Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

Meg, Daphne and Grace are a trio of elderly women who meet at an exercise class and soon find themselves plotting a murder.

If this sounds like a cosy comedy don't be fooled, this book actually deals with some serious issues.

The unlikely group are drawn together by Nina, a young girl who has been a victim of sex trafficking. Desperate to escape, she is rescued by the ladies after a chance encounter at a cafe but the gang controlling her aren't going to let her go that easily.

I loved the book, its a very easy read but with a strong group of central female characters. These women have all been through their own traumas and have reached an age where they are not going to let any other woman be victimised like they were. Although there are parts that are laugh out loud funny, there is also a lot of sadness at its core, sadness for the ladies and for Nina.

Ultimately this book is a strong message about standing up for those less fortunate and doing the right thing at any age and I loved it.

This is such an intriguing concept and it attracted me at the start. It is not like the other books featuring women of this age but has depth and I become entranced with them and I really wanted to know more and get to the ending to see how it gets resolved.

I like the way all 4 point of views are told.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

There is a real trend at the moment for cosy murder-mysteries with older lead characters. When you think back to characters such a Miss Marple and Poirot, it’s interesting that this had somewhat fallen out of favour but it is back and strong for 2022/23.

A Beginner’s Guide to Murder focuses on Grace, Meg and Daphne, elderly ladies whose café outing is interrupted by Nina who is trying to escape a trafficking gang. As they team up, they realise that the only way to save Nina might be murder.

Grace, Meg and Daphne are all interesting characters with backstories which was fed to us in small doses. However, I found them to be a little similar, with only Meg really drawing my interest as she fought to come out of the shadow her late husband Henry had pushed her down into. The only things I could remember about the other characters was that Daphne was rich and Grace was the stronger one. I really enjoyed the character of Nina though and thought the flashbacks of how she got into her present situation were the most engaging and interesting.

The plot is quite far fetched and there’s a lot of suspension of disbelief needed to make the plot work - how quickly the ladies decided on murder, for example, why the assassin team were extremely incompetent or why homeless pair decided to help with no real motivation. There’s a lot you needed to skim over to make the plot make sense. The story is very dark, but this is juxtaposed with the ladies personalities which jarring at times rather than just being entertaining.

Overall, The Beginner’s Guide to Murder is an interesting take on a crime genre, but I found it a little far fetched and unbelievable in places. Thank you to NetGalley & HQ Stories for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great thriller with a very well written plot and a great writing style. I felt fully engaged from the first page right to the end

The book was very well written and flowed well. The plot was great. Everything I thought it would be from the description

loved the blurb and loved the book even more! What a great story and even better characters. Devoured this one and can’t wait for more!!!

Grace, Meg and Daphne, three ladies in their seventies, take 17-year-old Nina under their wing when she stumbles into them at a café asking for help, closely followed by a toad-like man who is looking for her. They think nothing of hiding the distraught teenager, and when they hear her story, they vow to protect the girl at all costs. But there’s really only one way to do this: Murder.

Based on the synopsis of this book, I fully expected it to be along the same lines as The Thursday Murder Club and other humorous novels about a group of old people solving crimes. I was very wrong. A Beginner’s Guide to Murder is much grittier than any of those books. Sure, there were some amusing characters and witty relief, but the content and general tone of this novel is much darker, dealing with issues of kidnapping, human trafficking and rape.

However, the darker nature of this book was not a disappointment. It is incredibly well written, and the distressing topics are dealt with neatly, without being brushed over or made light of, but also without going into excessive levels of detail.

I adored the characters. Nina and the three ladies develop a really sweet and tender relationship, and some other excellent characters, like Des, Clara and Greg, join in along the way. A Beginner’s Guide to Murder is a highly entertaining, high-stakes crime novel and I could not recommend it more.

This book was everything that I hoped it would be. When I read the blurb, I knew that I would enjoy this novel and I was not disappointed. It has wonderfully developed characters, mixed with dark wit and gripping tension. I look forward to reading more by Rosalind Stopps and I have The Stranger She Knew on my TBR list.

Quirky, Charming and Dark. What more could you ask for. Brilliant characters throughout this book who build unexpected relationships.

Thank you for providing me with an advance review copy of this book. Enjoyed reading,, would recommend....

This is a very gentle book that skims the surface of some very disturbing aspects of the story ie child trafficking, sexual abuse, domestic abuse not to mention murder. Even the violent parts of the book are sanitised. However having said that I actually enjoyed it. The back stories of the three elderly ladies were well nuanced and researched. These back stories did sadly cause a lull in the action which left me slightly frustrated. I appreciate the well rounded main characters and finished the book feeling that perhaps there could be another one with these charming ladies and the entourage they accumulated during the book.

I can see this book being serialised on TV. Implausible, yes, but with a warmth and depth that carries the reader through some pretty dark themes. Witty to boot.

If you enjoyed Richard Osmans "The Thursday Murder Club" you'll likely enjoy this - perhaps more.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the copy.

A darkly humorous, riveting and highly entertaining mystery that kept me turning pages.
The MCs are unusual and likeable, the plot flows and kept me turning pages.
Even if it deals with some serious topics like human trafficking it's darkly humorous and I thoroughly enjoy.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I like the fact that this book is that bit different in that the main characters ae three friends in their seventies. This makes a refreshing change. The three friends Grace, Meg and Daphne regularly go for a cup of tea after swimming and this is how they meet 17 year old Nina. She bursts into the cafe and is obviously distressed and running away from danger. As the story unfolds we find out why Nna is running and also, the back stories to the three women's lives slowly unfolds. They want to help Nina and the only way to do that is to commit murder. The ladies are novices, so begins how they learn to do this. It is a gripping book, it has well deeloped characters but it also has pathos and humour. A very engaging read which I did enjoy so thank you Net Galley for my copy to review.

Meg, Grace and Daphne are three ladies in their seventies. While they are having a cuppa in a cafe after their pilates class a young girl called Nina runs in asking for help. Feeling the need to protect her the three women band together to plot a murder......

This is a quirky story with a great cast of characters. I loved Meggie and I thought Nina's story was told with just enough information to understand what was happening without being explicit.

This is the first book I have read by Rosalind Stopps, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be seeking out further novels from her.

Sorry to say I couldn't really get into this book. I really wanted to like it, I loved the idea of these three elderly ladies bonding as they plot a murder, and was hoping for something funny and warm-hearted. Unfortunately I found it a bit repetitive and far-fetched, the characters were all a bit too "woe-is-me" and insecure to the point that it started to irritate me. I DNF at around the 60% mark.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

An unusual read that had me gripped from the first page. Most books I read feel the samesy. This is very different.

A warm feeling book about three older ladies who are suddenly joined together to help a runaway girl. The three have their own issues and these are well described throughout. The premise of the story was lovely but I found that the going backwards and forwards through the time line was repetitive and off putting. The story describes kidnapping, slavery, prostitution and in the end murder and it could have been very dark but it was full of so much humour that it almost became really comical.
Thank you for letting me read this very unusual book,