Wonderful to see a librarian as the main character of this first installment of a new series by Helen Cox. The book includes some great secondary characters all set in beautiful York.. An engaging release for cosy mystery fans!.

Murder by the Minister
(Kitt Hartley Yorkshire Mysteries #1)
by Helen Cox (Goodreads Author), Edith Beaton

Kindle Edition, 416 pages
Expected publication: July 1st 2019 by Quercus



Goodreads synopsis:
A brand new cosy mystery series set in the picturesque city of York. For Fans of Faith Martin, Betty Rowlands and L.J. Ross.

Meet Kitt Hartley: librarian, trilby-wearer, Lady Grey tea-drinker, taker of no nonsense. . .detective?

It's a perfectly normal day for Kitt Hartley at her job at the University of the Vale of York library, until detective Inspector Halloran arrives at her desk to tell her that her best friend, Evie Bowes, is under suspicion of murder. Evie's ex-boyfriend Owen has been found dead - with a fountain pen stabbed through his heart - and all the evidence points to her. Kitt knows there is no way Evie could murder anyone - let alone Owen, who she adored.

Horrified that the police could have got is so wrong, Kitt decides there's only one thing to do: she's going to investigate Owen's murder herself. She's read hundreds of mystery novels - how hard can it be?

With the help of her assistant Grace, and the occasional hindrance of the library's eccentric regulars. Kitt summons up all her investigative powers (absorbed over years of reading everything from Agatha christie to Ian Rankin) and gets to work.

She soon discovers that down the quaint streets and snickelways of York lie darker doings than she'd ever dreamed, but she needs to watch her step: the murderer is watching her. And they haven't finished killing yet. . .


***

5 Stars

All I can say is THANK GOD this is going to be a series because I don’t think I could live long without a new Kitt and DI Halloran book coming in the future. Helen Cox is a favorite new author for me. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any new books by her.

This is basically a police procedural with cozy mystery leanings. Kitt is a librarian who is taken in for questioning for the murder of her best friend Evie’s ex-boyfriend, Owen. The mystery was pretty good and I had no idea whodunit until the end because nearly every other chapter a new suspect was introduced. The chase was thrilling, convoluted and exciting from the moment DI Halloran and his partner laid eyes on Kitt.

But my beyond favorite part of the book was the budding relationship between Kitt and DI Halloran. It was a slow build up relationship. But her friends could see Kitt peaked Halloran’s interest from the beginning even though it was his job to get to the bottom of a murder she might be involved in.

All the small moments between them is what made this so good. They are both pretty hard headed and have their own ideas about justice. Halloran follows the rules and Kitt seems to be somewhat of a rule breaker as she goes off on her own investigation even when Halloran thinks she would be safer staying out of it. That scene with the two of them by the bridge was one of the steamiest and most raw scenes I have witnessed in a long time.

I can’t wait until book two in the series comes out. I am definitely hooked.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

This was an ok read, though it felt a bit clunky in areas. I quite liked Kitt and could understand why she acted the way she did.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an arc and the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

Kitt works is York library and Evie, who is her best friend, is accused of murder. They set to work to both clear Evie's name and discover the real murderer.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There is a great friendship between Kitt and Evie which is both fun and endearing.

The story is set in the beautiful city of York, and as a Yorkshire lass myself it was wonderful to read and visualise the wonderful city.

If you enjoy cosy mysteries, then I highly recommend this book. This has got the making of a wonderful new series and I look forward to reading book 2.

Title: Murder By the Minster

Series:Kitt Hartley #1

Author: Helen Cox

Genre: mystery

July 1,2019



Meet Kitt Hartley: librarian, trilby-wearer, taker of no nonsense... detective?

It's a perfectly normal day for Kitt Hartley at her job at the University of the Vale of York library, until Detective Inspector Halloran arrives at her desk to tell her that her best friend, Evie Bowes, is under suspicion of murder. Evie's ex-boyfriend Owen has been found dead - with a fountain pen stabbed through his heart - and all the evidence points to her.

Kitt knows there is no way Evie could murder anyone - let alone Owen, who she adored. Horrified that the police could have got it so wrong, Kitt decides there's only one thing to do: she's going to investigate Owen's murder herself. She's read hundreds of mystery novels - how hard can it be?

With the help of her assistant Grace, and the occasional hindrance of the library's eccentric regulars, Kitt summons up all her investigative powers (absorbed over years of reading everything from Agatha Christie to Ian Rankin) and gets to work.

She soon discovers that down the quaint streets and snickelways of York lie darker doings than she'd ever dreamed, but she needs to watch her step: the murderer is watching her. And they haven't finished killing yet..



My thoughts

rating: 3.5

Would I recommend it? yes

Will I read more of this series? yes

Would I read more by this author? yes

Its kind of slow going though out the story , then it picks up and then it goes back to been slow , I do have to say that the author knows how to make the story come to life as well as the characters and the places , but there was one thing I didn't really like and that was how the main character acted at times though out the book , she came off a bit rude as well as insulting . With that said I want to think Netgalley for letting me read and review it .

As this novel combined both York and libraries, I had to read this book. I loved the banter between some of the characters and the pace of the plot, the latter also had a few twists and turns. I felt Kitt was a bit brusque at times, but I felt that the characters had depth and I actually liked Ruby and Halloran. As a side-note I highly doubt the probability when it comes to some of the police procedures (and actions) in the book.

However, it was still a really fun novel to read.

Murder by the Minster is the first book by Helen Cox that I have read and it is an ok cosy mystery book

I struggled a little bit with the writing style and found some of the dialogue clunky but overall it was an ok book

Murder by the Minster by Helen Cox is an unusually realistic cozy mystery.

Kitt Hartley works as a librarian in a little York town, when her best friend Evie is accused of murdering her ex-boyfriend. Kitt knows that her friend in innocent but DI Halloran doesn't share her beliefs. Kitt, Evie and Kitt's assistant Grace join forces to solve the mystery and save Evie.

I like how down to earth and realistic this story is. Kitt and her friends are amateurs with no experience what so ever and it shows, but they are smart and have been reading mysteries for years, so now is the perfect chance to see if they can figure it out by themselves.
I found the feelings between Halloran and Kitt quite interesting.
At times Kitt came off as rude, impolite and careless of those she doesn't care about so it was sometimes hard for me to like her.
All in all, well written book with solid characters and nicely plotted mystery.

Murder by the Minster is the first book in a new cosy mystery series by Helen Cox. Due out 1st July from Quercus, it's 374 pages and will be available in ebook format.

I generally love cosies with bonus points for librarians, England, university/academia. This book checked all the boxes, really. I wasn't familiar with the author previously, but the cover and the premise caught my eye. I'm glad I gave it a try because it is engagingly written and the author is adept with the technical aspects of story arc and tension as well as 'showing, not telling' (no info dumping).

There's a lot to like about this book. It flows at a pretty good pace, the author has a fair ear for dialogue, and there are several disparate plot threads well interwoven (even a foreshadowed potential romance). What didn't gel for me is the utter incompetence of the local constabulary and their seeming willingness to go along with a (to them) random amateur interviewing witnesses and precipitating dangerous situations. The cops also detain people seemingly willy-nilly. Some of the dialogue was, to me, a bit clunky and impacted my suspension of disbelief.

I never warmed to main character Kitt, and thought her rather brusque and off-putting. I did like oddball clairvoyant Ruby, perhaps she'll be a continuing character.

All in all it's a well written cosy and a diverting read. It often takes a few books before a series really finds its feet, and I'm certainly willing to let this one do so. (I just hope Kitt lightens up a little bit in future).

Three and a half stars.

This story concerns a librarian who is drawn into a series of murders that appear to target men who have let down their partners after the ex-boyfriend of her best friend Evie is killed. Enter the moody detective inspector, and we have a love interest and a serial killer.

I didn't enjoy the writing style very much; it felt a little like 'whodunnit by numbers' with rather stilted dialogue. I didn't find it very believable that the detective would let a civilian witness interviews and get so involved in finding the culprit, particularly as she was initially a likely suspect. The dialogue felt contrived and the characters didn't really develop as believable characters. A shame, because overall the plot was an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book as I don't read many murder, mystery books. This was enjoyable because I liked the link with York, a place I have visited. It kept me interested and wanting to know the murderer. The characters were normal, interesting and at times funny. I was pleased that there was a happy ending after the drama of the river . I would recommend this book to be read.

From the very first page up till its last this book must cant be put down. Highly recommended

When her friends ex is murdered a not so quitel librarian decides she is going to clear her friends name but when more bodies turn up and the suspicion falls on them both things take a dramatic twist

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus books for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one review I hope doesn’t come back to bite me. I hope it doesn’t come across as unduly harsh. (Update, 6/10/19: I've edited out spoilers, both for readability and for tone.)

On the positive side, Helen Cox obviously knows how to write. (She’s a multi-published romance novels.) I didn’t feel like pulling my eyeballs out while reading, and the story kept me reading from the first page to the last. Kudos for that!

However, there are some serious issues with the book as a mystery and as a novel. I’ll try to explain.

1. Unbelievable/improbable elements.

A. The police procedures.

Suspects are arrested on flimsy, circumstantial evidence. The victims were poisoned with a chemical used in nail polish remover (after being drugged). This, obviously–or at least obviously to the characters of the novel–means that the killer must be connected with a nail salon. This is simply bizarre. Nail polish remover and its ingredients are readily available, and anyone (including people who don’t wear nail polish) can buy it over the counter. Why are the police adamant on this point?

B. There are other unbelievable things, too. Without spoilers, it's hard to say what they are. But this is not a realistic book in terms of forensics or police procedure.

C. Kitt’s “investigation”
At multiple points, Kitt questions strangers about their relationships and such to the victims and/or suspects. She has absolutely no reason to be meddling. Almost no one pushes back at her demands for answers to questions she has no business asking. Frankly, this is absurd.

2. Inconsistencies

A. Kitt’s social media use

Kitt tells a police officer early in the book, “I don’t have time to be messing around on social media.” (Murder by the Minster, chapter 8) I can buy that. But later, she manages to do things that are impossible without a Facebook account.

It’s obvious that she cannot have a Facebook account because if she did, she wouldn’t be ignorant of how to ignore a friend request, which is basic FB 101 knowledge. She’s also blissfully unaware that there are apps to see who’s viewed one’s profile. Grace must step in and inform her of these facts.

Yet this is a woman who is a librarian. These are pros who know how online research works. Furthermore, she’s only 35. That’s a few years younger than I am. By the time Kitt went to the university, almost every young person (in my social circles) could be expected to know how digital research worked. Certainly by the time she graduated, people were using social media! How can someone who came of age during the cyber revolution be this ignorant?

B. Evie’s relationship with another suspect

When the police arrest another woman, Evie claims, “I don’t know her that well.” The two women met during get-togethers with mutual friends. Yet she seems to know far too about her for such a casual acquaintanceship.

3. Dislike of main character.

To me, Kitt came off as rude, unnecessarily sarcastic, arrogant, and mean, often dismissing others who aren’t as “intelligent” as she is. (Such as Ruby, a quirky library visitor and the only character I actually liked.) She’s willing to drag in Grace, her assistant, into the investigation, overlooking that this could put Grace in physical and legal danger. While she is protective of Evie, which I like, it was difficult for me to have sympathy for this woman. If she’d been much older, I might’ve found her ignorance a bit less off-putting. If she’d been a little more self-aware of her own short-comings, I might’ve liked her better.

Conclusion
As I said earlier, Cox knows how to write. There are lovely descriptions. There are fun references to classic mystery novels, such as the work of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The developing romance between Halloran and Kitt is well-done.

I really wanted to like the librarian-as-sleuth premise for a mystery series. For years, my mother was a paraprofessional librarian. I grew up around libraries and some incredibly intelligent librarians.

I understand this is a cozy mystery, so I can’t expect the same level of investigative accuracy as in a crime novel. Even so, there was no reason for the number of improbabilities in the book. Maybe cozy mystery fans can suspend their disbelief and enjoy Murder by the Minster. Unfortunately, I couldn’t.

(Note: I hid all spoilers on Goodreads. The link to my blog post review will go live on June 20, 2019.).

Mystery set in York with Kitt Hartley, university librarian. Kitt gets involved with the police when her best friend Evie comes under suspicion for the murder of her ex boyfriend. Kitt knows Evie is innocent so she investigates the crime. I am sorry but I could not find myself enjoying this book, I found the characters unconvincing and the interactions with the police not believable. I do appreciate the opportunity to read the book, but I personally did not enjoy it.
Thank you to Quercus books and Netgalley for the free arc.

I liked this mystery, which wasn't quite as cozy as my usual (this one has more than 1 dead body). However, I really enjoyed Kitt and her best friend Evie. I look forward to the relationship between Kitt and Detective Inspector Halloran. I loved the York setting and the mystery kept me guessing.

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

Another mystery involving a librarian as the protagonist. Ho hum. But wait......this is not your average librarian and she is not surrounded by average folks. They are all interesting, clever and resourceful and set out to solve an involved murder and prevent a potential miscarriage of justice. This is the first in what I hope will be a long series set in the incredibly lovely town of York. This is a cozy mystery but it is a step above your typical cozy. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Murder by Minster is the first in a new series with a librarian protagonist, Kitt Hartley. Kitt Hartley is confronted at work by DI Halloran with the news that her best friend’s ex-boyfriend, Owen is dead and her best friend is their suspect. Kitt, armed with nothing more than years of reading mysteries and her experience doing research as a librarian is determined to clear Evie’s name. There are plenty of red herrings, eccentric side characters, and extra dead bodies to keep the reader guessing up to the end of the story. A very twisty tales for fans not to concerned about police procedures in their cozies. To be published 1st of July 2019 by Quercus.

Librarian Kitt Hartley's day is thrown into chaos when DI Halloran arrives at her desk to inform her that her best friend Evie's ex boyfriend Owen has been murdered, and everything points to Evie as the killer.


Knowing that there's no way Evie could kill anyone, Kitt realises that the only way to clear Evie's name is if she investigates the murder herself

This is Helen Cox's first book in the murder mystery series featuring the strong, independent, trilby wearing librarian, Katherine 'Kitt' Hartley, set in the wonderful city of York. She works at the University of Vale of York Library, her best friend, Evie Bowes, is a massage therapist. On a ordinary day at work, the police arrive at the library, Evie has been arrested for murder. Owen Hall, Evie's ex=boyfriend, who had treated Evie badly, has been killed by poison, and a fountain pen has been stabbed into his heart. DI Malcolm Halloran and DS Charlotte Banks are investigating the murder, and all the evidence at the crime scene points towards Evie. Kitt knows that Evie would never have murdered Owen, and besides, at the time of the murder, Evie was with Kitt.

Urged on by Evie, Kitt finds herself looking into the murder, ably assisted by her work colleague and library assistant, Grace, a whizz at ferreting out information online. The police continue to view Evie as a suspect, possibly being helped by a accomplice. However, more murders with the same MO take place, and an initially irritated DI Halloran recognises that Kitt has turned up important leads. Against all policing protocols, Halloran suggests Kitt collaborate with them in an effort to stop more people being killed. This is a lovely and entertaining cozy mystery with numerous literary crime references, including Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. Kitt makes a great protagonist, trying to ensure her heart is not placed at risk, like when an old boyfriend, Theo, had disappeared from her life, although she is drawn to DI Halloran. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Quercus Books in return for an honest review. This book is worth the time to get into it and the latter 2/3rds of the book make up for a slow start. Kitt is a 35 year old librarian, in the historic town of York, England. Single, she mostly spends time with her best friend, Evie, and library assistant, Grace. Kitt is extremely surprised to be visited, at work, by DI Malcolm Halloran, and his Sergeant, Charlotte (Charley) Banks. They question her about the murder of Evie’s ex-boyfriend and several clues that indicate Evie is the killer. More murders ensue, with the evidence against Evie continuing to mount. Yikes! When in doubt, Kitt starts researching the people and the clues to clear Evie’s name. The story is full of great references to favorite mysteries, ranging from Dame Agatha to modern movies. The attraction between Kitt and Mal is well handled and doesn’t detract from the murder solution. I give this 4 stars because I’m glad I kept reading past the first quarter of the book. The story built well; the characters were all fully developed and easy to keep clear (a huge bonus for this reader!). My only caveats were with the beginning. Kitt’s age/character aren’t described for quite a while, so I couldn’t tell if she was 20, 30 or 80 years old. Necessary allusions to her difficult romantic history are provided for her back story but, again, I had a hard time telling if the romance occurred when she was 20 or 60 or somewhere in between until the author finally notes that she is 35. She comes across as extremely mature (almost Miss Marple-ish) at first. The book is worth reading and I’m looking forward to more stories with Kitt, Grace, Evie, Mal, Charley & the beautiful town of York.