An often amusing mystery with quirky characters set in a small town in Cornwall. Berit Gardner is an author experiencing writer's block but luckily for her, she attends a garden party where an explosion and murder occur. With her keen attention to detail and strong analytical skills, she is soon assisting the police in their investigation and making friends of her flawed but mostly lovable neighbors. A very enjoyable mystery!

An author's peaceful village is upended when the heir to a manor house is killed during a tea party.

Swedish author Berit Gardner has relocated to the quiet Cornwall village of Great Diddling, hoping to overcome writer's block and pen her next novel. When the heir to the local manor house dies in an explosion in the estate's library, Berit becomes an amateur detective, helping the police solve the case and finding inspiration for her writing.

With a picturesque village, a quirky cast of characters, and an intriguing puzzle to solve, this book is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders. The characters themselves even joke about the village's resemblance to a cozy, murderous village in Midsomer County. The novel is told from multiple points of view, so the reader gets an inside look at several character's thoughts and motivations. The MC, Berit Gardner, is likable, smart, and quirky, and her commentary on writers is both spot-on and funny. There are several elements of humor in the book, and I especially enjoyed the scenes pertaining to the Great Diddling book festival, and the villagers' attempts to impersonate famous authors. Book lovers will enjoy the information about rare book collecting, too.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and author Katarina Bivald for an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I had read and loved The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, and I was delighted to get the opportunity to read an advance copy of her latest book. Unlike Bivald's previous books which were based in the US (despite the author being Swedish), this one is a cozy-ish murder mystery which takes place in a village in Cornwall, England. I loved it! The author did a great job bringing her quirky characters to life, and there was a lot of humor mixed in with the clever mystery. I'm very impressed that she is able to write so well in English. As with Broken Wheel, I loved the community and the role books played in it. I had hoped that this would be the beginning of a new series, and I just discovered that another book will be coming. I look forward to its release in the States. I highly recommend this book.

“Nothing draws more attention to a person than trying not to be seen. What you need to do is control what they see. Control the story.”

Berit Grader, an author that cares about writing the true stories of the people she comes by, recently moves to the small town of Great Diddling. A town that doesn’t care too much for outsiders. A broken town that needs more tourist attractions to stay afloat. Berit is inspired by the town and the people that are in, mainly the stories they are willing to share. And the secrets they are hiding. The secrets begin to come out when there is the death in Great Diddling and Berit wants to figure out who did it.

Like the book blur says. Berit doesn’t just want to write this story, she needs it.

Katherine Bivald’s writing is lyrical and beautiful. I loved how much detail she puts into each of her characters. Each of them have a unique story and all contribute to the great good of the plot. Sometimes you like them then hate them for something silly they do. The author also paid close attention to the side characters, giving them just as much attention as the main characters. At first I didn’t like the multiple perspectives and the book being written in third person, but it grew on me. I actually looked forward to reading each perspective. Especially Penny’s.

The story was a bit too slow. Several times while reading, I thought I was further along in the story/plot, but I wasn’t. Maybe there were too many details, but at the same time if parts were taken away then it wouldn't have been a good book.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Poisoned Pen Publish for the ARC!

What a great book. The writing is excellent, the characters interesting, the red flags are numerous and I almost didn’t want it to end! A writer falls into a murder and the story is surrounded by books and a charming location. Sort of cozy but the writing sets it apart from many in the genre.

Do you remember Katarina Bivald’s debut novel, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend? It came out eight years ago. Somehow, I missed her second novel, Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins. Don’t make that mistake with her debut mystery, The Murders in Great Diddling. At the time I’m writing this (March), this is the best book I’ve read this year.

When writer Berit Gardner moved to Great Diddling in Cornwall, she had expectations. She bought Wisteria Cottage, and expects to find stories and characters in Great Diddling. She isn’t wrong. When she attends the tea party at Tawny Hall, she’s an eager observer. She drags along her new young assistant, Sally Mersch, sent by her agent to make sure Berit is writing. Berit has had writer’s block, with no voices in her head. At Tawny Hall, though, she realizes something is seriously wrong in Great Diddling. There’s a dark and restless atmosphere, and everyone seems to hate Reginald Trent, nephew of the woman who owns the hall. Even with that atmosphere, it’s a shock when Reginald is blown up in his study during the tea party. Although several people call the police, Detective Chief Inspector Ian Ahmed remembers Berit’s call. “I’d like to report a murder.”

While no one else seems to care that Reginald was killed, Ahmed is angry that someone took another person’s life. He cares. It isn’t long before he realizes Berit intends to investigate to learn why the man why killed. Ahmed warns her, but Berit’s curiosity gets the better of her. She wants to know her neighbors, what drives them, why they hated the man, and what’s really going on in Great Diddling.

Books, a book festival, cons, and another murder. When another outsider shows up to stir up trouble, of course, there’s another murder. Ahmed is convinced the entire village is involved in fraud. The villagers want to protect their way of life.

I don’t remember when I read such a delightful mystery with such a lovable cast. I adored Berit Gardner and DCI Ahmed. If you remember where you were when you first discovered Louise Penny’s Three Pines, you might want to also remember Great Diddling with its eccentric characters. Book lovers should find this book charming. “The villagers of Great Diddling believe there’s no better combination than a charming English village, books, and murders.”

This is a funny cozy mystery full of interesting characters, this is a perfect read for a cold winters evening with a cup of tea.