This was another enjoyable book in the Widows Murder Club series. These ladies have a lot of fun and a serious lack of concern for following rules, and leaving murder to the experts.
I do enjoy a cosy mystery, for a little relief from the tougher thriller type books. These books are entertaining, and still allow me to try to figure out ‘whodunnit’. There are plenty of references to backstabbing in this book, after the unfortunate victim is found with a pair of scissors in his back. The ladies of course go off on a tangent, making assumptions about the other citizens of their small town, and causing the police no end of frustration. Eventually though, it all gets sorted, mostly in spite of the efforts of the widows.
I’m looking forward to further books in this series.

An enjoyable cosy mystery with a cast of loveable characters, this book follows the group of crime solving widows for a second time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

This is book 2 in The Widows' Detective Club series and I would really recommend to read them in order though you don't have to.

Seven months ago, Ginny Cole, 60, recently widowed, moved to Middle Cottage, Little Shaw for a fresh start and got herself a part-time job in the local library. Then she discovered a body, met three other widows, solved some murders with their help, adopted a stray cat and was promoted to library manager. Grumpy DI James Wallace who also happens to be her neighbour, was not happy about her interference.

And now she is doing it again! Haberdasher Timothy Harlow has been stabbed in the back with dressmaking scissors and as he "had been a bad-tempered eccentric shop owner who’d gone out of his way to make enemies", the suspect list is long. There is daughter Megan, her lover Milos Petrovic, his father Vanja Petrovic, rival shop owner Ants Mancini and artist Juliana Melville, not to mention many disgruntled customers.

The cast is enormous but most of them are just there in the background to round out the community. I had so many theories and changed my mind countless times - if the widows were convinced of the murderer's identity I was too, and we were all wrong every time. The reveal came a bit out of left field in what turned out to be quite a complicated story involving several unsavoury characters.

I'm giving this such a high score because I felt extremely entertained by this motley crew of community characters, and I love feisty, elderly women just doing what they want, although unfortunately the other widows Hen, JM and Tuppence still feel a little underdeveloped. The preparations for the Little Shaw Spring Fete with its 65 categories of arts, craft, produce and baking provide huge entertainment, especially if you are a crafter or baker.

The plot this time is a bit muddled (the murderer's motive was ridiculous) and there are several community members like PC Singh and pathologist Imogen Smith who don't really get to shine but at least cat Edgar and his thieving tendencies were actively helping with the sleuthing and the book is full of female friendship and village life.

I wish DI Wallace would thaw a bit and I hope we get to see more of his taciturn but good at DIY Dad Ted. The travelling murder board with Velcroed felt miniatures is genius and will hopefully be used again because it's clear that those four aren't done interfering with police business yet! Recommended as this incredibly warmhearted cosy mystery with great characters is cracking good fun.

It was great to be back in Little Shaw with Ginny and the rest of the gang, and I enjoyed this one even more than the first in the series! Ginny is now the manager of the library (rather than the assistant) and I love the changes she’s made and the community feeling of Little Shaw’s library. When she finds the body of noted local Timothy Harlow in his haberdashery shop, she is once again embroiled in another murder investigation. Besides trying to figure out who the murderer is, Ginny is also apologising for her kleptomaniac cat Edgar, playing peacemaker among long established baking rivals, baking jam like there’s no tomorrow, and trying not to antagonise grumpy DI Connor. Oh, and catching up with her friends BJ, Hen and Tuppence (I couldn’t love these guys more). Some great twists and turns that kept me guessing all the way through. Highly recommended.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223696689-the-widows-guide-to-backstabbing

This second book in The Widows’ Detective Club series continues a terrific new cozy mystery series. Ginny heads to the local fabric store with her friend and finds another body! There are clues abounding as the victim was far from well-liked. The Ides of March, a button, secret businesses, competitive bakers, and more cloud the investigation. In addition, the victim was the judge for the yearly fete! To the police detective’s dismay, the widow detectives are back in the snooping business.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the characters who are rebuilding their lives after widowhood.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Back to Ginny and the her friends trying to solve another murder that has taken place in their village. Was nice to read the second installment, I think I might've preferred this one marginally more. Again I had absolutely no clue who was behind the murder and it was a nice cosy easy read that I devoured really quickly

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

I liked this 2nd book in the series. I am really liking Connor. I look forward to more in the series. I enjoy the small town it would be a nice place to visit.

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

I liked this second in this new cozy mystery series. The MC and her friends, neighbors and fellow villagers continue to be entertaining as characters, and the mystery was intriguing. This one was more suspenseful than the first in the series, and I frankly prefer cozy mysteries to be whodunits rather than have me worried about the survival of the main character. I will recommend this to readers of cozy mysteries!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

"The Widows' Guide to Murder” the 2nd instalment in The Widows’ Detective Club Mystery series by Amanda Ashby set in the Village of Little Shaw, England. Once again I loved the story and Im still enjoying the bond between the four widows, and i am glad that Connor was hired by the library . I love her cat and his personality is to die for the little thief. I also like the quirky characters and the sense of community in Little Shaw.

The mystery is interesting and well plotted, and had plenty of twists to keep engaged right to the very end. I kept guessing and second-guessing myself but I guessed before Ginny did.

Overall, this book is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries and heartwarming fiction. Amanda’s writing is engaging, and her characters are lovable and well-crafted. I highly recommend this charming novel and look forward to the next instalment.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I requested and received an advance readers copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Another cozy mystery in The Widows’ Detective Club series by Amanda Ashby. I thoroughly enjoyed The Widows’ Guide to Murder so I was hoping it would be the same with A Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing. And it was! I loved following these four spunky ladies as they found themselves in the middle of another murder investigation (what the heck is going on in this little town?). This was another good mystery that kept me guessing and I think the twist in this one was better than the first one. And once again, I loved their murder board. The author needs to include that in every book in the series! The ending was perfect. I’m very much looking forward to the next book!

The amateur sleuths of Little Shaw, affectionately known as The Widows' Detective Club, are back and once again find themselves caught up in a murder mystery. ✂️
It all begins when newly appointed librarian, Ginny Cole, accompanies her friend Tuppence to Harlow's Haberdashery, where she inadvertently discovers the body of Timothy Harlow. ✂️
The story unfolds at a steady pace from there, but the plot is quite intricate, and the cast of characters is long. ✂️
The tone of The Widows' Guide to Backstabbing is a little more serious than its predecessor, though there is a little gentle humour there. ✂️
Once again the star of the show is Edgar the cat, who has embarked on a crime spree of his own. 🐱
I loved this book, I love this series, and I really hope there will be more mysteries for the widows to solve.
Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This title will be available on 10/03/2025.

An enjoyable read with a variety of well-drawn characters. Surprise ending. That reminds you there are many reasons people murder each other !

Another fun and entertaining cozy mystery from Amanda Ashby. This is book 2 of The Widow’s Detective Club and was just as enjoyable as the first. Ginny is now in charge of the library and spring has arrived with the town is gearing up for its fete. Ginny, her three widowed friends and her cat find themselves trying to solve a new murder, when Ginny stumbles the body of the celebrity judge for the fete. Thank you both NetGalley and publisher for letting me read this book I look forward to more from this author.

This could just be me, but i felt like there was too much going on in this one and it wasn't funny and laid back like Book 1, it was more on the serious side. The plot was hard to follow; I couldn't mentally keep track of who all was who and how it tied together.
Like Book 1 it was also distracting to me that they sound more Aussie than Brit and wish this series would have been set in either Australia or New Zealand.
What i did like was how the story starts off in a fabric store, so we're expanding out from the library and learning more about the other locals. However, too many random characters were then brought in which just felt all over the place and i couldn't keep up.
Thank you to Storm Publishing at NetGalley for this ARC. xox

Another great cosy mystery from this writer. I’m loving the characters and the village setting, but most of all I enjoy the way the friendship between the protagonists is written. Also spot on description of how grief can eat away at people. Looking forward to the next one.

Ginny and the Widows club are back and are as funny and quirky as ever. Featuring another super twisty murder; a thieving cat; light breaking and entering; and really accurate (and hilarious) descriptions of what it's like to work in a public sector job with volunteers, this mystery brings the laughs and entertainment. I dove into it and stayed up far too late reading it. My only regret is that a new one won't come out for a while and I will have to wait. Highly recommended.

Another fun cozy in this series. I love the wonderful cast of characters and the great sense of community in this book. It was really pleasurable to read!

This book was an engaging read but I felt that it did not have the same wow factor as the first book. I struggled to read this book at times, but I feel that it would be a good read for someone who likes cozy mysteries that fall into a pattern.

Second in the series, but could be read as a standalone. A cosy murder story, although not much of a mystery. Obvious who the murderer was from the first introduction of the character - which is always a little disappointing. Gentle and absorbing, I have no real complaints and look forward to the third. I’m grateful to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.