor, Alice, the mystery…they all appealed to me. And that is saying something because I can be rather picky about the cozy mysteries I read.

The main storyline of The Expectant Detectives follows Alice as she tries to adapt to a new town while almost ready to give birth. It was well-written, and I could connect with the characters and their situations. Some of the author’s words brought me back to my pregnancies (I have three children) and how I felt. Of course, because Alice was so socially awkward, they were even more amplified and made amusing.

The mystery angle of The Expectant Detectives was well written. I liked how the book started with two mysteries (the death of the store owner and Joe’s pulling away from Alice) and then morphed into five (the two murders, Joe pulling away, who Flora was, and the death that shook the commune). I figured out who Flora was early in the book, but everything else surprised me. A few neat twists to the storyline surprised me (who did the murders and why).

I have to mention the secondary characters, including the dogs. They were as well written as the main characters, but the author did leave a little to them. Out of all of them, I was not too fond of Hen or DCI Harris. They were almost too much (one being bossy and looking down on people, and the other having a laser focus on the only same-sex interracial couple as suspects).

The end of The Expectant Detectives was what I thought it would be. The author connected everything (and I mean everything) that satisfied me as a reader. The last chapter was heartbreaking because of what was recounted and what was lost. But the epilogue, which was a month later, more than made up for it.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Kat Ailes for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Expectant Detectives. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

Pregnant amateur detectives? Sign me up! This was such a silly and fun ride. I loved the small town setting and seeing how Alice integrated into their world. There were so many small quips that made me laugh and I could relate to Alice in many ways. The ending happens quickly which I think may have been a little too fast but I also can’t stand when a book is longer than it needs to be so what do I know? I’ll definitely be checking out book 2, DEAD TIRED, when it comes out in June!

This is a fun read. Lots of humor as four pregnant women are brought together through Lamaze class only to start the first night with a birth and a murder in the class. Unlikely Friendship’s are forged. This book had me from the first page, twisting and turning leaving you up to the end to find the true murderer. This book has it all friendship’s, trials, healing of hurts, growing of personalities, and a really good murder mystery. I was given an advanced reader copy of this very well written book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.