A well plotted and written story, with an engaging lead character and other interestingly drawn characters.

This is the first in a new series of mystery books set in the UK, with an American ex-police investigator, drawn in to assist in solving of the deaths.

I look forward to reading more in this series.

(rounded up from 3.5 stars)
Have you ever thought about taking a walking vacation? If so, this book might change your mind! Chase is a retired detective from San Diego, still mourning the death of his husband. He has come to England for a walking vacation, something he’d done a few others times so he knows what to expect. He is joined by Billie, a woman he got to be friends with on previous walks. The location is in Devon, England, as you can tell from the title.

We quickly meet the tour leader, Sally, and the other participants. None of the other characters appealed to me at all, so I was glad this was a fictional tour, not one I actually had to deal with! The murder victim (well, the first victim, as there will be ore than one before the book is done) was pretty obvious; he was incredibly obnoxious and he was concerned about threats he had been receiving.

One of the only appealing local characters was a potential new love interest for Chase, so that added promise. This is a nice start to a new cozy mystery series, to add to the increasing number of “quozy” mysteries that have started being published.

I bounced between the print/ebook copy of the title from Kensington Cozies and the audio copy from Recorded Books. The audio was well narrated by Donald Corren, who did a great job with a lot of different accents.

Thank you to Recorded Books and NetGalley for the chance to listen to the audio version and to Kensington and NetGalley for the chance to read a review copy of the book.

A Deadly Walk in Devon is a fantastic cozy mystery focusing on retired detective Rick "Chase" Chasen who is grieving the loss of his husband. He is on an adventurous walking tour in the English Countryside. He is accompanied by his American friend and counterpart Billie Mondreau. The main guide for the walking tour is Gretz, a grouchy & unlikeable man who becomes the murder victim.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Books | Kensington Cozies for allowing me to read this book early!

The disparate group of American tourists who make up the Wanderers walking tour through Devon have more in common than you might think. Rick “Chase” Chasen is a recently retired detective from San Diego. He’s happy to be in the company of his old friend, Anglophile Billie Mondreau: she’s an inveterate knitter and a wise old soul. Chase is still coming to grips with the death of his longtime partner, Doug. Although it’s been a year, hearts heal at their own pace.

Sally Anders is the walk-leader of the Wanderers—their mother hen. They say a mother is only as happy as her unhappiest child. That being true, Sally is not a happy camper since one of the group, Ronald Gretz, is a miserable so and so. Ronald is the quintessential ugly American, complaining vociferously about anything and everything—the food, the accommodation, the length of the hikes, and his trophy wife’s annoying persistence in making him take his pills.

Ronald’s attitude is a big contrast to the other Wanderers. Walking and enjoying historical landmarks—that’s the way, and the why, of joining the Wanderers. Chase is immediately absorbed into the rhythm of vigorous walking.

Even with the trail’s uphill grade, it didn’t take long for familiar walking motions—the rhythmic swinging of my arms, the steady forward propulsion of my legs, the measured breathing—to work their magic. Tension began to flow from my shoulders, legs, and neck. Each intake of fresh, clean air was followed by an expulsion of the stale accumulated chemical soup of the civilized world.

Chase thinks to himself, “This was how to get in a positive frame of mind.”

When Ronald learns that Chase is a retired detective, he begs him to protect him. Ronald has been receiving threats to his life—alarming “texts and emails signed “An Avenger.” Ronald doesn’t know the identity of this Avenger. Disturbingly, even with Chase keeping a close eye on Ronald, repeated “accidents” haunt Ronald, so many that retired detective Chase is forced to take him seriously.

It turns out that Ronald Gretz was right about the threats against him and dangers to his life. The group is traversing a wet and rocky coastal path: the day is foggy and windy. Chase tells Billie he’s worried about Gretz: “I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Ronald won’t wear the proper footwear, he’s not in the best of health, and frankly, he’s either accident prone or he really does have enemies. Later that afternoon, Chase asks Billie to peer over the side of a cliff they’ve just crossed.

There was no mistaking what I was seeing—a body clad in checked trousers and a pale-yellow polo shirt. It was facedown, and waves were lapping at his head.



It was definitely Gretz. And there was no way he could be alive.

The pair hurry back to the Valley of the Rocks to inform Sally of Ronald’s death.

A Deadly Walk in Devon is an homage to traditional closed circle English mysteries. Billie’s conversation with Chase underlines the similarities.

charmingly cozy and calm, feels like a nice warm nap in the sun. super calm, super relaxed, super fun

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
A poor mystery, written poorly.
So much of what makes a good murder mystery is attention to detail and compelling characters - neither of which are present here.
If you’re going to include “facts” in your writing, you’d better make sure they’re true - “Bobby” is not Scottish slang for a “piece of shit”. It is children’s slang for penis. Possibly the author was thinking of “jobby” - assuming they were thinking at all. This lack of detail is jarring to a reader who knows better, and makes your main character (who is supposed to be knowingly explaining this) look silly.
The characters are flat and uninteresting, collectively they only seem to have one gear and little nuance. The murder victim is unlikeable - which is not in of itself an impossible quality, but his unlikeability is so pantomime you can’t get past it. Anytime a character has to explain their actions they go about it as if they are reading from a reference book. The English police inspector is such a cardboard cutout stereotype I’m surprised he doesn’t fall over - no one this side of Enid Blyton, even in Devon, is going to say “toodle pip” once, let alone multiple times.

George's novel is a satisfying cozy mystery that purposefully evokes English mystery greats like Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and E.X. Ferrars. It’s self-aware enough of its conventions to have fun with them, but never too cheeky or too immersion breaking.

The detective, Rick “Chase,” is a grieving gay man (and retired detective) who is resuming his hobby of walking tours in England with a friend. The rest of the walking tour group are the murder victim and a handful of suspects. The description of the walking tour is fun in itself, but when the mystery kicks off it gets much more intriguing. I liked the investigation aspect and how different clues were offered.

I think anyone who enjoys a good cozy mystery will like this book.

An interesting start to a new series with atmospheric settings and quirky characters. I will be intrigued by the second installment.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Here is the first entry in a promising new cozy series. The protagonist, is Rick who goes by the nickname Chase; he is a retired detective whose partner died not long ago. Chase continues to miss him.

Chase has made plans to go on a walking tour in England. Also on the tour is his very good friend Billie, a retired librarian. They are two in a group of travelers. The most obnoxious of these has been threatened and indeed is murdered.

This is not a locked room but there is the concept of a contained group of people who come together. Who had the strongest motive? Will Chase be drawn in the solve the murder? Of course! The fun is in watching how things go.

I enjoyed getting to know Chase and Billie. I did indeed find the victim to be obnoxious and I enjoyed my virtual trip to England. Recommended for cozy fans who like their mysteries with some armchair travel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

This is another great first entry in a new series, a Walk Through England Mystery series. I love walks and long rambles and hikes, I love England, and so the book would have had to be dreadful for me to pan it. Luckily, it was very enjoyable. Rick "Chase" Chasen, a retired American policeman, has joined his friend Billie for a walking tour of Devon. Chase is starting to emerge from the intense grief of the past year, after the death of his husband, and he and Billie are both hoping that a long walking tour will help him recalibrate a new normal alone. Their companions on the walking tour are stereotypes: the loud crass businessman and his trophy wife, the bickering couple, the brother and sister who are so different and yet so alike. But despite these conventional characters, Mr. George does a good job of throwing some twists into each of their stories to fool the reader. When one of the walkers is murdered on a foggy, treacherous cliffside trail, the local policeman, unfamiliar with murder investigations, asks Chase for his help. I enjoyed this book a lot. I loved the setting, Chase is an interesting character and a good eye for the reader to witness the murder and the investigation through. I just wish we had seen a bit more of Billie, because she's a great character. I'm assuming she may be the main suspect in a future book. I just wonder how well the author can sustain a series where someone gets murdered every time Chase goes on a hike?

Rich Chasen (Chase) is a retired detective on a walking tour of England with his good friend and The Wanderers walking group. It’s an eclectic group of people…especially when one of them ends up dead. Chase brings back his detective skills to solve the case.

It’s a fairly typical cozy mystery—predictable, repetitive, secondary characters that are a little overdone, but with a likable main character that has a heart and, of course, the beautiful background of the English countryside. (I also like that the main character is a gay man—not often seen in the cozy mystery genre from what I’ve read.)

If you’re an Anglophile or a cozy mystery fan, you’ll enjoy this book.

This story is told in first person and follows Chase, a retired San Diego police officer and widower who meets up with his friend Billie for a walking tour in Devon. This is not their first excursion with the tour company Wanderers, but the first since the death of his husband Doug, a voice actor. Billie also has some personal things going on with a sister who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Chase and Billie are joined by nine other characters on their walking tour including a guide and a bus driver. It took me a while to remember each character and place them with such a large group. They were all distinctive with varying backgrounds. I enjoyed the settings and locations. I thought a walking tour group was a good concept for a cozy mystery. There’s a particular excursion that they go on that is encapsulated by fog that I found very atmospheric for a murder setting in the English countryside.

I did find some of the dialogue a little stiff and melodramatic, especially the curmudgeon Mr. Gretz who complained about everything. However, it was a quick and enjoyable read. I found the mystery to be interesting. I think that I will continue with the next book in the series.

Recommended to cozy mystery readers looking for a scenic British setting.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3. Enjoyed this walk, and look forward to other titles to come in the series. I especially appreciated both the fact that the main character was LGBTQ AND that he was an older man. Recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Rick “Chase” Chasen is a retired San Diego police detective who is still grieving the loss of his husband, Doug. Chase loves walking tours and so he has come to England to join a trip around Devon. He is traveling with Billie, a good friend he met on a prior walk six years ago, as well as a handful of others. Between Doug’s death and his recent retirement, Chase has been sort of at a loss for direction, and he is hoping this trip is a chance to reconnect with something he enjoys and get him out of his funk.

Unfortunately, while the fellow walkers are generally a nice group, Ronald Gretz is rude, boorish, and incredibly difficult, and no one on the trip can stand the guy. But despite how difficult Gretz is, when he tells Chase he has been receiving messages threatening his life, Chase can’t help but be sympathetic. He agrees to keep an eye out and see if he sees anything suspicious that might indicate Gretz is in danger. Unfortunately, when Gretz is out of Chase’s sight, he ends up dead at the bottom of a cliff.

With everyone on the trip needed for questioning — and some being potential suspects — the group is sequestered in their hotel while the police investigate. Once the local police realize Chase is a former detective, they ask for his help on the case. No one in the group admits to having known Gretz prior to the trip (other than his trophy wife, who seems an obvious suspect) and Chase is having a hard time imagining any of them as killers. But at the same time, there seem to be motives for almost everyone, particularly as everyone hated the man. With their holiday on hold, Chase must help uncover just who killed Gretz before the killer strikes again.

A Deadly Walk in Devon is the first in Nicholas George’s Walk Through England series and appears to be the author’s debut work. This one caught my attention right away given the setting and the premise of the walking tour of Devon. I was lucky enough to spend time in this region when I visited England and the area is just gorgeous, so I loved the idea of a series focused on walking tours of England. George does a great job capturing the beauty of the area and we get nice details on the landscape and the lovely vistas as the group takes their walks. However, I did wish we spent more time seeing them explore the area. Once Gretz is killed shortly into their trip, everyone basically spends the entire remainder of the book restricted to the hotel and there is no more time spent walking or exploring Devon. So I think given the set up here for both the book and the series, I would have loved to see more time with them seeing the sights of the region.

The mystery is generally well done and I found it interesting trying to figure out who was behind it all. This isn’t a “locked room” type story, but it is a cozy mystery and, for the most part, the suspects are presumed to be the folks involved with the tour. So we spend a lot of the book following along as Chase and the local police interview and ask questions of the tour participants as they wait in the hotel until the case is over and they can leave. The investigation kept me guessing, but the ending strained credulity given the actions of someone who is supposed to be a seasoned law enforcement professional. Also,

Spoiler title
seemed hard to believe and, by the third time, it seemed a little bit ridiculous.
I enjoyed Chase as a character and we get some nice insight into where he is in his life right now. Chase lost his husband and retired from his job in relatively close order and he is sort of feeling at a loss. This case gives him something to sink his teeth into, a sense of purpose he has been missing. We also learn a little about his past and his relationship with his sister and why it causes him be inclined to want to find innocence rather than guilt. The side characters are somewhat less developed, however, and tend to be fairly one dimensional. Gretz is almost a caricature in his awfulness, being rude, boorish, obnoxious, and argumentative with pretty much everyone. Just as some examples of his many horrible moments, here is when someone comments about the poor quality of their mother’s nursing home care:

“Cut the hearts-and-flowers crap,” Gretz snapped. “You sound like all the families I have to put up with. They think we’re going to make their dear old mommies and daddies young again. They got no idea what it takes to put up with these old fossils. I tell you, it’s a thankless job, and —“

or when talking to his wife:

Gretz noticed the glass in my hand. To his wife he said, “Go get me a beer. Make it cold. None of that piss-warm crap they serve over here.”

“The server will be here momentarily,” Sally said. “There’s no need for your wife to do anything.”

“I want a beer now,” Gretz bellowed.

At the same time that Gretz is basically a mustache-twirling villain, Chase seems to be sympathetic toward him. Not that someone deserves to die for being an ass, but it just left me confused as to how I was supposed to view Gretz as a reader. Does the author intend for Gretz to be far less offensive than I found him? Or maybe this is meant to indicate Chase finds a way to see the best in even the most awful people? I was just left somewhat confused as to how to take it all.

This book isn’t really a romance, but we do get a tiny dash of it here, as Chase meets a local man named, Mike, at the hotel and has a brief conversation. Chase is intrigued enough by Mike to hope they connect again, and they do run into each other a couple more times. But Chase seems to be thinking a lot more toward a future with this random man who lives in another country than I would have expected given how little time these guys actually spend together. I mean, it is a couple of quick chats, nothing more. But given this is the start of a series set in England, I assume things will develop further in future books. I’ll also note that I really liked that we are dealing with an older romantic lead here, as Chase is in his late 60s, which is rare for romance novels.

There were a few other things that didn’t totally make sense to me, but perhaps this is me coming from an American perspective. It seemed surprising to me that the police would include Chase in their investigation so readily, letting him in on private information and having him interview suspects, particularly since he should have theoretically been a low-level suspect himself. Also, the members of the tour group let the police interview them over and over again with no legal representation, even knowing they are considered murder suspects. Like I said, maybe this is my American sensibilities, but these are tourists being questioned as murder suspects for days and none of them bring in attorneys? Or call the American embassy or something? I mean, if I was suspected of murder on foreign soil, I certainly would want someone official by my side. And finally, it surprised me that this tour company is totally not involved in any of this. Someone is murdered on their tour, the tour leader is a new hire leading her first trip, the tour participants are all suspects, and literally no one from the tour company seems to talk to them or even show up at the hotel to speak to the police.

So I did have some issues here and overall the writing wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked. But I still find this series premise really intriguing and I am curious enough to give the next book a shot. I liked Chase and think there is some nice potential for the series.

An enjoyable and easy read that kept me guessing until the end, although the culprit was on my list of several possible suspects. The logistics of the actual main murder didn’t really work for me. An easy read with everything being well-explained and hashed out by the sleuths. I would definitely read another book in this series.

This is a fun take on the cozy mystery genre, and I especially enjoy the backdrop of the walking travelers. Chase is a retired American police detective, and he finds himself solving a crime during his travels. It seems this may be the theme throughout this series, and I'm curious if we'll stick to the UK or if Chase will end up traveling elsewhere. While there are some cookie cutter elements to the story and the mystery overall wasn't particularly mysterious, I enjoyed the characters overall and the setting especially. If you're looking for a very light, easy mystery you may enjoy picking this one up. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

I like to read books which take place where I am headed next for my vacations — and A Deadly Walk in Devon was perfect for me as I soon will be on a walking tour in England. This is a fun, quick read with enjoyable characters and plenty of hints to the solution of the murder. In the novel one of the tour members gets pushed off a cliff while on the walk up a trail! Fortunately, a retired detective from the US is on the tour. The other suspects/characters are all on the tour or leading the tour — and are now trapped in a lovely Inn in Devon while the local Inspector and the US detective jointly work out the crime. You will thoroughly enjoy this soft boiled romp through Devon with it local color.

Howdy, howdy! How’s everyone doing this lovely Wednesday? I’m sure it’s lovely somewhere or to someone, anyway. It’s only Tuesday as I’m writing this, but the forecast says thunderstorms, so it may or may not be lovely here. And I’ve used the word lovely too much, so now it sounds awkward. Let’s get to what this post is about… a book review! That’s right. It’s the last Wednesday of the month. This time, I decided to nestle back into my comfort zone with a cozy mystery. A Deadly Walk in Devon by Nicholas George was released on the 26th from Kensington Books. As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. So, let’s do the thing!

A Deadly Walk in Devon follows Rick “Chase” Chasen, a retired San Diego detective who is grieving the death of his significant other. He’s struggling with life in general, so he decides to go on a walking tour of Devon where he meets up with Billie, a woman he knows from previous trips, and a handful of other guests who booked the same trip. On particularly annoying guest confides in Chase that he’s been receiving death threats and enlists Chase’s help in staying safe. Chase is hesitant, but also tempted by the puzzle of it all. When the man falls to his death, Chase feels the need to figure out what really happened.

The plot. An old, rich jerk falls to his death in a strange place surrounded by strangers. Or are they strangers? Cue the suspenseful “dun dun dun.” Of course, everyone except Chase suspects the trophy wife. Even the British inspector. Throw in a second, seemingly unconnected, death to stir things up. There are plenty of red herrings and a disturbing number of “jokes” that are technically attempted murder. A bestie who encourages all of the shenanigans is included as well. And there’s a potential love interest. Also, if you’re at all familiar with cozies, it isn’t difficult to figure out whodunit. It’s standard cozy mystery fare, which is what I was hoping for.

My only complaint is that a lot of the characters were pretty flat. Chase and Billie were great. The inspector was an amalgamation of a number of great detectives (Holmes, Columbo, etc.), but only if they were completely inept. Which is fine. But there were at least eight suspects and not much room in the book for them to be fleshed out, so a lot of them felt like stereotypes. It’s not that big of a deal, but I do enjoy more meat on characters, especially when they all stick around for the whole book.

The writing is nice and the description of the scenery is great. The pacing is a little on the slow side, but they’re on a walking holiday, so it kind of fits the story.

Ultimately, A Deadly Walk in Devon is a perfectly adequate cozy mystery. I enjoyed it. The whole walking trip angle makes for a fun series set up with plenty of settings to explore. I will definitely check out the next book in the series when/if it comes out.

Overall, I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. It wasn’t perfect. The characters need work. But if you enjoy cozies, I think it’s worth picking up.

Rick Chasen, a retired San Diego detective, goes on a walking tour of Devon to recover from the death of his long-time partner. Of course, the group includes an older wealthy and unpleasant gentleman who suffers several dangerous accidents on the trip. Then, he falls off a cliff; It turns out to be murder. The suspects are fellow group members who look awfully familiar from types found in a lot of cozy mysteries. On the surface it seems as no one could have a reason to kill the man, except for his young beautiful trophy wife. But looks are deceiving as Chasen finds out as he is asked to help out the detective on the case.

There are plenty of red herrings as clues seem to point to one suspect and then another. It is a satisfying cozy but I was a little disappointed that Chasen, a professional detectives of many years, does the stupid thing of confronting the murderer alone in a dangerous place but it does produce exciting moments. I liked Chasen but the other characters could have been a little bit more developed.

The setting plays a role in the story and it looks like the rest of the series will follow this type of set up. It definitely gives it a sense of place I just wish they had done a bit more walking than being stuck so long in a small hotel as the investigation proceeds. But the times that people are outside conveys the stark beauty of the place and how that atmosphere can change so drastically depending on the weather.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.