The Expectant Detectives

'"Welcome to the world, small one," I whispered. "It's a shitshow. But it might just get better now that you're here."'

What a funny adventure! The Expectant Detectives follows Alice and her boyfriend Joe on their adventure of moving from London to a more rural town to raise their coming baby. As they settle into town, Alice and the other women in her antenatal class set themselves to being detectives to solve the murder that happened in the shop where their class is held.

A hilarious cozy mystery following these very pregnant women on their adventures about town, I laughed and sympathized, having recently been through pregnancy myself. I enjoyed how Alice pokes fun at some of the unglamourous parts of pregnancy and newborn life.

Check this one out if you enjoy:
Small English town setting
Cozy mystery
Pregnancy humor
First person POV

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC! The Expectant Detectives in on shelves Tuesday, January 9, 2024.

This was a cute and fun story to start the new year with! Alice and Joe are expecting their first child and move out of the bustling city of London to gain space and peace before their baby arrives. Alice and her new expectant mom friends find themselves trying to solve a murder, which makes for a funny few weeks before the baby is born.

I thought this was fun and entertaining, but I wasn’t rushing to get back to reading when I had to put the book down. I enjoyed the audio (thanks Macmillan) and I think the audio is the way to go for this one. The plot is pretty ridiculous, so make sure to suspend your belief in reality. Overall, it was cute but won’t leave a lasting impression.

A young couple, Joe and Alice, are about to become parents and make a move to a quaint countryside town in the Cotswolds. But things get a little sticky when a murder happens right under their noses during their prenatal class! Alice and her mommy-to-be pals play detective, and the investigation leads to a groovy commune, causing some amusing and mischievous moments.
While the plot's blueprint had me hooked, the pacing was a little wild, and I found myself cranking up the volume on my phone once or twice. It could have tried a touch too hard to be comedic, but it still delivered some authentic laughs. This could be the beginning of a chain of exciting novels.

I love the premise of this book. Joe and Alice are expecting a baby and decide to move from London to a small town in the Cotswolds. The mystery begins when there is a murder in the same building where the couple's prenatal class is being held. Alice and the other expectant moms are on the case and a commune is also involved, which sets up some amusing situations.

The pacing of the story is somewhat uneven, so I wasn't always fully engaged and lost interest a few times. Sometimes it seemed to be trying too hard to be funny, but there were some genuine moments of humor, so this could be the start of a fun new series. 3.25/3.5 stars

I received an advance copy of this ebook at no cost from NetGalley and Minotaur Books. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. It definitely had potential and I can see how others will enjoy it but, It was a bit slow for my liking and I DNF around the 60% mark.

Fresh, funny and heartfelt, The Expectant Detectives is a charming debut mystery about a group of soon-to-be moms-turned-detectives.

This was a great read! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

Mysteries are expanding into nooks and crannies that many of us had no idea existed. In this case, expectant detectives need to be added to the ever-growing mystery sub-genres. I realize there have been detectives who have been pregnant, but this book is an equal dose of pregnant ladies who attempt to solve a mystery.

So, if you’re ready for a light mystery with smiles and laughs along the way, you’ll want to follow Alice and Joe as they move from London to the small town of Cotswold. It’s at this little community that they hope to raise the new addition to their family, who is due in a couple of weeks.

They both decide attending prenatal classes will be a good way to prepare for their little one, and to meet new friends. However, this turns into much more than they expected then Mr. Oliver, the owner of the herb shop where they conducted the classes, turns up dead.

Who would have thought that a group of expectant ladies would find such a worthy cause to rally around?

My Concerns
The expectant ladies discuss quite a bit of “labor-birthing-pregnancy” talk. This might be a concern for some. It was close to too much for me.

Though I liked the unique story and humor, it started to slow down and feel too long.

Final Thoughts
This fun group of women makes an interesting sleuthing team. And even Joe, Alice’s better half, manages to wind his way into a mystery of his own making it even more of a page-turner.

While cozy mysteries used to be a genre I thought I didn’t care for, they are changing so radically (or I just thought I didn’t care for them) that I’m finding I do enjoy them. And, in this case, I’m crossing my fingers that a series is in the works.

If you like the Finlay Donovan books, I feel sure you’ll want to give this book a try.

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a #gifted copy.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐊𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Minotaur Books for my #gifted copy of The Expectant Detective!

The Expectant Detectives gave off Finlay Donovan vibes and was such a fun and cozy mystery. I found the premise to be super cute and I was laughing out loud throughout. I found Alice to be so relatable and I loved her character. She was funny, awkward, and just so likable, in my opinion. I felt like the rest of the characters were likable as well and the whole cast blended so well together! This was a debut novel, with the second book in the series releasing later in 2024.

The Expectant Detectives:
🕵🏼‍♀️Cozy Mystery
🕵🏼‍♀️Small Town
🕵🏼‍♀️A Dog Named Helen
🕵🏼‍♀️Amateur Sleuths

Posted on Goodreads on January 2, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around January 9, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on January 2, 2024
**-will post on designated date

Winter is made for cozy mysteries. Pair the mystery with some laugh-out-loud moments and cute dogs? You’ve got yourself a hit!

As a recently pregnant person / new mom, The Expectant Detectives was extremely relatable - making friends in a new town while pregnant is rough so you find friends almost any way you can. And sometimes that means bonding through solving a murder that takes place during your prenatal class while someone is giving birth. We’ve all been there, right?

I had so much fun reading this book. Fans of the Thursday Murder Club would enjoy this as well.

3.5 stars rounded up. I can’t wait to see what else Kat Ailes has in store for us.

A big thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the advance copy.

Alice and Joe are expecting their first child and have just moved from London to a sleepy village in the Cotswolds seeking a quieter life. But they soon discover their country life is anything but calm and peaceful when a dead body turns up at their birthing class. Suddenly all of the class attendees are murder suspects, and the mothers-to-be band together to clear their names and solve the mystery.

This clever cozy mystery is light but twisty, with no shortage of small-town intrigue and a long list of potential suspects: a local cult leader, a prominent town citizen, and even some of the expectant detectives’ partners! Fans of cozy mysteries will be charmed by this quirky cast of characters. Alice is hilariously endearing; she’s cute and chatty, sarcastic and completely socially awkward, and the trials and tribulations of her pregnancy are so relatable. Sometimes the shenanigans are a bit over the top, but that’s part of the fun of this kind of story!

I’ve seen this one recommended for fans of the Finlay Donovan series (which I love!) and I think that’s spot on! Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Hysterically funny and clever! I wasn't sure what to expect (pun intended) but I absolutely adored the main character, April, by the end of page 2. Who knew pregnancy could be so full of laughs?

There's a decent mystery, but honestly, I would have loved this book even if it weren't a murder mystery. Having the puzzle just added to how great this was. Be prepared: there will be explicit talk of pregnancy-related bodily functions, organs, hormones and the like. Pregnancy is not for the faint-hearted. Especially in the Cotswolds.

Moms turned detectives? Lol sign me up. A "laugh along with your mystery", so to speak. It was cute.

Pregnancy hormones are weird. They often create strange fixations, feelings, and cravings. All of that is very clear in this story. I appreciated that there were so many different perspectives on pregnancy and motherhood co-existing with each other, and the reality of the chaos of it all.

This book is saved by the side characters. I'm not sure how Alice functions in the world because she's so far down the socially awkward and kind of dim road. There were some truly cute moments between her and her partner Joe, and she has a keen sense of right and wrong, but at the same time it was kind of like reading about a pregnant bumper car. However, the cast of characters around her are fantastic, there's some solid wit, and I wanted to know how everything worked out in the end.

The mystery is good. I was curious, I made guesses, I put together pieces, and it kept me invested. I guessed some things but missed others until right at the last moment.

It wraps up a little quickly, but with a very positive last scene.

This is a great debut novel. It is basically a cozy novel with some laugh out loud humor thrown in. I rarely chuckle while reading books, but I certainly did this time.

The story is told from the viewpoint of Alice. She and Joe have recently moved to the country in England to find a gentler atmosphere in which to raise their soon to be born son. Why not pick up and move when you're nine months pregnant? Most of us could come up with at least forty reasons, but Alice almost seems to totally disregard the fact that she's close to giving birth (except for the strong desire for snacks!). Their first birth class is very memorable, resulting in new friends, a new baby, and a murder. Alice and her new friends combine their pregnancy brains to try to solve the murder.

I thought this was a very entertaining book. The writing was very cohesive so that the story flowed very well. It was fast-paced, and the mystery was very well drawn out to the conclusion. I'm already looking forward to this author's next book.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

What to expect when you’re expecting…and in a prenatal class? It surely isn’t become a murder suspect. But. That’s exactly what happens to the group of expectant mothers when is murdered while they’re in class.

To clear their names, the ladies find themselves adding detective to their expectant title. Enjoy the fun along the way and expect the ladies to deliver (on their efforts) at any time?

This book feels like Finlay Donovan and The Thursday Murder Club got married and had a baby, The. Expectant Detectives. It brings the best of both and delivers another great read! Can’t wait for more!

Thank you to the publisher and net galley for the ARC of this book. all opinions are my own.
Due to the current SMP boycott, I will not post my thoughts on this story until the concerns are addressed. At that time, I will be happy to post my full review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Synopsis: A group of expectant mothers become unlikely friends as they try to solve a murder in their small town while waiting for their first children to be born.

This was a funny, witty read especially if you are a mother! The small town mystery was well done and I liked the outliers all coming together nicely at the end. My favorite part was the laugh out loud references about first time mothers sprinkled in. Plus for dog lovers, there is a poorly behaved dog, Helen, that no one wants around who is the unsung hero of the book. The humorous tone was so refreshing and I think this was a great debut!

Thank you Minotaur Books for the ARC! 🦮🤰🏼

This felt very similar to The Thursday Murder Club in the best way. I laughed out loud several times during this one and it kept me engaged until the end. I enjoyed the uniqueness of this one- a group of pregnant women/new moms joining together to solve a murder. For me as a mother, I felt the “oh my gosh I don’t know what I’m doing” dialogue was extremely relatable, and hilarious.

Thanks to Minotaur for an advanced copy of The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes.
This is a funny cozy mystery style with a group of pregnant women who are a little extra curious when a man is found dead downstairs during one of their prenatal classes. Alice has just moved to a sleepy village from London and when everyone in the class is a suspect they need to clear their names.

This was funny and I enjoyed it. I liked Alice and her friends and her dog Helen always getting into mischief.

It might have been a little longer than it needed to be, but otherwise I enjoyed it and would recommend!

The Expectant Detectives gave off Finlay Donovan and a little bit of The Thursday Murder Club vibes. MC Alice was irreverent and a little annoying but also I loved how she was unashamedly herself. I honestly did not like her boyfriend/baby daddy Joe. The awkward friendships between all the expectant mothers was humorous but I liked how they were all there for each other. The mystery and the book as a whole moves along at a slow pace in my opinion. There were a couple of twists. Some I figured out but the main whodunit was a bit of a surprise. Overall, a fun read.