Murder on a Country Walk is Katie Gayle’s sixth novel featuring retired social worker, Julia Bird. As always, the two young writers who jointly comprise Katie Gayle – Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel – have done a brilliant job at inhabiting a sixty-year-old’s mind and body. Julia still feels young enough to be a little upset that her beau, Dr Sean O’Connor, almost - but not quite - tells her he loves her at the start of the book, yet is mature enough to know she doesn’t need his affirmation.

As is inevitable in this “cosy” genre, Julia finds a body - at the end of Chapter 3, this time – and it’s someone that she knows: her dog’s lovely vet, Dr Eve Davies. Equally inevitably, when the police are called, DI Hayley Gibson (Julia’s partner on all the other murder cases in her small town of Berrywick) arrives to take charge of the case. Please don’t think I’m being cynical: the attraction of such mysteries, from Sherlock Holmes through Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple, has always been the comfort provided by the series detective and assistants joining together to solve another nasty crime and restoring the rightful order, where villains get their just desserts and the world is safe for us once more. The crime doesn’t always have to be murder, but it seems that Conan Doyle and Christie are the only authors who have realised that. The danger of this approach is that it can become formulaic and I felt that Murder on a Country Walk was, if not flirting with the formula, at least giving it a thorough sniffing-over. Julia decided that various people, in turn, were the obvious suspects, based upon fairly circumstantial evidence. (For a mature ex-social worker, she does jump to silly conclusions at times!) Alibis are uncovered and suspicion moves to the next-in-line.

There is nothing wrong with that: it gives comfort to most of us, knowing that things will all be OK again by the end of the book. That’s why cosy mysteries sell so well in these unsettling times: they offer the certainty of a world where all shall be well. The key question is: how much do we enjoy arriving at that happy position? With Katie Gayle, the answer is always “Very much, thank you.” While the direction of the plot may be predictable, the details are not. The development of the plot – with another death – was well handled, as was the denouement. There is gentle humour; there were red herrings – not every aspect ended up resolved tidily – and the perpetrators were those I predicted a third of the way through the book, but I still really enjoyed the book’s development. Although the relationship between Julia and DI Gibson is professional, I enjoy the moments of informality, e.g. Julia suggesting that the DI should pop round and share an omelette for supper. The book is undemanding but the denouement was still unexpected and exciting. There are lots of digressions about designer-breed dogs with adorable examples popping up every few pages. I am not a dog-lover but I still enjoy the author’s descriptions of a puppy taking an older dog as their role-model; and a small child’s loving relationship with a tolerant dog. The emphasis on dogs in this book subtly resonates with the fact that the deceased was a vet.

If you like “cosy” mysteries, I can confidently predict you’ll enjoy Katie Gayle’s books, with their evocative descriptions of Cotswold villages and inhabitants – you just need to be tolerant of some of Julia’s wilder thinking.

#MurderonaCountryWalk #NetGalley

Julia Bird loves a walk in the countryside. There’s nothing quite like the fresh air and green rolling hills of the Cotswolds to clear your head. Unless you come across a dead body, that is…
Definitely a book to read. I was pulled into the story and it did not let go. The book is well written with a strong character driven story and many a twists and turns
Recommended 4 star read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Murderous Turn...
The sixth outing in the Julia Bird series of mysteries, Cotswolds set, and a walk takes a murderous turn when the body of the local vet is discovered. Whilst the police deem the death a tragic accident and no more, Julia takes a completely different opinion. An opinion that is soon vindicated when another dead body appears in exactly the same location. Another enjoyable and entertaining entry to the series with a well drawn cast, a likeable protagonist in Julia, a well imagined setting and a solid mystery at its heart.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Julia Bird is retired and living in the Cotswolds and comes across a dead body on a country walk. Knowing the deceased, Julia can’t let the circumstances go and decides to investigate herself.

This is a cosy crime novel, if you love a who sun it and you love dogs, this is the book for you. Shorter than my normal reads and easy to plough through!

This was another enjoyable read about Julia Bird's life in Berrywick, a sweet little town in the Cotswalds. Jake, the chocolate lab, hurts his tail by wagging it too much. Julia takes him to Eve Davies, the vet, who prescribes some pills and some tail rest. A few days later, Julia is walking Jake up a hill when she finds Eve's dog standing alone at the top of the hill. Reaching down to pick up the dog, Julia see Eve's body lying far below, arms and legs spread out at weird angles. She is dead from falling from the hilltop. Did she jump or was she pushed? Julia sets about to learn the truth.

I really enjoy these books. Julia is a great character and has such a good life - chickens to collect eggs from, a fun volunteer job and a lovely boyfriend. And the "l" word is being thought about between her and Sean. Some gentle humour and discussion of dogs throughout this book. More please!

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advance copy of this much anticipated story!

Realistic characters keep this story moving quickly. Secrets and red herrings. A fantastic setting adds to the story. This talented author has written a page turner. Thanks Netgalley