Violet Brewster has recently moved to Merrywell and is slowly becoming accepted by the local community. A book festival has been planned and author, Leonie Stanwick, famous for her racy romances, has been invited as the first guest at the opening. Violet is enticed into doing the interview with Leonie and as she prepares for the event she starts to find out more about the author. Such as Leonie is originally from Merrywell but won’t answer questions about her time there or her estranged family. Leonie also announces that her next book will be autobiographical.

The murder victim appears obvious from early on and the answer must lie in her past. However, all is not as it seems! There are numerous suspects and Violet weaves her way through various conversations and interesting plot twists to the conclusion.

This book has good pace and kept my attention throughout. The core characters are nicely developed. The exception being the ex husband whose character portrayal I found was not convincing and also he did not really add to the story.

United States Publication: January 16, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Violet Brewster's first few months in the village of Merrywell have been interesting, to say the least. First, she stumbled into solving a village mystery, and now she's helping new friends prepare for the village's first-ever book festival. Asked to interview the headline author, Violet is excited to be taking part in her new village that doesn't involve crime. The village is excited to welcome back to Merrywell Leonie Stanwick, a famous romance author who grew up in Merrywell but hasn't been back since she was 18 years old. But it doesn't seem like everyone is excited to welcome Leonie back when she's found murdered and suddenly Violet is embroiled in another crime in sleepy Merrywell. But the murder takes another turn when it isn't Leonie found murdered but her relative. Everyone then wonders if the killer succeeded, or failed, and will there be another murder in Merrywell?

Book 2 was a fun read for the bookworm and the bookworm who loves mysteries. Bettany crafted a good mystery, providing some unpredictable twists and turns to get to the who-dun-it. She also really spent some time developing the character of Violet and other Merrywell residents that I'm guessing we'll get to know better in future titles. This is a fun series, I'll keep up with it as long as Bettany keeps writing Violet Brewster sleuthing around Merrywell.

Wow, what a read! Great plot and characters. Everything you want in a mystery. This series gets better with every book. Very well done!

my first jane bettany book and wont be my last i liked it nice easy read. All the characters are interesting and easy too relate too i've always wanted to go too a book festival and feel like i was there with the descriptivenessand the way it was written.

Violet Brewster is enjoying her new life in the village of Merrywell. Six months on from solving a decades old mystery, her business is booming, she loves living in Greengage Cottage, and her friendship with local furniture maker, Matthew, is blossoming nicely. Added to this is the very exciting prospect of attending the very first Merrywell Book Festival which has been organised by her close friend Fiona's husband, Eric, who owns the local bookstore.

As an ex-journalist and interview specialist Violet has been asked by Eric to conduct the first author event with local writer, Leonie Stanwick. The bookstore is crowded with fans of the romance novelist and Violet is delighted to see that business is brisk once her part of the proceedings is concluded. By the following morning however, it seems as if the weekend is doomed to fail after a body is found with strong connections to the festival and Violet begins, once again, eyeing her new neighbours with suspicion. A surprise visitor to her cottage almost derails her investigation as well as some friendships. Can Violet work out who the killer is before everything she has put in place is destroyed?

Book two in the Violet Brewster series is a great addition and moves along at a great rate. There are quite a few new characters included but everything flows nicely and isn't at all confusing. I worked out the resolution to one plot line but the rest came as a complete surprise and there is great scope for more exciting investigations as this series continues.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, HQ Digital, but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a very enjoyable book which continues to pave the way for a very successful new cosy crime series.

This was a fun read. Since I love books, what could be better than a novel about a book festival. This is the first of this series that I have read. It is about Violet Brewster who owns a small business. Because she is friends with the bookstore owners who are putting on the festival, she agrees to interview Leonie Stanwick.
Leonie grew up there and made it as a romance author. She rarely comes home but the book festival drew her home. She has a younger sister Angeline Hammond who she is estranged from. When an old classmate shows up and says that she and Leonie were best friends, Violet thinks it’s odd that Leonie denies knowing the woman.
Leonie comes off as a snob who came home to rub her success in the face of others. When Violet goes in search of Leonie who had promised to conduct a master writer’s class and she finds a body next to Leonie’s Audi, Violet at first assumes it is Leonie.
Eric the bookstore owner confides to Violet that he has sunk a lot of money into this event and that he can’t afford to fail. He asks Violet to investigate the death and hopefully help him pull everything together so that the death doesn’t bankrupt the event.
There are plenty of suspects and Violet manages to follow all the clues until she can tie all the ends up together and help the police solve the murder.
I didn’t guess who the killer was until the end. That is always a good sign for a mystery.
This was a pleasant cozy mystery. I enjoyed the twists. There were enough suspects to keep me guessing. I liked the author’s voice. Liked the development of the series with the promise of romance for Violet. Liked that the author didn’t make her ex-husband a total villain. He had a human side that made me feel sorry for him. He obviously didn’t realize what he had lost when he and Violet split. I like that Violet is a strong character who doesn’t feel she has to have a man to be happy. I like that we got to see Leonie change. She went from a diva to someone who could be a friend to Violet. I enjoyed the setting. The story pulled me in until the very end.
I gave this book 4 stars and would recommend it to cozy mystery lovers. Especially the ones who love books.

What is the point believing in yourself if no one else does? That is exactly the point! This discussion is only a tiny minor detail, but it struck me. I quite liked this kind of conversations in Murder at the Book Festival, such as Eric and Violet who are both incomers in Merrywell. Despite not having been born and bred there, the locals might have taken to them...

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

A best selling author returns to her hometown to confront her dark past.

Merrywell is hosting its first book festival with best selling author , Leonie Stanwick. Violet Brewster interviews Leonie about her upcoming book during the festival. Violet discovers a murder victim related to the author, thus leading her becoming involved in the case. Leonie's reluctance to return to her hometown and the many secrets she holds if part of her new book, a tell all memoir. As the festal draws people interested in writing and books, it also draws people from her past. Violet also receives an unexpected visitor during the investigation and festival. Her ex-husband puts a kink in her plans of moving on in new place. Violet uses her ability of discerning information to help the police unravel the mystery in this crime novel.

As a fan of crime novels, I enjoyed reading this book very much. Jane writes a very descriptive story of a book festival and its unfortunate link to a crime. I enjoyed Violet's inquisitive mind to solve the crime while unintentionally annoying DS Winterton. The author also provides some giggles with the unexpected appearance of Violet's ex-husband, Paul. Paul's audacity to restore what he gave up provides humor that makes the reader root for Violet.

I recommend this book for crime lovers mixed with giggles thanks to Paul A well written novel.

Adorable and engaging characters in this murder mystery set in the Cotswolds. I read this book before the first in the series (it's the second) and had no problems catching on to the characters and plot as they can be read independently but now that I've read this one I'll go back and read the first as well and any others this author puts out. It's a fun, delightful read with plot twists and quirky characters -- the best kind of murder mystery!

A delightful cozy mystery set in a charming English village. The mystery was intriguing enough that I couldn't figure out who the murderer was. I loved the village, the book festival, and the budding romance in the story. This is the second book in the series but can easily be read as a standalone. I didn't really know Violet's age or job until quite a way into the book but it didn't really matter.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I love me some cozy mystery during this time of year. I loved how town/village was described, it truly felt like I was there in the middle of everything. The vibes and the relationship development between Matthew and Violet are amazing. I’m so happy I was introduced to Jane Bettany and cannot wait to read more of this series as it (hopefully) continues. Thank you Jane Bettany and NetGalley for this digital arc!

Murder at the Book Festival is the second in the series featuring Violet Brewster, the owner of the Memory Box. The local business community is involved in setting up their first Book Festival and are thrilled that local girl turned big-time author, Leonie Stanwick, is returning to be the star guest. But there are secrets all around, and Violet will have to dig into them to keep everyone safe.

What I enjoyed most about this is the village setting; everyone is nosy, but they will all pull together to put on a festival. I also found the business set up to record people’s memories is interesting as a real idea as well as a good way to reveal secrets in a mystery. It’s a different cozy occupation than the usual baker or yarn shop owner.

What I had more difficulty with was why Violet was so intent on solving the murder. Usually, the MC is related to someone who has been accused or have themselves been looked at as the murderer. There just wasn’t really any compelling reason for her to be involved, although I do give her credit for letting the police know what she was doing.

Some of the characters could use a little more fleshing out, particularly the love interest. However, Leonie turned out to be more layered and interesting; she was pretty sassy, in fact.

All in all, this is a good, quick cozy read.

A thoroughly good read. Cosy crime at its best. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I am now reading the first in the series. Violet is a great character and the novel is well written. I didn't predict the ending and the story kept me hooked throughout.

Many thanks to the publisher and author for this ARC copy.

This was the perfect cosy autumn read! The setting seems like the dream place to live, with local bookstores, cafes and a book festival. I felt that there was a good mix of plot and description, I sometimes find myself getting distracted from the mystery in some cosy reads but this was perfect. I was left guessing right until the end and became invested in the investigation along with Violet. I also enjoyed that Violet had a more realistic involvement than some other mysteries have, she kept in contact with the police and didn't go off on her own without telling anyone. The first book of this series is now on my TBR!

I loved this cosy mystery, it had everything I needed; a book store, a coffee shop, a manor house and an intelligent protagonist. Add in a potential romance and a good plot with plenty of suspects and this book delivers on all counts. I can’t wait for the next one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my approval to read and review this book.

This is the second in the series with Violet Brewster as the main character. As you can see from the title - there is a Murder at the Book Festival. So let me tell you a story of how it begins, Eric Nash the owner of a book shop decide to plan the first first festival in the Village of Merrywell. He invites Leonie Stanwick, a local girl, who has since moved away and become a famous romantic writer, to be the main star of the festival weekend. Eric asks Violet to be the interviewer and she agrees straightaway. The plot is full of twists, turns and a few red herrings and Violet saying she will not interfere with the investigation like last time. I loved how the characters and locations are written. I could see them in my mind. No spoilers from me as you need to discover this for yourself. Let me say that I didn't see how the book would end. I recommend you read the book.

Murder? Book festival? An alluring combination and, of course, I was going to read this!

The small village of Merrywell in the UK is hosting its first book festival, organised by Eric Nash, the owner of the local bookshop. He’s organised a full agenda of talks and workshops, with Leonie Stanwick, author of best-selling raunchy romance novels, as the star attraction. Leonie grew up in Merrywell but left abruptly when she was 18 years old so Eric was thrilled when she agreed to return to her birthplace.

Local Violet Brewster, with her experience of interviewing, was asked to converse with the star author in the first guest session. It was packed, as lovers of Leonie’s books flocked to hear the discussion. But soon after, the festival took a dark turn when Leonie was found murdered.

As Violet begins to investigate, secrets about Leonie’s past are revealed and shock the villagers. Will these secrets help uncover the murderer?

I love a good cosy mystery and this book held my attention all the way through. The location is perfect, with enough interesting characters to get to know, and Violet is a sensible yet curious investigator.

Murder at the Book Festival is the second in the Violet Brewster series so, after reading it, I immediately purchased the first e-book in order to learn more about Violet. I hope Jane Bettany has already started writing the third!

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Bookfest Fatality..
Violet Brewster returns in this second outing to Merrywell where a book festival is underway. Planning is going well for the first ever bookfest, despite various controversies, and Violet is to interview the star guest author. When that same author is found very dead indeed, chaos ensues, and secrets will out. Needless to say, Violet once more comes into her own. Another enjoyable and entertaining mystery in a well imagined and delightful setting, a credible and deftly drawn cast and a solid mystery at its very heart.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this cozy mystery.

Violet Brewster has lived in Merrywell for six months now. Her business of interviewing people on tape is doing well. She's invited to interview the keynote speaker at the Merrywell Book Festival, a romance writer named Leonie Stanwick. She's very popular and her books sell out quickly. The festival organizer, Eric Nash and his wife Fiona are both busy organizing workshops and other myriad details for the weekend long festival.

On the opening day of the festival, Violet is ready for the interview. The auditorium is packed, but the author is nowhere to be seen. When she finally arrives with one minute to spare, Violet and Eric sigh with relief and the interview goes well. Leonie was born in Merrywell and has not been back for a long time. She has a younger sister living there, but hasn't been in touch with her either. The next day, Leonie is booked to conduct a workshop for beginning writers but, again, is not in attendance. Violet agrees to go to her hotel and rouse her to attend. But instead she discovers a body on the ground besides Leonie's car. When it is discovered that the body is not Leonie but her younger sister Angeline, I suspected that Leonie was the intended victim and her sister was killed by accident. Violet intends to find out.

This was an entertaining and enjoyable read, and I look forward to the next in this series.

Murder at the Book Festival is a delightful cozy mystery that takes place during a book festival in the charming town of Merrywell. When one of the authors is discovered murdered, the festival takes a dark turn. Determined to ensure the rest of the festival is a success and that there isn't a murderer running loose around Merrywell, Violet dives into the investigation. When she finds out the author was a local, she knows there will be plenty of secrets to uncover and lies to reveal.

Murder at the Book Festival is a perfect cozy. Violet and her friends are such fun characters, and I'm truly loving getting to know them. I am thoroughly enjoying the development of Violet and Matthew's relationship. The setting of Merrywell is absolutely spot-on for a cozy - it gives off all the small-town/village vibes. This series makes me want to visit the Peak District immediately. I can't wait to follow Violet and her friends in their next adventure!