The Unholy Death, which was first published in Carry to the Grave, has been released as a novella in honor of the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries’ 10th anniversary. In 1910, a newlywed Kate Murphy arrives in Jewel Bay, where her husband owns a general store. The local preacher is murdered, and Kate helps the preacher’s now-orphaned daughter while trying to find her father’s killer.

We get a glimpse of the Murphy family in Jewel Bay. I hope this isn’t the only mystery we see Kate in. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Jewel Bay of the early 20th century again.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

This was a fun little read. Perfect for a cold afternoon. A great little mystery that that most will enjoy.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

In the first book in the Food Lovers’ Village Mystery Series, Death Al Dente, we learn Erin Murphy takes over her family’s century-old general store and turns it into a boutique market filled with local delicacies. In this book, An Unholy Death, author Leslie Budewitz takes us back in time to Murphy’s Mercantile when Erin’s ancestors, Kate and Paddy, were just starting to build their lives in Jewel Bay.

Kate is stunned when she finds the body of a local preacher. He had been raising his daughter alone after his wife’s death and now she is alone. Kate takes her under her wing while she and others try to find out who killed the preacher and why.

I really enjoyed this novella. I love getting the backstory for a series and learning the beginning of life in Jewel Bay, Montana was very interesting. Ms. Budewitz’s descriptive storytelling really brought the place to life. Kate Murphy has come to join her husband Paddy from my home state of Wisconsin so I loved all of her references to home and how different it is from there to Montana and the frontier town of Jewel Bay.

Katie helps at the mercantile but she also gives piano lessons. This helps her get to know her new neighbors and make some friends. Grace, the daughter of the local pastor, is one of Kate’s students. After the girl loses her father you see how kind-hearted and caring Kate is. She is a strong woman and with the need to get to the truth. Even in a book of just over 100 pages, we get to know both Kate and Grace very well and care about their future. That is a true credit to the author.

The mystery unfolds very quickly. There are several theories and secrets that need to be revealed to gain focus on who killed the pastor. I was totally caught off guard when the mystery was solved.

In An Unholy Death, Ms. Budewitz gives her readers a look at a difficult time in Jewel Bay. It appears that Murphy’s held on through the years passing the family business along and now to Erin in the current time. I can’t believe this was the only mystery Kate Murphy was part of and solved. This novella may just be a one-time thing, but I sure wouldn’t mind visiting Kate in her Jewel Bay again.

A solid mystery, a well plotted and fast paced novella. Leslie Budewitz delivers an interesting historical mystery
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

An Unholy Death-A Novella

A Food Lover’s Village Mystery

By: Leslie Budewitz

Publisher: Beyond The Page

Publish Date: 29 August 2023

Historical Fiction/Mystery & Thriller

#AnUnholyDethANovella#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both Beyond the Page Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

It’s 1910 and newly married Kate Murphy arrives in Jewel Bay, Montana, with her husband Paddy, proprietor of Murphy’s Mercantile, intent on building their life together in this unfamiliar place. The conditions are rough—as are some of their clientele—and get even rougher when Kate discovers the dead body of the widowed local preacher. She’s determined to keep his young daughter safe, but the task takes all the courage Kate can summon as she faces the first of many mysteries unfolding in her new home . . .

Book Review:

I really enjoyed this book. I gave it 4 stars. The author put a whole lot of stuff into a few pages. The book was fast paced, and you were invested in it.

Kate is barely 21 years old and founds herself in a position that is new to her, but she loves her husband enough to stick it out and try her best. Her husband is very understanding and supportive. Kate is trying to make friends and willing to help out where needed. She teaches some of the school children the piano after school in the schoolhouse to not only keep herself busy but to help out. One of her students is the widow, Preacher. One day she finds the preacher dead in the church and goes for help of a nearby neighbor. The Preacher leaves behind his daughter, who is now alone. Kate takes her in with the permission of her husband as a temporary solution. The small town is up in airs because there was a murder, and they are having a hard time trying to understand how this could happen.

As the story goes on Kate finds out many things, she wishes she didn’t have to find out. One is that the daughter of the preacher has a grandmother, but the grandmother wants nothing to do with her because she blames the father for the death of her daughter. Now what is Kate going to do about the girl? She tries her best to make things perfect for the girl. She is also trying to figure who would want the preacher dead and why. You will have to read the book to find out the answers.

Summary

An Unholy Death is a novella, a prequel to Death al Dente, book one in the Food Lovers' Village series. The story is set in Jewel Bay, Montana when the town is still the frontier. Newlywed Kate Murphy and her husband, Paddy, own Murphy's Mercantile. She is still learning the town and the people. It's a far cry from her Wisconsin hometown. It's far rougher, and thieves are active in the area, putting the townspeople on edge. Kate also teaches piano. One evening the lesson runs later than expected and Kate walks her student home. Once there, Kate discovers his body in the church, the victim of a blow to his head. Kate's pupil is now an orphan, and Kate and Paddy take her in. When a local disabled man is arrested for the murder, Kate knows he didn't do it. She begins to investigate. She draws closer to finding the murderer, bringing danger to those close around her.

My Thoughts

This is a very quick read, but still a solid mystery. There are several viable suspects, and the reveal was a surprise. I enjoyed reading this. Thanks to #NetGalley and #BeyondThePagePublishing for providing a copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks NetGalley for approving me for this ARC. A easy good read, kept my attention throughout and enjoyed.

This novella prequel to the Food Lovers Mystery series was so much more than just a murder mystery. Oh, sure enough, the murder sets the story in motion. But there was much more depth to the story than figuring out who had done the unfortunate deed. Ms. Budewitz has imbued her characters with tender hearts and a strong sense of community as they build their fledgling town, Jewel Bay, out in the wilds of 1911 Montana. In this story, we are introduced to the town's cast of characters. The protagonist is a gentle-hearted woman, Kate Murphy - a recently married bride to Paddy, the owner of Murphy's Mercantile. Working side by side, they are building a future together. But suddenly, the entire town is affronted by the death of the local widowed minister, whose daughter Grace is suddenly an orphan. Having no other nearby relations, Grace is taken into the Murphy home. She's a sweet child and ever so helpful. Yet, in those quiet and private moments, she is still a grieving motherless child. Will Kate be able to help Grace find her place in the world and maybe even find the killer? Only time will tell.

Ms. Budewitz has crafted a loving and tender story. The writing is lovely and the story richly told. Her scene setting is beautifully laid out such that the reader is transported to the wild west of the turn of the last century. Justice was hard won and folks had to rely on one another to get by. Observing the kind-hearted folks of Jewel Bay gladdens this reader's heart. I'll certainly be reading the rest of the series just to see how it all plays out.

I am grateful to Beyond the Page Publishing for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publication Date: 08/29/2023
Publisher: Beyond the Page Publishing
ISBN: 978-1960511263
No. of pages: 104

In An Unholy Death, we meet newlywed Kate Murphy and her husband Paddy in 1910 Jewel Bay, Montana. The historical cozy novella offers Leslie Budewitz fans some backstory to the town they’ve come to know and love in her Agatha-Award winning Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, as well as the origins of the Murphy Mercantile, known as the Merc for short in the modern-day series.

It also proves that the Merc’s Erin Murphy is not the first woman in her family to solve a murder. It’s in her blood. After all, the young Kate, not only discovers the body of a respected widowed preacher of the 1910 community, clues fall into her lap that could put her and the preacher’s orphaned daughter in danger.

An Unholy Death is full of plenty of suspects and twists and turns in the plot, which I didn’t see coming. I loved getting to know Kate and seeing the relationship unfold between our protagonist and Paddy, layer by layer.

Although this novella is supposed to have been released as a stand-alone edition from Carried to the Grave and Other Stories, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the series, I do hope we’ll get to read more of Kate and the early days of Jewel Bay. My head was spinning with thoughts of what might happen next.

I highly recommend An Unholy Death for all Leslie Budewitz fans and lovers of historical cozy mysteries. I received this advance reader copy from Beyond the Page Publishing, courtesy NetGalley.

An Unholy Death is a historical prequel to A Food Lovers’ Village Mystery series by Leslie Budewitz.

This takes place in 1910. Paddy Murphy and his wife, Kate, are proprietors of Murphy’s Mercantile in Jewel Bay, Montana. Kate finds a murdered man and has to figure out what to do with his orphaned daughter.

I really enjoyed this story. I have the Food Lovers’ Village series in my TBR pile and I’m anxious to start them now that I’ve read this story. It was an interesting mystery but the best part was the characters and Kate getting used to being newly married in a place far from home.

Thank you to the author, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Taking place in 1910, Kate is a young wife working with her husband Paddy, to make a life for themselves in Jewel Bay Montana. They own the local mercantile and Kate, gives piano lessons. Her lesson with piano student Grace runs late and Kate wants to make sure Grace gets home safely. When there are no lights on at home, but there are lights on in the church where Grace's father is the pastor, Kate goes to let the pastor know Grace is home. She walks in and sees the dead body of the pastor on the altar. Who did this dastardly deed??

Being a novella, the timeline moves quickly and points to more than one suspect. As the novella is wrapping up, long held secrets of a family in the community direct Kate in the direction of the murderer and the book wraps up as a cozy should!

An enjoyable quick read. I've not read Ms. Budewitz before so I was pleasantly surprised with the writing and the story. I'll have to get some of her contemporary series that reference this location.

Thanks to Beyond the Page and Net Galley for an ARC of this novella. The review is my own.

An Unholy Death is a Novella. It was a fun story to read. The author when reading the first page made me visualize the town of Jewel Bay. Montana as a frontier town. Kate Murphy is the main character who owns Murphy's Mercantile store with her husband, Paddy. She is a newlywed who has come out west to start a new life with her husband.

Kate is giving piano lessons to Grace Haugen at the school. She is the daughter of the Reverand Arval Haugen. The lesson went longer than she expected so she walked Grace home. Kate was concerned when they arrived and found the home dark. She went in and helped Grace get dinner ready. When going home she noticed lights on in the church and the Reverand's bike. She went in to talk to the Reverand and finds him dead at the raised platform at the alter. Kate went to Ivan Gregory's home down the road to tell him about what she had found. He contacted the deputy and formed a search party to see if they could find the person or persons who killed him. Kate went to get Grace and her dog, Buster and brought them home.

This is where the story picks up on an adventure not only for the reader but for Kate to figure out who killed the Reverand. The reader gets to know the people who make up the town. There is so much that goes on that I will leave it to the reader to enjoy to the end of the story.

I really enjoyed the story and wonder if there will be another series.

Thank you NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for this ARC.

Murder mystery set in 1910 Jewel Bay Montana. The story centers around newlywed Kate who with her husband Paddy runs the local mercantile. After finding the. Murdered body of the local Reverend she finds herself involved in the investigation. Good story.

An Unholy Death by Leslie Budewitz.
A Novella.
It’s 1910 and newly married Kate Murphy arrives in Jewel Bay, Montana, with her husband Paddy, proprietor of Murphy’s Mercantile, intent on building their life together in this unfamiliar place. The conditions are rough—as are some of their clientele—and get even rougher when Kate discovers the dead body of the widowed local preacher. She’s determined to keep his young daughter safe, but the task takes all the courage Kate can summon as she faces the first of many mysteries unfolding in her new home .
A good read with likeable characters. I loved Kate. 4*.

Newly married Kate Murphy & her husband Paddy are proprietors of Murphy’s Mercantile in Jewel Bay, Montana. When Kate finds the body of the widowed local preacher, she wants to help his orphaned daughter Grace. Several villagers have secrets they are determined to keep hidden but at what cost? This was an intriguing set-up and historical prequel to the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing. All opinions are my own.

I’m a fan of Leslie Budewitz’s Food Lovers Village series and this novella was a great addition to the series. A blast from the past and a quick read with a solid mystery in it.