This was an interesting and unique take on the murder mystery genre, set in 1870s Wales. At first, I was worried that the murder was going to take place almost immediately, which I personally dislike as it is difficult to care about the victim without getting to know them first, but I was glad to realise that this wasn't the case. Eliza Mace was a refreshing character to listen to; a headstrong teenager fighting for independence from her controlling and manipulative parents. The detective, Dafydd Pritchard was also an interesting character, and I cannot express how relieved I was to find out that they didn't end up together at the end, given Eliza's age. Thankfully, there was very little romance throughout the novel and the main focus was on finding the killer, who just as thankfully, wasn't entirely obvious until the end of the story.

I've tried several times to get into this book, and unfortunately it's just not holding my attention at all. I'm not invested in the characters or the story, and at almost a quarter of the way into the book I should be at least intrigued. Unfortunately, because of this, I've decided to dnf. It's not poorly written, but it doesn't seem to be the book for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

What a good mystery. I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I did feel like I wanted more but it’s a 1st in a series so yay to that.

A gentle, old fashioned crime set in a bygone era (Victorian?), but with both a sad and rebellious undertone. A good untaxing read

This book reminded me so much of the BBC show Miss Scarlet and the Duke, which I love. Eliza and Dafydd reminded me so much of Eliza and William from the show, and they also reminded me a lot of Emma and Mr. Knightley. The story was definitely more focused around the family dynamics and family drama rather than on solving the mystery or developing the characters, but this was fine with me. I wasn't ever captivated by the mystery or the need to figure out who did it, but it was a cozy mystery, so again, it met my needs perfectly. Overall, if you enjoyed Miss Scarlet and the Duke or if you are looking for a cozy historical mystery, this is a great option!

Really enjoyed this mystery!
Reads like a Victorican era historical fiction at first but then we get into the murder mystery. Eliza loses someone dear to her and is determined to find the killer.
She offers her insight to a detective looking into the murder. I actually found it refreshing that she wasn't immediately dismissed, as in most amateur sleuthing novels that involve women. Eliza is very observative and insightful and smart.
Unfortunately, her closeness to the case and the suspects get in the way of her deductions being impartial, but she comes around, as more and more people around her seem to have motive.
I thought I'd guessed who it was but I was wrong. And while the murderer's motives still involved love, I liked that it wasn't for the usual reasons.
The ending didn't completely satisfy me and I was going to deduct one star for that but.....the book was honestly really good so keeping it at five stars! I listened to it in one sitting and was just completely emersed in the story! Looking forward to reading more of Eliza Mace 😁

2.5 stars.

As other reviewers have said, this book is a slog and doesn't hold up to the promise of the summary.

I received this as an audiobook advanced reader copy. I would not recommend it. The writing is good, but the plotting and worldbuilding is poor.

1. The audiobook narrator is okay, but the voice was too slow. I ended up listening to it at a much faster speed.

2. The heroine is supposed to be clever, but there were so many times that she seemed pretty thick. She is constantly missing things and/or sharing information without thought.

3. This is set in Victorian England and the heroine is part of the land-owning gentry. However, there were so many things that made no sense. The heroine is constantly running around alone with men. She greets people at the front door, she hangs out with a policeman at night, and visits the police station on her own. She calls the policeman by his first name and he calls her by her nickname. It is VERY overly familiar and inappropriate. There's also some weirdness about the mom owning the estate and being able to control it even though her husband is a spendthrift.

4. The book is SUCH a slog and has SO MUCH extraneous information.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook.

I love cozy mystery books and anything set in the Victorian era is going to spark my interest. That being said, this book left me wondering if it was miscategoroized. I actually stopped the book and doubled checked and yep, it’s a mystery book! Literally nothing mysterious happens for the first HALF of the book.

Once things start to happen, it’s still pretty slow. Other reviewers have pointed out some of the odd things like why would an experienced policeman seek out a sixteen year old for help? The characters aren’t especially likable. I didn’t finish this thinking I couldn’t wait for “mystery” #2.

Final thought: there are better series out there.

The narration is perfect it brings real life to each of the characters in turn. The story is well told and keeps you guessing. I was hoping it would not go the way it went.

As a 1st book of a serries it felt rather unfinished like the author wasn't sure of her characters which was a bit sad. That being said it was an enjoyable read.

This gothic murder mystery was moving, layered and beautifully written. I was particularly drawn in with the opening imagery and sensory language depicting the woods and nature. The narration by Karen Cass was absolutely fantastic. Her voice was melodic with a warm tone, and she created nice differentiation between the characters.

I quickly came to feel sympathetic toward Eliza, the teenage heroine and amateur sleuth. Her desire for freedom, exploration and fairness mirrored many familiar female characters. As far as mystery this one leans more eerie than cozy. There was significant build up and background given before the murder. This pacing added a layer of complexity which I appreciated, but it may feel slow for some readers expecting a snappy mystery. I found the story quite sad and affecting, yet it was somehow a relaxing read overall. It felt reminiscent of The Secret Garden and Jane Eyre mixed with a whodunnit Sherlock Holmes storyline.

I adored the Welsh border 1870s setting and light philosophizing. There was the right amount of twists and turns to keep me guessing and still feel believable. I enjoyed this and look forward to the next book in the series. I’m also intrigued by how this was co-written. I would be interested to read more from both authors and discern what they each leant to the creation of Eliza Mace.

Thank you NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for my audiobook.

A perfect new mystery. The reader was fantastic and wonderful with each character. I can’t wait the continue the series. If you’re a mystery reader you won’t want to miss this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

This was a really fun Victorian mystery. Eliza was a very likable character to me and I loved how she went about solving the mystery. This was easy for me to breeze through and I never felt bored. The story was intriguing and I definitely want to read more.

I really enjoyed the audio for this one and the writing style drew me into the story. It took a little while to get going and was a bit on the slow side for me. I guessed quite a few of the twists, but that’s ok as the atmosphere made up for it. I’ll be interested to see where Eliza goes on her other adventures after this one.

This was a fun read and I recommend it to fans of the historical mystery genre. I enjoyed the interactions between Eliza and Pritchard, as well as the mystery as a whole. It isn't a ground breaking new type of story, but that wasn't what I was here for. It was a relatively cozy mystery, with fun twists and turns, and was written well.

I enjoyed this book and look forward to more installments.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the audiobook.

I really wanted to like this one. I love historical fiction, thrillers, crime books, etc. However, I just could not get hooked. Eliza was just too much for me. I did like her Uncles character. The ending was rather surprising which made it worth listening too.

The narrator did a good job. A little on the serious side.

I did get to enjoy the audiobook version of this novel and liked the narration. I thought she gave the story quite a bit of personality.

The home life of Eliza Mace is a bit chaotic at best. Though she loves her uncle and they often walk through the woods. Her mother and father are often at odds with each other over money. Her father spends it on his get rich ventures while her mother does her best to maintain the estate and not let her father’s frivolous ways put them in the poor house.

Though we do see Eliza pushing beyond the bounds of the era of the time, I do wish we had seen a bit more of what we see when it comes to Enola Holmes which this novel is compared. I think Eliza has quite a ways to go in her logical deduction and plotting in order to reach those levels. Nevertheless, the novel was a cozy mystery without too much hard hitting emotion.

There are secrets to uncover and societal norms to break, and if I were to give one more critique, it would be the age difference between Eliza and Dafydd, the police she works with to unravel the mystery of her father’s death. I do think the 11 years may be a bit extreme for a partnership with Eliza being only 16. Perhaps if she were already in her 20’s it may not have felt so taboo. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

On the brink of adulthood in the 1870s Welsh borders, Eliza feels trapped in a decaying manor and facing parents who seek to control her. When her father vanishes under mysterious circumstances, she’s determined to uncover the truth. She helps Dafydd, the charming new police constable, investigate her father’s enemies and debts—unearthing secrets that could shatter everything she knows.

This charming young-adult mystery is gripping and atmospheric. I loved the characters and the twisty plot. I enjoyed the audiobook narration. I look forward to more in the series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

3.5 stars

This was such an interesting story. Victorian crime tends to be gothic and very dark, but this was a nice balance of cosy crime away from the dark alleyways of London.

Eliza is a great character, full of gumption, although she maintains a naivety of one so young. To this end she and Dafydd work quite well together as they complement each other nicely, each approaching the situation from a different angle. There are plenty of suspicious characters to throw readers off the scent, not least because the victim - Eliza’s father - really isn’t a nice man.

I did feel disappointed with Hannah’s character; at first she seems very strong and relaxed about her daughter roaming around, but she suddenly changes and becomes more concerned with propriety than expected.

It is a slow story, with a lot of introduction and description before we really get into the plot, which is a shame. The pace remains gentle throughout, but does pick up once we have our dead body, although this could have happened much earlier. At times the authors seemed to take far too long to tell us what was happening and this detracted from what is a really good story. There are a few loose ends, and some surprise reveals that didn’t land quite as well as they could have, had a few clues been dropped earlier; the last few chapters were quite different from the first few which confused the story’s balance.

Narration was good, although Eliza felt a bit too modern at times in the delivery of sentences ending on a higher pitch, as if everything is a question which didn’t quite work.

Overall, a solid story although I shan’t be racing to read the next one.

I love a historical drama and coupled with the front cover (totally judging a book by its cover here) and a brief glimpse into what it entailed, it was a winner. And the fact it was so well narrated really engaged you and the narrators effortless reading style has you easily slipping into the story.

We follow Eliza, a really likable character and I instantly warmed to her. I loved the historical vibes and the plot was a steady but intriguing mover. The seeds were slowly sown so you knew something was brewing but I was unsure when, where, how and who in development. I enjoyed the gentle set up which sometimes I can consider to be slow but not in this case, I really enjoyed the pace.

The story was great and I was suckered in to invest in the outcome of the story. It was super enjoyable and I think the audiobook had a lot to do with that too! A greatly written historical mystery.

The narrator's pacing of this audio was excellent. The story was captivating as the author showcased Eliza Mace's youthful mind developing into a detailed-oriented person, a trait that would serve her well in her future as a detective. However, the constant presence of Constable Prichard, who is older than Eliza and married, is puzzling, especially considering his frequent "consultations" with her. This situation understandably raises concerns for Eliza's mother and uncle.

I look forward to the future series and thank NetGalley and Bolinda Audios for my advanced e-audio for my honest opinion.