This review could be called "sorry, late to the review". I thought I already reviewed it and it was in draft and discovered it while preparing a post for a blog tour (next book).
Sarah is an intriguing character: more complex that a lot of cozy mystery FMC, she's clever and wise. I loved how she was able to settle in the village and how she relates to other people.
This is a solid and entertaining mystery that kept me hooked and reading. Well plotted and surprising to keep me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This second book in the Sarah Vane Mysteries features a retiree who is recently widowed. I am a fan of costal settings plus cozy mysteries and this was the quaint ambiance I was looking for, in the small town of Merstairs. I’m also fond of stories starring pets and Hamish, who is Sarah’s little black Scottie, made it even cozier along with the seafront backdrop. But the image of quiet paradise is marred by a murder when suddenly a young woman passes away on the doorstep with a single word on her lips. As Sarah and her crew set out on searching for clues, they will come to discover another dead body and uncover the secrets hidden within the close-knit seaside community. I enjoyed the eccentric cast of characters and the humorous scenes throughout the read. My only qualms are some the slower parts in the story and maybe it would have been better had I started with book one. Overall I delighted in the teas and biscuits while sleuthing alongside Sarah and her friends. It made for a light escape and loads of entertaining moments trying to play armchair detective.

Thanks bookouture and the author for a delicious getaway!

A Seaside Murder by Alice Castle is the 2nd book in Sarah Vane Mysteries series, both books have been a lovely cosy mystery and a lovely easy read. These are well written throughout set at the seaside, we all love being by the seaside - this book will brighten your day, with all the characters in these books are brilliant and fit well into the story especially the Scottie dog called Hamish, - he is the star of these books.

I highly recommend these books.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

it took me longer than expected too read this more an issue on myside than the book itself.
its my first sarah vane mystery and
i enjoyed it nice slowpaced read which isnt normally me i tend too like fast paced however i stuck with it and i enjoyed it the characters are believeable and easy too like and i didnt see the end coming...

Retired GP Dr Sarah Vane, newly settled in a Kent coastal town, decides to help her neighbour and friend Daphene rejuvenate her shop with a good clean. She discovers a young woman badly hurt in the shop's doorway, and along with Daphne and her new friend Charles, Sarah decides to investigate what happened to the young woman. This engaging, cosy mystery has many credible leads but just as many dead ends. It's atmospheric, and as the suspense builds, it becomes increasingly intense. I like the amateur sleuths' dynamic, the dialogue and the twisty mystery.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Wow! What a fantastic read! I enjoyed every page of this cozy mystery set in a beach setting. I loved the vivid scenery, picturing the characters walking on the beach, staring up at an old castle on the hill, and enjoying the shops and cafes in the quaint English beach town of Merstairs. The central character is a retired GP, recently widowed, who moves to the small beach enclave, where a variety of exciting characters sprang from the page and into my imagination. The cast of characters is so eclectic that I was chuckling throughout the story.

The book is adorable. It is an easy, breezy, unputdownable beach read that will transport any reader from the stressors of day-to-day life into the worlds of the stories’ richly developed characters. Now, Hamish, the Scotty terrier, steals the story. The characters and narrative are so well-developed and well-written that I felt as if I was inside the story.

The book captivated me from the first to the last page. Although I had read none of Alice Castle’s books before this one, she has earned a permanent place on my bookshelves. I highly recommend this book to all lovers of cozy, beachy mysteries.

I want to thank Net Galley, Bookouture, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC. This review is voluntary and is mine alone.

A Seaside Murder by Alice Castle.
Sarah Vane Mysteries Book 2.
This was a really good read. I did like the cover. I got into it straight away. I did like the writing style. Gripping and twisty. I tried to guess who it was. I read in two sittings. I'm looking forward to the next book.

This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed the first one so looked forward to this latest book. It is a good paced mystery with twists and red herring to hold your interest and keep you guessing as the perpetrator is not immediately obvious. I really enjoyed the humour and quirky characters we meet again in this story and of course Hamish and Mephisto steal the show. Recommended. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I love a good whodunnit book, and the weather the last few days has been wet a miserable, which is perfect for curling up under a blanket to solve a cozy crime.

This was the second book in a series. I haven't read the first, but don't feel this matters as this one works perfectly as a standalone. There were some references to things that I assume happened in book 1, but they weren't integral to the plot.

I loved Sarah and Daphne, it was so nice and refreshing to have some 'older' ladies as the main characters. I thought Marissa was a pretty terrible police woman. She accidentally told people far too much about the ongoing investigation, but then it would have been a very different book without that. I absolutely loved the sections "narrated" by Hamish, they were really fun.

I thought I had the killer all worked out, but there was a lovely little extra twist that I hadn't guessed which was great.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to reading more books by Alice.

I loved the characters in this book - and also the little furry companion Hamish who is integral to solving this crime. The characters are all from a small village and you can see that in the way that everyone knows everyone. We watch the group of villagers try and solve the crime and I was not ready for the twist at the end and that one crime led to another. The writing style of this novel helps to make this a very cosy mystery which is the kind of book you can either relax and read by the pool or snuggle up on the couch with a blanket.

This is the second book in the Sarah Vane series. Sarah is a retired GP who has moved to coastal English village of Merstairs for quiet life, yet another murder occurs that seems to involve her best friend and neighbour Daphne, a self-proclaimed clairvoyant. Sarah, Daphne and Charles (a local antique dealer) decide to do some investigating themselves and once again discover some of the secrets that residents of Merstairs are trying to hide.
This book is a great cosy told with quite a bit of humour and there is of course Hamish, Sarah's Scottie, still locking horns with the evil Mephisto, Daphne's cat.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

Such a great read! Highly recommend this one.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

In A Seaside Murder by Alice Castle, Sarah finds herself in a second murder investigation. As a retired GP, she is used to death, but she had expected moving to this quiet seaside village to have less of it. She was going to do her friend, Daphne, a favor and do some cleaning at Daphne’s mystic/magic shop when she spied a bundle of clothing on the front steps. It turned out to contain a body, that of a young woman who had been stabbed and died in Sarah’s arms. It nearly broke her heart. Of course Tweedledee and Tweedledum (the locals’ names for officers Dumbarton and Deeside) were the first police to arrive and stomped on whatever evidence there was. Sarah felt she had to investigate, only to help Daphne’s daughter, Mariella, a detective-in-training. Sarah as as different than Daphne in every way. They had been school friends and Sarah had come to this village to retire after her professor husband, Peter, had passed on. Daphne was colorful, loud, a joiner, and uber-friendly, and well, a little nuts. Sarah was quiet and kept to herself. She had made at least one other friend in town, Charles, who was the part-time owner of a chihuahua, who was friendly with her own dog, a Scottie called Hamish. Daphne knew everyone so she made a helpful, if often annoying partner. It turns out the dead girl was a popular local primary teacher with no obvious enemies. It was a conundrum.

This is a delightful novel. Typically English. Typically cozy. Daphne adds color; although annoying, she is a good person at heart, despite the fact that Sarah is often very happy to retreat to her own quiet home after spending time with her. She inadvertently gives Sarah clues. She has a nightmare of a cat called Mephisto or the “orange menace,” who made Hamish’s life a nightmare. One of the endearing parts of this novel is the fact Hamish shares his thoughts with the reader. Not obnoxiously, but often they are right on. This is a good mystery and these three persons of a certain age are well-written and entertaining. They may be past their primes but they are nothing if not lively. It is a good book, well-written, well-plotted, and extremely delightful. Thanks, Ms. Castle for some terrific characters.

I was invited to read A Seaside Murder by Bookoutre. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #AliceCastle #ASeasideMurder

A Seaside Murder by Alice Castle is the second in the Sarah Vayne Mysteries. A twisty contemporary cosy, A Seaside Murder follows the amateur sleuthing of Dr Sarah Vayne, a widowed GP who has retired to Merstairs, a seaside town in Kent, a far cry from her busy metropolitan life in London

However, all is not peace and tranquility, as when Sarah volunteers to help clean up her friends shop on the seafront, she is confronted by a woman, fading from life, her last words being "wits" - This could have a whole plethora of associations in the local area, and as Sarah investigates further, she seems to be getting nowhere, until a second unaliving is discovered. New clues help Sarah to peel back the layers until she discovers a darker seam underneth the pretty facade of the town

A compelling contemporary cosy mystery with a dynamic, eclectic fmc, determined and yet with a wry humour. Honourable mention to the delightful supporting cast in Daphne and Charles and who can forget Sarah's scottie dog Hamish. The narrative flows well and all in all, a great read

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and Alice Caste for the lovely ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Sarah is a retired GP and Daphne is the owner of a tarot shop. The two ladies are poles apart in temperament and looks but they balance each other very well. They’ve had one stint of solving a crime and think they’d do very well at another.

When Sarah finds the dying Aby on Daphne’s doorstep she is determined to find out who was responsible. Despite firm orders not to get involved, the friends embark on this mission not realising the danger they put themselves into when there is a determined and savage murderer in their midst.

Set in an idyllic English seaside town, the small village atmosphere adds to the charm of the story, apart from a very good cozy story.

📱E-Book Review📱

A Seaside Murder
Alice Castle

🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is the second of the Sarah Vane Mysteries, but sadly only the first book that I've read both in the series and by this author.

The storyline certainly worked well as a standalone read.
We're following one case which is complete and concludes nicely at the end of the book.
However, I do usually like to read series in order, just to keep up with any character development that usually continues over the whole series.

Sarah was a great character to explore here and I loved to see the dynamics between her and her friends.
I especially loved the bickering between Sarah and Daphne! This really made me.laugh on more than one occasion.
True friends really though, they always make up ready for the next bout!

This was your standard cosy mystery format - which don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed!
One of my favourite genres, I could never get bored with a well presented and written case!
This was well planned out and all the clues were definitely there - but I totally didn't spot them until the reveals.
I loved making my own theories though and totally following along the routes of the red herrings!

The writing was a nice easy style which had me racing through this in only a couple of sittings. I definitely need to catch up on book 1, just so that I'm up to date before the next release ....



💕Thank you to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for my ARC copy - this is my honest review 💕

Sarah Vane is a newly retired widowed doctor who left London behind & moved to the Kent seaside resort of Merstairs, she’s now settled & enjoying the quirky, quaint feel of her new home plus she lives next door to her best friend Daphne. With some time on her hands, she decides to surprise her friend Daphne by cleaning her dusty, cluttered seafront shop. But when she arrives there early one morning, Sarah is shocked to find a dying woman on the doorstep, who utters one word before she takes her last breath: ‘Wits’ The victim is Abi Moffat, a much loved primary schoolteacher. Then, a member of the Merstairs craft club is found dead at the local fun fair. At first glance, the two victims seem to have nothing in common, until Sarah takes a closer look at the clues, and realises there is something shocking in the close-knit Merstairs community that links them
The second book in the series & another entertaining cosy mystery. I really like Sarah who jumps with both feet, she’s aided by Daphne & Charles & of course Hamish her little Scottie. I love the picture the author paints of Merstairs & its inhabitants, they are an eclectic mix but add to the books. There are red herrings as well as twists & turns as the amateur sleuths try to work out who killed Abi & Mabel & what ‘Wits’ means. The book is well paced but picks up for the climax & denouement where on of the regulars saves the day
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

This is Book 2 of the Sarah Vane Mysteries with re-occurring characters but a whole new murder to solve.

Sarah Vane, a recently retired GP, is settled into the coastal town of Merstairs where she lives next door to an old friend, Daphne. But when a beloved young teacher dies in Sarah’s arms, she is determined to find out who wanted to kill sweet Abi. Her only clue is Abi’s last word: “wits”. With the help of Daphne and Charles, the charming owner of an antiques shop, Sarah’s sleuthing takes them to several leads but none provide the answer she so desperately seeks. When another body appears, with no apparent connection to Abi, the supposedly friendly people of Merstairs come under even greater suspicion. Can the inquisitive trio solve the mystery before anyone else winds up dead as Daphne fears?

I find Sarah a very likeable amateur sleuth as she is sharp-witted, remains considerate of the people involved and takes no nonsense. She reminded me of Angela Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher in 'Murder She Wrote'. Sarah, Daphne and Charles make a joyfully comedic trio and I am keen to read more about them in future books. I especially love Daphne, who is such a colourful character (literally and figuratively). Sarah’s little Scottie dog, Hamish, is a close second favourite. He is adorable and a tiny hero.

Although a little slow in places, the mystery kept me guessing throughout with an adrenaline-pumping ending that did not disappoint. It is quite impressive how many potential connections to Abi they discover that begin with ‘wits’, which makes it slightly repetitive at times, but this does keep the ending unpredictable.

Overall, A Seaside Murder is a very entertaining read, great for those who enjoy a good cosy murder.

Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and the author for this eARC.

A cozy mystery read with eccentric characters.
Main character, Sarah, once again stumbles upon a dead body. Along with her friend, Daphne, they decide to investigate the murder. Sarah’s dog, Hamish, plays a big part in their amateur sleuthing.
I enjoyed the small seaside location, the quirky characters as well as the humorous moments that made me smile and laugh.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Retired GP Sarah Vane is back to solve another murder with her friend Daphne. Abi is a schoolteacher loved by everyone in the village of Merstairs. Why would someone kill her? A fun new mystery series.