Book Review: Death at the Old Curiosity Shop by Debbie Young

I was immediately drawn into Death at the Old Curiosity Shop, the start of a brand-new cozy mystery series by Debbie Young. From the first page, I felt transported to the charming village of Little Pride, where Alice Carroll’s fresh start quickly spirals into intrigue.

Alice is a relatable character, navigating life after a long-term relationship and embracing a minimalist lifestyle. Her excitement about running Curiosity Cottage is palpable, but I loved how quickly she learns that the village is anything but ordinary. The quirky residents and their attachment to the shop added layers of charm and conflict that kept me engaged.

The plot thickened dramatically when a body is discovered in her neighbor's compost heap. Young masterfully blends humor with suspense, creating a delightful atmosphere that’s perfect for a cozy mystery. I appreciated how the story unfolded, revealing the secrets of Little Pride and its inhabitants with each twist.

The writing is warm and inviting, making it easy to visualize the picturesque Cotswolds setting. The characters are well-crafted, each adding depth and color to the narrative. I felt like I was part of the village, getting to know not just Alice, but also the locals who play pivotal roles in the unfolding mystery.

Debbie Young has created a compelling mix of mystery and community that left me eagerly turning pages. I found myself chuckling at the humor while simultaneously trying to piece together the clues. The blend of cozy elements with a murder mystery is handled beautifully, ensuring that fans of the genre will be delighted.

Overall, Death at the Old Curiosity Shop is a fantastic start to what promises to be an engaging series. I can’t wait to see where Alice’s journey takes her next in Little Pride!

After losing both a long-term relationship and her job in a city museum, Alice Carroll moves to 'a rambling cottage in the country' in the quaint Cotswold village of Little Pride.

Following the introduction of a body in the first chapter, the first 50% of the book almost made me forget all may not be as it seems in Little Pride.

An eccentric cast of characters, a charismatic neighbor, a possible archeological find - and one or more bodies - kept me engaged in this first book in a new cozy mystery series by Debbie Young.

I loved this book, and I’m so pleased that it’s the start of a new series, having enjoyed Debbie Young’s Sophie Sayers cosy murder series. It was a nice touch for Hector’s bookshop to put in a cameo appearance! The first part of the book is like reading an episode of Escape to the Country as Alice moves out of the city to a small village. The descriptions of the shop and it’s contents are brilliant, and I found myself getting quite anxious about the outcome (but I can’t say anymore or it’d give away part of the story). I’m looking forward to reading further books in this series.

'Death at the Old Curiosity Shop' is a small-town cozy mystery set in England. I enjoyed watching Alice learn how to thrive amidst some very unfortunate circumstances. I could see this becoming a series, as we follow this shop owner/historian's journey.

If you enjoy reading light-hearted mysteries with small town drama, then I recommend this book to you!

Special thanks to the Publisher, Boldwood Books, and Net Galley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I do enjoy a cozy crime, and I thought Death at the Old Curiosity Shop sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try.

I liked Alice, though I found her a little naive for her age. The village was also full of odd characters who added plenty of interest to the story.

The setting was good - Little Proud was an interesting village, with all sorts of fun quirks.

Unfortunately, Alice doesn’t actually start investigating until about 70% of the way through. Luckily I enjoyed reading about her settling in to her new home and sorting out the shop. And the mystery was interesting once it really got going.

Overall, this was a fun introduction to a new series, with an interesting mystery.

I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

This book is about a woman who has run into a few mishaps in her life, resulting in her moving out to the countryside into a previously owned curiosity shop. along the way she will make friends, enemies, and meet new acquaintances. However after getting things in order, there is another bump in the road, that results in the mystery portion of this novel.
I thought this book was great for the cozy read that it was marketed as. The characters relationships and dynamics were very realistic to me. I also enjoyed the setting of this story and thought the backstory for it made the story feel more real. lastly there were a few moments throughout this novel that had me laughing which was refreshing. However I wished there was a bit more suspense. I personally was also jarred by the real world references as I find that they often take me out of the story. One example of this would include the reoccurring reference of Covid-19. lastly i found that the mystery aspect of this book i was hoping for was only present in the later half of the novel, and i wounder if this was intentional. I would also like to acknowledge that my issues with this novel were quite specific to me, and I think this book can easily become a readers favorite, as such, I have given it a 3 star rating.
while I don't think any of the content of this book would be deeply upsetting, I would always recommend looking for a secondary source to confirm this.

I was interested to get an E-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review as Death at the old curiosity shop was my first Debbie Young book, and now, having read it I'm surprised I've not discovered her sooner. This was a lovely comforting cosy murder set in a small village. Alice has just moved in to the old antique and curio shop, intending to close the show turn it into back into a private home, but the local council and fellow villagers have other ideas. This book follows her journey to reopened the shop, previously owned by the much loved little Nell who, although no longer around, is an ever present figure in the background but no spoilers here about her fate.

The book has a slowish start, and we don't get our first murder until the halfway point. I enjoyed the characterisation, each different villager was distinctive and left me wanting to know more. My only gripe was in the wrap up, I felt the ending was quite abrupt and I was never fully satisfied that I'd got an explanation for what happened. There were so many loose ends untied with this murder that our have a go detective had mused about, but it was frustrating not to find out how the crime actually happened. I’d go as far as to wonder if this E-ARC was missing a few final chapters so abrupt was the end. I enjoyed it and would read another as I feel we're likely getting a series.

This is a cozy mystery but it wasn’t for me. You can still chose to read this book if you like cozy mysteries. It just was not for me.

3.5
This is a cozy mystery about a woman who moves to a small town for a fresh start after a breakup. Alice purchases a cottage with an old curiosity shop in the front. She soon learns after moving in that her plans for a quiet life may not work out because of the rules of the parish council. Instead she needs to tidy up the place and open for business. Alice is just getting used to business and making new friends, when one new acquaintance winds up dead and the other strangled.

This story was incredibly easy to get into and read. I do wish that there was a little more at the end with the arrest of the perpetrator but, this is a great start to a new series of cozy mysteries. It sets up the world wonderfully and gives a good introduction to who I’m sure will be involved in future antics.

I received a free copy of, Death at the Old Curiosity Shop, by Debbie Young, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Alice Carroll is in Cotswolds, to start over after breaking up with her boyfriend, she falls in love with a shop and wants to take over but the villagers aren't happy with her plans. Then a dead body is found and she has a mystery to solve, life is not dull in Little Pride. This was a lively read, I really liked Alice.

A definite cosy small village mystery, the village imagery and life feels spot on for a rural English village. The first half is a slow introduction building character and place, introducing us to the village and the people who live there. The MC seems to move between a confident woman to oddly reliant on others when making simple decisions, for example why did she let her ex get away with all that crap? But there is a strong interesting base character with lots of room to grow. I love the plot and reasoning behind the crimes but the conclusion was very rushed and had very little explanation into what had actually happened, the book could do with a little more balance across the length of the story. Overall I enjoyed the book and would definitely read more if the series continues.

It's not that there is anything actually wrong with this cosy crime novel..its just that there are many others out there so much better.
Debbie Yohng serves up all the elements of a cute cisg crime, a village setting, a feisty heroine, a handsome neighbour and various possible red herring suspects.
But no one feels three dimensional or even properly realised and the ease with which our heroine clears up her dilapidated house, and shop, is almost superhuman.
The final denouement is, to be honest an extremely damp squib...so much so that I actually turned over the last page expecting more to come!
Thank you NetGalley for the earc. And you can see that I have given it an honest review!

"Death at the Old Curiosity Shop" is a light and cozy read. You'll fall in love with the atmosphere and the main characters. This book did feel more cozy than mystery which contributes to the abrupt ending. The details of Alice's life kept me reading, but the murder mystery aspect felt somewhat underdeveloped.
Overall, a relaxing and enjoyable read.

Little Pride, England - Present Day

Alice Carroll is fiftyish, and starting over. Her breakup with her long time boyfriend has materialized, and she is convinced that this is her chance to move on. She's going to buy a cottage in the tiny village of Little Pride deep in the Cotswolds. To complicate matters, though, she's also lost her job. So, it looks as though this will be a clean break from not only the ex, but also a busy city life. The cottage she is shown is known as Nell's Cotswold Curiosity Shop, and it still seems to be filled with the bric-a-brac left by Nell. Assured by the real estate man that she can convert it to residential only, Alice signs the paperwork and prepares to move in.

Alice meets some of the locals, and it seems as though there is a bit of a misunderstanding. She is required by the local council to reopen and maintain the shop! She can still live in the rest of the house, but she must open for business as soon as possible! With the help of her friend from her former job, Danny, she reluctantly begins to tidy up the shop. The local man who runs the parish newspaper, Andrew, clues Alice into the village gossip, and lets her know that a developer has bought the paddock grounds next to her cottage, and will be building mega-mansions. She also meets the man next door who is a business executive, and who grew up in Little Pride. Alice hopes she will fit into the tiny burb where everyone seems to know everything about everyone!

And then the body of someone Alice met in her shop shows up on the compost pile of a local resident. He had been bringing Alice items he found in the paddock, despite his boss ordering him not to. What could possibly be the reason for killing the man?

The first book in a new series by Debbie Young, The Cotswold Curiosity Shop Mysteries begins by introducing Alice. She's fiercely independent and just wants to move on with her new life, but things keep cropping up making things confusing. Who should she trust in Little Pride? Why was the man killed, and why was he dumped in the compost pile of a local citizen? It's great fun finding out, and readers will totally enjoy this new series.

Ok I know this was a cozy mystery but I loved Alice so much that she became a "friend" of sorts. I was rooting for her and her happiness the whole way. However, the plot itself felt too predictable and the ending was done in a haste. I would've liked more actual storytelling rather than info dumping.

Alice Carroll has spent 25 years with a man who was not willing to commit hoping that it’s long before he comes to his senses when he was caught trying to sell his half of the property they both owned to go find himself in India. Finally independent and recently at the age of 50 Alice does not waste a moment to snatch up a house in a fairly country for a ridiculous price in hopes of permanently living in a rural village as it has been her dream but she quickly realises she had purchased more than she bargained when a body is found and it sets up a series of event she never imagined.

The was a cozy mystery as it was advertised with little to no more suspense, it leaned more to Alice’s life and her new found independence coalesce with small town charm, peculiar characters and a bit of history. It was quite a light read and while it was a cozy mystery the mystery part felt rushed and incomplete as if the author just brush the surface with how straightforward it felt.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC

This cozy mystery leans more towards charm than suspense, offering a pleasant, light read rather than a gripping whodunit. Alice Carroll’s move to a Cotswold village is filled with quirky characters and small-town quirks, but the murder mystery takes a backseat to her personal journey. The writing is straightforward and the chapters are short, making it an easy read, but the ending felt rushed, leaving me with some unanswered questions. While enjoyable, it didn’t quite meet my expectations for a true mystery.

More cozy than murder/mystery, a friend that you enjoy rooting for.

Death at the Old Curiosity Shop tells the story of Alice Carroll's new life. After being dumped by her boyfriend, buying a new house in the Cotswolds, and being fired from her museum job, Alice is definitely feeling down. Yes, there is a murder, and an attempt at another one to spare, but I think the main story is how Alice adapts to a completely new environment with people she doesn't know, nor trusts.

I really enjoyed the funny comments, the funnier villagers and discovering a new author I would like to read more. The book is easier to read with short chapters and uncomplicated with no time jump nor different character's point of view. To me this is the perfect example of a cozy book that makes you happy, comfortable, and you root for the main character to solve the mystery but mostly to solve the sadness of her previous life.

The only thing I didn't like was the ending. Not because there was anything wrong from a plot point of view, but because it felt rushed. Alice jumps to conclusions after seeing something and I was left thinking "was she right? did that really happen or is only her theory?".

No trigger warnings that I can think of, besides the obvious of murder.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Death at the Old Curiosity Shop will be published October 11th 2024.

#DeathattheOldCuriosityShop #NetGalley

Marketing it as a mystery - even a cosy mystery - is quite misleading.
From the marketing and the description I was expecting something similar to A DEATH IN THE PARISH, or even THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB.
Instead, it felt more akin to a mix between A CASUAL VACANCY and EAT, PRAY, LOVE.

Apart from the unmet expectations, the writing relies too much on info-dumping, the characters feel like caricatures more than real people and the plot feels very predictable and almost "too neat".

Also, I love donkeys immensely, too... But come on!

It was a fun and relaxing read. There is a lot of exposition - perhaps setting up a new series - but it an abrupt ending.