When Milla Graham returns to her childhood home of Raven's Edge after eighteen long years away, nothing has really changed. Her visit takes a dark turn when the body of a local woman is discovered in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest. The murder scene is chillingly close to that of Milla’s own mother, whose death was never solved. As she begins to investigate the connection, Milla realises this adorable village is guarding some dark secrets. Handsome, grumpy local policeman Ben Taylor doesn't believe in coincidences, and he doesn’t think mysterious newcomer Milla Graham is as innocent as she seems. Then another body is found
A new series & a new author to me. A well written book with strong characters & a story that starts slowly but the pace gradually increases. I found the characters hard to relate to in the beginning & also found the Graham family hard to remember how everyone was related & to begin with I nearly left the book unfinished but as it a book I received form NetGalley I felt I should complete it & I’m glad I did. The more I read the more engrossed I became. There were so many secrets & the Graham family was drowning in them. There were twists & turns & the denouement was surprising. There were unanswered questions & hope they will be answered as the series continues

Detective Ben Taylor was on his way home from London, driving through the storm as he neared his home. It was difficult to see, he was beyond tired, and when suddenly there was something in the middle of the road, he swerved violently, ramming his car into a tree. The woman was alright, but furious and wet. Why was she walking in the dark and rain, and in the middle of a road? Milla Graham told Ben her story, but he wasn't sure whether to believe her or not.

Milla was home in Raven's Edge to find the murderer of her mother. It was eighteen years since she'd been in the village, but she was determined. But another woman was murdered in a style similar to Milla's mother and Ben and his team were struggling to find evidence. Ben was a loner, working through his thoughts and ideas - frustration by Harriot, his sergeant, was high. Ben had faith in Milla, but he was the only one who did. Was she the murderer?

Murder at Raven's Edge is the 1st in An English Village Mystery series by Louise Marley and it was too busy! Too many characters; too much going on. I had trouble keeping up with it all. The most endearing character was Sophie and we didn't see a lot of her. Plus the aloof Binx!

With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

The first adventures of Ben, Milla and Harriet in what promises to become a lovely series of books. Louise Marley loved fairy tales and gains inspiration from these and her love of film stars such as Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn in the film 'Bringing up Baby' as influences in this book. A beautifully written book that tenderly deals with its gruesome plot. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Storm Publishing, for letting me read and review an advanced copy of this book, ‘Murder at Raven’s Edge’ by Louise Marley.

Policeman Ben Taylor doesn’t think his life could be any worse. He was supposed to be bringing home his daughter for a visit, instead he is driving, alone, in a rainstorm, after another argument with his ex-wife. That is when he, literally, runs into Milla Graham, which starts a relationship with a woman trying to discover the truth about her past.

When he is called out to the scene of a murder the next morning, Milla’s past life becomes enmeshed in his investigation. While frustrating his partner, DSHarriet March, Ben goes rogue, mainly because of his interest in Milla. Untangling the dark past of Milla’s family is the key to solving the mystery, but it is no easy task.

This book had interesting characters, a twisted plot, and plenty of intrigue. By the end, everyone has faced some danger and threat.

Was not overly impressed.

Story was a bit confusing. I couldn't keep the FMC family tree straight.

The inspector was kind of blah.

The mystery was decent but felt a bit drawn out.

Murder at Raven's Edge
by Louise Marley
Pub Date: May 07 2024

Murder at Raven"s Edge is the first book in An English Village Mystery series. It is a mystery within a mystery. The plots are complicated with many tangled twists and turns which moved at a good pace with a lot of well done red herrings!

I enjoyed this book and highly recommend the second book, Murder at Ravenswood House.

Synopsis: When Milla Graham returns to her childhood home of Raven's Edge after eighteen long years away, she finds the perfect English village looks much the same – all rose-covered cottages, nosy neighbours, and chintzy teashops full of scones and gossip. But her nostalgic visit takes a dark turn when the body of a local woman is discovered in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest. The murder scene is chillingly close to that of Milla’s own mother, whose death was never solved. As she begins to investigate the connection, Milla realizes this adorable village is guarding some dark secrets.

Many thanks to #MurderatRavensEdge #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for an E-ARC of this book.

This is atmospheric, twisty and dark! Milla Graham returns to the village that she left eighteen years previously when she was a young girl. She wants answers as to what happened all those years ago when her mother died. Initially she finds that nothing much has changed in the quaint village then things take a sinister turn when the body of a local woman is found in the ruins of an abandoned Manor House on the edge of the village. Milla starts to try and investigate the murder herself as it’s chilling similar to her own mother’s death. Ben Taylor is the policeman in charge of the case and he is suspicious of how similar the two deaths are. He is also distracted by Milla. This is a real page turner that has some comical moments as well as references to some fairy tales. I found this unputdownable and it kept me guessing right to the end.I loved how as the book progresses you find out how everyone is connected and the way the characters, locations and buildings were described made them very easy to visualise. Thank you to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC

Murder And A Gothic Tale

When Milla Graham returns to her childhood home in Ravens Edge after being away for 18 years her life takes a dark turn after a body is discovered of a woman who is found at the edge of the forest in an abandoned manor house. The murder scene is chillingly close to that of her mother who death has never been solved.
The story is more complicated by Ben Taylor the detective in charge of the murder after he had picked Milla up the night of her arrival after hitting her with his car as she was walking in the dark in the pouring rain. Ben takes her home due to flooding on the roads that night after Milla grabs the steering wheel and the car ends up in a ditch by Ben's home.
Ben does not believe in coincidences when Millies's bag and I.D. turn up at the murder scene so when he catches up with Milla at her flat and she runs away Ben is sure Milla is not as blameless as she tries to Petray.
The author finds the right kind of tone for the story. The isolation complete with the drafty old mansion on the edge of the woods is a fitting setting for a murder and a gothic tale. Sadly, I got bored with all the fairy tales the author kept repeating throughout the book it was more like a teenager's book so hence the 2 stars Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good murder mystery and this falls into that category brilliantly. The beginning is just fab and has you page turning to find out what happens. There are secrets, old and new, and so much going on from the start that you can’t put it down. I loved Ben and Milla, what a great double act they made. And who can hate Harriet with her no-nonsense attitude towards Ben, trying and failing to keep him out of trouble.

There is so much going on in this book all the way through, and your mind is changed more than once as to who the murderer is. The family history is intriguing too, who is telling the truth. I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to get stuck into the next one, review for that coming soon!

This story was really good with lots of history on the characters and plenty of unexpected twists, I’m excited to see what happens in the next book.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Murder at Raven's Edge by Louise Marley is a dual-POV contemporary murder mystery with some flashbacks. Ben, a British member of law enforcement and a divorced dad, comes across Milla Graham, a young woman making her way to Raven's Edge to get some closure for her past. Milla and Ben are attracted to each other, but when another young woman who looks a lot like Milla with an idea claiming the same identity is found dead, they have more than seeing each other again to worry about.

Between the two, I really gravitated towards Milla’s chapters. Milla is half-Indian half-British and has spent much of her life under several identities. A lot of her POV is peeling back the layers of the story to who Milla was and how that made her into the woman she is now and how she's connected to Raven's Edge and the murder victim, Amita. The Graham family has power, money, and secrets of their own that Milla threats to upheave by coming to town.

The use of Alice in Wonderland, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and Red Riding Hood were darker takes on the classics. Amita was found dressed up in a gown identical to an illustration of Sleeping Beauty drawn by a member of the Graham family. Alice in Wonderland comes up often without feeling contrived.

Ben thinks about Milla quite a bit as the murder investigation goes on. From concerned that she was killed to questioning whether or not she's involved, Milla is always on the back of his mind in both professional and personal capacities. He doesn't fetishize her darker skin tone or her features but remarks that she is quite beautiful.

I would recommend this to fans of dual-POV mysteries with a strong romantic subplot, readers looking for male main characters in the MST space who are divorced fathers and their children are not forgotten by the narrative, and those drawn to mysteries in the English countryside that are not cozy

A mystery within a mystery. Murder revolving around a fairy tale, lies, deceipt humour and more. Likeable characters and a good story line with twists. I enjoyed it and would read more of Ben and Milla. I received an ARC copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Ben Taylor is driving home at night in a pouring rain when he almost hits a young woman, Milla Graham, walking down the center of the road. With the road ultimately blocked by the storm both ahead of them and behind them Ben reluctantly lets her sleep on the couch in his cottage. In the morning she is gone and Ben is called to a murder in an abandoned manor where the victim is initially identified as Milla, but it is not her. Milla has returned to Raven’s Edge to find the answer to who murdered her mother eighteen years earlier. As Ben investigates the current murder and Milla delves into her mother’s death it increasingly becomes apparent the two are related and that Milla is likely to be either the current murderer or the next victim.
This was a quick read, the action moves along at a good pace, the characters are interesting and, while the murderer was who I expected it to be fairly early on the whole scenario is well plotted. I look forward to the second book in this series to see where all our characters go next. Recommended

Raven's Edge is a picture-perfect example of the ideal gothic novel village. The place is literally brimming with witches, ghosts, highwaymen and other creepy characters. The town's Detective Inspector Ben Taylor has his hands full with them, Until one night when he is driving home in very bad weather that equals his bad temper he literally bumps into Milla Graham, short for Camilla, and invites her into his house because the roads are blocked. But is Camilla/Milla really who she says she is? Next morning his nocturnal visitor is gone, as are some of his possessions and about a hundred pounds.

But it certainly isn't the last Ben sees of Milla. Soon a body turns up in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest. The murder scene closely resembles a much older murder in which the victim was... Milla's mother. That is, if Milla really is Camilla Graham, or is she actually Camilla's niece?

I loved the quaint village, the sometimes eccentric characters and the interesting plot twists but in the and I found that there were also a couple of loose ends to the story that really should have been dealt with better. Well, maybe there will be some explanations in the next episode because I noticed that there already is a second book in this series.
Benefit of the doubt, so 4 stars

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Reviewed for Netgalley.
First, I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery of Murder at Raven's Edge, for we had a mystery within a mystery and it was very cleverly done. The ongoing theme: is Milla Graham really Milla Graham or not? Several years ago there was a fire with the death of an adult and some children - only the adult was murdered before the fire started. Someone has been convicted for the foul deed but did he do it or not? The repercussions are still reeling in and around the picture-perfect village of Raven's Edge. But then a young woman turns up claiming to be one of the dead children.

From here, the plot gets complicated with many tangled twists and turns, complicated by our hero detective, Ben Taylor, realising that he's falling in love with Milla (who might or might not be the assumed dead Camilla.)

The red herrings were well done, the plot moved at a good pace - I changed my mind several times about what the truth was or wasn't. (I ended up wrong.) So for that part I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

But (you knew there was going to be a but...) Even though I enjoyed the read, I'm still confused. (And reading some of the other reviews on Goodreads etc., I'm relieved that I'm not the only confused reader.) My main confusion, though, is because this is a series and I'm well and truly muddled about which plot belongs to which book. I think the descriptive blurbs for each could be clearer - this one for instance would be clearer as: 'When the woman claiming to be Milla Graham turns up..."

Book Two, Murder at Ravenswood House the blurb states: "Still reeling from her recent breakup with local police officer Ben Taylor..." Yet the book starts with their relationship intact. (So my first thought: 'Oops, have I missed an episode somewhere?') Confusing? So maybe something like: "when the discovery of a murder causes the breakup..." would be clearer and less confusing.

But my main confusion came because of a completely different book connected to the series, which I read first: Something Wicked: A romantic mystery with a supernatural twist, this one I also thoroughly enjoyed, but is the cause of my confusion because it's set in the same village, with similar characters and a very similar opening. (Woman in road nearly gets killed, meets the detective by chance...) I went back and forth with Murder at Raven's Edge a couple of times thinking 'Hang on, have I already read this one or not?' Then I started wondering, is this the same village/place/author?

These books are all standalone, but there are some loose ends in Murder at Raven's Edge: why didn't the police know that one of their officers used to babysit the children - surely a huge conflict of interest during a new investigation? And why was the murdered woman in this story murdered? (Nor did I consider her 'local' as in the blurb.) How did the murderer get hold of the dress? In such a small village the apparently unlived in cottage would have been well known about - so who did live there, or at least keep the cobwebs at bay? Who was the policeman outside who let Milla sneak off? Loose ends or did I miss something? And Ben's background? This is another puzzle not yet revealed? I guess we'll find out in the next book Murder at Ravenswood House?

But, (yes, another but! :-) despite my comments and continuing confusion I did enjoy these mysteries, and look forward to the series continuing.

Sadly this book wasn't for me. I did not gel with the main character and ended up not finishing.

A fun premise and I'll look out for other books by the author.

Thank you for the arc.

Murder at Raven’s Edge has an intriguing start with the two leads meeting in a rainstorm. Ben and Milla are not off to a good start as he rescues her and she “borrows “ money from him. The next day a body is found in the same manner and place as a previous murder 18 years before.
The author has written a very interesting story and I wanted to know what happened. The story flowed very well even though it switched between the past and the present.
This is the first book in the English Village Mystery Book. I look forward to reading more.

kMurder at Raven's Edge is the first of the English Coz series. The place takes place in the town of Raven's Edge. Ben Taylor is on his way home in a heavy rain storm. He had gone to visit her daughter but his ex-wife wouldn't let him take his daughter, Sophie, home with him. He had taken the week off so that he could have time with his daughter, He was having a hard time seeing out his windshield and hit a woman he didn't see in the rain. He got out to check on her and she said "You hit me". He went back to his car to get something and when he returned she had disappeared. When he got back in the car he found her sitting in it. He asked her what her name was and she said Camilla (Milla) Graham. He took her home with him. Across from his cottage he slided and went into a ditch because Milla had grabbed the steering wheel. The road was flooded. They went into his house. He gave her the couch and went to bed. Upon waking the next morning he found that Mlla had taken his money and left an IOU. She had called a cab and left.

Detective Sergeant Harriet March lived in a 500 year old half-timber house over a florist shop on Main street. Her mother lived over her clothing store and did not understand why her daughter was a detective sergeant. She worked with Ben, also with the police, as Ben was suppose to be off for the week and she was left incharge.

She found out that Ben had come home and his car was in a ditch across from his cottage. She went to get him as there had been a robberly of a necklace and a body was found at Kings Rest The Grim house a burnt out mansion in the middle of the woods. Their boss, DCI Doug Cameron made Ben incharge of the murder. Lydia Cavill was the first on the scene. She is from the Calahurt's station.

After arriving there Ben asked Harriet about the people who lived in the mansion when Henry Graham, publisher of Graham Publishing Company. They published children's books and were known for their fairy stories. When he died the company went to his two sons, Patrick and Dermot. Patrick was giving a birthday party for his 6 year old daughter but had a fight with his wife. The next day there was a fire and all was killed except for Patrick. His wife and children. He was found guilty and sent to prison.

When Ben and Harriet went into the remains of the mansion they found a staged bedroom of the mansion. The victim lay in a four poster bed that was draped with red brocade and adorned with petals. The victim lay on her back with her arms crossed clutching a beautiful leather bound book on her chest. Ben knew the book. She was dressed in an evening gown. Ben also thought that he had seen the dress before but couldn't remember where. Ben asked the victim's name Camilla (Milla) Graham. Ben said it wasn't her as she didn't look like an 18 year old.

Milla was sitting in a pub in Norchester Cathedral unaware she was suppose to be dead. She was there to meet Mal Graham, managing director of Graham Media. It had been 18 years since she saw him. He came into the pub and went and sat across from her. He asked her who she was as his sister was dead. She told him that she was Milla Graham and had documents to prove it. She had been brought up by foster parents. To her surprise he put a card on the table and told her to come for dinner at the family's home Hartfell. He told her to use the name Camilla.

This is where the story takes off but there is too much to put on paper. I found that the book holds the reader's attention. I will let the reader enjoy the twists and turns of the story to the exciting ending. I enjoyed the book and look forward to the second in the series, Mystery of Raven's Edge with Milla, Ben and Harriet.

Thank you NetGalley an Storm Publishing for this ARC.

British Cozy-ish Mystery featuring a music journalist who's return to her childhood English village turns deadly when a new murder mirrors her mother's unsolved cold case.

4/5 stars: This is the first entry in Marley's English Village Mystery series, which is a British Cozy-ish Mystery that features a music journalist who's return to her childhood English village takes a dark turn when the body of a local woman's discovered in an abandoned manor house and the crime scene's chilling close to her mother's eighteen years old unsolved murder. With plenty of twists and turns, Marley has crafted a mystery that balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Marley manages to mix the new murder investigation with the cold case effortlessly. I really liked the addition of the fairy tale elements, it adds a nice Gothic edge. Told in multiple POVs and utilizing flashbacks, Marley's writing and character work is great; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. The main POVs are Milla and Ben, a local policeman, with additional POVs added in the present, Ben's co-worker Harriet, and in flashback to fill out the plot. Milla's lead a tough life and has built up very tall walls. But while working with Ben to solve the cases she begins to open up. Sensitive topics are discussed, take care and check the CWs. A nice start to a new series.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

This was a slow burn for me. I struggled to get through it. Part of the reason may be because I couldn't connect with the main character. I just didn't really care for her. I still enjoyed parts of the story.