I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “Old ladies solving mysteries” is one of my favourite genres!

Recently widowed Ginny Cole has moved to the small village of Little Shaw and got herself a part time job in the local library to help make ends meet. On only her second day in her new job she finds the body of her awful manager. She finds herself teamed up with the local group of widows who turn out to be the best friends she could ever find and they decide it’s up to them to investigate.

I love a cozy mystery and this one absolutely had me hooked. Brilliant characters and great storytelling which kept me guessing right up to the end.

I can’t wait to get stuck into book 2!

With thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the arcs of both books.

Recently widowed Ginny moves to the cottage she and her husband had planned for retirement. She gets a part-time job in the local village library and meets up with three other widows - similar ages, different lengths of widowhood and very different characters. Poor Ginny finds the main librarian, a very unpleasant character, dead, deals with this admirably, she was a doctor's wife and receptionist after all, and joins (well is inveigled by) the other widows to 'find the murderer' . I did get rather cross at their happily breaking in to houses and sympathised with the grumpy DI dealing with the case (and incidentally Ginny's neighbour). A lot of characters, dead and alive, either married to now or formerly several other characters so a job to follow who was who at times. Still, cosy mystery held together well by Ginny and I look forward to seeing what messes they get into next. A fairly light hearted easy read. Plus there is a formerly stray cat. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I received a free copy of, The Widows' Guide to Murder, by Amanda Ashby, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is the first book in The Widows Detective Club series. Ginny is a widow, and now she is also a crime solver. With the help of her widow friends, they are going to solve murders. I liked this cozy murder mystery.

This is an excellent story - once I began reading it, I couldn't put it down. I would have read it in a couple of days if I hadn't been so busy. The characters are believable and the story unfolded at an excellent pace - I loved it and will recommend it to all my friends.

The Widows’ Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby is a fun and charming, small-town cosy mystery story.

When recently widowed, sixty-year-old Ginny Cole moves to the quaint village of Little Shaw, and starts a new job at the community library, she is expecting a quiet life. She soon befriends the local widows - crafty Hen, honest-to-a-fault JM, and incorrigible Tuppence, and becomes an accidental owner of a book-damaging black cat.

When she discovers the body of the rude library manager, Ginny and her fellow widows become amateur sleuths, determined to uncover the hidden truths within the small community…

What a fun read, filled with memorable characters, small-town charms, plenty of gossip, characters seeking revenge and my personal favourite, was the community library setting.

I adored the variety characters, including Ginny and her fellow widows. I was also surprisingly fond of Connor. I am hoping to read more about these characters in the next story.

Many thanks to Storm Publishing, Amanda Ashby and NetGalley, for the e-ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

The Widows’ Guide to Murder is the first book in a series. I am looking forward to the second book in the series, The Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing.

This was such a fun, cozy read. Ginny is starting over in a new town, when a murder happens that she gets entangled in.
Along the way she meets the other widows who welcome her in and help her get to know the town, while meddling in the murders that are happening.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC

Enjoyable cozy murder mystery. This book follows widow Ginny who has moved to a new village. There she meets fellow widows JM, Hen and Tuppence. They are members of the widows detective club and invite Ginny to join. A series of murders follow and the woman bumble around getting in the way of the police. I enjoyed this book although I felt the ending was rushed and you don't get to know the other widows as much as I would have liked. Overall I would like to read the next book in the series to see what the ladies get up to next. If you enjoy cozy mysteries this is a curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and a biscuit, kind of read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for allowing me to read this book.

The Widow's Guide to Murder is a cozy little mystery that’s perfect for when you want something light but still engaging. The premise—a group of widows solving crimes in their small village—is charming, and it brings that warm, comforting vibe you expect from a cozy mystery. While it’s not groundbreaking, it has all the familiar elements that make this genre so cozy and fun.

✨ If you like...
❧ New beginnings
❧ Cozy mystery
❧ Sleuths

📖 The Story
Ginny Cole, a 60-year-old widow, moves to the quaint village of Little Shaw hoping to start fresh after her husband’s death. But her hopes for a quiet new life are dashed when she stumbles upon the body of Louisa Farnsworth, the local library manager. As the police seem to be overlooking important clues, Ginny teams up with other widows to form the Widows’ Detective Club. They dig into village gossip, old secrets, and even graveyards in an effort to find the real killer. But when another body turns up, Ginny begins to wonder if they’ve bitten off more than they can chew—and if her snooping might just make her the next target.

💭 My Thoughts
The main character, Ginny, was just a lovely presence. She’s sweet, warm, and has a gentle soul that made me immediately empathize with her. I really felt for her when she would talk to her late husband, hoping to hear his voice again—it’s such a universal feeling, and it hit home.

The cozy mystery vibes were spot on—easy, quick to read, and with just the right amount of charm. It was a fun escape, and I appreciated the focus on Ginny’s emotional journey and her bond with the other widows.

But, there were a few things that didn’t quite work for me. First off, the story wasn’t exactly unpredictable. I had a pretty good idea of where it was heading, and the ending felt a bit rushed. The reveal of the killer was a bit... far-fetched, especially considering it was all wrapped up in the last 15-20 pages. It didn’t quite make sense to me, and without giving away spoilers, let’s just say the “Clark Kent vs. Superman” moment was a bit... meh.

Also, while I liked the idea of the Widow’s Detective Club, I didn’t feel too connected to them. The other widows didn’t get much development, and one character, Hen, seemed to do little more than cry. I got it at first but it was a bit much after a while.

Overall, though, The Widow's Guide to Murder is a solid, fun read if you're looking for a cozy mystery that won’t require too much brainpower. It’s light, quick, and if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll probably enjoy it.

⚠️ Content Warning
Grief (multiple deaths of significant others)

A unique spin on the cozy mystery book genre. I loved the group of widowed ladies, all of them bringing something different to the book. The mystery had me guessing to the end with all of the twists which I loved as well. Excited to read the next one.

The Widows’ Guide to Murder is a palate cleanser - a lighthearted and entertaining cosy mystery.
The main character is a likable older woman who, despite preferring a quiet life, finds herself drawn into a murder investigation. I enjoyed following her as she stepped outside her comfort zone and battled with grief. Her inner thoughts made her growth feel genuine.
One of the highlights of the book was the cozy atmosphere, particularly the library setting and, of course, the inclusion of a stray cat - because cats and books are always a winning combination. The humor and camaraderie among the main characters added to the novel’s charm, making it an easy and enjoyable read.
That said, the book had some drawbacks. The sheer number of side characters made things a bit confusing at times, and some of the twists and interactions felt overly far-fetched. While the story is set in Britain, aside from the abundance of tea, it didn’t always feel distinctly British. The pacing was steady for the most part but slowed down considerably toward the end, making the resolution feel a bit drawn out.

Ginny has moved to Little Shaw, as she and her husband had planned. But now she’s newly widowed and beginning a new job at the local library. Her new boss is rude and mean and on her second day at work, Ginny finds her body! Ginny has always been quiet and now she is adopted by a stray cat, included in a group of widows, and investigating the murder. Her life goes from isolated and predictable to busy and adventurous…and she likes it. This is a fun cozy mystery, full of twists and turns and likable, quirky characters. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to the next in the series.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Brilliant cozy mystery full of twists and turns with a great MC. This was a lot of fun. Highly recommend.

First time reading this author. I enjoyed the characters and the village setting. I like the older characters who have had different experiences and who bring those to the table to solve the murder.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an appropriately lighthearted read - perfect for that niche of readers who like crime books but don't want to be disturbed too much. So many twists and turn that I truly did not have the end figured out. I'll buy this for our mystery collection and will recommend to our cozy mystery readers.

Ginny Cole is attempting to re-find herself after the death of her husband. She moves to a little town and starts the job as a library assistant- and quickly becomes a novice Detective with 4 woman who are also widows. The quick banter is enjoyable and it’s an easy mindless read. It’s not a heavy, gory or super serious/tragic read which is refreshing. It’s a light good-hearted, fluffy which is perfect after something thrilling.
I enjoyed this book, the characters were good and the author laid out the plot quite well. I think this book is more towards an older crowd- I’m sure my mother and nana would just adore it. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ahead of its release date.

As a person about to retire and also move house I really felt for the main character. I am hoping for a retirement with less death in it any way.

Loved this book. Great characters and fun story.

Have raced through this book and already told some of my friends about it and we had a good laugh about retiring and murder!

This was a nice start to this series. This story is full of interesting people. I thought the mystery was good. It was full of surprises just when I thought I had it all figured out. I’m looking forward to where this series goes next

This was a good read, it took me a minute to become invested into the story but it was worth it to make it to the end. I'm not the most qualified reader to deem something "cozy" or not but I did find the characters charming, if a little forgettable. I always say what makes a who-dun-it more complicated is the motivation behind the kill. You have to make the killed worthy of someone wanting to murder them, so that there are lots of possibilities for the reader to suspect. In this case, the people killed were so evil it felt a little strange to go along with this sort of small british town "cozy" mystery.

This was such a lovely read! I love an older character and a cosy murder mystery which this had! Ginny is a widow and she meets new friends in JM, Tuppence and Hen with them calling themselves the Widows Club. This had so many twists and I didn’t ever consider the killer throughout this! I was lucky enough to get the 2nd book in this series as well from NetGalley and can’t wait to read this! This book is perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club!

Thank you net galley for giving me the opportunity to read this cosy thriller. It was nice to have a book to read where the main character, the widows were all in their 60's it made a nice change. They were all really likeable and it was an easy read. There was plenty of suspense to keep me on the edge of my seat and I honesty didn't know who to suspect. I enjoyed the twist at the end didn't see that one coming at all.