Thanks to Alice Castle, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Calling the subtitle's bluff---this book is not gripping or addictive. It is cozy, though, and felt rather like sitting at Grandma's kitchen table listening to her reminisce while plying me with sweets. Except the protags aren't my grandma's age (god rest her soul), they're my parents'.

Oh my god. I'm <i>old</i>.

Well, that puts a bit of a different perspective on it. The narrator sounded like a grandmother, not someone retirement age. In my opinion, anyway. So I'm imagining octogenarians sleuthing around with hearing aides and orthopedic shoes. Sigh. Narration matters, people!

No, Jilly Bond is truly a wonderful and talented narrator. She just sounded too old to my ear.

*narrows eyes* *re-reads blurb*

Actually, the blurb seems to almost avoid mentioning the protag's age. Only the word "retired" suggests a figure, and that could be easily missed. No wonder I was taken aback to hear a narrator sounding like a grandma.

Aaaanyway---this is a quaint and enjoyable narrative. There's not much tension or sense of danger. Sarah and Daphne had so much fun sleuthing it came off like a lark. Hamish and Tinker Bell stole their scenes to the point that I didn't much mind when we suddenly switched to Hamish's point of view. I wasn't sure what to think about Charles at first, especially as a potential love interest, but he grew on me.

If you enjoyed the show Murder, She Wrote or are a fan of Agatha Christie then this is the book for you!

I enjoyed this one. Sarah is a smart woman and her friend Daphne is a character. Sarah is retiring to Merstairs after the loss of her husband, she hasn't been through all his things yet her friend Daphne has allowed her to store the boxes in her new (messy) beach shed. Harmless, right? Wrong because in the shed they find a body and an adventure to figure out who did it.

Jilly Bond did a fantastic job in bringing this to life with her narration.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and the author for the opportunity to listen to and review this book.

Thank you Netgalley, Alice Castle and Bookouture Audio for the Arc of Murder at an English Pub.
Narrated by Jilly Bond

Dr Sarah Vane, retired moves to a quaint seaside down to be with her life long friend Daphne. When they stumble on a dead body, they can't resist playing detective and putting together the puzzle pieces to find the killer.

While I love a good cosy mystery I found that this fell a little flat for me. The narrative is slow paced with some medium paced throughout the book and while the characters felt real, I didn't gel with them at all. The character building was ok but felt it was a little lacking which is probably why I didn't care for them, even though they are likable.

Jilly Bond narrated this book and felt that's why I kept listening to the end. She definitely suits the cosy mystery genre

3 stars

I was so excited to read my first cozy mystery in years! The location sounded perfect, and the summary had me hooked. Unfortunately, the whodunit fell flat for me.

A retired widow, Dr. Sarah Vane moves to a quaint coastal town to be near her quirky friend, Daphne. When they stumble upon a dead body, Sarah can't resist getting involved in solving the crime.

The beginning of the book set up the story perfectly, but I found myself losing interest halfway through. It just wasn't my cup of tea, but that's not to say it wasn't well-written. And the audiobook narration was top-notch, too!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC of this book.

I was excited to listen to the audiobook for this first in a new cozy mystery series. I liked the narrator and thought she was appropriate for the main character and really brought her to life. I thought the characters were very interesting and the setting was wonderful. This book laid a great foundation for a wonderful cozy mystery series. I thought this one didn’t grab me the way I hoped, but I think it might be one of those situations where the first book in a series lays a foundation and the rest are better. I will definitely be hoping for and trying book two to test that theory. Retired and widowed Dr. Sarah Vane moves to a small coastal town where her good friend Daphne lives. Daphne offers to let her use her beach hut for storage and the two women go to empty it out and find a body tucked into a trunk. Sarah quickly realized that this must be murder (it’s rarely accidental to lock yourself in a trunk by closing all the outside the trunk clasps. Determined that her friend won’t be railroaded as a suspect Sarah decides they must investigate themselves. This is a fun book and I will be keeping an eye out for this author.

A really enjoyable listen. This cozy mystery is well written with some very English characters and a very interesting plot. The narrator does a really excellent job and I was fully engrossed in the story and didn’t guess ‘who done it’ Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to this audiobook.

Sarah has just been widowed and she’s moved to Merstairs by the seaside, to be near her childhood friend, Daphne. Sarah is a retired doctor and has Hamish the dog for company. Daphne has bought a seaside hut and Sarah needs some space to store her deceased husband’s clothes, sorting out the hut brings forth a shock.
Described as a warm, cozy murder - and this is just that. It’s gentle yet twists and turns and was rather engaging.
I enjoyed it and would listen to more.

I was charmed by the characters in this first installment of a series. Sarah (retired doctor turned accidental sleuth) is clearly going to start solving some murders in her new, quaint English village. I thought the narrator, Jilly Bond, did an excellent job with Sarah, as well as the many other characters coming in and out of her life.
I think this was a fun, cozy mystery and I'm sure I'll check out the second when it comes, but likely will enjoy the series on audio.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

Following the death of her husband, recently retired doctor, Sarah Vane, has moved next door to her best friend, Daphne, in the small town of Merstairs on the Kent coast. The two women have been friends since their schooldays, and both are delighted with the new arrangement. Daphne has recently purchased a beach hut and offers to let Sarah store some boxes there, but first it needs cleaned out a bit. While the two are working on it, they discover a body in a trunk, clearly murdered. Turns out the dead man was a mostly well-liked local bar owner. Sarah, of course, decides she has to snoop around. I’ll grant you the cops don’t seem incredibly competent, but Sarah barely knows the people in town aside from Daphne who isn’t a real suspect. I felt her reasons for jumping headlong into the investigation seemed a little weak.

The small town setting with quirky characters is a cozy mystery staple, but it was nicely done here. The town was described so well, with the breeze from the sea and the quaint cottages. The townspeople are an assorted lot and Sarah has a bit of a tendency to look down her nose at them. Daphne is a joy, but perhaps not as appreciated by Sarah or the town as she should be. We even have pets. Sarah has a Scottie called Hamish. Daphne has a massive orange cat called Mephisto, and another character has a Chihuahua called Tinkerbell.

The mystery itself was fine. Sarah jumps to conclusions a bit quickly but usually reevaluates before making a total fool of herself. In the end, she gets to the solution.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a good job. She differentiated the characters well and dealt nicely with the few spots where we get to hear Hamish’ thoughts. Hopefully, she will also narrate the next in the series.

Thank you NetGalley for sharing this adorable and witty murder mystery.
I was pleasantly pleased that this was not a thriller style murder mystery, but instead a wonderfully developed group of characters that were trying to figure out who was the murderer. These quirky individuals each had wonderful character development. And I loved the incorporation of the dog!

“Murder at an English Pub” by Alice Castle is available now in paperback and on Kindle, Kindle Unlimited and Audible.

When retired doctor Sarah Vane moves to Merstairs, she has no idea that the quaint seaside town isn’t quite as friendly it seems, and something sinister is bubbling under the picturesque surface…

Recently widowed and looking for a fresh start away from city life, Sarah Vane moves into a lovely little cottage by the sea. The rustic charm is everything she hoped it would be, but her new home doesn’t quite have enough space for her things. Her old friend Daphne offers to store Sarah’s boxes in her messy beach hut, but while clearing it out, they are shocked to find a heavy trunk… containing a dead body.

A lot of cozy mysteries can occasionally venture a little too far into “irritatingly twee”, but this is full of great characters, a surprisingly dark mystery, and several great moments of humour, especially the friendship between Sarah and Daphne. Keen to read the next in the series!

#books #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #mystery #murdermystery #cozymystery #cozymurdermystery

A quintessentially English mystery novel, it's an easy listen, and a solid introduction to a cast of characters that I could see myself being entertained with regularly. Positively charming.

Murder At An English Pub by Alice Castle The book was narrated by my favorite female British narrator jilly Bond and it is about Dr. Susan Vane. She recently moved to Merstairs. She recently lost her beloved husband and wants to be closer to her friend Daphne. While getting settled in she realizes she brought stuff of her husbands that she really doesn’t need so Daphne offers to store it for her and her surprising new beach front cottage. The only problem is they have to empty the cottage out first. While the ladies are unpacking boxes of old clothes books shoes ATC Hamish is obsessed with a certain box and cannot stop barking at it and ripping the paper off so the ladies picked that one next and inside they find a dead body. After calling 999, Susan sees how inadequate the police department is in her new little village and decides to investigate the case herself. Something that Daphne’s constable daughter is totally against but as Susan meets new people and learns the ins and outs of the town she is also looking for a killer. Just when she thinks she has found the culprit her and Hamish find him dead on the beach. Is there a Serial Killer in Merstairs or is there more than one? I thought Susan solving this Crime while getting to know her new village was such a brilliant choice I loved Susan and her out of the box BFF Daphne I thought Jilly Bond’s deadpan was so laugh out loud funny! I do want to say when the culprit was eventually pointed out I was surprised but I was also like really? You have to read/listen to the book to know why but in my opinion it almost came out of left field. Having said that I absolutely love this book and would definitely read the next one especially if it is narrated by Jilly Bond. I have never read a book by Alice Castle before but I’m looking forward to the next book I can get my hands on by her. I found the riding funny no matter what part of the investigation the story was on I found it interesting I loved Hamish and especially loved Susan and“Psychic“ Daphne‘s friendship. What a great read! #BookoucherAudio, #NetGalley, #AliceCastle, #MurderAtAnEnglishPub,

Sarah Vane is a recently widowed & retired GP who moves from London into a lovely little cottage by the sea in Kent. The rustic charm is everything she hoped it would be, but her new home doesn’t quite have enough space for her things. Her old friend Daphne, who lives next door offers to store Sarah’s boxes in her recently bought beach hut, but while clearing it out, they are shocked to find a heavy trunk… containing a dead body. Daphne immediately recognises the poor man as pub landlord Gus Trubshaw. Sarah concludes that he was suffocated. Unimpressed by the police’s lack of interest, Sarah realises she will have to solve the case herself.
The start of a new series & I really liked Sarah, Daphne, Mel & Charles & look forward to finding out how their characters & relationships develop. Sarah is ‘looking into’ her first murder & blunders around & Daphne is anything but subtle which leads to some amusing moments. Hamish Sarah’s dog is a delight. I did guess who the villain was but not the reasons why the crime was committed. A well written interesting & enjoyable cosy mystery, I look forward to more in the series. I was also lucky enough to get an audio copy too, so half listened & half read the book. The narrator did bring the book to life
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Alice Castle, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley.

The narrator of this audiobook is Jilly Bond. Ms. Bond does a wonderful job as the voice of Sarah. I also enjoyed the tone she used for Daphne and how she handled Hamish's interactions.

This is a delightful and lighthearted introduction to a cozy mystery series. The first book generally establishes the history of the protagonist. In this, Sarah is a retired GP, recently widowed upon the sudden death of her long-time husband, Pete. She has 2 adult daughters and 2 young granddaughters. Plus, the dog, Hamish, that Sarah inherited from Pete. Sarah needs a change of scenery from London and moves to a picturesque English seaside of Merstairs. 

Sarah's long-time friend, Daphne, is already a resident. Sarah hopes time spent with Daphne, and her relaxed attitude will help her heal from Pete's death. First up is the beach hut Daphne rented for them for the summer. The ladies have to clean it out before they can use it and, in the process, find the body of a local man.

A new career as an informal detective seems to have found Sarah, with her besty Daphne and Hamish for protection, this crime will definitely be solved in an entertaining way! Also, multiple pets were involved, which was great fun.

Thank you to Alice Castle, Bookouture Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

Murder at an English Pub by Alice Castle and narrated by Jilly Bond is the first book in a new Sarah Vane cosy Mysteries. Now, I love reading these cosy mysteries however, this book just didn't pull me in. Sadly it was flat and I had to turn off the audiobook after a few chapters, I ended up reading it which was a ok......I really hope the next book within this new series is better especially as I love this authors books. I loved the two main characters - they were really lovely but this book was missing however, Alice Castle, did a brilliant job of providing lots of description in her writing throughout the book, You felt you were there in the back ground.
But, don't let my review put you off especially as it is a great quick holiday read to get your holidays started.

Big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Bookouture, for my Audiobook and Book.

A widowed woman, Sarah, moves to a small town with her adorable dog as her sidekick. She and her friend stumble upon a dead body that they find in her friend’s recently purchased beach hut. Sarah becomes very intrigued with who could be the murderer and when the police don’t seem to be much help, she takes on the task of solving this mystery herself. I enjoyed the accent of the narrator of the audio book, as it really helped set the scene/tone of the book. I thought that the author, Alice Castle, did a good job of providing lots of description in her writing. I found myself depicting vivid pictures in my mind while listening! This is a suitable uncomplicated read and readers would enjoy if they are looking for a cozy, easy to read, mystery.

Murder in a quaint seaside town.

This cozy mystery set in Merstairs features a sixtyish retired GP whose husband has recently died. Sarah Vane moves next door to her old friend, Daphne, and looks forward to embracing seaside life. While looking at a hut owned by her friend as a place to store some of her extra boxes, Sarah and Daphne discover a body hidden in a trunk. It happens to be the local pub landlord who was thought to be on a vacation. There are plenty of suspects, and Sarah tries her hand at amateur sleuthing.

This was sluggish and redundant at times and I'm sorry to say that the focus on the antics of Sarah's dog, Hamish, was beyond irritating. Way too much of the dog for me. I wanted to read an absorbing mystery, and this was not really it. Quite predictable from the start, the narrative wound its way slowly to the murderer at the center. The main character, Sarah, was not very believable for her all her being a doctor and fancying herself a detective. The first in a series, I won't be reading further installments.

I listened to the audiobook while following along in the e-book (both provided by the publisher) but had to put the audiobook aside because I could not listen to the narrator's voice a moment longer. It was grating and sounded like a 100-year-old crone (I mean woman). Not for me.

This was too much like a Miss Marple storyline for me personally it had a good storyline but I like my thrillers a bit more gritty

I love cozy mysteries - especially the Thursday Murder Club books, so when I saw this book I had to give it a try. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I thought the characters could have been developed a bit more, particularly the minor characters who end up playing a larger role in the end. I didn't really connect with any of the characters because we just get to know them superficially. I will probably read follow-up books, hopefully to get to know the characters better, but won't necessarily be waiting on the next release.

The audiobook narrator was solid!