Let me preface this review by stating that as I age, I'm comforted by the fact that after I am widowed, I can buy a spunky pet, befriend other sassy geriatrics and start amateur sleuthing my way through countries. These books give me hope!!

I have been on a cozy mystery kick and this one is highly recommended if you like the genre!

Ginny Cole has found herself widowed, owner of an unexpectedly rude cat and in the middle of a murder mystery. She is investigating a murder while trying to clear the name of a comrades daughter. She is doing this as she adjusts to the changes in her life, and I found her character quite inspiring and realistic.
Together, with a ragtag group of retirees, Ginny takes us on a little adventure, and I enjoyed it greatly!

My first read by Amanda Ashby, I look forward to more in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review prior to it's March 2025 release date.

Amanda Ashby did such a wonderful job on this book. I loved that this book was based on a group of elderly women. I appreciated that it left no stone unturned when it came to explaining each suspect and how they could be tied to the crimes.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Ginny and her friends. Who would have thought there would be so much skullduggery in a small sleepy town. This is a mystery story that throws up lots of suspects until the very entertaining conclusion. I liked the character of Wallace, the grumpy detective, and Connor, the young volunteer. Ginny's own journey is a nice story, as she starts to find her feet in a new town. The small town feeling is handled well, and I look forward to reading the next instalment. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a copy to read and freely review.

This is my first introduction to Amanda Ashby's writing, and it did not disappoint. Fast-paced, easy to read, engaging, grounded in reality, The Widows' Guide to Murder is an excellent start to a new series about starting over when life hands you something you least expected. It also shows (in this first book) what can happen if you get so fixated on what didn't go your way... and you let it fester, making you bitter, not better.

I found Ginny to be a likable, grieving, growing widow. She's recently been bereaved and moved to a new place. She doesn't just sit and pout though, she gets involved and begins making friends with some resident widows who reach out to her, welcoming her into their circle.

Along the way, murder, mayhem, herrings, and fire all make an appearance.

I am excited to read the second book and thankful it is coming out very soon!

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

So happy that I was approved by Storm Publishing to read this book. This is book one in the series and it tells us about a woman who is recently widowed name Ginny Cole. Ginny has moved to a new town and has started a new job in the library. Even though Ginny is trying to move on, she’s finding it very hard until she meets a group of women who are also widows.
The first thing that happens is Ginny finds out that her boss has been murdered. Who would want to hurt Louisa? Ginny finds out that Louisa had many enemies. A few weeks later we find that Louisa’s husband Bernard is also killed.. Somehow one of Ginny’s newfound friends daughter is now being charged with both of these murders. How are they going to clear?Allyson’s name, while another attempted murder is happening. A fire in the library has everyone on edge. Ginny and her lady friends are putting more names on their list of suspects but run into trouble when an unlikely person turns out to be the real killer.
I truly enjoyed this book. Besides it being a fast read, I like the characters.. They were very quirky and I imagine these women running around town trying to solve this murder. I like the friendship that they had with each other. They always looked out for each other. They might run into trouble themselves, but they always seem to get out of it by talking their way out of things. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Amanda Ashby is a new author for me so I truly enjoyed reading this and laughing at times . So thank you Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Amanda Ashby’s The Widows' Guide to Murder is a wonderfully entertaining cosy mystery that expertly blends suspense, humour, and heart. Ginny Cole’s unexpected journey from widowhood to amateur sleuthing is as engaging as it is surprising, making this book a thoroughly enjoyable read from start to finish.

Ginny’s life takes a sharp turn when she stumbles upon the murdered body of her unpleasant new boss—a discovery that forces her out of her comfort zone and into a world of graveyard investigations, secret sleuthing, and unexpected camaraderie with three fellow widows. Add an opinionated black cat into the mix, and Ginny’s new life is anything but ordinary.

What makes this story shine is its perfect balance of intrigue and light-heartedness. The mystery is cleverly crafted, with multiple suspects to keep readers guessing, while the widows’ antics add plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Ginny’s transformation as she learns to navigate her new reality—and even embrace it—is both heartwarming and empowering.

With its well-paced plot, witty dialogue, and delightful characters, The Widows' Guide to Murder is an easy-to-read treat for fans of cosy mysteries. It’s a story about finding strength in unlikely places, forming bonds in unexpected ways, and discovering that life can still hold plenty of surprises—even if it means coming face-to-face with a killer.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

The Widows' Guide to Murder, the first book in the new Widows' Detective Club series by Amanda Ashby, is an entertaining whodunnit centred around a group of older women, who are all widowed and determined to solve a mystery and clear one of their daughters' name.
The book is easy to read and the mystery has multiple suspects. The widows manage to get themselves into various tense situations, which provide some humour to the mix.
I found the characters a bit difficult to relate to, even though I'm in my 60s myself, and I expected it to be more amusing from the description. However, the book has a good premise and I look forward to seeing how the characters develop in the next book.
Thank you for the ARC of #TheWidowsGuidetoMurder to #StormPublishing and #NetGalley.

Ginny is a newly widowed woman and has just moved to a small village for a new start. She’s also starting as a new librarian assistant. The first day isn’t the best, especially with a boss that isn’t very nice. The next day she’s plunged into a murder investigation when that boss ends up dead. With the help of an eccentric new group of friends, her life isn’t so boring anymore. I ended up really enjoying this. I loved that we had characters that were in their 60’s. A cute grumpy detective but with no love interest, which was refreshing. Loved the small town atmosphere and all the eccentric characters. I loved think this will be a new series that I will love looking forward to more of.

I just loved this book, that I read it in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down. The story was just so good, I just had to read on to find out more. This book has some amazing characters they just seem so much fun. I was very sad to have come to the end of this book and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I would highly recommend reading this book as it was just such a good mystery with amazing characters.

I would like to thank Storm Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

This is going to be a fun series~nothing more fun than widows & their friends setting about
to solve murders and the Widows Detective Club gets off on a strong start in this fast paced,
well written story with our core group of widows who accidentally find themselves in their
Individual places in this group. The newest member of the group has recently moved into
the village in an effort to begin her life again following the death of her beloved Physicisn
husband. Together they ran his successful surgery practice, with Ginny being in charge
of pretty much everything except the actual doctoring… As she begins to venture about
she becomes a “cat Mom” and a homeowner, though she doesn’t get into the village
much, until the trip that changes her solitude and the story will then add the other
lovely widows and the shopkeeper and the veterinarian office, and she begins to
meet the women who she will become friends and detectives with! And, I nearly
forgot that she takes a job at the community library, which in retrospect will become
every problem she never knew she had.
This is just fun, full of good people, and some rather interesting, creative widowed
murderers~ you will be thinking the entire time, and hoping that book 2 is on the way!
My thanks to Storm Publishing via NetGalley for the download of the book
for review purposes.