Enjoyed reading, an excellent addition to the series.
Nice to meet Julia’s daughter. Love how the characters are developing. Didn’t guess who the murderer was until the very end.
An excellent mix of murder and gentle humour

I really enjoyed this cosy murder mystery. With its Cotswold village setting, a wedding and characters with a range of ages, it has all the ingredients for an entertaining read. Julia is the sort of person I could imagine going for coffee with, I really related to her character. I like that the book is also about relationships, not only a murder mystery. I have read some but not all of this series; the books can be read separately. I’m now going to read those I’ve missed, and am looking forward to the next volume!

Reading a new Julia Bird cozy mystery is like settling in for a good chat with an old friend., and returning to Berrywick is like wrapping yourself in a warm, soft blanket - enfolding you in its comforting embrace.
This is the fifth book in the series, and Julia is firmly nestled into her new life in the village. So much so that she's even offered to organise her ex-husband Peter's wedding to his partner Christopher there. She's thrilled that her daughter Jess is going to be there from Hong Kong, and it's wonderful for readers to finally 'meet' Jess who has appeared somewhat prickly from afar in previous books.
As with most things in life, things don't quite go according to plan, and nobody, least of all mild-mannered Peter, anticipated Christopher turning into the Groomzilla that he becomes!
And of course, nobody could have predicted that murder would be a part of the wedding agenda, or that Christopher would be the prime suspect due to his numerous hissy fits - one very public one in particular! It falls to Julia to prove his innocence, because surely he is indeed innocent?
Thankfully, she has a willing team at her disposal: local D.I. Hayley Gibson, who's learned to trust Julia's instincts when it comes to all things murder related, but who's also quickly become a good friend and someone to confide in; lovely village doctor Sean who has become Julia's 'significant other' (because calling him a 'boyfriend' at her age seems a bit cringeworthy!) is always on hand with practical advice; Tabitha, the local librarian adds fabulous boho flavour and fabulous, no-nonsense friendship too. There's also,a colourful cast of village inhabitants who bring welcome familiarity to this book series as Katie Gayle manages to deftly incorporate them into each story, developing all of the characters over time so that we get to know them and their roles and places in everyday Berrywick.
I loved how we were able to see the development of Julia's relationship with her daughter Jess. Julia had really been feeling the distance between them since Jess had been away - not only physical distance, but also an emotional separation as she felt that Jess was still struggling with her parents divorce and that she found it easier to confide in her father. The mother-daughter bond can be fraught when life gets ... well, life-y, and distance doesn't make that any easier. It was wonderful to see how the two were able to re-kindle what had obviously been a warm and comfortable relationship in earlier years. I hope that we see more of Jess in future books.
Which brings me to very exciting news ... Bookouture recently announced that they've signed Katie Gayle (the incredible partnership of South African authors, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel) for two more Julia Bird books! These will be books seven and eight in the series, and they'll both be released during 2025. So there's lots more Cotswolds murder and mayhem to look forward to! I couldn't be happier!

Julia Bird is soon to attend the wedding of her ex-husband Peter. With only a few glitches, the wedding takes place and the happy couple look forward to their future together. However, the next morning, the body of the caterer is discovered. His name was Desmond and he was shut in his refrigerator truck for an extended period of time, thus the man froze to death. Definitely foul play and Julia is determined to seek answers.

Peter's new husband Christopher is one of the very first suspects that the police look into, and Julia is now bound and determined to prove Christopher's innocence, while also finding the actual killer. Just as Julia and the local police close in on the most likely suspect, another murder occurs, and they just might be back at square one.

While all of this is going on, Julia is delighted that her daughter Jess is in town for the wedding. The two have a lot of time to make up for, and Julia strives to get closer to Jess. Julia and Jess's relationship makes this cozy mystery even more engaging as this adds another layer to a series that has been enjoyable right from the very start. Also, Julia's warm relationship with the local doctor Sean is also nice to read. Oh, this review would be remiss if I were not to mention Jake, Julia's wonderful chocolate Labrador Retriever. It was quite humorous to almost see Jake with a conscience when it came to his loyalty to Julia while clearly enamored with Jess. Yes, a fun story throughout.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

This is the fifth book in this series all about Julia Birds Mysteries.

Julia’s ex is getting married, a nice country wedding at the Swan. The next morning a body is found, the mystery surrounding the death starts. There is quite a few suspects, but they all are innocent. DI Hayley Gibson is the detective in charge and wants to find the killer quickly.

This is an exciting read that keeps you guessing who the killer is. Julia is a likable character and she’s great at finding clues around the murders. The book is well written and is another great book in this series. Can’t wait for the next one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This is book 5 in this charming series. Thanks to her ex's wedding, her daughter is home from Japan, only it's Julia's new home, and when there is a murder post-wedding, she gets to spend her vacation time not only helping her mother to clear her dad's husband from being a suspect, but to get to know the blessing of village life. Will the calmer life sway her from her busy life abroad? Julia is hoping so, as there seems to be more changes going on around her. A fun and quick read, this is a wonderful charmer of a series with a middle aged sleuth making her way post-divorce.

How many of us would track down a murderer to clear the name of our ex-husband's new spouse? Probably not many, but that's all part of Julia's charm, and the reason for her putting on her sleuthing shoes for the fifth time.

A mix-up with the catering which could have had fatal consequences causes Christopher, the new spouse of Julia's ex, Peter, to blow up at the caterer. When the caterer is later found dead, Christopher becomes the prime suspect.

Gayle gives us lots of robust characters and a wonderful taste of village life in Berrywick. Julia has integrated herself into the community in the process of building her post-divorce retirement life, and that helps with her investigations. This time, we get a better sense of where she came from, as her daughter has come to stay for the wedding, and Julia is interacting more with her ex due to the case.

Julia has also settled into a romantic relationship with the local doctor, Sean, and made some strong friendships with the local librarian, Tabitha, and police detective Hayley. As always, there's Jake the failed service dog, who provides not only comic relief, but clues, and, it must be confessed, messes.

Why you should read this series: This series is everything a cozy should be. Berrywick isn't St. Mary Mead, and Julia isn't Miss Marple, but there's a comfort and simplicity I find in English village cozies that I enjoy.

Why you might not want to: I can't imagine any reason you wouldn't want to, if you like cozies.

I received an advance copy from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

4 out of 5 stars. Recommended.

This is another great Julia Bird mystery! I haven't yet read all of them, but I can say that I have loved all of the ones I have read. Julia is so easy to like in large part because she's just a normal, everyday kind of person. She's in a new stage in her life and embracing those changes while also being able to reflect back on her prior life. In this book she gets to see her ex-husband remarry and spend time with her daughter (Jess) who has been in Hong Kong for school. I especially appreciate how the author makes everyone so down to earth. Julia and Jess's relationship is pretty typical - there is no question how much they love one another but they're not the over-the-top best friends that have been so common in recent pop culture. The little mini-romance between Jess and Dylan was also really sweet. There didn't seem to be as much of Sean here and I would have happily had more with him and Julia. As for the mystery, it had me guessing until the end and was definitely not obvious until it was obvious to everyone. I really liked how Julia did have moments of being a little nosy, but most of the information she gets was just a matter of her being in the right place at the right time.

Julia’s ex is getting married and Christoper has planned every detail to be just as perfect as he wants. But things don’t go as smoothly as he had hoped. First a guest has an allergic reaction to the food and Christopher rips the caterer a new one. When the caterer is found frozen to deal in his truck, all eyes turn to Christopher.

With a groom on the primary suspect list, Julia is determined to clear Christopher’s name. After all, why shouldn’t her ex have his happily ever aft3er? But this could put Julia in the killer’s cross hairs and be an unhappily ever after for her if she doesn’t get it right first.

I adore British cozies…they’re just cozier! Throw in a wedding and I’m totally hooked. This series is a particular favorite of mine and I love Julia. She’s no shrinking violet and she isn’t afraid to go out and look for what she needs to solve a case. A truly great female protagonist!

Cotswolds, wedding-madness, family-dynamics, family-drama, local-law-enforcement, small-town, amateur-sleuth, friendship, cozy-mystery, situational-humor, mild-humor, murder-investigation, suspense, failed-guide-dog, pet-dog, retired, book-club, thrift-shop, twisty*****

The first problem was a guest at the wedding who had inadvertently eaten something with nuts and a case of anaphylaxis. The first death was the caterer frozen in his work van. The first insanity was a viral posting of a rat at a catered wedding shower. And that's just the beginning of this lovely cozy!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!
Available March 13, 2024

Another great Julia Bird mystery. This latest book was a little slower build than the firsts few, but I enjoyed it nonetheless . Jullia's ex gets remarried, but the wedding has a few bumps - namely a dead caterer. Julia helps DI Haley investigate, and what they uncover are a lot of suspects, many motives, and another body!
Great characters, fun four legged friends, and a great plot.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Julia's ex is marrying Christopher. Her daughter, Jess is in Berrywick for the wedding. On the happy day the ceremony, meticulously micromanaged by Christopher, is going well until one of the guests suffers an anaphylactic shock. There is another shock the next morning when the body of the caterer is found frozen to death in his refrigerated van. Inspector Hayley and Julia realize it's murder rather than an accident. Christopher, who threatened the caterer is the first suspect but soon others come under suspicion and Julia and Hayley find themselves in a dangerous situation when they corner the killer.
This is a great series focusing on Julia's life in a small English village, her budding romance with the local doctor, volunteering at the charity shop and going to book club and quiz night. But, like Midsummer Murders, there's always a murder. The details of village life are charmingly portrayed and the characters are like old friends; as is Jake, Julia's dog who failed guide dog training but loves chickens.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for another early visit to Berrywick.

This is one of my favourite cosy crime series and this new book lives up the standards of the previous books.
Retired social work, Julia Bird keeps finding herself involved in murder investigations despite her best intentions. This time the murder occurs at the marriage of her ex-husband to his new partner and once again, Julia is there when the body is discovered.
One of the reasons that I enjoy this series so much is the character of Julia. She is completely believable and her relationships with the other characters in the book, including her growing friendship with D I Hayley Gibson make these books stand out from others in this field. I really enjoyed Julia’s mixed feelings about her ex-husband’s remarriage and her renewed relationship with her daughter.
The mystery is an enjoyable puzzle. The various suspects are ruled out one by one and it begins to look as though the police have no further leads until the final clue leads them all to the right place.
My one minor regret is that once the murderer was uncovered, the book was over very quickly. We had several chapters setting the scene at the beginning but the climax of the book actually felt a bit rushed.
Despite this, it was still a great read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys cosy crime with a believable set of characters and lovely setting.
My thanks to Net Galley and the publishers, Bookouture, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

In this 5th Julia Bird mystery, we meet Julia's daughter, who is visiting from Hong Kong. She's there for the wedding of her father/Julia's ex-husband, Peter. Peter and Christopher, the husband-to-be, have remained friends with Julia and helped her move to the Cotswolds when she went there from London. They fell in love with the place and decided to have their wedding there. It's Christopher's first wedding, and he gets a bit 'Groomzilla' about it all, both before and after the wedding. When someone is found dead, Christopher is a suspect. Julia investigates with help from her daughter, her friends, and of course, the fabulous Jake the dog. There's also another mystery running through the book, which Julia is puzzled about--is it or is it not related.

I love this series and I loved this book just as much as the previous four. It's not necessary to have read them in order, but I have enjoyed seeing the evolution of the characters and their relationships, seeing how Jake matures and how his friendship with Henny Penny the chicken endures. Jake featured a lot in this book and his antics made me laugh out loud. It was nice to 'meet' Julia's daughter --their relationship had been strained at times in the past. Her presence added a new dimension to the cast of characters. As a cozy mystery, I give the book 5 stars. It's an enjoyable read with some interesting twists, a fun cast of quirky characters, developing relationships of various sorts, a cute village, and of course, Jake.

I loved it! One pet peeve with cozy mysteries is when the protagonists simply stumble upon clues in no part due to their efforts. That was definitely not the case here. Julia Bird puts in the work and using her sharp instincts reaps the results, which makes for a fun, exciting, and twisty adventure. It also keeps the plot marching forward. I read this book in a day. I highly recommend this book and the series, for that matter. I've enjoyed several Julia Bird mysteries.

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley, and the author for an advanced reading copy.

This is the latest instalment of the Julia Bird mysteries. This time it is the wedding of Julia's ex husband after which member of the wedding organisers dies. The characters are well written and you feel like they are friends, so much so that we worry about the safety of the main cast. There are lots of twists and turns and blind alleys before we get to the culprit. It is very descriptive writing which makes it easy to picture the village and surroundings. Thoroughly enjoyed this one. With thanks to Bookouture, Netgalley and the author for this ARC copy to review.

I love Julia Bird. She's a wonderful character and good fun to while away a few hours with. That said, if she were a real person, I'd be thinking long and hard about inviting her to any important events I was arranging as, wherever Julia goes, it seems like trouble, or more accurately, murder, is not far away. She's like a present day Jessica Fletcher, only not a novelist, and rather than living in Cabot Cove, she's in the Cotswolds with a madcap dog and a very judgmental chicken. And as you can imagine, it means these books are a whole lot of fun.

In A Country Wedding Murder, the calamitous event in question is the wedding of Julia's ex-husband Peter to his fiance, Christopher. Whilst maybe a little bit strange for Julia, she's loved up herself with dishy local Doctor, Sean O'Connor, and the occasion gives her plenty of reason to celebrate too, as her daughter, Jess, is home from Japan for a few weeks to attend the wedding. Everything seems to be perfect, at least until Julia, Sean and Jess discover the caterer's body doing a good imitation of a popsicle, and trainee Groomzilla, Christopher, becomes the number one suspect.

What I love about this series is that, whilst the subject matter may be quite serious - murder is no laughing matter after all - the authors manage to balance humour, lightness and that sense of jeopardy perfectly, keeping all of the relevant clues hidden until the perfect moment for reveal, and infusing so much mystery that it keeps me completely hooked from start to finish. The act of murder seems incongruous with the picture perfect setting, and yet it all makes perfect sense, and keeping those moments of jollity, in spite of the occasional demise of a few characters, makes the whole series completely engaging.

The authors do a perfect job of creating that small village feeling, everyone knowing each other's business and that feeling of connectivity that happens in such a small and close knit community. It also means a great opportunity for local gossip to seep into the investigation, and provides Julia with plenty of opportunity to obtain precious clues about what might be going on, a far more complicated case than it might have first appeared.

The author's actually tackle a few important issues in the story too, handling them with sensitivity, and not exaggerating them just for effect. There are a few red herrings scattered along the way, diverting everyone's attention away from the truth, foxing even the ever vigilant and capable DI Hayley Gibson. Speaking of whom, I do love her and DC Walter Farmer as characters, although in Farmer's case it's often more in an aww, bless, way, as he means well, but often stumbles on important information, rather than finding his way there by design.

If you love a good old cosy murder mystery, one that has plenty of suspects, a beautiful setting, and a whole load of heart and humour, you really should pick this up. If you're a cosy crime fan and you've not read any of the series yet ,you're missing out on a real treat. It's not often I venture to the lighter side of crime, but I wouldn't miss reading these books as they are just so much fun. Definitely recommended.

I really enjoy Katie Gayle’s books: the three about the scatty young woman, Epiphany (Pip) Bloom; and the slightly longer series (so far) of her Julia Bird books. This fifth one in the latter series, A Country Wedding Murder, sees Julia’s ex-husband marrying his new (male) partner. We also meet Julia’s daughter, Jess, as she comes back from Hong Kong for her dad’s wedding. Of course, since this is a Julia Bird mystery, there is a dead body to round off the event.

Although this is described as a cozy mystery, there is an element of domestic abusive behaviour. It’s strange, isn’t it, how I can happily accept murder as a highly acceptable element in a so-called “cozy” mystery, yet feel distressed when abuse is involved? I guess it’s because murder is, thankfully, something very few of us encounter outside books, but we know that abuse could actually be happening behind our neighbours’ doors.

As always with Katie Gayle, the book is well-written. There are red herrings; various suspects; and a satisfying denouement. I love the range of tone that Katie Gayle brings to these books. Not only are Julia Bird’s behaviour, language, and mannerisms note-perfect for a middle-aged woman; the character of her daughter, Jess, is just right for a young university student. All in all, a highly satisfying read.

#ACountryWeddingMurder #NetGalley

This is one of my favorite cozy series! In this book, I especially like the relationship between Julia and her adult visiting daughter, Jess. And the legitimate reasons that Julia gets drawn into helping the police with their cases. That makes this series so much more enjoyable than the ones that spend half their time with the main character being chided by the police to stay out of official business. I also like the family dynamics with her ex-husband who is now marrying his boyfriend--and the way nobody in the book is all good or all bad. My one complaint is the clue related to a drawing seems very obvious, and it takes Julia longer than I'd expect to catch on. But that's just a momentary, tiny blip. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read set in the Cotswolds.

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is book 5 in the series and I really enjoyed it. It was fun to see new characters like her daughter.

I felt it was a bit obvious and there weren't many red herrings but overall a fun easy read.

Thank you for the arc.