I couldn’t help but think of The Durrells in Corfu when I started this book — youngish English widow and her children, one a precocious, nature-loving son, the other a moody teenage daughter, on the island of Corfu.

After the death of her husband Oliver, Minnie Harper keeps her word to him to raise their children in Corfu rather than returning to England. She has a handful of fellow ex-pats and Greek friends in her circle, but none are quite as intriguing as the mysterious Mr. Dorian, famous novelist recently moved in next door. Minnie takes a position as his typist, and when young housemaid Daphne is murdered and Minnie herself discovers the body she finds herself teaming up with Mr. Dorian to uncover the murderer.

Filled with cultural tidbits from the Greek islands and amusing dialogue, I enjoyed this cozy mystery. I did guess the outcome and it was a fairly slow burn, but I felt invested enough to read more in the series as they come, especially with the mild cliffhanger at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery in what I hope turns out to be a series. Minnie Harper is a young widow and mother of two living on the Greek island of Corfu in the early 1900s. Tight on funds, she takes a job as a typist for a famous mystery writer named Stephen Dorian who is on Corfu with a bad case of writer's block. When a young maid is murdered, Minnie finds the body. The local police don't seem to be taking the matter seriously, so Minnie enlists Stephen to help her find the killer.

Minnie is a charming, intrepid, and persistent heroine. She is a little bored with her day-to-day life on the small island in a time and place where women are discouraged and prevented from anything but domestic activities, and feeling unappreciated and confused by her teenage daughter. Minnie and Stephen's first meeting is inauspicious, to say the least (think Elizabeth overhearing Darcy in Pride & Prejudice), but she needs the job badly and finds real interest in Stephen's fictional detective and makes suggestions for his fiction. He is reluctant and dour, but finds that her suggestions begin to spark his creativity. The repartee is witty and sweet, as is Stephen's growing respect and attraction for Minnie.

I found the secondary characters, including Minnie's children, local Greek residents, and the community of British expatriates, well-drawn and interesting. The burgeoning attraction between Minnie and Stephen leaves me interested in reading more of their adventures, which will almost certainly explore a more personal mystery facing Minnie.

I look forward to more.

ARC provided by NetGalley, opinions my own.

An enjoyable cozy mystery. Although I guessed the murderer fairly easily, the characters kept me engaged to the end. There are many hints about mysteries yet to be solved, including some from Minnie's own past. I'll happily pick up another in the series although I won't necessarily seek it out.

'A Death on Corfu' is one of the best cozy mysteries I've ever read! It is refreshingly set on an island off the coast of Greece in 1898. Minnie and Stephen's slow burn relationship is so enjoyable to follow. I highly recommend this book by Emily Sullivan! It is full of intriguing puzzles, and I cannot wait for the sequel!

Special thanks to Kensington Publishing and Net Galley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

📣 a single parent takes on a murder mystery with the help of her grumpy & mysterious neighbor

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 if you could go someplace warm, where would it be?

Veronica Speedwell fans, listen up: I think we found a new series to enjoy.

A Death On Corfu by Emily Sullivan has the slightest beginnings of a romance, a satisfying mystery that unravels throughout, & a single parent heroine I rooted for who lives in a stunning & intriguing setting.

You might have read Emily Sullivan’s historical romance; that’s why my hopes are so high for this eventual romance payoff. Also, I’m totally digging the grumpy potential love interest and how he really gets our widowed heroine going 👀.

I’m not sure what you’re in the mood to read right now, but maybe this mystery with the slight tinge of romance possibility is it.*


*Please note that this releases forever away but that ARC should be request-able!!

5 ⭐️. Out 04/29.

CWs: murder, attempted murder, references to social ostracism.

[ID: Jess wears a blue floral dress & holds the ebook.]

Young widow Minnie Harper living in Corfu in a slowly falling-down house with her teenage daughter and young son. When she finds the body of a young local housemaid, she finds herself investigating her death with taciturn mystery writer Stephen Dorian whose hired her to help type his next book.

I found myself fully immersed in this book and breezed right through it. It was well-paced and plotted and I found all my guesses wrong. Minnie was such a fantastic heroine, slowly coming to terms about her relationship with her late husband. She was well-loved and supported by him after living with her stiffling parents, but was too busy being grateful to not realise that there's a lot she doesn't know about him and why he moved them to Corfu.

I adored the slow-burn chemistry between Minnie and Stephen, and how they challenge each other, freely speaking as equals. I loved that Stephen also revealed his vulnerabilities with Minnie and how he admires her independent spirit.

Emily Sullivan writes interesting, unconventional men and women against a backdrop of strict gender rules. This historical mystery with a subtle hint of romance really hit the spot. I cam now dying to read the next book because I am hooked on Minnie and Stephen.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

“A Death on Corfu” by Emily Sullivan is a cozy historical mystery. Minnie, a widow with two kids and a shrinking bank account, gets a surprise when a famous, scandalous mystery author moves in next door to focus on his new book. Despite his moodiness, she agrees to be his typist. When a local maid is murdered, they work together to sift through the fraught relationships and history of the small Greek island.

I loved the setting of late 1800s Greece—the lush landscapes, the food, the intricate clothing, and the small-town culture with its rivalries. There’s also some interesting commentary on the wealthy English who settle there, bringing both jobs and injustices.

Following Minnie and Stephen (the author) as they tracked clues was fun, even though the murderer seemed pretty obvious early on. There’s a big plot hole about a possible pregnancy that I can’t explain without spoilers. Some loose ends might be tied up in future books, and hopefully, the plot hole will be addressed too. My favorite character is Minnie’s aunt, who we hear about throughout and finally meet towards the end. Hopefully, she will be around a lot in the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the digital ARC.
3.5 stars

Book 1 of a new mystery series, Death on Corfu, was an interesting book. Minnie Harper, now widowed, is living on the island of Corfu, contemplating what's next, with her kids ready to fly to coop. She meets Stephen a write, who hires her to type for him. Until a woman is killed and Stephen and Minnie band together to solve the mystery.

Fairly fast-paced, interesting locale, little to no romance, this book was a decent read. The characters were not necessarily strong, just cruised along

#netgalley #ADeathonCorfu

Thanks to NetGalley and Kengsington Publishing for this digital ARC.

What a delightful new mystery series! Set on the Greek island of Corfu, we meet Minnie Harper who is widowed and raising her two children away from her home country of England. Her usual routine is thrown for a loop when Minnie meets author Stephen Dorian. He hires Minnie to help him with transcribing his latest novel, and she is soon pulled into a murder mystery along with Stephen.

A fantastic read, and I can't wait until book 2!

A Death on Corfu by Emily Sullivan is an interesting story of early twentieth century life on the island of Corfu, Greece. Minnie Harper is a widowed mother of two children who gets embroiled, with an English author neighbor, in solving the murder of a young Greek maid. The setting is accurate and the mores of the time are covered well. This was a good historical mystery with lots of good and bad characters that were well protrayed. I am looking forward to the next Minnie Harper mystery.

I am a fan of Emily Sullivan's historical romances and also love getting lost in a historical mystery, especially ones set in pretty places. So when Emily announced this book I was immediately on board!

I honestly stayed up late last night anxiety spiraling, and this book was the perfect thing to pull me out of it. I love our detective team of Minnie Harper and Stephen Dorian. I was unsurprised that their banter and romantic tension was perfect. The mystery itself was also interesting and both easy to understand without being obvious who did it. And the setting and characters were all very strong. This would make an awesome series or movie adaptation.

I have already demanded Emily send book 2 to me as soon as it's done, because I am ravenous for more!!

3.5 stars

This was a good start to a new series. I loved that it is a historical fiction/mystery genre - this is my favorite. This was my first time reading one of Emily Sullivan’s novels, and I thoroughly enjoyed it and adored her writing style. I find myself eager to keep reading maybe some of her other books. I am intrigued to see where this series goes next. I am definitely hoping for a little more romance in these series after it progresses.

The only con for myself was, I felt the beginning to be a little slow. Otherwise, I genuinely enjoyed the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Grim Discovery..
The first outing in a new historical mystery series (Minnie Harper Mystery) and set on the island of Corfu at the turn of the twentieth century. With Minnie still trying to settle into a new life with two children and finding things a struggle, she is surprised at a job offer from a neighbouring writer, a neighbour that she has already sworn to detest. However, a grim discovery soon takes precedence - and Minnie is not averse to the neighbours assistance. A promising start to a new series with an engaging premise, a pacy plot populated with a well drawn cast of characters and a well imagined backdrop.

This was a pretty good book. I love the mystery in this book, I did predict the ending, but it was not overly predictable like it is in some books. The characters were likable and well written, and the pacing of the book was really good.


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This was a good start to a new historical fiction/mystery series. This was my first time reading one of Emily Sullivan’s novels, and I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style. I found myself eager to keep reading.

I liked our FMC Minnie; I found her intelligent with a great, sarcastic sense of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed her daughter Cleo. Mr. Dorian has the potential to be a great leading man, we just need to see him a little more vulnerable. I felt like we only got to scratch the surface of a man that clearly has a lot of emotional baggage.

I am intrigued to see where this series goes next. I am definitely hoping for a little more romance going forward.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC of this novel; all opinions are my own.

This book was something unique. I really liked Emily Sullivan’s other books so I was excited to give this one a try as well. It’s an interesting historical mystery with lots of intrigue, a little romantic tension, and a determined FMC trying to move forward from a loss. The setting was cozy and interesting. My only complaint is that it was a bit predictable at times, but I very much enjoyed this read overall and was excited to find out what happened next.

This was a really well done novel. it had that mystery element that I was looking for and enjoyed figuring out what was going on. It had a great start to this series and was engaged with what was happening. I enjoyed the way the characters were written and going on this adventure with them. Emily Sullivan has a strong writing style for this type of book and am excited for more in this series.

new-series, first-in-series, historical-mystery, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, amateur-sleuth, island-life, widow, witty, typist, 1900s, Greece, family-dynamics, family, family-expectations, local-law-enforcement, small-town, local-gossip, British*****

An interesting historical cozy mystery set in the land of baklava and spanakopita
British expat Minnie Harper has two children and was suddenly widowed about four years ago. When younger she had gone to further her education despite the conservative expectations of her family, but then married for love to a man in the Foreign Service. British mystery author Stephen Dorian has become her neighbor and asks her to help him out by becoming his paid typist for a few hours a day. He presents as a rather insensitive toad with good investigative skills despite his inability to know Greek. Then came the day when she was out walking and came across the dead body of a local domestic wearing an expensive necklace which seemed to have been the instrument of her strangulation. Together Minnie and Dorian pursue the answers the local police don't feel necessary. Well done start to a new series!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected proof from Kensington Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
Avail Apr 29, 2025 #ADeathOnCorfu by Emily Sullivan #MinnieHarperBk1 #NetGalley #HistoricalCozy @KensingtonBooks #Mystery

Wow! Emily Sullivan you did such a wonderful job with writing this book. I loved it! It was beautifully written. Such a great story.

What a wonderful start to a new mystery series! I really enjoyed the first book in the new Minnie Harper historical mystery series. Minnie is a young widow living on the Greek island of Corfu who ends up working for a mystery writer named Stephen Dorian. They solve a murder and we learn about multiple other family situations and mysteries that hopefully will be addressed in future books. The characters are well written and were a pleasure to read about. The mystery was well written and it was lots of fun to watch them work through the mystery to find the unexpected killer. I look forward to reading more about Minnie, Stephen and her children. Stephen and Minnie make a great crime solving duo and I hope they will work together again soon!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.