For a murder mystery, the tension and suspense were surprisingly absent. While certain scenes were set up for thrilling moments, they often failed to deliver. The major plot twist around the 70% mark felt unnecessary, tying back to the main characters’ storylines in a way that felt forced rather than meaningful.

That said, the killer’s reveal was genuinely surprising, and the unraveling of the mystery itself was enjoyable. The investigative elements were detailed and well thought out, though the story dragged toward the end with excessive dialogue and an overly drawn-out conclusion.

Overall, while the concept was engaging, the execution felt amateurish, leaving a promising story feeling flat.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is the third book in the series and although it isn’t important to have read the first two, it would have helped to give the three main characters some distinct personalities. As it was, it took me far too long to work out which one was which, causing a disconnect from the characters. Therefore I saw the flaws in the book, instead of being gripped by the plot.

This book had an intriguing premise—comedic mysteries and whodunits are always a draw for me. The story follows three middle-aged best friends who run a small detective agency. What begins as a weekend getaway with celebrity chef Valerie quickly turns into a murder-filled mystery.

Unfortunately, the execution fell short. The pacing was off, with the first murder occurring before sufficient character and world-building took place. While there were attempts to establish deep lore and playful banter, these efforts did little to make the characters feel multidimensional or engaging. Their relationships with one another and the plot felt surface-level, leaving the narrative lacking in emotional depth.

For a murder mystery, the tension and suspense were surprisingly absent. While certain scenes were set up for thrilling moments, they often failed to deliver. The major plot twist around the 70% mark felt unnecessary, tying back to the main characters’ storylines in a way that felt forced rather than meaningful.

That said, the killer’s reveal was genuinely surprising, and the unraveling of the mystery itself was enjoyable. The investigative elements were detailed and well thought out, though the story dragged toward the end with excessive dialogue and an overly drawn-out conclusion.

Overall, while the concept was engaging, the execution felt amateurish, leaving a promising story feeling flat.

The Bad Girls Detective Agency #3

Amber, Clio and Jeanie have won a trip to a luxury castle retreat on a remote island, but a relaxing break is not what they get. The retreat owner, Valerie Fontaine, turns up dead. The Bad Girls start investigating the case.

This is a lighthearted read. This murder mystery had me guessing throughout. There were quite a lot of suspects to choose from. The pace is fast in this twisted read. This book can be read as a standalone.

Published 18th January 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwwdBooks and the author #KatieMarsh for my ARC of #MurderOnTheMenu in exchange for an honest review.

Murder on the Menu by Katie Marsh

Started off 2025 with my first Netgalley ARC!

3.5/5

'Murder on the menu' is the third book in the "Bad Girls Detective Agency" series. I had not read any of the other books in the series prior to picking this one up but found I didn't need to.

Amber and her two best friends, Jeannie and Clio run a detective agency and head away on what is meant to be a relaxing weekend at a castle recently acquired by a well renowned chef, little did they know what the weekend would turn into when said chef is found dead.

The book was a nice cruisy read that got into the action quickly. It had a good pace but also described the characters and history enough that if you hadn't read any others in the series it didn't matter, but also didn't drag on for those who may have been familiar with the characters.

It was really enjoyable! I found myself wanting to read more about Amber, Jeannie and Clio and so have now bought the other two books in the series to read ☺️

The women who are friends and work together are supposed to spend a relaxing weekend in a hotel on a private island. But when they arrive a storm is brewing and the hotel owner is found murdered. And that is just the beginning...
This is the first book by the author that I have read and although it was the third book in the series I had no problem reading it as a stand-alone. However the story was not as gripping as I had hoped and I didn't find the Main characters very relatable. Also I felt like there were several inconsistencies like why would Jamie and Clio climb backwards in the tunnel after meeting there? All in all an entertaining mystery that had some lengths but not a must-read.

This murder mystery, whodunnit, was a fun, light read with three older, besties-for-the-resties FMCs, a spooky castle and some twists and turns.

While parts of the story fell flat with certain elements feeling overly familiar it’s still a solid pick for fans of traditional mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the e-ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, it has a great plot with interesting characters. I’ll definitely recommending and looking for more of her books in the future.

The brilliant new instalment of Katie Marsh's bestselling Bad Girls Detective Agency series
The story is very gripping and wow the ending is a big surprise. I thoroughly recommend this book, another thrilling read by this talented author

Winning a relaxing weekend on an isolated island with a celebrity chef doing all the cooking is a trip not to be missed by the Bag Girls Detectives aka, Amber, Clio and Jeanie. That is until the first murder…then the second. No way off the island, no phones and a raging storm. What could possibly go wrong? I received an arc of this entertaining book from Netgalley and Boldwood books. This review is my honest opinion.

A weekend of fine dining turns deadly when a celebrity chef is found murdered in a locked tower, leaving the Bad Girls’ Detective Agency to solve the case. Packed with humor, twists, and the perfect blend of intrigue, this cozy mystery keeps the pages turning. While the plot sometimes feels predictable, the characters’ charm more than makes up for it.

I actually really loved this book. I didn't even notice it was apart of series! Well written Cozy whodunit

Since Amber started the Bad Girls’ Detective Agency, she’s felt the pressure. So – determined not to let it get to her – she whisks her two best friends and colleagues, Jeanie and Clio, off for a weekend retreat at a beautiful castle on an island.

The girls are all excited to experience world-famous chef Amelie la Fontaine’s tasting menu.

But none of them expect there to be another dish being served that revenge. And when Amelie is found, dead, in her locked tower bedroom, the Bad Girls know this is a case that only they can solve…

I had the pleasure to arc read this book!,

It was gripping I just wanted to find out who did it, I like the simplicity of there not being so many characters to keep up with

My downfall was not reading the chapter name but that was because I was to excited to get through it

I just loved this book and once I started reading this book I just couldn’t put it down. It was so good to read about the bad girls detective agency,I just love the friendship that they have and that they have each other’s back no matter what. This was such a good book and it has great characters as well and I really hope that there are more of these books as I just love this series.

I would highly recommend reading this book and the previous books in the series as they are just amazing, they have great friendships along with great characters and a great story.

I would like to thank Boldwood Books and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

I have enjoying this series, for the most part but this wasn't my favourite instalment. It did move along at a good pace and the mystery was interesting and would have been great for anyone who hadnt already guess this. The isolated castle on an island was a nice touch. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was billed as perfect for fans of the tv series The Traitors, and as I love that I thought I would give the book a try. Unfortunately the book doesn’t have much in common with The Traitors at all, other than it being mostly set in a castle.

I didn’t realise this book was part of series, so I haven’t read the previous books. The book seemed to work OK as a standalone but I did think the characters were quite flat and boring. Maybe if I’d read the other books I would have more of a connection with them.

Ex police officer Amber runs the Bad Girls Detective Agency with her two best friends from school, Clio and Jeanie. Clio organises a relaxing weekend for them at the soft launch of a new luxury hotel on an island. When the host is found dead, and more bodies are discovered, can the agency find out whodunnit?

This was an easy read but it felt a bit basic to me. The plot wasn’t very well linked and it seemed like each character was running around the place like a headless chicken, randomly discovering things. The main characters in the story are meant to be in their mid 40s but their behaviour seems childish at times. There could have been so much tension and atmosphere in this book and there just wasn’t at all.

I’m not sure if the author took inspiration from And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie, but the trapped on a building on an island in a storm with a killer doesn’t seem a very original premise these days.

I wanted to like this book but it fell very flat for me and I was bored for most of it. I slogged through to find out who the killer was but even that was predictable so it was a bit of a let down for me. If you’ve read the previous books in the series you might enjoy this, but it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for my copy.

Amber, Clio and Janie aka the Bad Girls Detective Agency are back and hoping for a bit of R&R on a weekend retreat hosted by a celebrity chef. However Amber's birthday festivities don't get off to the best start with a rocky boat ride to the island and a strange collection of staff and guests. As you imagine, murder is not far around the corner and the girls find themselves investigating, and at times, fighting for their own lives.

The premise of the book is excellent, with such a small cast of characters to choose from and nowhere to escape to. It makes for a very claustrophobic setting and you've never quite sure who is going to be next.

A brilliant next installment of one of my favourite cosy crime series.

Murder on the Menu is the third book in the series but I don't think you need to have read the others to enjoy and understand this one! I've enjoyed this series. 3 friends join forces to solve crimes.

Murder on the Menu is the third book in the Bad Girls Detective Agency series, and I've also read the previous two.

This time, our trio are off to an island retreat to sample some delicious food. However, the weather is appalling, and no sooner have they arrived than they discover they're trapped on the island. Things only get worse when a murder takes place.

This third outing with the Bad Girls Detective Agency took a little while to get going, but then it was quite a swift read. I struggled a little bit to decipher which character's POV the story was being told from (it was my fault for not paying enough attention), and I felt some of the fab humour from the first book was missing.

The mystery revealed itself well, and the lack of mobile technology to help our detectives added a good dynamic to the tale.

A solid read.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my review copy.

Excellent read from Katie Marsh . I’ve not read any of Katie’s books before , but I’m sure she’s an author I’ll be looking for in the future. Loved the intricacies of this book, good characters and an excellent storyline. Recommended.