"When librarian Ginny Cole discovers a body in Little Shaw's beloved haberdashery shop, she finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation. The victim? Arrogant shop owner and spring fete judge, Timothy Harlow, found with a pair of sewing scissors plunged into his back. While the police are quick to arrest Milos, a charming young upholsterer, Ginny thinks the case has been sewn up too neatly.

Together with her friends - no-nonsense JM, craft-obsessed Hen, and irrepressible Tuppence - Ginny delves into the village's secrets. Between apologising for her kleptomaniac cat and making marmalade for the spring fete, she discovers that behind Little Shaw's quaint façade lies a tapestry of rivalries, affairs, and deadly ambitions. And when her own car brakes are sabotaged, Ginny realizes the killer is still at large - and getting closer.

With help from the widows and an increasingly exasperated Detective Inspector Wallace, can Ginny unpick the clues before the murderer strikes again?

A fun, fast-paced mystery full of small-town charm, perfect for fans of Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, Robert Thorogood and The Thursday Murder Club series."

The real mystery is how a small town can still support their own haberdashery shop...

The Widow’s Guide to Backstabbing was an absolute blast! Ginny continues to be a witty and sharp-witted protagonist, and I loved seeing her back with her quirky crew of fellow widows. The mystery was so well crafted, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. The small-town charm of Little Shaw mixed with its dark underbelly made for a perfect setting. I especially loved how the widows’ investigations led them to uncover hidden secrets—plus, Ginny’s cat was a hilarious addition to the chaos! The suspense was high, and I couldn’t put it down. A fun, engaging cozy mystery that I couldn’t get enough of! I loved it as much as the first in the series and I can't wait for more.
**rounded up from 4.5 stars**

Another great book in this new cosy mystery series. I love how the ladies form their own little detective club and get in all sorts of trouble trying to solve the murder. It reminds me of the Thursday murder club series. A great easy read would recommend

I read Amanda Ashby’s previous book, The widows’ guide to murder which I thoroughly enjoyed so was delighted to read this second book in what I suspect will become a series. We meet again Ginny the librarian and her three friends, Hen, Tuppence and JM and not surprisingly they get involved in a murder which despite them promising not to interfere, they seem to stumble upon clues. Once again the story is gentle and the characters are well rounded and believable. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc.

The Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing is the 2nd fun book in Amanda Ashby’s The Widows Detective Club series. The characters are likable and add warmth and humor to this British cozy mystery. Ginny Cole recently became a widow, moved to Little Shaw, a new town in England, and is the local librarian. She has become friends with widows JM, Hen and Tuppence. The four widows are the Widows Detective Club and when an unpopular local ends up dead, they begin to investigate to clear their friend. The local fair is very popular and there are contests for every kind of Craft especially baked goods. Several of the locals are hiding secrets which keeps it interesting. I wasn’t a fan of Megan. Detective Inspector James Wallace lives next door to Ginny and his father is visiting. There is some heated competition at the fair. This is an enjoyable cozy mystery and I look forward to more escapades with the Widows Detective Club Club ladies. #TheWidowsGuideToBackstabbing #TheWidowsDetectiveClub #StormPublishing #AmandaAshby

I read this straight after reading A Widow's Guide to Murder and it follows on a few months later.
Timothy Hatton, the local "celebrity" haberdashery owner is found stabbed to death with scissors in his back by Ginny in his shop.
The village is in uproar as he was due to do the judging at the village fete in a few weeks. When his daughter's boyfriend is accused of the murder, Megan begs the Widows to prove him innocent.
In the course of their investigation, with the help of their innovative mobile murder board, they get themselves into several scrapes and in trouble with Ginny's policeman neighbour, Wallace.
An easy and pleasant read.

There is a lot of benefit in being the second book in a series. For one, if the legwork had been done earlier in terms of character creation and world-building, the sequel can focus on the fun stuff, such as funny hijinks and witty banters. This book excels at that; compliments to Ashby for capitalizing on that advantage. Genuinely I think this book is funnier and more engaging, and I was kind of sad that there is no Book 3 at the moment.

Despite the grim nature, the story starts off cheekily with Harlow literally stabbed in the back with a pair of scissors. It was also somewhat funny when Ginny, due to circumstances, ended up finding the body again. As DI Wallace pointed out, that made her sort of a suspect?

Following the formula of the first book, the list of suspects was long indeed. Despite his celebrity status, Harlow was deeply unpopular. Not being someone who minced his words and having judged the spring fete for years, it meant that he had pissed off a lot of people. It didn't help that those participating in the fete could be dramatically competitive, a fact that Ginny learnt the hard way.

The overall plot of this book is fine. There were plenty of red herrings and some plot twists, allowing the gang to get into all kinds of funny trouble. However, I'd say that the resolution was a little weak. Really, the murderer killed Harlow for *that* reason? I'm not really buying it, but well... FINE.

By any means, I was glad that Connor and DI Wallace were given more screentime this time around. Connor, who was forced to serve in the library in the first book and was largely monosyllabic there, now has some pretty funny lines and more to do. At one point he even joined the ladies on their mission! Meanwhile, in a sobering scene, DI Wallace demonstrated to the widows that contrary to their impressions, he and his team were not slacking or incompetent, but were instead doing all they could to solve the murder despite limited resources. I mean, I knew he is a good detective even from the first book, so I liked that Ashby wrote a scene specifically to demonstrate that. Anyway, there was one scene that had me laughing out loud: DI Wallace spread his arms to block off Tuppence, Hen, and JM, only for them to misunderstand his gesture and hugged him instead!

This was a fun whodunnit that's not particularly heavy or long. I'm hoping for more books to come!

Another very fun installment with Ginny and the widows! I really enjoyed getting to know them all better and spending more time in the village of Little Shaw. The murder and storylines were interesting, with lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I can't wait for the next one, and to get to know more about this little village! Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the advance digital copy!

Oh, the trouble Ginny and her friends can get into. Even though they promised that handsome, albeit grumpy, detective they would not investigate any more crimes. But could Ginny help it if she found another body? More lively Shaw Village characters are introduced, a backstabbing murder in more than one way occurs and although I did not find as much humor in this book as the first standalone, this was still a delightful cozy to read. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the arc. This review is my personal opinion.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series. This one I didn’t like quite as well. It seemed a little more serious and a bit too wordy at times. I might be interested to see what happens in the next one

We are back at Little Shaw with Ashby’s ‘The Widows’ Dective Club’ sequel, The Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing. Join Ginny, Tuppence, JM and Hen as they take on another gruesome murder in the quaint village.

When Timothy Harlow is murdered in his own shop, Ginny and the gang decide to take it upon themselves to solve the crime when Harlow’s daughter Megan believes the wrong suspect has been arrested.

I love these characters so much and get some cosy mystery vibes from Ashby’s writing. If you love The Thursday Murder Club and The Marlow Murder Club then you’ll love The Widows’ Detective Club. I cannot wait for the third in the series to come out.

A very enjoyable second book in the ‘Widows’ Guide’ series. This one is set around the annual village fete and the long standing rivalry between craft and baking entrants. Once again the story twists and turns, suspects come and go, and the plot keeps you guessing right til the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this satisfying cozy murder and look forward to reading the third outing of Ginny, Tuppence, JM and Hen………. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ginny is settling into widowhood and the local library as well as starting to engage more with the three quirky widows. Her ex feral cat is also settling but likes collecting things and bringing them to her. She naturally finds a body, the mortal remains of a nasty, arrogant 'artist' and becomes embroiled with the investigations - professional (police) and informal (3 widows). She's lead astray by them again and really infuriates the long suffering grumpy DI Wallace. She is becoming a little more assertive and sensible but JM, Hen and Tuppence (the 3 widows) are quite a challenge to this. Light hearted and somewhat impossible to believe at times but a good cosy read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I just love Ginny, JM, Tuppence, and Hen. They are a quirky group of older women amateur sleuths. I giggled at some of the antics. It’s so sweet how they lift each other up. It was fun following them as they searched out clues leading to the killer. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you Storm Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC! Well Ginny Cole and her cohorts are back! When going to visit the local haberdashery Ginny finds the eccentric owner dead in the back room with a pair of sewing scissors in his back. Another case for the widows to try to solve or are they just getting in the way? With so many people with nothing good to say about Harlow, the murder victim including his own daughter where to start? Thanks to Edgar the thieving cat, can this all finally come to an end? Hope to see more of these lovely ladies soon!

A great follow up to The Widows Guide to Backstabbing! We have the same characters as the 1st book and they are all just as funny and great! I love an older character and a cosy murder mystery so this book was always going to be a hit with me! There was a great twist and you don’t find out who the murderer is until near the end which is good! I didn’t feel as drawn to this book as I did the first one which is why I gave it 4 stars! I’d still recommend this to readers who enjoy a cosy murder mystery!

Ms. Ashby tells a terrific tale in this second book of the Widows' Detective Club series. I really enjoyed watching the different friendships develop and grow; plus Ginny growing more into her 'self' even as an older woman. It was an affirmation of friendship, relationship, determination, and second chances. So many lovely surprises along the way with this story - with the obligatory murderer who gets a little too close to Ginny.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery and I loved the characters which were so quirky. This just flowed along without getting slow or boring at all. I love the twists in this story which had me going in all directions. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I recently read book 1 of this series and couldn't wait to start this one. The group of widows once again get involved in another investigation, complete with a crafted portable murder board! The murderer was a bit harder to guess in this book. I don't think it's necessary to read the series to enjoy each of the books, but I'm looking forward to book 3 to see what exploits the widows get up to next!

4* An entertaining cosy mystery

The second book in the Widows' series set in Little Shaw, including some familiar characters, easily read as a stand-alone, each book contains a different plot with a satisfactory ending.

Continuing five months after the end of Book 1, Ginny Cole is now the library manager with Conner a full time employee, Edgar the cat has taken up a permanent residence in Ginny's home.

Previously a quiet Lancashire village, Little Shaw seems to be full of criminal activity. Ginny discovers the local haberdashery shop owner lying in a pool of blood on the floor of his backroom. Overworked DI Wallace is still bad tempered and immediately warns Ginny to leave the investigation to the police.

Ignoring Wallace, Ginny and her three friends, JM, Hen and Tuppence, collectively known as The Widows' Detective Club, intend to pursue the truth. As the victim was pompous and generally disliked, there's a vast amount of possible suspects for the crime. When unexplained events occur to Ginny, it's clear that she's become the murderer's latest target.

3.5* rounded up to 4, looking forward to the next in the series.

With thanks to Elke from Storm Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book, this review is my personal, unbiased opinion.