The first in a series this was a fun quick cozy mystery with a beautiful setting. Retired San Diego policeman Rick Chasen and his walking tour friend Billie are very likeable characters, and I enjoyed listening to them try and figure out who the murderer was. While it was fairly obvious who did it early on, it was still interesting to see how the other suspects were eliminated and what motive the murderer had. Thanks to Netgalley for an early listening audio.n a series this was a fun quick cozy mystery with a beautiful setting. Retired San Diego policeman Rick Chasen and his walking tour friend Billie are very likeable characters, and I enjoyed listening to them try and figure out who the murderer was. While it was fairly obvious who did it early on, it was still interesting to see how the other suspects were eliminated and what motive the murderer had.

A Deadly Walk in Devon is a well-paced, classic murder mystery with a good mix of humour, action, and intrigue. While it isn’t outstanding in any particular way, it's the kind of book you'd pick up at the train station or the airport, read on holiday, very much enjoy, and then forget within a week or two. For some readers, the momentary entertainment is enough. Though slightly too long, it’s a breeze to read and easy to finish in a day.

The protagonist, an older LGBT+ man, brings a refreshing representation not often seen in the genre. However, while the narrative isn't overtly political, a few contentious issues are woven into the storyline in a heavy-handed way, which can break immersion by feeling more like the author’s voice than the character’s. Personally, I agree with the author's views, but that's beside the point. It felt clumsy.

The book features a good array of characters, and the classic "everyone-has-a-motive" approach works well for the mystery. That said, the characters — particularly the locals — lack depth. Why would someone living in Devon use Scottish slang, for instance? There are plenty of regional dialect Devonshire words we'd use.

Our protagonist reminds me slightly of Robert Langdon (Dan Brown). We could benefit from hearing more about his background (perhaps something in a current scene triggers a memory?), exploring his "inner workings," and getting to understand what makes him tick. He isn't a genius like Sherlock Holmes nor strange in his mannerisms like Hercule Poirot — baseball is the most memorable thing we know about him (thanks to many references). This isn't enough to build either mystery or relatability around the character. He doesn't feel like a gritty ex-police detective, yet isn't convincingly homely, either. I wasn't keen on the multiple times the character refers to a suspect as a "bimbo" or comments on her breast size (unless there was an intention that he should be characterised as bordering on sexist). More work needs to be done here later in the series.

The writing, although up-to-standard, at times suffers from clunky transitions. A character will up and leave a scene unnaturally or suddenly appear after another character comments that it will be a few hours until they arrive. A character's hair changes colour. Once again, this is immersion-breaking, and an editing issue.

As a Devonshire lass, I picked up the book with high expectations. When a book focuses on a setting (enough for it to be included in the title), I like it to become a character in its own right. Think of the Yorkshire Moors in Wuthering Heights or Coulibri in Wide Sargasso Sea, which both come alive with feeling and atmosphere. There are descriptions of smothering fog, towering cliffs, pounding rain, and bucolic hills, but this isn't enough for the county to jump off the pages. It feels like a sepia backdrop, rather than a living, breathing place.

The issue here is that A Deadly Walk in Devon can't fully decide if it wants to be a pastoral cosy mystery or a dark, atmospheric one. When you don't fully commit to either, you lose the appeal of both.

Despite these shortcomings, the premise behind the series is compelling and unique, with real potential. I'd be keen to continue reading. After more intense literary reads, this is exactly the kind of book you need to wizz through.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC in return for honest feedback.

A cute mystery set in the English countryside. A nice who dun it, I found I enjoyed the story but didn't feel much attachment to any of the characters leaving me not really caring who the killer(s) were. A good work in process to start a series, but I hope the future books have more description to the countryside they are taking place in. That was one of the reasons I wanted to listen to this book but found it slightly underwhelming.

I recommend reading this book rather than listening to it. The narrator needs a do over. I've listen to other books this narrator has done and enjoyed them but found in this particular audio he has a subtle clearing or wetting of the throat that I found hard to get past.

All this being said I would definitely try reading the next book in this series when it comes out because I think the idea of what is trying to be achieved is great.

I went into this book not knowing too much about it, but it was delightful. The characters were enjoyable and likeable. This was a perfect cozy mystery. I loved the background set up with the walking tour and the suspects all kept under one roof. A great whodunit. It seems this is the first in a future series so I will be watching for more books with Rick Chasen!

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook for review.

A very enjoyable cozy mystery! This is the first in a new series by Nicholas George and the second book in the series - A Lethal Walk in Lakeland - will be released on January 21st.

This book follows a retired American detective as he sets out on a walking tour of Devon, England. A fellow member of the group has been receiving death threats and is the victim of increasingly dangerous "accidents."

Donald Corren was a great narrator; his voices and accents made the quirky cast of characters come alive. I also appreciated the LGBTQ+ representation as that is often hard to find in cozy mysteries. This is a solid cozy mystery that I would recommend for fans of Golden Age mysteries and contemporary cozy authors like M.C. Beaton.

Many thanks to RBMedia and NetGalley for providing a free audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you RB Media, NetGalley, Nicholas George and narrator Donald Corren for the chance to listen to an advance copy of A Deadly Walk in Devon. This is the first book in a new series featuring a retired San Diego detective who has come to England for a walking tour with a friend only to end up helping to solve a murder. The tour is made up of mostly Americans wanting to tour England and the countryside. When they group stops for the first night one of the members approaches Chase and asks his help because he feels that someone is after him. Within the next couple of days this man has strange “accidents” happen to him until he is murdered and Chase has no choice but to figure out who in the group had it out for him.
I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more from this author, especially more with this detective.

This fun audiobook has the Agatha Christie-like elements that make a mystery engaging: a likeable heartbroken detective, eccentric suspects, and a puzzling sort of locked room mystery which, in this case, is a foggy cliff's edge and a group of tourists on a walking tour. The narrator is engaging and does the handful of non-American accents well enough to mix the narration up a bit. It would be a great audiobook to bring along with you on your own vacation. A cozy mystery where the puzzle is "who killed the incredibly annoying rich guy?" I had fun trying to figure out who the killer was. This is the first book of a new series called "A Walk Through England." The 2nd book "A Lethal Walk in Lakeland" will be released in late January 2025.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a good book!! This one had me hooked from page one! I could t put it down. I loved the writing style of this book. I lived the characters and they had great chemistry.

"A Deadly Walk in Devon" is an outstanding who-done-it! I was utterly captivated and finished the book in just one day. The pacing is perfect, making it impossible to put down, and the characters are well-rounded and feel incredibly real. I genuinely appreciate that I couldn't solve the mystery in the first few chapters; it kept me engaged and guessing until the end. I'm eagerly awaiting the physical copy, which will be released on December 23rd. I hope this marks the beginning of many more installments in "A Walk Through England Mystery Series." This book is a must-read for any mystery lover!

I absolutely loved the narrator, Donald Corren. He was perfect for this book!

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the chance to listen to this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

It’s a good one but I would have appreciated it more if it was known that the main characters were gays.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audio arc of this book.

The book was ok. It is a murder mystery set in th countryside of England with some insufferable characters. The members of a walking tour group, with the main character being a former detective, find themselves involved in a murder case when one of the members is found to have been pushed from a cliff.

The storyline was pretty straightforward, but nothing really out of the box to surprise you. I did not guess who the murderer was, so that was a plus as normally I can tell who it is right away with these kinds of books. I'm being generous and giving 3 stars as I do think it's a decent quick read on a rainy day. However, I do not think I'll continue on with the series.