This is the first book I have read by Kate Wells and found it enjoyable. Jude farms in the Malvern Hills, but also seems to have knack for getting herself involved in murder investigation, in this case following the deaths of two member s of The Malvern Rambling and Roaming society, the two deaths occurring on the only two walks Jude’s has been on!
This is a cosy mystery with a bit of will they - won’t they romance thrown in for good measure, all in a good read.

"Death in the Hills" by Kate Wells is a wonderful 5-star cozy mystery! Jude Gray is back, and as always, she finds herself wrapped up in suspicious deaths near Malvern Farm. All the usual characters are here: Lucy, Jude’s sister; Noah, her right-hand man on the farm; Sebbie, her happy go lucky little nephew; and Detective Inspector Binnie, her investigative partner.

I absolutely love this entire series, and I can’t wait for the next book! Kate Wells' fantastic writing style truly makes you feel at home with the characters and the animals on the farm. The story is filled with plenty of twists and red herrings, keeping you guessing until Jude uncovers the perpetrators. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, this series is a must-read!

Thanks to Boldwood Books, Kate Wells, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

4 Stars
One Liner: Another good mystery

Jude Gray accepts DI Binnie Khatri’s invitation to join the local walking group in Malvern Hills. However, what’s supposed to be a peaceful outing ends up with a few scuffles and what seems like an unfortunate car accident where one of the walking members dies.
Jude cannot ignore the tingling feeling that the accident might be deliberate. But, there’s no proof; not until another death happens in a totally different manner. As Jude and Binnie start to dig, they realize there’s a lot to uncover!
The story comes in Jude’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
This is the fourth book in the series but the mystery works as a standalone. It is a dark cozy, so there might be a couple of triggers.
It doesn’t take long to notice that things aren’t great with the walking group. The characters stand out making it easy to track who is who despite being introduced to a bunch of them at once.
Jude and Binnie give everything to investigate the case(s) as always. Of course, Jude does a lot more since she is the heroine of the series. She also has a farm to manage and a neverending list of tasks.
I like that Granny Margot has more presence in the book. Moreover, she shares vital insights that guide Jude in a new direction. Hoping to read more of her in the coming books.
The reveal comes in stages with a few red herrings and keeps the reader hooked. While the details and the rest make sense, I wish they weren’t revealed so easily (yeah, there’s some risk involved but still).
Jude seems to be in two minds about her love life or the lack of it. I can’t understand her thought process here. It’s too mercurial. Since I didn’t particularly like Marco, I don’t care one way or the other.
The family element really shines. Jude’s relationship with her sister, nephew, and Noah is heartwarming. I like the progress here. An important step for sure.
In the author’s note, the author mentions there will be eight more books (the series should conclude by the end of 2027). Count me in!
To summarize, Death in the Hills is steady-paced dark cozy mystery with enough secrets and suspects to keep you reading.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Oh, what an engaging mystery! A widow who's a sheep farmer, a DI, a small English village, a rambling group, and murder. The plotting's tight, the characterization is wonderful, and I'm going back to start with book 1 right away. My only gripe is an old overused trope that plays a big role in the resolution. Other than that, I'm sold!

Review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jude is invited to join a walk with a rambling group by her friend Binnie. The leader of the group is rather a tyrant and there are a few clashes with her strict rules during the hike and an unpleasant encounter with a farmer when the public path crosses his field. The group is devastated when a member dies after a car crash on the way home from the walk.
Jude is suspicious that the car crash might not be accidental, but then a second death occurs and she is in full-on sleuthing mode.
The mystery keeps you guessing and the characters are realistic and enjoyable. I love the descriptions of the farm, the countryside, and the animals on their farm!
Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Boldwood Books, the author Kate Wells, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, the fourth in the Malvern Hills series. This cosy series features farmer sleuth Jude Gray and her friend DI Binnie Khatri solving mysteries in the Malvern Hills countryside.

In this outing, Jude is pursuaded by Binnie to join her rambling group for a walk around the local countryside. It's a diverse group led by a dictorial former police officer and all is not well amongst the walkers. After the walk, one of the group's car crashes and she's killed. It appears she took a curve too close to the edge but Jude has a feeling she was forced over the edge. As Jude and Binnie begin an unauthorized investigation into the crash and the victim's life, the ramblers' leader is poisoned. Jude, as a civilian, is sidelined from the official investigation, but that doesn't stop her from her own queries and from putting her life in danger.

It's a good book, well crafted, interesting characters, and a mystery with lots of twists and turns. I had not read any of the previous books and had no trouble following the cast of characters. I'll definitely read others in this series. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley And Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read "Death in the Hills" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the fourth book in The Malvern Mysteries series. Jude Gray the reader might wonder - does she find trouble or does trouble find her. Once again she is in the middle of a cleverly crafted mystery. Her good friend DI Binnie Khatri has asked her to come along to the malvern Roaming and Rambling Society walk. She has a million things that she needs to do but she will always do anything for a friend. There are tensions in the group when someone has phoned Damien Hawker (who works for Frank - Jude's neighbour) and hates the ramblers. As the walk breaks up and everyone leaves the British Camp site. When Jude and Binnie come upon an accident, they find that it's one of the ramblers.

One of my favourite characters is Granny Margot. She has a large role in this book. First they are on an outing from Perrins House, the care home where she lives and where Jude's sister works. Granny Margot is a great character because she is sharp as a tack and can be counted on to talk these cases through with. Granny Margot has decided to rent out her cottage which she has hung onto. Clara from the ramblers will be moving into it.

When another accident happens on a walk - Binnie and Jude start to think the crash might not have been an accident. Needing to help people, Jude often makes mistakes (like forgetting her mobile) and puts herself in grave danger.

Ms Wells has brought together interesting characters and a complex plot that comes to a thrilling ending. We also get a glimpse of what the future might hold for Malvern Farm.

Death In The Hills by Kate Wells is a contemporary cosy crime novel that I really enjoyed. It is the fourth book in The Malvern Farm Mystery but can be read as a stand-alone.
As the series name suggests, the action is set in the Malvern area with mentions of the cities of Worcester and Birmingham. Living in Worcestershire means the area was easy for me to picture, giving the story a familiar feel to it.
We see the value of family. Family is not just blood related but includes all who love us. There were some very touching scenes featuring a very young nephew, and at the other end of the scale, an aging Grandmother. This showed the love between the generations. Too often the elderly are ignored, this makes for ideal amateur sleuthing as their ears are open.
The reader is treated to the open Malvern landscape as we roam the hills, see the sheep and sample the fayre in a local pub.
There is a community atmosphere but not everyone is who they claim to be.
As the body count rises, both police work and amateur sleuthing come into play as old grudges lead to new crimes.
I enjoyed Death In The Hills. I think it would perfectly translate into early evening television viewing. It was an excellent cosy crime.
I received a free copy from Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

A new author to me . A gripping murder mystery set in the countryside. I was hooked from the start. The story line is well paced and easy to follow. I am looking forward to reading more by Kate

This is the first book I have read from this author but it was fine as a stand-alone. A cosy mystery that was a slow burner with some twists and turns along the way. A well written story with some likeable characters. I would definitely read the next offering. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

This was another good book in this series.
It was nice revisiting Malvern Farms and everyone else.
This was a good murder mystery. It was full of surprises which I didn’t see coming. Definitely looking forward to the next one

I enjoyed this cosy crime read. Living near to Malvern it was great to read something local. It was a bit of a slow burn with some interesting characters but on the whole I enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC

Boring…boring, boring. Way too slow, nothing really going to for much of the book. #DeathintheHills #NetGalley

It was an okay read. A bit slow at times and the relationships were uninteresting. Pretty standard for a cozy read. I didn't particularly like that the reader didn't have a chance to "solve" the crime.

This was another great story about Jude and her sheep farm. Binnie, her police detective friend, has invited Jude to come along on a walk with her local walking group. After the walk, one of the women goes off a windy highway and ends up in the valley below. When the ambulance arrive, Becka dies from her injuries. At the next walk, the group's leader Joyce, dies from poison which was in her water bottle. Jude is determined to help Binnie find the killer, and comes into grave danger herself. I am glad to read that she getting closer to starting a relationship with Marco who's rented a house not far from the farm.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books for an advance copy of this novel.

At her friend Binnie’s urging, Jude Gray joins a walking club with plans to follow several paths in the Malvern Hills although she has enough to do on the farm with pregnant ewes, a semi trained sheep dog, chickens and her glamping venture. Still, this should be a restful change. It is, briefly. There’s a suspicious car accident and, as Jude helps DI Binnie Khatri investigate, they learn that several of their fellow walkers are hiding secrets. Jude needs to unravel these before there is another death.

This series just keeps getting better. I love Malvern Farm, its lambing seasons, animals and routines. Jude and her sister Lucy, young Sebbie and shepherd Noah are delightful characters, the location ideal and captivating and the plot complex and hard to solve with many red herrings. I’m looking forward to the next in this excellent series! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Kate Wells for this ARC.

Walk Proves Fatal…
The fourth entry in the Malvern Mystery series finds Jude and Binnie joining a local walking group but the very first expedition to the Malvern Hills is to prove fatal when one of the walkers is discovered very dead indeed. Initially considered to be an accidental death, Jude has her doubts. As she and Binnie begin to dig deeper, secrets will out. Another engaging read in this series with a nicely crafted cast, a well imagined backdrop and a cosy mystery at its core.

This is no peaceful walk in the countryside… When Jude Gray and DI Binnie Khatri join a local walking group, their expectations for a peaceful outing to the Malvern Hills takes a grim turn. Arguments abound, and the hike ends in tragedy when one of the walkers is found dead in her car! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns. The story was interesting, it wasn’t one of my top favorites but still worth reading! I recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This was a strong fourth entry in the Malvern Farm Mytsery series, it had that concept that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of the mystery. It felt like the world that was built and was hooked from the first page of this. Kate Wells has a strong writing style for the mystery genre and was glad I got to continue this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the eARC.
This was my first book in the series, but I believe it is fine as a standalone.
I loved the animals (especially the dogs) that the book is filled with. Also, Jude is a very likeable character.
The mystery as to the killer was quite confusing, it could have been one of so many characters and I didn't have a clue. However, the book felt overly long to me and I got a bit bored at times. Despite that I found it a sweet, cozy read.