Amber asked me the other day why I read so many British books. I have a tendency to read bits of books that I find funny or interesting out loud and apparently a lot of them have had British slang/terms lately. I don’t have an answer to that question, at least as far as current mystery writers go. I’m a huge fan of Golden Age mysteries, and most of those are British. I guess, I probably am drawn to books set in the present that have the same feeling, as A Village Murder certainly does.

A local businessman and town councillor has died and following his funeral, his daughter, Imogene, discovers the corpse of her soon-to-be-ex-husband in the greenhouse. She, of course, is the main suspect. Happily, her new friend and neighbor, is a former detective and believes she’s innocent. Between the two of them, they dig up some clues and talk to several other folks who might have had reason to kill Greg. And a tragedy from 20+ years ago might shed light on the killings.

I liked the characters and the town. Adam is wonderful, happy and friendly, and good at what used to be his job. I assume he’s also a good pub owner, but it’s hard to tell. I liked how reasonable and (mostly) calm Imogene is. She’s honest, although not necessarily with the cops, and tries to have a clear view of her situation. I also like that she and Adam are not flirting; they both have other love interests. And I adored the dog.

The mystery itself pulled together well, but the motive was a little weak for me. Twenty year old secrets are good, but I need a bit more from a killer than what the author gave.

I have to admit that cosy and murder mystery is my ultimate escapist read. This first book in 'The Ham Hill Murder Mysteries has an engaging village ethos, authentic characters and an intriguing murder mystery plot.

The mystery plot is layered and full of twists. The main protagonists are relatable and easy to like. The dog is the star of the show for me. The dynamic between Adam and Imogen is believable and promises to be a gripping series.

The rural setting contains all the recognisable village nuances. The people are equal parts nosy and supportive.

I received a copy of this book from Boldwood Books via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This was a really enjoyable "cozy" mystery and the first in the series.

Landscape gardener Imogen reluctantly returns to Lower Hembrow after 30 years to attend her father's funeral after he has died in a car crash and reluctantly take over the running of his hotel. She has been trying to forget a tragic incident that happened years earlier.

When her estranged husband's body is found in the grounds of the hotel, Imogen asks a local retired policeman Adam, help her find the killer. When it appears that her father's death may not have been an accident, the race is on to find who amongst her old school friends may have been responsible for these deaths.

Imogen and Adam make an interesting detective team.

I would recommend this story and I look forward to reading the next in the series.

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

In the beautiful rural Somerset village of Lower Hembrow, crammed full with English eccentrics, something is amiss. Landscape gardener Imogen Bishop has spent the last thirty years trying to forget one fateful school night but when her estranged husband Greg Bishop is found dead in the grounds of her fathers' Georgian hotel & on the day of her father’s funeral things start to get on top of her. Retired police officer Adam Hennessey, hoping for a peaceful life running his traditional Somerset country pub, finds himself drawn into the unfolding drama in the hotel across the road.
Imogen, Adam and Harley the stray dog form an unlikely partnership as they try to untangle a knot of secrets, solve a murder mystery, and bring a killer to justice.
This is the start of a new series & I found it to be a well written entertaining read. The characters are well fleshed & I liked both Adam & Imogen who's relationship grew throughout the book & I hope they continue to solve crimes in the idyllic Somerset countryside, Harley is a great addition with the cat loving Adam almost becoming a dog person. There are plenty of red herring plus twists & turns & a growing number of murders before he culprit is revealed. I happily whiled away a few hours with this engrossing read
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Why are cozy mysteries set in England so enticing to Americans? I still don't know the answer after all these years but who cares. I loved this book and look forward to the next one eagerly.

On the day of her father’s funeral, gardener Imogen discovers the body of her estranged husband. When tests reveal he was poisoned, and the police look on Imogen as their prime suspect, she enlists the help of retired detective and pub landlord Adam to find out the truth. Is the death linked to an accidental death in Imogen’s past?

A good story, very gentle going in spite of the murders involved. Harvey the dog is probably my favourite character, as he’s so bouncy and loveable, although I found myself expecting him to have a more central role in the case. There was a touch of Agatha Christie in the unveiling of the culprit, with all the suspects sat around while Imogen and Adam outlined the case. But this didn’t take away from the overall enjoyment of the book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining read.

Lovely, like a West Country cream tea.

At the wake of her father Imogen finds the body of her estranged husband. Together with her neighbour acress the street, retired DCI Adam she investigates the deaths of her husband, her father and a school friend who died thirty years ago. Three deaths that only seem to have Imogen in common.

The story is told alternately from Adam and Imogen and features mainly characters that behave like the grown-ups they are supposed to be. I like that.

retired, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, cosy-mystery, England, dog, amateur-sleuth******

First her father died in a auto crash and inherited the hotel, then her estranged husband was poisoned, then she met the retired DCI who ran the nearby pub and needed help with the large dog who had crashed into his life (and he was a cat person). This is just the beginning! Imogen knows things she hasn't told her new friend or the police but just didn't know their importance but it really makes her look guilty. Especially when Adam twigs onto the fact that her dad's death was no accident. And then there is the cold case that never got much police attention. I loved this book and think that it marks the beginning of a fun new series!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you!!

When Imogen returns from her father's funeral, she finds her estranged husband in the orangery. But he's dead. Imogen had returned to the village to run her father's hotel after his death. Ex-policeman, Paul runs the pub across the street and Imogen joins him to find out who killed her husband and clear her name.

This is a cosy murder mystery that's set in Somerser, in England. It's well written with plenty of clues. There's a few .ilkley suspects to choose from. There's nosey neighbours, gossip and all the other goings on that happen in small villages. I really enjoyed this book. This is the first ook in a new series and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment.

I would like to thank NetGalley. Boldwood Books and the author Frances Evesham for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.



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"A Village Murder" is the first in a new cozy mystery series set in Somerset featuring landscaper Imogen Bishop and retired DCI & pub owner Adam Hennessy. Imogen and Adam find the body of her estranged husband in the Orangery on the day of her father's funeral. As the investigation proceeds, questions are raised about whether her father's death was truly an accident and secrets from the past begin to be revealed.

This was an enjoyable cozy. It has a good mystery with the reader receiving the clues at the same time as the amateur sleuths. Imogen and Adam are interesting characters. One tiny thing that irritated me was Imogen lying to the police. No reason is given for her mistrust of the police nor her assumption that the police would pin the murder on anybody rather than investigate it properly.

"A Village Murder" is a quick, enjoyable cozy mystery.

This was a slow moving murder mystery with no moments of peril. It .seemed to be setting the scene for a new series by this author, but I suppose it could be a one off. It was quite reminiscent of midsummer murders for me. I enjoyed the slow pace though which surprised me as usually I need a bit more tension and pace. It must be down to the excellent writing style of the author. I enjoyed the group reveal at the end and really enjoyed the story. It was just the right length and didn’t get bogged down at all with unnecessary description, but was detailed enough for me to capture the characters and village life which is the mark of a good author and editing team.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a preview copy of the book.

What a wonderful start to a series! A quaint village setting, a murder at the funeral and an ex-police officer turned sleuth wanting to solve the case, I absolutely loved reading A Village Murder by Frances Evesham.
The pacing might seem a tad slow but it suits the setting. Wonderfully portrayed characters, a mystery that keeps you guessing till the end, this is a brilliantly written piece of cozy mystery.
Highly recommended!

In A Village Murder, a man is found dead in a hotel in a peaceful town in the English countryside. His body is found by his wife Imogen, and by the former investigator, now pub owner, Adam Henessy.

Adam is my favorite kind of character: cheerful, funny, a little awkward. Definitively not the tall, dark, and handsome hero one expects. His inner beauty shines through, and I was touched by his unassuming way of leading the investigation.

Imogen found her dead husband's body during her father's funeral. A landscaping artist, her life was in shambles, but she found the strength to keep going and help Adam.

Some side characters were very cunning and exciting. Imogen reconnects with her school friends as they all face middle-age and the weight of their life choices.

Harley, a stray dog, helps to build the cozy atmosphere of the story and to delineate the real disposition of the characters. I have to confess that I love books with dogs!

A Village Murder is an enjoyable read with a lovely setting and very charming characters.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*This review will be posted on https://lureviewsbooks.com on 06/23/2020 as part of the book's blog tour*

This was a murder mystery set in a picturesque village in Somerset. The plot line hooked me in from the very beginning and it continued to evolve the entire way through. There were links to historic cases and to the landlords history!

The mystery was paced well and took lots of twists and turns. There were a couple of side story lines which I wouldn’t have minded learning more about...

Overall a good writing style, descriptions and dialogue.

The ending was tidy and satisfying with a group reveal.

This is a new series, the start of a journey.

I loved the ex-policeman, Adam, as he is such a likeable, deep and meaningful character.He adds huge value to the plausibility of the story. I loved the dog even more! The leading lady, Imogen, is understandably more secretive and her circumstances such, that she spends much of her time anxious and worried so I found her harder to read, and a little less relatable. I believe she has potential to grow on the reader.

I loved the threads the author created and the way she reached back in time, over many years. Then there was the highlighting of the public versus private personas. Are people never quite what they seem? Some evidence was real and some was engineered to purpose, to mislead, to direct attention! Indeed, quite intriguing! Hmm...

The story really drew me in until around 80% of the way through when I felt it became a little fuzzy. But I did enjoy the true cozy mystery “reveal” at the end with the group gathering. I was on track but not quite there...

I think the next one will build on this foundation and should prove a further worthwhile read.

With thanks to #NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author for my free advanced reader copy to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

A great Cozy mystery/who done it with two likeable main characters. A great start to a new series, looking forward to the next instalment.

As the title suggests, this is a mystery set in an English village. Imogen returns to run her father's hotel after his death, and during the funeral, the body of her estranged husband is found. The retired ex-detective who runs the pub helps her investigate. It was a nice little book, nothing too exciting but I would read more from this author. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

A reasonably lightweight, but intersting cozy mystery set in a village in Somerset. Thankfully the author didn't give all the locals a written Somerset burr, lovely to hear, difficult to read. An ex-policeman who runs a pub, a woman who's inherited a hotel across the road and a very lively, large dog all mix in to make this book good fun.

Loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Lower Hembrow has an abundance of bodies.

Imogen Bishop returns for her father's funeral, but matters worsen when her estranged husband's body is found in the grounds of her father's hotel.

Adam Hennessy, retired police officer and now publican of the village pub, is drawn into the chaos as he tried to help Imogen get to the bottom of the mysteries rapidly unfolding

Not So Sleepy Somerset.....
The first in a new series of mysteries from Frances Evesham (author of the Exham-On-Sea mystery series). Imogen Bishop makes a return to the seemingly sleepy Somerset village of Lower Hembrow following the death of her father. Murder, however, was most definitely not on her agenda. She soon partners with local hostelry owner, retired Police Officer Adam Hennessey, to make an unlikely but effective amateur sleuthing duo. After what I felt was a slightly staccato start this soon picked up pace with likeable protagonists, a colourful cast of supporting characters and an enjoyable and entertaining plot making for an engaging, relaxing read providing some much needed escapism.