One of the most exciting and thrilling mysteries I've ever read! I highly recommend it if you want a true page-turner!

Book Review: Murder on a Country Walk (Warwick & Bell #4) by Janice Frost

Murder on a Country Walk by Janice Frost is a thrilling and suspenseful addition to the Warwick & Bell series, set in a small village where a Halloween celebration quickly turns nightmarish. The festive atmosphere turns to terror as a mysterious figure dressed as Dracula wields a bloody knife, targeting a mother and daughter. What begins as a chilling attack soon escalates, with more bodies piling up and fear spreading through the village.

At the heart of the story are Gina and her mother, Susan, the first victims of the killer's brutal violence. As the police, led by DI Jim Warwick and DS Bella Bell, race against time to stop the bloodshed, the village is gripped by paranoia and unease. Frost skillfully builds tension, capturing the atmosphere of a close-knit community unraveling under the pressure of fear. The setting, a quintessential English village, adds a layer of eerie charm to the mystery, reminiscent of a classic Midsomer Murders episode.

Frost’s writing is sharp and engaging, drawing readers into the world of Warwick and Bell as they piece together clues in their pursuit of the killer. The characters, both detectives and villagers, are well-developed, making the reader invested not only in solving the mystery but in the lives of those affected by the crimes. The plot unfolds with plenty of twists, keeping readers guessing right up until the final, unexpected reveal.

Murder on a Country Walk is a fast-paced, well-crafted murder mystery that will appeal to fans of traditional whodunits. Janice Frost delivers a clever and gripping tale with atmospheric suspense, likable characters, and enough surprises to keep readers on edge throughout.

Rating: 4/5 stars – A compelling and eerie murder mystery with engaging characters and a plot that keeps you guessing. Fans of classic detective stories will find much to enjoy in this installment of the Warwick & Bell series.

I liked the setting. The Cotswolds is such a gorgeous area, and the murders taking place in the story feel so out of place. This is a cosy mystery, with a smaller cast of characters in a village. It's also set during Halloween, which adds another way people can hide what they're doing.
The story starts with two women being attacked, with one dead. There is also a mix-up where a rental is double booked, and I was wondering from the beginning how that could play out and what it really meant. Things got worse before they got better, and the detectives turned out to be solidly persistent and brave. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

Another episode in this wonderful series as the Cotswold vet moves into retirement but there's no putting her feet up!

Another excellent book by Janice Frost featuring the Special constable Jane Bell and detective Stephanie Warwick. It is hallowean and a mother and daughter are attacked by someone wearing dracula clothes and a mask, the mother dying but the daughter only receiving minor cuts. This book keeps the reader enthralled to the final pages.

A good old creepy Halloween murder! Really enjoyed this book, had insomnia and read it in one night lol. Had me from the first page and it was interesting the whole way through, it really had me in its grip. Janice Frost is a great writer and this didn’t disappoint, great story. Recommend this series.

This is a gripping story with plenty of tension. I love the evolving relationship between Special Constable Jane Bell and DI Steph Warwick, the way they are gaining respect for each other after a few missteps in the earlier books is great to see. The entire cast of characters from the other cops to Jane's boyfriend help make this one of my favourite police procedural series. Can't wait for the next one

This is a Warwick & Bell mystery, the fourth in the series. I haven't read any of the previous books in the series, but cosy village mysteries are a favourite of mine, and I liked the look of the cover and description, so I thought this would appeal to me.

This had the cosy quality that I was looking for, and I found it a very light, relaxing read, as well as an entertaining murder mystery. Given that part of the story takes place on Halloween, it would be a very good choice to curl up with on an autumnal evening. In fact, I may consider it as an alternative to a spooky story.

Cosy mysteries like this are a go-to type of read for me, so I would probably be interested in reading more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Halloween Night a person dressed as a vampire is knocking on doors and waving a knife , a party full of vampires and ghoulies and no one able to describe the door knocking vampire, a woman murdered and a case that Jane Bell soon realises is not all it is meant to be

Love these stories and love how the special constables are always the man/woman of the hour in solving the case

Murder on a Country Walk is the fourth book in a series and it would help to read the others first, I hadn't so felt a bit behind in a few places but I'll go back and read the earlier books in the series as I really enjoyed this book. This was well written and had enough twists to keep me guessing. It's set in Halloween so if you like seasonal books keep this one in mind.
Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for my review copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this book.. I loved the plot and story line. However it was really hard for me to keep up with the characters. I had trouble keeping up with who was who. It was a good read though and I look forward to reading more!

The best review for an arc is when you buy the book. I read the arc and then bought the book.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am a huge fan of Janice and her work. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed every book that she has written to date. As soon as I finish her new book then I (im)patiently wait for the next one. Janice's newest release is 'Murder On A Country Walk', which is the fourth book in the series featuring Detectives Warwick and Bell, and it was released on 2nd April 2024. I really enjoyed reading 'Murder On a Country Walk' but more about that in a bit.

It didn't take me long at all to get into 'Murder On A Country Walk'. In fact by the time I got to the end of the first few pages, I knew that this was a book that I was going to enjoy and that I would find it rather difficult to put down for any length of time. So it proved to be. I had picked the book up only intending to read a chapter or two but I became so wrapped up in the story and in the lives of the different characters that I was still sat there several chapters and an hour or so later. The more of the book that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I just had to know if the perpetrator of the crimes was the person I suspected. I was concentrating on the story so much that I didn't realise just how quickly the time was passing and the speed with which I was getting through the book. All too quickly I reached the end of 'Murder On A Country Walk' and had to say goodbye to the characters. I found 'Murder On A Country Walk' to be a gripping, tense and dramatic read, which certainly kept me guessing and kept me on the edge of my seat.

'Murder On A Country Walk' is extremely well written and then some but I have come to expect nothing less from Janice Frost. Janice certainly knows how to grab the reader's attention and draw them into what proves to be one hell of a story and then some. I have to say that this story hit the ground running and maintained a fairly fast pace throughout. This story is certainly going to stay fresh in my mind for a long time to come and that's down to the way in which the story starts. Janice clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem just as real as you and I. I felt as though I was part of the story myself and that's thanks to Janice's very vivid and realistic storytelling. Reading 'Murder On A Country Walk' felt like being on an unpredictable and rather scary rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way.

In short I really enjoyed reading 'Murder On A Country Walk' and I would recommend it to other readers. I look forward to reading much more of Janice's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek Board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

Many thanks to Joffe Books and Netgalley for the eARC copy of this book

It's not Halloween without Dracula. In this, the fourth book in the Warwick and Bell series, Dracula is also carrying a big knife! Special Constable Jane Bell is on Halloween patrol with her partner. They're called to area of town where Dracula is seen knocking on doors, waving the knife, then taking off. They spot him but he takes off. Unfortunately Bell's partner suffers a heart attack and Bell is unable to give chase. Minutes later DI Stephanie Warwick and her team are called to a murder just streets away. The victim was attacked by Dracula wielding a large knife. Turns out this wasn't just a random attack, secrets and lies are at the root of this murder.

This series just keeps getting better and better as it grows. The relationship between Bell and Warwick is rocky but slowly improving. I highly recommend the series, and I give this book 4 stars.

'Murder On A Country Walk' is a murder mystery set in a small village in England. featuring well-crafted characters and a plot filled with twists and turns.. The story is fast-paced, suspenseful, and kept me interested until the end. If you enjoy murder mysteries, it's probable that you will enjoy this read. It's part of a series, but works well as a standalone. You may get some familiarity and more depth with the characters by reading other works in this series, but it's not required to follow the plot. All in all, an enjoyable, quick, murder story.

I feel like this is just shyyyy of being able to be considered a cozy mystery!

I enjoyed the read. Given that it is number 4 of the series, I know I would have connected with the characters more had I read 1-3 beforehand. However, this novel was solid enough to be a standalone.

Easy flow to the story with multiple perspectives

Good read for the Halloween season!

3.5 stars

Special Constable Jane Bell and her partner DC Tim Sterne are on patrol in Lincoln as the Halloween celebrations are in full swing. When reports come in of a Dracula lookalike brandishing a knife, the pair give chase when they spot him but soon have to give up when Tim suffers a heart attack. Fortunately he is saved by the paramedics but other officers in the area lose the suspect. Jane hopes it was a harmless prank but soon discovers otherwise when she hears two women from Doveby, the village where Jane’s blacksmith partner Ed lives, have been attacked by the same man whilst visiting Lincoln. The mother has died whilst the daughter has escaped with minor injuries. Surely just a random attack? DI Steph Warwick and her partner DS Elias Harper are in charge of the case and knowing Jane’s propensity to get involved in other people’s investigations, Steph tells her to keep clear but maybe she could glean a little local knowledge of the victims whilst visiting Ed’s home. Jane jumps at the chance and wastes no time in seeking out the gossip! Then a woman staying in a holiday cottage in the same village goes missing and Steph and Elias wonder if there could be a link to the previous attack, especially when they have another body on their hands. With Steph heading up two murder cases and Jane perfectly placed for some undercover snooping, will the pair be able to work together to solve these strange crimes?
Jane is instantly likeable, the sort of woman you’d want for your best friend. Steph, due to her past trauma which is explained in this story, is brittle and much harder to get to know but has herself, with help from Elias, been making more of an effort with people lately. This is an excellent police procedural with some great characters, my favourite being the calm and steady Elias with his love of amateur dramatics who is superbly empathetic and an absolute rock for Steph. The plot is well laid out and very twisty, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 4.5*

Another thrilling book by this author. I love the characters and the way their back stories are gradually being developed. Great plot too.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of Murder on a Country Walk, the fourth novel to feature DI Steph Warwick and Special Constable Jane Bell of Lincolnshire Police.

On Halloween night Jane and her partner are asked to investigate reports of a masked Dracula waving a knife about, but he escapes after a chase. The next morning DI Warwick and DS Elias want the full details from her as an hour later a woman was murdered and her daughter injured by a mask wearing Dracula. Jane is Doveby where the murder victim lived visiting her boyfriend when a young woman disappears.

I enjoyed Murder on a Country Walk, which has an absorbing plot and a few twists to keep the reader guessing. It is mostly told from Warwick and Bell’s points of view with little to no input from the perpetrator and that suits me just fine. I like the concentration on the investigation and the mystery of guessing who did what and how the pieces fit together. I got some of it, but not enough to claim victory as it ends up quite complicated.

It is a novel of contrasts in style. Warwick is a demanding boss who thrives on detail and proper procedure, while Bell is basically nosy in a good way, wanting to ferret out those details for Warwick, with an unhealthy disregard for personal safety and procedure. To be kind it’s over enthusiasm, to be realistic it’s recklessness on Bell’s part while Warwick is dedicated or really poor at interpersonal relations. They are probably a mixture of both.

The plot goes this way and that. The daughter, Gina Gedney, quickly catches Warwick’s eye as a suspect in her mother’s murder so the team spend a lot of time examining her life. There are surprises and a certain amount of ambiguity involved, while the disappearance of Bree Fawcett takes them in another direction. I don’t think that the novel is particularly fast moving, but there’s always something to keep the reader occupied and speculating.

Murder on a Country Walk is a good read that I can recommend.

I’d like to thank Joffe Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Murder On A Country Walk’, book 4 of the Warwick & Bell Crime Mysteries written by Janice Frost, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It’s Halloween and Special Constable Jane Bell and PC Tim Sterne are chasing a person dressed as Dracula and wielding a machete. Jane stops running when Tim becomes unwell and the mystery person disappears, but the following morning DI Steph Warwick arrives at Jane’s front door saying that two women have been stabbed by a person similarly described, one of the women is injured and the other dead. Jane is given permission to search for clues in the village of Dovesby where the crime took place but wonders if it’s a coincidence that a young woman has disappeared from her holiday cottage or if the two cases are connected.

‘Murder On A Country Walk’ is a crime mystery based around Lincoln’s picturesque villages with Special Constable Jane Bell getting involved in crimes that invariably put her at risk. The plot is involving with plenty of intrigue and twists and turns, and the characters of Jane Bell and Steph Warwick could make a strong and interesting duo, but Steph is so arrogant that she comes over as thoroughly unpleasant and not enjoyable to read about. Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable book that’s easy to read with a conclusion that ties up all the loose ends, and although not my favourite novel by Janice Frost, I’m still happy to recommend it.