This is such a fun, charming and playful which makes it so easy to read and I must say it is so very entertaining. It is fun, thrilling, light yet still gets you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens. I do love this second book of the series and hope there will be more as they are such enjoyable books to read.

They various mysteries happening throughout the book kept my interest up, the characters are the type you can't help but like and the setting you can imagine as it is Australian and we all know Melbourne. Fun and thrills. Loved it.

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

A Dance With Murder is the second book in the Edwina Bristol PI series by Australian playwright, screenwriter and author, Elizabeth Coleman. The latest case for Edwina Bristol Investigations, discovering who is stalking ballerina Giselle Tereiti, is not exactly progressing satisfactorily: each time Ted Bristol investigates a potential suspect, their alibi holds up.

It’s frustrating because Giselle insisted on a non-disclosure agreement, meaning Ted can’t tell the police or Giselle’s ex-husband, Senior Detective Spike Tereiti, and Ted feels she can’t advance her budding romance with the gorgeous police detective without being completely honest.

Her other major case involves the search for the missing husband of her sister Bob’s grieving friend and ex-retail neighbour, Cicely Bunting. Failed gym owner, Duncan Bunting disappeared while surfing at the notorious Cheviot Beach a year earlier, with only a shredded leg-rope and an Apple watch washed up later. Cicely just wants closure: is Duncan stuck somewhere on a Bass Strait Island? Or did depression over his financial situation drive him to take his own life?

With the assistance of her niece Chuck’s unparalleled IT skills, Ted and Miss Marple, her extremely smart, highly intuitive miniature schnauzer, discover clues to Duncan’s fate, but when it all falls into place a little too easily, Ted begins to second-guess her conclusions, and starts to look deeper. Her imagination certainly offers up some creative scenarios in the case before she finally settles on the obviously correct one.

Ted manages to make a huge faux pas when her concern for Bob’s welfare leads her to organise covert surveillance on Bob’s new beau, Raj Dalal, a betrayal that threatens the most important relationship in her life. It’s her first use of an eager but somewhat inept young surveillance agent, Cody Venables, likely to make further appearances for amusement value.

The playful mutual sledging between Ted and Spike at Swordcraft, the Bristol family’s unisex names, and the interpretation of looks between Ted and Miss Marple all add humour, as do some of Coleman’s descriptive phrases: “Ted’s brain was spinning at ten times the speed of a rotisserie chicken” and “Ted’s synapses exchanged glances” are examples.

In this instalment, Ted manages to solve two murders, boosting EBI’s total to three, goes above and beyond to save the man she’s discovered she loves from a prison sentence, steals an expensive knife, visits a bookmaker, wears a dress more than once, gives an interview, and digs up a body. Some of her evidence-gathering stretches the credibility a bit, but the cliff-hanger ending promises a welcome return of this quirky cast. An addictive, fun cosy crime series.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Pantera Press.

A Dance With Murder by Elizabeth Coleman delivers another thrilling escapade with Melbourne PI Edwina “Ted” Bristol. In this captivating instalment, Ted's flawed yet endearing character shines as she tackles a myriad of crime capers. Ted's trusty sidekick, Miss Marple, adds an extra layer of charm and humour to the narrative. Despite Ted's frustrating moments, her well-meaning nature always has you cheering for her. This series remains a perfect escape, offering a blend of excitement and humour. I eagerly anticipate the next instalment in this enjoyable and entertaining cosy mystery series.

Melbourne-based private investigator Edwina (Ted) Bristol is back, still accompanied by her ever- faithful miniature schnauzer Miss Marple. She remains set on her path to success thanks to a strong family network, attendance at her weekly role-playing battles and an inexhaustible internal engine.

She's a busy PI with a couple of jobs on the go. The first finds her attempting to find the identity of a stalker who has been leaving disturbing messages at her clients house. But she has a couple of difficulties to overcome when it comes to the case. First, her client's not really sure who the stalker is and can't really come up with any suspects. Second, Ted's kind of falling for her client's ex-husband, has been for some time but she daren't mention it to either her client or Spike, the object of her growing affection.

Also taking up her time is her sister Bob's expanding florist business. She has just purchased the shop next door and is set to combine the two into one large store. The previous owner, Cicely, had to sell to recoup money lost when her husband, Duncan, disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach. Yes, very Harold Holt of him.

One of the admirable traits that Ted boasts is her confidence in her interpretation of facts she unearths. This can turn out to be both a good and bad thing. So it's inevitable that we're taken through a succession of moments where an important piece of information is discovered and an immediate conclusion is drawn. Sometimes the conclusion is correct, sometimes it's not. We're on a bit of a roller-coaster here.

To add to the turmoil taking place in Ted's life, what with two cases occupying her time and her sister - a woman who has a notoriously poor record in choosing boyfriends - has just begun a new relationship, is the potential romance she may or may not have going with Spike. Whether or not she's about to find love is on an absolute tightrope and comes with a whole raft of further complications that also depend on her sleuthing capabilities.

The fact is, this is an endlessly entertaining detective mystery caper that's spiced with plenty of family interaction, manifesting as confrontations.

One of the cool little idiosyncrasies of the series is the Bristol first names. The female characters all have male nicknames (Ted, Bob, Chuck etc) while the men in the family have gender neutral names (Kerry, Robin, Kym, Leslie, Cal). I like that, it's one of those things that made me pause and think, okay someone's amusing themselves here, aren't they.

A Dance With Murder is a bright and breezy second book in the Ted Bristol series. Yes has her flaws but she's totally relatable and extremely capable. The uncertain nature of her detecting skills merely adds to the intrigue of her cases and there are plenty of dangerous moments to get the heart racing.

My thanks to Pantera Press via NetGalley for the digital ARC which allowed me to read, enjoy and review this book.

A fun cosy mystery with multiple mysteries occurring at the same time so plenty to discover! Perfect for anyone wanting a fun easy mystery to read, plus set in Australia so a relatable setting for any readers down under!

Another fabulous adventure with Ted and Miss Marple! There are several mysteries to solve, which makes this more dynamic than other books. Ted is a funny and well-meaning while also being a flawed human. She's so relatable and endearing. I love the setting most of all. Ted is all over Melbourne and it brings the city alive to me. I can't get enough of this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.