3.75/5
I loved this charmingly funny mystery. Somehow Kat took some dark moments and made them lighter and easier to digest. This book is a great pallet cleanser when you just need a comfort read. I loved getting to know Alice and the ladies of Penton while the new moms and moms to be attempted to solve a murder. What I loved most was that as fun as it was, it also had the surprises and twists and turns of a true mystery that kept me guessing right til the last chapter!

Kat was able to keep me interested til the end. Being a mom myself, this book was so relatable, but I think even if you aren’t a mom you would enjoy the witty detective work these ladies brought to the table!

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for this ARC!

Soon as I heard the premise and saw the cover for this book, I was super excited to check it out.

It reads like a cozy, detective novel, but just with pregnant people and a cute dog.

I think maybe I wasn’t this book target audience, as I’m not really into cozy mysteries which is what I feel like this was.

It wasn’t bad or anything like that. I just have a neutral opinion of it. I liked it well enough to finish it but I probably wouldn’t read another book in the series because it really just didn’t grab me. I like faster paced books.

It was cute though. It would be cute to add to a baby shower present to a pregnant reader.

Alice and Joe are anxious to move out of London before the birth of their baby. In need of fresh air and a slower pace, they make their way to village of Penton a few weeks before the baby is due- only to find a murder at their first birthing class.

On maternity leave and anxious about becoming a first-time mom, Alice picks up the investigation to keep herself occupied and soon draws in the other expectant mothers from the birthing class. Alice soon realizes many people have things to hide, including her husband Joe.

This fun detective story gets a lot over-the-top at times, but still a fun read.

The Expectant Detectives by Kate Ailes started off strong with Joe and Alice moving from London to the countryside before their baby is born. What looks like a quiet small town, actually has a lot of hidden skeletons. Ailes attempts at human hit about 50/50 and the one thing I kept thinking while reading this was it's length. The murder plot, which should have been center stage, was upstaged by a host of characters and side subplots. That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the ending because I thought it was the highlight. Also to say, I didn't hate it, but I was thankful when it was over. I think a lot of it could have been scaled down.

Thank you for the ARC.

3.5 stars.

This is a cozy mystery read about a group of pregnant women who find themselves at the scene of a murder during their prenatal class and decide to do their own sleuthing to discover who committed the murder. There are lots of cozy mysteries about amateur detectives and this one is a likeable addition to the genre. Set in a small English town, the story includes humour, friendship, secrets, a quirky dog, impending motherhood and a mystery. The character development is limited but, overall, this is a nice, easy, light read. Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

🤰🏼 The Expectant Detectives - Kat Ailes

3.5 ⭐️- What a fun twist on your typical mystery detective story. Think Finlay Donovan and Workin’ Moms. Anyone watch that show (I love it, highly recommend)? This one had short chapters, hilarious characters, and sneaky smart ladies.

Alice and Joe decide to move out of London and to the countryside before their baby is born. But when a death occurs in the building of their prenatal class, life doesn’t seem so simple anymore. When suspicion looms over the whole group, Alice and her new pregnant friends set out to solve the mystery themselves. However, during their search, more secrets and mysteries around the town and its people are unveiled.

This was so fun. This is a good book for someone who likes a lighter mystery with lots of laughs and a quirky, lovable dog. For a debut, I really liked this one. It has a mystery that kept me engaged, characters that kept me laughing, and short chapters that kept me reading. I am definitely looking forward to book 2 to see how the lives of my new pregnant friends turn out. Look for this one coming out in January!

Thank you Netgalley, St Martin Press, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced reader and listener copies!

I finished this last night and I'm so sad it's over! The beginning felt too quippy and I was honestly very close to DNFing. However, the humor quickly became part of the characters and it all totally makes sense now. The characters feel like friends and I'm quite devastated I won't be visiting them during my bedtime reading tonight. They are fun, passionate, and the right amount of quirky. Loved the setting, loved the mystery, loved how I suspected quite a few characters, and loved the way the mystery played out. This better be a series because I need more!!

The Expectant Detectives is out January 9, 2024! Put it on your list!!! Thank you Minotaur Books and Netgalley for my e-arc!

Four women forge an unlikely friendship when a shop owner dies under suspicious circumstances downstairs during their antenatal (prenatal) class. On the surface the women could not be more different, but they form a bond working together as amateur sleuths to solve the case.

This cozy mystery is an absolute blast. From the numerous pregnancy and postnatal quips to Alice and Joe’s awkward adjustment from big city life to quiet village life (and the visit from the big city friend) to the dogs’ antics and the alternative lifestyle experiences, this book had me grinning and giggling. I found Alice to be relatable and endearing and look forward to reading the next installment in this series.

I received an advance copy of the book from Minotaur Books, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

“The Expectant Detectives” is a delightful, contemporary cozy-mystery that takes place in, of course, a sleepy English village. When Alice becomes pregnant, she decides to move out of London to the quiet English countryside. The last thing she expects during her hopefully peaceful pregnancy is to encounter a murder at her prenatal group. This story is filled with humor and the characters are quirky. There is also a dog sidekick, Helen, that helps Alice uncover the culprit. The beginning introduction felt a little slow to me, but once the layered-mystery started to unfold, I was intrigued! I’ll admit that I wasn’t expecting to love this one, but I truly couldn’t put it down!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Comic cozies can be hit or miss for me. I have to gel with the humor and there has to be enough of a plot to keep me interested.

The Expectant Detectives has a fun premise as pregnant pals Alice and Poppy solve murders in their small English village. The humor was good and the mystery not bad!

I can see that this is a series so guessing these new moms will be crime-solving with babies in tow, which should provide plenty of humor!

You know when a mystery starts with a surprise birth and murder in the same building, it's going to be an interesting mystery! I loved the group of expecting moms (and the one mom who had the unfortunate timing of having her baby DURING the murder) and how they decided that they were bored waiting for their babies to arrive and didn't like the suspicion it put on them and their partners, so they might as well solve the murder themselves! They were such an adorable group, waddling around, finding clues! I also love how the dogs played a role in every scene. I didn't like Alice's boyfriend, Joe. He was annoying, and honestly, I think she could do better. I'm so glad Kat Ailes decided to write another book in this series! It was such a fun, cozy mystery debut, and I can't wait to read the next book and see what mystery they solve with their infants!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you so much to Minotaur Books for the ARC!

I’ll start by saying that the cover and title are absolutely adorable! What doesn’t sound fun about a group of ladies that meet in their pregnancy class and then find a dead body? They would naturally take it into their own hands to solve the murder! I’m all about books with amateur sleuths and cozy mysteries and was so excited for this one!

While some parts were fun and witty, I struggled to really get into the murder mystery plot and wish that it was focused more on that and less on…all of the other stuff…and there was a lot of other stuff.

The ending was redeeming enough and there were a few moments that were very interesting, but overall, I struggled to care what happened to the characters.

I still will give book 2 a chance!

This will be available for purchase on Jan 9th!

As someone who recently had two children of her own, I was so excited to read The Expectant Detectives, as there were certainly a lot of things I could relate to. However, having not witnessed/tried to solve a murder, there were a lot of things that I could not relate to. Kat did a fantastic job of character development - I felt that she truly captured each character's personality and they all complimented each other wonderfully. Overall, a great cheeky read to end 2023!

Alice and her partner Joe have decided to leave London for Penton, a sleepy village, since they are expecting a child in the very near future. Alice has some concerns about making new friends, but attendance at a class preparing women for childbirth opens new avenues for her.

Unfortunately, one of the attendees goes into labor at the second class and delivers a baby girl before medical help can arrive. The class is held above a shop selling herbal remedies and is run by a man who stopped Alice on the street after her first doctor's appointment and offered her herbal remedies for her ailments. Alice thought it was just a little pushy to discuss intimate details regarding her pregnancy with a complete stranger. She's surprised to run into him again as she and Joe go to class. She's even more surprised to find him dead at his counter when the class and the birth are over.

She and some of her fellow pregnant ladies decide to investigate the death especially when it is learned that one of the lady's same sex partner is being accused of the murder. Despite the urging of the police inspector who happens to be the sister of another of the women attending the class, Alice and a couple of others decide to look into things. After all, they are all on maternity leave and more than a bit bored.

Between secrets and goings-on at a local commune which was founded by the victim, though he left it after, Alice has a lot to investigate. A death and a disappearance from the commune plays into the story too.

This book was very funny. I've never been pregnant but can appreciate the trials and tribulations of a women just weeks away from giving birth. Alice and her lovely, but stupid, dog were great characters. I enjoyed this story very much.

I love this book. I love mysteries and I love getting to know the characters and plot and this was the best. I can’t wait to read what is next from the author.

Laughed out loud with this cozy mystery! Pregnancy and mysteries abound in this story of a couple in their 30s not remotely ready for a baby, but it's coming anyway. They move to a small town, out of London, for a simpler life, but end up involved in murder and other mysteries with the other moms from the prenatal class. Having gone through multiple pregnancies I can relate to these mom to be and enjoyed their adventures. Look forward to the next book from this author. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

Alice and Joe are expecting their first child and want a quieter life, so they move from London to the small village of Penton. As they settle in, they take a prenatal class, getting to know some of their classmates and more about the town. When a dead body is found where they meet for class, they all become murder suspects and then sleuths so they can clear their names. They find their idyllic small village is harboring some secrets!

The concept of this intrigued me, as I thought it would be fun to read about a group of expectant mothers dealing with pregnancy and unexpectedly finding themselves investigating a murder. The concept and execution read to me like a unique crossover of cozy mystery with women's fiction as Ailes presents the pregnancy aspect of the book in a relatable and realistic way.

I enjoy British humor, and this had lots of it! Alice's internal monologues are witty, and many scenes are funny, particularly those with Helen, the dog. Helen was the ultimate scene-stealer, and I adored her! The mystery had enough red herrings and twists to keep you guessing, and Alice and friends were entertaining to sleuth along with.

But, the book is long for a cozy mystery, at just under 400 pages. This seemed partly due to the world-building and strong character development, and I did come away feeling as if I knew this group well. This is the first in a series, and much of the groundwork was being laid out. But the length also affected the pacing in a few spots, even though I found it very well-written.

Lighthearted and charming, this was a solid debut, and I look forward to seeing where Ailes takes this series next!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the gifted eARC.

I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book but there is so much baby talk and pregnancy talk in this book. It wasn't funny, I don't think I'm the target market for this book. I

Alice and her partner Joe are expecting a baby and move to a small village where they hope for a simple life. Instead, Alice finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation as she and her new friends from prenatal class pursue the path of amateur sleuths and find themselves biting off more than they can chew.

The premise of this book intrigued me and while I appreciated that the author leaned so hard into the pregnancy theme because readers who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth will find it amusing and relatable, I can also see how it may be off-putting for those who have not. Overall, this was a good cozy mystery with a niche focus that will make it stand out in a genre with plenty of recent additions to choose from.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

Alice and her partner Joe are expecting! Having just moved to the sleepy village of Penton, renting a house sight unseen that is barely habitual, the two are barely ready to dive into parenthood. In an effort to get their life together, the two sign up for a prenatal class. But when a man is found murdered during their prenatal class, they along with the other expecting couples in the class quickly find themselves at the center of the murder investigation and as prime suspects!

This was such a fun story! My son isn’t even two yet, so childbirth is very current in my memory, and Kat Ailes does a great job of capturing everything that comes with having a baby. The pregnancy humor is top notch, and completely relatable! Some of the pregnancy stuff may be a bit much for some people, but it’s pretty accurate and moms everywhere will be able to relate.

As with any cozy mystery, you have to suspend belief in a few areas, and all our main detectives are the nosiest of nosy. With too much ‘free’ time on their hands, Alice along with Hen, Poppy, and Ailsa have decided to take on the task of figuring out who our murderer is. They tend to make wild assumptions and get themselves into a bit of trouble, but it’s all good fun!

As a note though, Helen is the absolute best! I’m a sucker for dog characters and Helen is a hot mess with a loving heart! I seriously loved all of her antics. I couldn’t not mention her because she is just the funniest!

I will say, I found the book to be a tad long but was nonetheless this was such a fun and enjoyable debut. If you love The Finlay Donovan series or The Booking Agents series by Cherie Priest, then you will 1000% love this book. Dead Tired is set to come out in June 2024. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book in the series.


The Expectant Detectives comes out January 9, 2023. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for my advanced copies in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.