The second book in this series picks up almost immediately after the previous one. Everyone is recovering from the aftermath of the previous adventure, and the physical and emotional wounds are recovering when Edie finds her way into a whole new case.
This one involves a completely different crowd from the one she is used to, and finding a way into their group means she also finds out a lot about how the more artsy crowd lives.
This one has Edie staying out of London for longer, delving into the ideas of what constitutes an appropriate contribution to the war effort.
Once again, as with the last case, the puzzle is quite interesting and, along with the conclusion, is not similar to anything I have encountered recently, which is always a great thing. Although not a big deal, I felt like this story could have been slightly shorter, it might have dragged a bit in some parts.
Finally, the romance hinted at in the blurb does not progress much beyond friendship, but it is a good relationship to 'ship'.
I look forward to reading the next and highly recommend this series to fans of the genre.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Quick and Dirty
-WWII-era historical fiction
-cozy English mystery
-quirky characters in abundance
-book 2 of a series but can be a stand-alone

What Worked
I won’t lie, much about this book worked for me. I found it to be a very pleasant surprise, full of fun characters and a mystery that hooked me pretty early in the read. I especially loved the home front WWII aspects of the book, with talks of patriotism, rationing, displaced children, and the threat of bombing. It gave added tension to the underlying mystery. In fact, the author chose to tie the motive to WWII in a way that I feel worked really well!

What Didn’t
I honestly can’t think of much! Some might find the main character a bit irksome, but I found her quirk to be quite charming. Maybe a little more romance would have been nice, but that could have distracted me from the mystery at hand. Is it the best book ever: no. But I found it quite enjoyable!

Read This If
Cozy British mysteries, artists, quirky townspeople, and WWII settings

Similar Reads
One Woman’s War, Mother Daughter Traitor Spy, Agatha Christie-type mysteries

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
This is the second Edie York mystery I've read, and I like this one even better than the first.
Edie is still trying to find a way to turn her obit-writing job into a 'real' reporting job,
While on a day trip to a village near London for a day of walking, she finds a body, and decides to investigate while assuring her boss she's found a fascinating subject for the obituary section.
The local policeman isn't really equipped to investigate the complicated relationships of the deceased, and Edie's friend and possible heart throb Louis shows up to help.
There's lots of interesting facts about war time life woven into the plot and the characters. I did miss the London setting and Edie's roommate a bit, but I hope there will be another book set back in London.
Giving this a 4.5 rounding up to 5, well-written, well-researched and left me wanting more.
Would recommend to fans of Allison Montclair and other wartime-at-home books.

The first thing I loooooved about this book was the cover, for some reason it reminded me to the "thursday murder club" book that I just have to read it, the second thing I liked the most was the murder.

Even though I didn't read the first book I don't feel like I missed anything that would stop me from enjoying it. The story is set in WWII and the main character is our friend Edie who is an (unofficial) amateur Sleuth that dreams with become a crime writer (and who doesn´t?) and when he is hiking with a friend they found the corpse of Joyce Reid, the local police says it was an accident but Edie is not so sure about that so of course he is going to investigate, but no one is very happy to have him snooping around of course everyone has their own secrets.

I loved the characters and really enjoyed the vibe of the book.

Thank you very much for the ARC

Set in World War 2, this entertaining novel continues Edie York's journey as an unofficial amateur sleuth whilst writing obituaries for the Manchester newspaper. It's the second murder mystery in this exciting new series which keeps you guessing and turning the pages until the unpredictable end. With brilliantly observed characters and settings, the author gives you a great story as well as a real feel for wartime Britain.

This is the second in F. L. Everett’s Edie York mystery series. I haven’t read the first, but that didn’t stop me enjoying this one.

Edie is an obituarist for a newspaper, with dreams of becoming a crime writer. When she and a friend go for a walk in the countryside, they come across a corpse. The deceased is one Joyce Reid, artist and very outspoken pacifist. The Athena House art commune had its base in her home, and she often shared her anti-war views with the village, in spite of their open and vocal disagreement with those views. There is no shortage of suspects, both villagers and Joyce’s fellow artists. But local law enforcement seems inclined to go on hearsay that Joyce took an unfortunate tumble. DCI Lou Brennan warns her off, but Edie can’t help but investigate.

Everett gives us a varied cast of characters. Edie is a charming, determined, independent young woman, someone who might easily be described as “plucky.” DCI Lou Brennan is no-nonsense, sometimes even abrupt, and dedicated to his work. Both have reasons for not seeking romance, but you get glimmers of attraction between the two of them that might smolder and eventually burst into flame. When Edie throws herself headlong into sticky situations (as she sometimes does), Brennan’s concern for her well-being shines through, before he tucks it back behind a professional veneer. I’m interested to see where Everett takes them in future books.

The artists who Joyce essentially took under her wing are also an interesting lot, and as the story unfolds, we see that each of them has some hidden resentment with the situation at Athena House. Could one of them have snapped and killed Joyce? Athena House is a hot mess of bed-hopping free love, and you have to wonder if someone didn’t like sharing. I sometimes thought the villagers frowned on Athena House’s moral compass as much as they did Joyce Reid’s pacifist (and, to the villagers, unpatriotic and even communist) leanings.

The murder isn’t tagged as an actual murder until a good way into the book, and Everett gives us other story arcs to unravel, too. There’s the side quest of who sent Edie’s co-worker Ethel lilies and why; Edie’s lost friendship with Suki and whether there is hope for reconciliation; and teenagers who go missing from Joyce’s village at about the same time she dies. Each story unfolds in good time, and Everett gives us some characters we may meet again.

The setting is almost like a character unto itself. Everett gives us a real feel for what wartime Britain was like – the shortages, the sacrifices, the injured soldiers returning home for care. And Edie may be working, but she hasn’t yet been given the opportunity to achieve the career goal she’s really hoping for. The wartime effort didn’t mean women were immediately considered equal to men in terms of employment, just that women were who was available to get the work done while so many of the men were off fighting.

This was a thoroughly charming book, and I recommend it to anyone who likes cozy mysteries with a bit of history to them and light on the romance.

I enjoyed book one in this series, and this second instalment builds on the excellent characters and historical, cosy crime settings. Edie takes an excursion to the countryside and finds an anti-war activist dead. She doesn't believe this is the accident the local police do and sets out to investigate, always after the front-page story. Edie's imminent danger draws DCI Louis Brennan into the investigation. I like the twisty mystery, the vibrant characters and the evocative historical setting of this cosy mystery.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I enjoyed the first one and this onecwas even better. An easy story with plenty of red herrings to keep you interested. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

As WWII presses on, Edie York and a friend go hiking in the country with plans to have a picnic with their rations and then meet with Joyce Reid, a local antiwar activist and founder of an artists colony on her property. Those plans are cancelled the moment Edie finds Joyce laying dead below a cliff.

The local police believe this to be just an accident, she slipped and fell, end of story. Ever the newspaper reporter, Edie is not so easily convinced, This just may be the story to get her off the obituaries column. Many people would be happy to see Joyce gone. They did not like her views on a war where their husbands and sons were dying, They certainly did not like the hedonistic lifestyle of the residents of her home or their artistic pursuits.

Edie convinces DCI Louis Brennan that there is more going on here than the local police are saying, Are they hiding something? They are none too happy to have an outsider come in and start snooping around. Edie will soon find more intertwining mysteries and disappearances. She won't stop until she uncovers the truth, and DCI Brennan will have to protect Edie from not only others, but herself.

For fans of the The Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries, pour a cup of teas and cozy up to this mystery series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was intrigued by this book and was looking for something with good plot and minimum graphic gore. I can say that this book met the bill, and even though second in a series could happily be read as a stand alone story.
Set in 1941 mid WW2, we meet Edie York, 24, works for a Manchester newspaper writing obituaries but who aspires to do more. Edie is persuaded to go for a walk in the country with her friend and colleague Ethel Cooper, first for some fresh air but also to meet Ethel's friend Joyce Reid who leads an artistic commune.
After a bracing walk, some hot tea and comestibles the friend tragically find Joyce dead at the bottom of a cliff. This and the disappearance of two young evacuees sets Edie's journalistic nose twitching and when local investigation stutters she decides to investigate herself with advice form her friend DCI Louis Brennan. Twists, turns and red herrings abound leading to a satisfying murder mystery.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this ARC, all views are my own.

Loved the first book in this series and was looking forward to the second instalment. I wasn't disappointed and am so glad I have read this one too. Eddie York is back, looking for headlines to write but actually becomes a headline herself. Edie finds the body of Joyce Reid, a well-known anti-war activist and so the investigation begins but where will it lead.

I enjoy Edie and her antics, love the way these books are written and enjoy to humour and the mystery. Wonderfully entertaining and such an easy book and series to read. Love the characters, love the setting and Can't wait to see what Edie gets up to next.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm enjoying this series as Edie is a strong and clever characters and the mystery are well developed and solid.
This story is even better than the first one and it kept me turning pages and guessing.
Thoroughly enjoyed it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the second book in the Edie York mystery series, and what a brilliant story! The war is ongoing and the whole of Britain is struggling to cope with the restrictions that the war has called for. On a day trip to the hills, Edie stumbles across the body of a young woman and is soon embroiled in another investigation. Bohemian peace activists, local angry villagers and young evacuees all play a part in Edies investigations to discover what really happened. I love the character of Edie who comes across as determined but caring too, and her relationship with the local Detective Inspector, Lou Brennan while a very slow burn, definitely adds to the story. The author excels at bringing this WW2 era to life, adding small details of everyday life that enable the reader to visualise what it was like for people. Overall, this is a brilliant mystery that kept me guessing right to the very end- another Edie York triumph!

Engaging WWII crime mystery.
Set in February 1941 during the German Nazis blitz against the UK, ‘Murder in a Country Village’ centres around 24-year-old Edie York. Edie is an obituarist for the Manchester Chronicle, who’d rather be their crime reporter. Fortunately for her career (but not for the victim), her second foray into crime investigation takes off when she and her colleague, Ethel Cooper, discover the body of Joyce Reid, a renowned anti-war activist, beneath a cliff. Edie York is supported by an interesting cast of characters.

Edie discovers that 2 London evacuees, a fifteen-year-old boy and fourteen-year-old girl, had disappeared a few days prior to Joyce’s death. Edie wonders if their disappearance and Joyce’s death are connected. Gaining the ears and assistance of her friend, DCI Louis Brennan, to investigate what Edie suspects is murder, she joins in the police procedural. Assisted by his dog, DCI Brennan organises a systematic search for the teens. The mystery unspools further as the body count builds up. Edie is an engaging protagonist, with her energy and curiosity.

The WWII setting in Britain is painted so well it comes to life, the people’s day-to-day concerns featuring while battle rages around them. Bombs fall, innocents are evacuated and food rationing is a harsh reality, yet the characters think about love also. I like that the characters’ lives carry on around the war setting. It’s human nature to crave a good meal and romance. The author, F.L. Everett folds all this into her crime mystery.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced reader’s copy of #MurderinaCountryVillage.

England 1944 and Edie is a courageous woman who is keen to make her mark in the newspaper world but she gets sidelined .She is an obituarist but she wants to be a crime reporter making front page news.

Finding an active anti war activists body at the bottom of a cliff becomes the news. In this village where many men have not returned from the wars, Joyce Reid’s death was not mourned by many. Joyce ran a house with a load of artists who were all anti war in varying degrees. They were a bunch of people with secrets to hide, and they did not take kindly to DCI Louis Brendan’s investigation into the suspected murder. Edie has better luck and gradually unravels a whole heap of information which could lead the Police to the murderer.

The setting is picturesque, both the village and the contrast with the artists residence. We have the background of 1944 WWII with its rationing, the hard life civilians faced on a day to day basis. It added a depth to the cozy.

This is another WWII cosy crime thriller
With Edie York trying to catch a killer!
During lovely walk in the countryside with a friend
Finding a body brings it all to a sudden end.

With pacifists upsetting the local community,
There are plenty of suspects to see.
However, it seems there's another mystery
But no one is looking into it, you'll see.

So journalist Edie decides to ask around
About the person whose body she found.
Writing their obituary is her cover
What will she soon discover?

Another war time case to investigate for both Edie and Lou
Where her insights can help them discover what is true.
There are plenty of red herrings and twists, too,
Before this riveting read is through!

For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: November 23, 2023

This is the second book in the Edie York mystery series by author F.L. Everett. I’m really starting to get into the series and the characters. The writing has improved and I’m excited to really see where the series goes!

Edie York is a writer for the Manchester Chronicle. After getting mixed up in a Nazi war criminal in the first book and barely escaping death herself, Edie is quite content to write her obituaries and stay on the safe side.

Edie and her friend Ethel take the train up to a country village for a ramble through the hills, they discover the body of one of the artists living in an old farmhouse set up like an artist retreat.

After learning more about the deceased, Edie discovers she was not accepted in the village with her peace talks and anti war speeches. She enlists her friend detective inspector Lou Brennan to investigate what she now believes is a murder.

This was a wonderful instalment of the series. I enjoyed being reintroduced to the characters and am quite tired of waiting for author to put Edie and Lou together!! There is clearly attraction and tension there. This is an excellent cozy mystery with historical content and an intriguing cast of characters. This is a four star for me and I can’t wait to see what adventures Edie gets up to next!

#NetGalley #FLEverett #murderinacountryvillage

F.L. Everett https://www.fliceverett.com/ is the author of six books. Murder in a Country Village was published just a few days ago and is the second of her Edie York Mysteries. It is the 109th book I completed reading in 2023.

Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to minor scenes of violence, I categorize this novel as PG. The story centers around 24-year-old Edie York, though there are several important supporting characters.

It is February of 1941, and the German Blitz against the UK is in full swing. York is an aspiring journalist for the Manchester Chronicle who is currently writing the obituary column. Her friend and co-worker Ethel Cooper invites her on a country walk. The two young women then plan to visit Cooper’s friend Joyce Reid. Reid is a pacifist living at Birchcroft, a large country home. There, she is surrounded by artists in a very unorthodox community.

As York and Cooper are laying out their picnic lunch after a morning hike, they discover a body. The corpse turns out to be Reid. Was she murdered, or was it an unfortunate accident? Her outspoken anti-war sentiments and bohemian lifestyle has raised the ire of local villagers. There may also have been romantic jealousies between residents at Birchcroft.

York’s curiosity is tweaked when she finds that two London evacuees had disappeared just before Reid’s death. The pair had lived and worked at a local farm for nearly 18 months. Did the young teen couple run away? Is their disappearance just a coincidence, or are they linked to Reid’s death? The local Constable Creech has no interest in York’s theories. York confides in her friend DCI Louis Brennan and asks for his assistance.

With Brennan in charge, a real investigation begins to take shape. He also organizes a thorough search for the missing teens. The discovery of a bloody body at Birchcroft raises the stakes in the investigation. Are more people at risk? Will the teens be found alive? Were one or both involved in the deaths?

I enjoyed the 8.5+ hours I spent reading this 325-page mystery. I did not realize until I began this novel that it was a ‘cozy mystery’. That gave me some reservations, but itl turned out to be a good mystery. I partially chose this novel because of the time period it is set in. It turns out that the war does not have very much to do with the plot. The chosen cover art is simple, but I do like it. I give this novel a rating of 4 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

IIt's Valentine's Day and everyone is receiving invitations from prospective Valentines. Even Ethel, Edie's colleague and friend who is perpetually tied to her mother received a special something from a secret admirer. But could the lilies she received mean someting entirely different: horrid and despicable? The duo embark on unraveling this mystery but become entangled in a different web --- a murder in a country village.

Everett's storytelling captivates from the get-go, drawing me into the narrative. I was really looking forward the continuation of Edie's story from the previous installment, and I'm thoroughly pleased with the outcome.

The characters possess both charm and complexity, making their dynamics a compelling aspect of the read. I find myself engrossed in the book for both its plot and the well-developed characters.

The novel is a welcome respite from my overly hectic schedule. It is a delightful blend of amusement, compelling narrative, and coziness. A genuine page-turner, it is a perfect match to the post-Halloween, pre-Thanksgiving atmosphere.

Murder in a Country Village is the second book in F.L. Everett's wonderful Edie York Mystery series.

What makes it such a wonderful series? Well, all the elements that I quite enjoy are there. Set in the years of WWII, the keep calm and carry on attitude, a plucky female protagonist, a mystery, a crime, an excellent crew of supporting characters - and a dog.

Manchester, London England. Edie is the local newspaper's obituarist. Which is good, but what she'd love to be is a crime reporter. On a ramble with her friend Ethel, they come across a body - and it's someone Ethel knows. Accident or deliberate?

Edie just can't help herself - she starts asking questions. And soon enough, DCI Louis Brennan is called upon.

I really enjoy this type of investigation. Answers, clues, secrets and more are found by interviews, conversations, hunches and instinct. So much more interesting than DNA matches etc.

Edie is such a great lead character and the reader can't help but behind her. Urging her on and sometimes shaking your head at some of her choices. But, it's her curious nature, her kindness and zest for life that makes her such a great protagonist. The supporting cast from the first book return - Lou, Annie her roommate, Lou's friend Arnold and Marple the dog. Everett gives her players personal lives that move forward. Yes, there's some romance afoot for some.

Everett has done a really good job of bringing her setting to life. She gives us detailed locales, food, businesses, the war and much more.

The first book, set the place and introduced the characters. With this second entry there's much more to the crime, the investigation and the characters. I will be watching for the third book!