Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood for the opportunity to read "A Body By The Henhouse" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was book 3 in the Malvern Farm Mystery series. We find Jude Gray getting ready to host a hen party at her new campsite. Neighbour Mike Trout is not happy about her new venture. Since moving next-door all he has done is complain about the smell, noise, farm vehicles and dust.

The bride is Shaznay, her little sister Tanisha, bridesmaid Khadija (who is full of attitude), Ellie, Seren and Ash. 4 of the group are vets. All of them have secrets, some of them are resorting to blackmail and threats.

The favourite characters are back Jude's sister Lucy and her son Sebbie (who turns 4 in this book), Noah the shepherd and Jude's best friend Detective Inspector Binita Khatri.

Jude keeps her friend very busy in this story. First she has 4 new sheep who are promptly poisoned by someone. Then someone releases the ropes on Khadija's tent collapsing it on her. Then Shaznay's fiancé Joe arrives - he is entitled, superior to everyone, looks down on Jude as the "female farmer". Arriving with Joe is Dex - Tanisha's boyfriend.

Jude gets into a lot of intrigue in this story. She doesn't help foster good relations with her neighbour Mike when she tries to swipe is phone to look for clues or when she breaks into his shed. Binita gets frustrated with her wanna-be amateur sleuth friend in this story because she puts herself in harms way too many times. Then she finds a body, and then another one. It seems that Malvern Farm is a magnet for murder and mayhem.

Once all the pieces fall into place, many more secrets are revealed and lives torn apart. This addition to the series will keep the reader on the edge of their seats with this wonderful new story.

Another enjoyable book in this series. So much going on on the farm, and then a group of "hens" arrive for a bachelorette party. They're a lot of trouble for Jude, especially the one who complains about everything and has to have a tent put up for her when she breaks up with her girlfriend. Then the next day she goes missing, leaving her cell phone and her asthma inhaler. Binnie, now a DI, comes to investigate and then the bride's intended and a friend come to the camp. Joe is a braggart and also demands attention from all there. Jude can't get much farm work done trying to deal with these guests. But then bodies are found on the farm - it's a deadly place! But I was glad to read the last paragraph and hope that Jude will find some comfort from it. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood books for an advance copy of this cozy mystery.

Herefordshire, unpleasant-guests, unpleasant-neighbors, rural, farming, campground, camping, widow, sisters, sheep, ducks, chickens, amateur-sleuth, local-law-enforcement, friendship, friends, family-dynamics, small-town, relationship-issues, relationships, relatives, missing-persons, murder, investigations, working-class-dogs, cozy-crime, veterinarian, poisons, drugs-issues, grief, grieving*****

Widow Jude Gray is trying to save the farm that she and her husband ran until his untimely death. One thing she is trying is the expansion of a camping/glamping aspect to the farm to help the finance base and that is also the reason for the addition of a few animals, including sheep. This matters because there is a group of young women veterinarians staying in the tents and one was a great help when four of the sheep were poisoned. Jude is certain that her unpleasant neighbor was to blame. Then the obnoxious guest went missing, some incredible things revealed, and a despicable man was murdered. Then things really got sticky! I loved this one just as much as the first two!
Did you know that only girl ducks can quack? Or that rhododendrons are poisonous to sheep?
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

The clamping project at Malvern Farm is a success, thanks to Jude Gray’s hard work and her glamping project. A hen (bachlorette) party is scheduled for the weekend and Jude wants everything to be perfect. It is until one of the women disappears. Then she and shepherd Noah try to run the farm as the search continues for the missing women. The farm seems to be a target after some of her sheep are poisoned. An ever complaining neighbor is a natural suspect. To add to the confusion, the demanding groom to be arrives. After a murder, with the bride still missing, Jude begins to piece together the complicated web of jealousy, blackmail and criminal activities that surround her campsite guests. She and her close friend DI Binnie Khatri must find the killer before there is another victim.

A Body by the Henhouse is the third in this excellent series. Familiar characters are joined by new, and Malvern Farm remains a character itself. The tedious, daily work of farming blends with quiet moments of joy watching her nephew, four year old Sebby, learning to be a young farmer and dog trainer! And a teaser in the final pages left me eager to read the Kate Well’s next! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Kate Wells for this ARC.