Rick Chasen (Chase) has planned a walk on the picturesque Coast to Coast trail in Cumbria, joined by new friend Mike. However, Mike has a work emergency but Chase has old friend Bille and new friend Joe, a birder, to accompany him. Then there are the Uptons, a loud, unpleasant, bickering family from Texas. Although ill equipped emotionally and physically for a days long hike, they have come to England hoping to solve a family mystery. That doesn’t happen and after a death on the hike, there is a new mystery to solve.

A Lethal Walk in Lakeland is pure delight. The Cumbrian countryside location is the star here. Descriptions of the daily walks, the trees, flowers, cliffs and rocks are captivating. I loved reading about the inns where the hikers stayed and the meals served. The characters, especially Chase and knitter Billie are well described. You’ll feel everyone’s frustration with the Uptons. The plot is complicated and will keep you guessing. I’m looking forward to the next in this series. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing and Nicholas George for this ARC.

i loved the locale and charcters in the A Lethal Walk in Lakeland. Thanks very much for #Netgalley, #NicholasGeorge and, #Kensingtonpublishingcorp for the free arc of this title. This is set in a very picturesque part of England and while I wouldn't probably do the walking tour as described I did love reading about the walk in the comfort of my own home. It takes awhile for the first actual crime to take place but this is due to setting up the cast of characters. Everyone from a family from Texas, to the English people at the town the walking tour is taking place. The plot was a really quick and good read and I will definitely be reading more by the author, Nicholas George. the mystery was really interesting and there was a setup at the end of this book for the next installment. The main characters personal life is a little bit of the book but I found this part charming and interesting also.

Ok, I wanted to read this book as it was set in the Lake district in the UK, one of my much loved places. Chase, an ex police detective from the UK joins an organized coast to coast group walk. His love interest is initially tied up in Devon due to work issues, but another friend from the US is also kon the walk. The group consists of North Americans, mostly a family group and a friend of theirs. The family are pretty irritating from the start and unfortunately, the emphasis was on the family relationships rather than the local area. I did not really get their reasons for being there but was not suprised when one of the family was found dead.
I was not convinced by the investigation. Chase is retired, his partner is a coroner and gets involved (there are no doubt arrangements for cover when the coroner is absent) . I cannot see them being welcomed into a police investigation if they are involved with the group., but this is fiction I suppose. There was not a lot happening until about 40% into the book The cosy mystery genre is not really my thing, so I should probabily give it a wide berth. I do like the Gay love angle.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

I was disappointed in this book because I enjoyed George’s first book about walking-tour-detective Chase a good deal. I found the Upton family okay overall as the family-with-problems, but I felt the mystery itself was a little bland. I also didn’t like the cutbacks to Chase’s past case with the serial killer because… honestly, it just made me want to read the story behind THAT case more than the one I was reading! I also didn’t see how it fit that much with the situation in the book.

I don’t think this is a terrible book by any means, but it just didn’t have the same light, cozy vibe as the first one did.

Having enjoyed reading the first mystery in this series, I decided to give this one a try. It follows a similar format, with Chase, an ex-US detective, and his friend Billie joining a walking holiday group across the north of England. Unfortunately, most of the other main characters irritated me from the start with their family bickering and fighting. I was hoping one of them would be the murder victim! I was also hoping Chase’s love interest would make a more significant feature of this story. As before, Chase assists the local police to uncover the murderer.

I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Retired American policeman Chase takes a guided walking tour of the English Lake District. One in the tour group is murdered, and, of course, Chase works with the local police to figure out the culprit. However, the star in this book is the Lake District — beautifully described by the author. The whodunit was clever, the characters were interesting, and it was fun to take a vicarious walk in England!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is one of the sweetest series around. Widower Chase, a retired policeman, goes on walking tours of England because he loves the beauty of the British countryside. This is the second book in the series and on each walk, someone has been murdered. In the last book, he met a man, Mike, a coroner in the UK (Chase is American) and sparks flew. In this book they are to be reunited, but that’s not the story – Chase and Mike don’t get together again until toward the end of the book. The real focus is Chase’s walk through Lake Country.

Chase is such a nice guy. He often goes on walking tours with his friend Billie, an avid knitter and fellow walk lover. This tour includes Chase and Billie, but also an obstreperous and loud family of Texans who continually fight with one another, disrupting the trip. The family, the Uptons, take over the trip, despite the tour leader threatening to throw them out without a refund if another punch is thrown.

Neither happens – they aren’t thrown out, and punches are still thrown. When there is eventually a murder, Chase’s puzzle instinct kicks in, and when he offers help to the police on the scene they are happy to accept. They even accept Mike’s help – he’s finished with his own work and has come to meet up with Chase, but Chase offers him up as a fill in coroner. With the two men so invested, it’s inevitable that Chase solves the crime.
This is a weird mix of a professional and an amateur sleuth. As Chase is retired, he’s technically an amateur, but he still has the skills and so far local police have accepted his help. The tone is completely on the traditional side of things. There are fair clues, a suspect circle, and even the traditional wrap up by the detective at the end with all the suspects assembled.

The strongest parts of these book are the scenery, as George immerses the reader in the English countryside, and the characters. Chase, while being a nice, decent guy, is also an interesting enough person to hang a series on. As a reader you’re always glad when he turns up to settle things down. His nascent relationship with Mike seems sweet and might provide the kind of yin and yang between partners ranging from Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence to Moyes’ Henry and Emmy to Maron’s Deborah and Dwight. All of these loving couples are the tentpoles of their books and they add heft and believability to the books. I’m guessing Chase and Mike will do the same.

The mystery part was also quite clever and Chase’s wrap up is excellent. It held my interest, threw in some surprises, and the twists were fairly laid out for the reader. These books could not be a more pleasant reading experience.

Having loved the first A Walk Through England mystery, I couldn't wait to read the next one. By now, we're more familiar with Chase and his backstory which allowed Nicholas George to jump right in! While I love a good travelogue mystery, the minor characters in the story annoyed me to no end and it was hard to find any redeeming qualities to care about the ending. Because I felt it got repetitive after the murder, it wasn't my favorite of the series, but I will look forward to more!

What was meant to be a sorta kinda date for Chase, a retired police detective from the US, with Mike, a coroner he met during a previous walk in Devon, turns into another murder mystery for Chase (and his pal Billie ) to solve. Mike can't make the trip (too much death at home) and most of the others on the walk are members of the fractious Upton family. Chase and Billie step up when there's a poisoning. This is nicely done cozy with the addition of the nice atmospherics of a walk through the Lake District. While it's the second in the series, it will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A genial read for arm chair visitors to the UK.

Chase, a retired detective from the United States, is on a walking tour in the UK along with his good friend Billie. Other members of the group are mostly from one family, the Uptons, plus their friend Carole and one unrelated walker. All of the Uptons are unpleasant, so when one of them is murdered, Chase has a lot of suspects to help the local police investigate and eventually reveals the murderer in a drawn-out scene with all of the assembled suspects. This is the second in a series, but since the series entries are set on different walks, most of the characters are new, so this book can be read as a standalone. The author does a nice job of filling in the backstories and relationships of the three recurring characters: Chase, Billie, and Mike, a coroner in Devon with whom Chase is just starting a romantic relationship. Some of the language is a bit odd; one of the characters, Carole, is supposedly from Texas and has a way of using words that seems like slapstick; it was hard to tell if the author was trying to be funny ("sweatin' like a whore in church"; "he comes across as tough as a nickel steak") by playing up a stereotype.. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Kensington for the ARC.

I actually enjoyed this more than I thought u would. I don’t tend to like cozy mysteries but I was a long for this ride. Great mystery. Great relationships. Enjoyed the characters. I will be back for more.

I really enjoyed this 2nd book in the series. The descriptions of the Coast to Coast walk and the inns really make me want to go there. And I enjoyed the story, if not all the characters. I'll be looking forward to the next one.

Rick Chasen, nicknamed Chase, is a retired American police detective. A fan of walking, he has arranged to meet his friend Billie and love-interest Mike on a shortened Coast-to-Coast walking tour in the Lake District. Unfortunately, an outbreak of some mysterious illness in Mike's home county of Devon means he cannot join them (he's the local coroner). Even worse, instead of the disparate group of walkers Chase was hoping for, the remainder of the group consist of a Canadian bird watcher and six members of the Upton family from Texas.

The reasons for the family joining the trek aren't clear, none of them seem like hikers. The oldest brother appears overly familiar with his younger sister and picks on one of his twin brothers, his wife is ridiculously superstitious. One twin is gregarious and outgoing, although too fond of a quick fix. The other twin is a former soldier who seems to have psychological problems. The only sister is a recent widow, although by her on admission she cheated on her husband while he was dying of cancer. The final member of the family group is actually the sister's best friend, although she gossips incessantly about all the other family members and clearly had a crush on her friend's husband.

The tensions between the family group frequently boil over into arguments, and occasionally physical fights, at one point the tour guide even kicks them all off the tour, although he is persuaded to reconsider.

But when one of the Uptons is mysteriously poisoned at a country hotel suspicions fall on the other members of the walking group and it is up to Chase to give the local police force the benefit of his observations about the group.

I think part of the reason for my average score for the novel is that I have recently read another book about a Coast-to-Coast walking tour, You Are Here so the theme was familiar. Also, given the mention of Mike, I assumed he would play a role in the story, but he only appears towards the end. Finally, although I knew that Chase had retired I assumed he was a fifty-something retiree rather than close to seventy.

I felt that any one of the tour group could have murdered the victim, because they were all given plausible motives, and I was rather irritated that the 'evidence' of the murderer was something that the reader could not have seen (which I am pretty sure breaks one of the mystery writing rules I read recently in another novel).

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

I love a good mystery, and this book did not disappoint. It is the second book in the series, but if you haven’t read the first one, you will still be okay to read this one.

Chase, a retired police detective, is returning to England from California for another walk, and to spend some time with the man he met on his last walk in England. Looking forward to getting away from Americans for a bit, he’s a bit disappointed when everyone signed up for the tour is American (with a Canadian in the mix). And not only American, but a Texas family of strong personalities!

Things take a horrifying turn when a member of their group dies. How did it happen? Who would want this to happen? It’s time for Chase to dust off his detective skills and solve another case! So much for a relaxing time with his man.

There are so many twists and turns in this book that you will be guessing who did it right up until the end, as any good mystery should be!

poisons, local-law-enforcement, contentious, unpleasant-family-members, mental-illness, mental-health-issues, bipolar, childhood-trauma, murder, murder-investigation, LGBTQ, mystery-fiction, family-drama, family-dynamics, PTSD, atmospheric, thriller, threats, grieving****

Retired San Diego police detective Rick “Chase” Chasen is a grieving gay widower who is on his second group excursion on the Coast-to-Coast walking trail in the picturesque Lake District in England. He is with his straight friend Billie Mondreau a librarian avid knitter, and fellow Anglophile. Their fellow walkers are a contentious adult family who are burdened with several mental health issues and general family drama. After an extended set-up, we get down to the first murder where things really get going. I really liked it and think that the stories will keep getting better.
I requested and received a temporary review copy from Kensington Publishing courtesy of NetGalley. Thank you! Avail Jan 21, 2025
#ALethalWalkInLakeland #NetGalley #WalkThroughEnglandMysteriesBk2

4.5 upped to 5
I'm loving this series and loving the characters. This one was slow burning and character driven.
I wasn't sure if I was going to love it but there's a moment when, BANG, everything makes sense and you start turning pages as fast as you can.
This reader had to read till the end and it was past 1 am when felt right to close the book as there were no pages left.
The mystery makes me think of some GAD mysteries that introduce the characters and their relationship. This part is usually relevant in understanding the investigation.
I was good to catch with Billie and Chase, the Upton family were a bit too over the top but also an interesting dysfunctional family.
I enjoyed the twists and surprises, liked the solution and how it was done. I also liked the romance which is well played and meaningful.
I look forward to the next one as I want to know what will happen to the characters and the next walk.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

While I enjoy the premise of Nicholas George’s series, and I like the protagonist, there’s just something off about this latest book, A Lethal Walk in Lakeland. I was just disgusted with the over-the-top behavior of the Uptons, a family of Texans on the Rovers North walk in England.

Rick “Chase” Chasen is a retired San Diego police detective who enjoys walks in the English countryside. He signed up to walk a coast-to-coast trail in the Lake District to enjoy the countryside, the walk, and to provide some time with Mike Tibbets, a coroner Chase met earlier, a man he’s attracted to. But, before Chase can even join the Rovers North walking group, he hears from Mike that he’s caught up in a case, and won’t be able to join him. He’s disappointed, but he’s still going to spend time with his close friend, Billie Mondreau, a fellow Anglophile.

Unfortunately, it’s a small group of walkers. There’s Chase, Billie, a bird watcher, and the loud and obnoxious Upton family from Texas. They always seem to be fighting amongst themselves or causing a scene. Chase keeps an eye on them because the oldest doesn’t seem healthy, and there are family members who seem to rely on one drug or another. And, they’re keeping a secret as to why this group is really on an unlikely trip. But, when one of the group is murdered, it’s not the family member Chase would have expected.

As a former detective, Chase is welcome to work with the British police detective as he investigates the death. It’s not long, though, before a witness is murdered. Now, it could be anyone in the group as the killer or the next victim.

There’s a lot that makes me uncomfortable with this book, from the Upton family to the grand reveal of the killer. While the book has a wonderful atmosphere, it seems as if it has to pack Golden Age elements into a modern mystery. I enjoy the walking atmosphere in these books, but I may be finished with the series.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

This was such a good book. I really enjoyed it. More than I thought I would. I loved the writing style. This book had me hooked from page one. This is a first for me by this author but will not be my last!!

I want this series to be better than it is. It's not bad, it's just not great.

Pluses:

+ Setting! Sign me up for cozy-ish mysteries realistically set in small English towns (and countrysides).
+ A generally engaging protagonist.
+ Plenty of plausible suspects and a twisty-turny reveal.

Minuses/quibbles (I'm mixing sentences and fragments here; it's late, and I'm tired):

- I don't feel as if the author has fully grasped how to include interesting details/quirks in a fashion that's true to the character. Example: "I felt just as hollow as I did when Carlton Fisk, a popular Boston Red Sox catcher and World Series hero, left Boston to sign with the Chicago White Sox." No true Red Sox fan would think of it that way. They'd think something like "I felt just as hollow as I had when Carlton Fisk left Boston to sign with the White Sox." Sure, many readers won't know what position Carlton Fisk played—some may not even know that the reference is about baseball—but that gives us all we need.
- Inaccurate (I think) descriptions/characterizations of mental illness.
- Errors that aren't true to the character. For instance, a reference to a serial killer being arrested and then hanging himself "in his prison cell four days later." I'm pretty sure even a serial killer would be held in jail, not prison, until trial, and a former police detective would know this and make the distinction.
- Unbelievable characterization, and action that veers into slapstick—I simply don't believe that people (even brash Texans) could get away with some of the behavior that's described, while staying at a lovely English inn.
- Bouncing back and forth between tenses.
- Too many unresolved plot points at the end.

That's a lot of minuses, and I want to be clear that I did, on the whole, enjoy reading this. I just think it needed more work to be ready for prime time.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.