This was a cute and fun light mystery. Main character Alice is pregnant and has just moved with her boyfriend from London to a small village in the Cotswolds. While attending a prenatal class, a man is murdered downstairs from where the class is being held. Alice, and some of her fellow pregnant classmates, start trying to investigate on their own, slowly becoming friends as they also bumble their way through investigating - though maybe more effectively than the local police!

The book manages to have an interesting mystery which kept me guessing, while also being light and funny with plenty of hijinks. Fans of Finlay Donovan and the Aunties books should enjoy this one too. Looking forward to reading the sequel when it comes out this summer!

This cozy mystery has crafted some truly lovable characters and manages to avert the typical "unicorns and rainbows" early motherhood storyline. I loved getting to know Alice and her new friends in Penton.

The Expectant Detectives is a fun cozy mystery, the start of a new series.

Alice and Joe just moved from London to small-town Penton. Alice is eight months pregnant and they wanted to move away from the city. But now they have to find new friends, new grocers, new doctors, and it is all overwhelming. They begin a prenatal class, in hopes of both learning about childbirth and meeting other people around their age and stage in life.

What they didn't expect is that one of their new acquaintances, Hen, would give birth during their second class and the shop owner where their class was held would wind up dead. Did someone come in during the confusion of the childbirth, or was the killer one of their classmates?

Alice, Hen, Poppy and Alisa decide to investigate, while also dealing with a police detective who is quick to jump to conclusions and partners who are acting suspicious.

Very pregnant amateur detectives is a fun concept, and I'm sure the next book, with moms of babies solving a murder, will be just as much fun. I really liked all of the secondary characters as well. Penton is an interesting locale for murder, with a commune in the woods, and a lot of natural medicine stores and a Women's Inner Goddess Temple, where Alice has a gong bath.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book.

The Expectant Detectives is such a fun, and funny, cozy mystery.

An impressive debut and I am so excited it's book one in a new series.

The addition of a furbaby was an added bonus. So excited to see where this goes next.

The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes is a debut mystery about a group of soon-to-be moms-turned-detectives living in the Cotswolds, and I’m here for it. This was a hoot. Was it sometimes unbelievably silly (let’s say zany)? Yes. Did I mind? Not one bit. It was fun and funny and just what I needed to escape those gray days of January. And Helen the dog adds much hilarity to the story. I loved how Alice settled with a new group of soon to be moms, each with their own unique personality. For fans of Finlay Donavan. Lots of fun. Looks like book two Dead Tired: A Mystery comes out early this summer and I’ve got it on my TBR. @Minotaur_Books

I’ve heard that this has been compared to the Finlay Donovan series and I can see the connection, but I didn’t fall in love with these characters like I did Finlay. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

You won't be able to read this book without a smile on your face—funny, uplifting, engaging, and one I wanted to read again as soon as I finished it. There is something about British banter that absolutely delights me.

The book centers around soon-to-be-parents Alice and her partner Joe. With a baby on the way, they decide to leave the crowds and smog of London behind for the cozy village of Penton. Alice is excited to embrace country life (though she’s never quite sure if her “Barbour” coat and boots make her appear to be trying too hard).

Alive joins an antenatal class where she soon meets the other pregnant women of Penton. There is the beautiful and uptight Hen, laidback sidekick Poppy and her more serious partner Lynn are an absolute delight, and dreadlocked Alisa is a member of the local commune and having a baby seemingly on her own.

On the day before class, Alice is approached by an older man who claims that he has the remedies she needs to help with her urinary tract infections (of course, Alice rightly wonders how this man knows anything about her urinary tract). During class, things escalate when Hen goes into labor and delivers a baby during class, while the proprietor of the shop downstairs is murdered. It turns out he’s the same man who approached Alice earlier—Mr. Oliver. Could one of the class attendees or their partners slipped away and murdered Mr. Oliver during the distraction of the birth?

Alice, Poppy, Hen, and Alisa not only care about solving the murder that happened so close to them, but let’s be honest—they are a bit bored on maternity leave looking for things to distract them from their pending motherhood and uncomfortable bodies. Starting with Alice and Poppy, the four expecting mothers soon form an amateur detective club hoping to uncover the murderer. But things may be heating up faster than they can manage when another murder hits a bit too close to home and someone close to the group winds up on the suspect list.

If you’ve ever thought cozy mysteries are too kitschy for you, but you are looking for a mystery with a dose of humor—this is the book for you to read! The mystery is interesting, the characters are funny, the banter is top notch, and nothing about the book is silly or detracts from the story. I’m already desperate to read the next book in the series, because I didn’t want to leave these kooky mothers behind!

The pregnancy bits will make any woman laugh. Imagine attending a 2-hour sound bath with a baby squeezing your bladder the whole time… Or learning that some women eat their placenta (Alice and Poppy discuss at length if this makes you a cannibal and decide that since it is your own body, it really doesn’t qualify)!

The mystery was compelling and there are so many things going on in the sleep village of Penton that make the suspect list quite long. A decade-old cold case becomes relevant, and it is always interesting to see how someone goes about researching that case. Meanwhile the commune somehow is at the center of it all, and let’s just say that it introduces quite a few complications when trying to get to the truth of the matter.

You will laugh, you will be charmed, and you won’t want this book to end!!!

Thank you to Minotaur Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.

When Alice and her partner, Joe, and their demon of a dog, Helen, leave behind London for the countryside of Penton, they think it will be the perfect place to raise their unborn child. That is, until a man in the village is murdered right when a woman goes into labor during their birthing class. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone seems to be hiding something--even Joe--and Alice and her fellow expectant mothers (and one very recent one) team up to uncover the truth.

This was a really fun and fresh mystery. Alice is such a real character, who keeps it authentic with us, the reader, and her perhaps less-than-ideal habits despite her impending motherhood. She's a character you want to be friends with, and her reactions to things--be it finding a dead body, her miscreant dog, or the realities of birth--are so spot on that it's uncanny. The mystery is interesting, and I did not predict the ending at all. There's really so many possibilities, it's almost impossible to guess--and I love it. I can't wait to read book two in this series!

Thanks to Minotaur for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

I'm not usually a series kind of girl, but this is one series that will keep me coming back for more! I absolutely loved this book and the next in the series immediately jumped to the top of my wishlist when it comes out.

Y'all, Kat Ailes is FUNNY. If I had a dollar for every time I cackled while reading this book, I could probably have a pretty nice spending spree at Barnes and Noble. Let's be honest, some of this was because of the characters antics, but it was mostly because of Helen the dog. I will legit keep reading this series just to see what other hilarious things she'll do.

As funny as Helen was, I also loved how relatable this book was. I remember those pregnancy days and how insane, comical, and scary they could be. She perfectly captured all those emotions that come during those nine months. I'm really excited to see how Alice grows as a new mom as the series progresses.

If you liked the Finlay Donovan series, I HIGHLY recommend this one! I give it 5/5 stars!

really wanted to love this book, but I didn’t, it was a little too long and made the mystery part soooooo long, there were times when all I wanted was just for the book to be finished and to know whodunnit, i definitely think there were parts that could’ve been written out and shortened, but all in all I didn’t hate it.

I will read the sequel just out of curiosity, but this book I give a 3.5/5.

Thanks NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good read - I really enjoyed this book. I'm so glad that I got the chance to read it early and will definitely be recommending it to multiple people who enjoy these types of novels. I enjoyed the characters and especially enjoyed the writing by this author. I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next as I'll definitely be reading it! Thank you to the publisher for my early copy of this book!

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The Expectant Detective
Author: Kat Ailes
Source: NetGalley
Pub. Date: Jan. 9, 2024

When you want something light, fun, and silly…The Expectant Detective is a winner. This entertaining book introduces us to Alice & Joe, who have moved to the small town of Penton to begin a new lifestyle with the pending arrival of their new baby. I have been to the Cotswolds, and I can tell you, this would be where I would love to buy a home. It is so charming, and the small-town vibe will capture your attention. But what’s on the outside isn’t always what is on the inside, and there are secrets, murder, and shenanigans happening (hello, hippy commune). The prenatal class is where the action starts with one participant going into labor, the discovery of a dead body downstairs, and the class preggers group deciding to figure out whodunit. Pandemonium ensues. This isn’t Agatha Christie, and that is just fine with me.  I remember my prenatal classes where I was fearful and bored, so I could relate to pregnant women wanting to solve a murder. But the real star of this story is the dog, Helen. Helen is the “Legally Blonde of the dog world,” and her antics ratchet up the fun. I didn’t know what to expect, but I did laugh out loud on more than one occasion. This is not War and Peace but light-hearted fun. Easy read, funny, set in the Cotswolds, with raging pregnant hormonal detectives…what more could you want? #TheExpectantDetectives @KatAlies @NetGalley @StMartins @Minotaur #murder #murdermystery #cozymystery #fiction #contemporary #debutnovel #pregnantAmateurSleuths #HyperDog #LightRead #mystery #humor
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: Jan. 9, 2024
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#book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader #reviewer

This one is going to be a DNF for me. I could not get in to the storyline and found myself not picking this one up. I didn’t really connect with the main character at all, so I feel this is the main reason why I didn’t care about reading.

This was a fun, unique cozy mystery. The pacing was perfect and it kept me guessing until the end. I loved the banter between all of the expecting women and especially loved Alice’s dog Helen. I can’t wait for the next book in the series, Dead Tired.

First of all I'm a huge true crime nerd and the theme of this book really interested me.

Alice and her partner Joe move into a sleepy village and are excited to start nesting and prepare for their baby who is due soon.

When a body is found, Alice and her pregnant friends decide to try and solve it. Alice soon finds out she's probably way over her head.

I laughed a bit and it kept my interest the whole time. I'd recommend it to someone who wants a quick, funny read.

Funny, quirky, and very relatable if you have ever been pregnant. I laughed out loud while holding my baby and reading this one. Yes, there is a murder in the book - but instead of a scary thriller, it's comedic and has a good element of mystery. I wish it moved a bit faster - but the story was enjoyable.

If you like "Finlay Donovan is Killing It", you would enjoy this one!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

"The Expectant Detectives" is quirky and funny, and yet a compelling mystery too with lots of references to British TV detectives for fun pop culture references too. It turned out to be a surprise favorite for me so far this year.

In the story, Alice and her boyfriend Joe have moved from London to the country just weeks before their first child is due. Bored with maternity leave, yet not feeling inclined to unpack, Alice sets out to make new friends in their new town. Little did she anticipate that she and three other soon-to-be mothers would find themselves in the thick of a murder investigation. With all that spare time on their hands, and a desire to think of anything other than the impending births of their children, they decide to poke around a bit.

What ensues is a wild ride, uncovering a hippie commune, a decade-old mysterious death, and so much more. I definitely enjoyed their antics as well as that of their dogs. Helen was a hoot!

As another reviewer mentioned, I do hope this is the start of a series, because I'm hooked!

Thank you to Kat Ailes, the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Absolutely loved this book! If you are a fan of British mystery tv, you will be delighted by all the references to famous tv detectives. I really hope this is the start of a series because I love Alice and her fellow soon-to-be mamas and especially Helen the dog! This book was funny, poignant, and had a compelling mystery to boot. I read this in one sitting. Now let's get Alice a tv show so she can join the ranks of her favorites!

I finished this book but am unable to provide a review due to the ongoing boycott of St Martins Press.

Embark on a cozy yet thrilling journey with Alice and Joe in the quaint village of Penton. What begins as a move to embrace country life takes a dark turn when a murder disrupts their idyllic plans. 'The Mother of All Murders' unfolds a captivating tale of suspense, secrets, and unexpected twists. Alice and her pregnant companions, fueled by determination and a troublesome dog named Helen, navigate a web of mysteries, shady communes, and buried secrets, making for a compelling whodunit that keeps you guessing until the very end.