This was a cool read. I loved that the author decided not to use a 20 year old for the main character and used a character with a relatable age and circumstances to tell the struggle.

Enjoyed the writing.
Clever, but an awful lot going on--the multiple storylines at times felt like they were competing ... fake mystery/real mystery/romance/journey thru grief & self-discovery.
Also there were several scenes early on that I felt could have benefited from a sensitivity read [body size/gender relationships/ethnicity] all made me a bit uncomfortable/seemed politically unfortunate.

With thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for this e-ARC.

A cozy and nostalgic story that's not exactly a murder mystery since the crime is staged, but this novel is full of charming characters and is set in an English town I'd very much like to visit.

Cath has never had a particularly close relationship with her mother, who was often away on adventures of her own. After her mother's death, Cath is cleaning out her home and finds a fully paid ticket and itinerary to a "murder mystery week" vacation in England. She decides to go, and in the midst of solving the fake "crime" with her fellow tourists, she makes some amazing friends, gains some confidence, and learns some surprising things about her mother and herself. A great read, especially for mystery lovers.

Buffalo optician Cath Little is living a predictable life. She's living in her recently deceased grandmother's house, where she's lived for most of her life and working at a job she started in high school. Days are predictable and unexciting. Cath's mostly absent mother Skye has recently died in Florida, and Cath is still recovering from working to sort through her belongings. While looking through some of her mother's papers, she discovers that her mother had booked a trip for the two of them without telling Cath. The trip is to stay in a small village in England and participate in an elaborate murder mystery play. They will be interviewing suspects, visiting crime scenes, and gathering clues. At the end of the week, someone will win the grand prize: the opportunity to portray a dead body in an upcoming mystery being filmed for TV. Cath is shocked to learn her mother had planned this trip for the two of them. After her father died when she was very young, Cath's mother dropped her off at her paternal grandmother's house and only rarely stopped by for visits. Since they weren't close at all, Cath has no idea what this upcoming trip was about. Since the organizer tells Cath that there can be no refunds given (well, not to Cath, since she's still alive), she decides to go ahead and treat the experience as a vacation. Once she gets to England, she finds she's sharing the cottage with her teammates who will help her try to solve the mystery: one is a partner in a bird supply store and the other is a romance novelist. They all get along quite well and enjoy working out the clues. Once Cath speaks to the woman her mother had used to set up the trip, she's more confused than ever. It seems her mother was planning to search for someone (or something) while she was in England. Cath has no idea what that was about, either. As she gets to know the suspects in the case, including a hunky bartender/gin magnate, Cath begins to wonder if the mystery of her own past might be more interesting that the pretend murder she's trying to solve.

I really loved the setting and story in this book! As a committed Anglophile, all of the references to British authors, slang, foods, TV shows, etc. were very well-placed and appreciated! The events moved along at a quick pace. I was a bit concerned that there would be too many characters to keep up with, since we had teams of detectives, murder suspects, townspeople (some who were not in on the whole event), and even people from Cath's past. It wasn't hard to keep them all straight in the end as everyone came together in an Agatha Christie-style reveal session at the end. The only thing is now I want to go on a similar embedded murder mystery (complete with gorgeous pub owner, please!).

This didn’t have the level of suspense I quite hoped for, but it was an enjoyable read. The subplot of finding yourself could’ve been better fleshed out and felt a little too neatly and quickly wrapped up, but this book didn’t need to be much longer either.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed how this one was executed. All of the characters were great and I loved that there was a double investigation happening. I can see this appealing to many different audiences.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A cozy mystery wrapped inside another mystery—where murder, secrets, and a charming English village collide!

Cath has spent her life resenting her mother—an impulsive, free-spirited woman who drifted in and out, never staying long enough to be truly counted on. When her mother dies unexpectedly, she leaves Cath one final surprise: a mysterious ticket to Murder Week, an immersive, week-long murder mystery experience in a quaint English town.

Despite her skepticism, Cath’s friends convince her to go—after all, she’s a devoted mystery aficionado, and a little adventure might be exactly what she needs. Upon arrival, she finds herself swept up in the charm of the event, where the entire town participates in a staged mystery designed to delight tourists. Teaming up with a group of fellow Americans, Cath is ready to dive into the fun.

But it doesn’t take long before things take a turn.

This ticket wasn’t just a whim—there’s something deeper behind it. The small town holds unexpected ties to Cath’s mother, to her past, and to the secrets that were always just out of reach. And when a real murder disrupts the staged mystery, Cath realizes she may be at the center of something far more sinister than a simple game.

Can she solve the crime, unravel the truth about her mother, and maybe even find romance along the way?

Utterly charming, twisty, and full of delightful intrigue, Welcome to Murder Week is a must-read for mystery lovers.

#WelcomeToMurderWeek #GalleryBooks #CozyMystery #SecretsAndMurder #EnglishVillageMystery #BookishDelight

An easy five stars! How fun is the idea of a quaint English town staging a week long murder mystery to attract tourists? Mix in the real-life mystery of why Cath's late mother had purchased tickets and I was hooked!

Karen Dukess’ vivid descriptions of the English countryside bring the setting to life, making it a rich backdrop to the story. At the same time, the author crafts such three-dimensional characters that I couldn’t help but care about them.

The trip not only brings Cath closer to solving both mysteries, but also paves the way for new friendships (and perhaps something more?). Along the way, life-changing discoveries and decisions await Cath and her sleuthing partners, Amity and Wyatt.

Welcome to Murder Week is a perfect blend of suspense, heart, and unexpected connections!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A great book for curling up with on a cold wet day. Frisky characters, two mysteries running parallel, nicely interwoven. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This mystery made me want to pack my bags and join Cath on a Murder Mystery Week trip! The characters were delightful, and we even found where Amity and Wyatt's paths each lead afterwards. I found the two unraveling mysteries well choreographed throughout the pages with both of them driving the story and developments. I especially appreciated the traditional reveal party for the mystery week!

Thank you to NetGalley and Scout Press for the ARC of this book for my early review.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where quirky crime and thrillers are popular.

Thank you NetGalley & Gallery for the advanced galley! I think I was expecting the Murder Week to turn dark and suspenseful with an actual murder, which kind of let me down a bit. However, I still enjoyed how our main character progressed through the story. I'm not a huge fan of quick romances, but I still enjoyed how the story ended.

Thank you @netgalley and @gallerybooks for allowing me to preview the new @karendukess novel Welcome to Murder Week. As with her last novel, this one is peppered with literary references that made this bibliophile giddy as I hummed through the two light mysteries the main character and her delightful new friends solved. Set in scenic England, the novel is about learning about one’s past while opening up to her future as we meet Cath. I was lucky to be on team Dukess and meet @karendukess when she toured for The Last Book Party and about dropped my novel when she referenced Sam McGee. I can’t wait to read the next one. Preorder this one for June and request that your local library stock it! #illreadwhatsheread #littlefreelibrary #littlefreelibraries #littlefreelibrariesofinstagram #littlefreelibrarystewards #littlefreelibrarysteward #read #bookrecommendations #newbooks #beaglerescue #adoptdontshop #rescue #kindle

As a big fan of cozy reads, I was so excited to get an ARC of Welcome to Murder Week! The storyline, completely unforgettable characters, all the things were so well done. I felt like I was in the story, on the same journey of self discovery and that resonated with me more than I thought it would. Give this one a chance, I think you’ll truly adore it too.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Cath is the product of a tough upbringing. Her mother was a free-spirit who she rarely saw. She was raised by her grandmother to be a pretty normal person. A bit on the dull side, but normal just the same. Following her mother's death, Cath comes across reservations to attend a Murder Week in a quaint English village. But it's tickets for two. Why did her mother want to take Cath with her to England?

Joining up with two mystery lovers, Cath and the team set out to figure out who was the murderer. They move from villager to villager, often not knowing who was the actor and who was for real. Along the way, Cath falls in love with one of the residents. And while attempting to be the first team to solve the mystery, the team also sets out to solve the mystery of why Cath's mother wanted to take her to this village.

I really enjoyed this book. With the murder being staged, it was a bit of a different twist from the normal cozy mystery. It was well written. The characters were engaging. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC.

Welcome to Murder week was an immensely enjoyable novel After Cath’s mother dies she discovers her mother booked them a trip to England for a week long murder mystery event, she decided to take the leap and go and I am so glad she did.

As she gets to England she meets some new friends, embarks on the murder mystery with a little romance on the side and discovers a whole new side of herself that she didn’t know existed. The characters in the town are a lot of fun.

You will not regret reading this book! It’s a quick and fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced reader copy.

3.5 stars

After Cath loses her mostly absent mother to a stroke, she finds out that her mother had booked them on a weeklong murder mystery trip in England. Because the trip is non-refundable, Cath makes her way to a quaint town England to solve a murder. Along the way she meets new friends, starts a romance, and perhaps learns the real reason her mother wanted her to go on this trip.

WELCOME TO MURDER WEEK was a delightful novel filled with quirky characters. There were a few moments that felt a little heavy handed by the author, in terms of keeping the plot moving, but overall this was a fun read for a rainy/snowy afternoon.

Welcome to Murder Week is out June 10, 2025

This book has a dual mystery with a fake "murder" mystery challenge that seemed to be for Americans (or at least non-British people) to go to an British village and solve a pretend mystery overlaid with the real mystery of why the main character, Cath's, late absentee mother would have two tickets to this event. The cast of characters was so entertaining and the two mysteries evolved simultaneously (as well as some romance and other drama). It was fun, but realistic and I thought the portrayal of loss and grief was so well done.

It felt like reading about a real life cozy mystery created for actual cozy mystery lovers, except of course it wasn't real and the characters were characters, but that speaks to how well it was pulled off!

First, thank you very much for the opportunity to review this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was so excited about this book, because it had so much of what I love: rediscovering yourself after grief, finding love and purpose in adventure, healing your inner child, and, of course, a quirky set of characters trying to solve a very cozy mystery. All of it sounded great, but in practice, it was slow in pacing, and really low stakes. I have already seen a lot of people saying the same thing, which is that without the actual mystery of a fictional murder, there isn’t a lot of investment that ends up coming through. I was really disappointed about how boring of a character Cath was, and I did not feel any depth of the character’s relationship with her mom. In all, this was an underwhelming read.