I was in a weird book slump, and I couldn’t get into several books that I had been excited about. I randomly decided to pick this one up, and it stuck! I think I needed something easy but that kept my attention. And this one did that! I wasn’t a huge fun of any of the widows. I think if I had loved their characters, I would have loved this book more. But the mystery itself was not one I could easily solve, and so I’m definitely rounding up because of that.

If you’re looking for an easy, cozy mystery novel, this one’s got your name on it!

3.5/5 rounded up

At Sixty, Ginny Cole finds herself widowed and starting over in Little Shaw Village. She has been hired as the new library assistant in the village library, which is vastly different than managing her late husband's medical practice. She soon finds her new boss dead and there seems to be no end to possible suspects as Louisa Farnsworth was not very popular. She finds herself taken under the wing of a group of eccentric widows who see themselves as sleuths finding info the police have missed. Ginny also happens to be the next-door neighbor of local policeman, grumpy DI Wallace. who also doesn't appreciate her new friends form of helping. She has also taken in a stray cat she names Edgar.


Thanks to NetGalley and Storm publishing for this ARC and the opportunity to give my review. This is such a fun book! It is funny, warm hearted, and has a pretty good mystery. I found myself drawn to all the characters and instantly liking them. I look forward to seeing them in future books. While the widows tend to get into crazy situations and a little bit of mischief, they mean well and always look out for one another. Thanks to her widow friends, Ginny is starting to feel part of the community and so maybe she has found her next chapter.

This book offers a charming cozy mystery set in a library—complete with a cat! The story follows Ginny, a retired and widowed woman, as she steps out of her comfort zone despite her lingering grief. I enjoyed experiencing her journey through her perspective, which felt heartfelt and genuine. The mystery itself was engaging, and the unexpected plot twist kept me hooked.

However, Ginny didn’t always feel like she acted or thought her age, which made her character slightly less convincing. Additionally, the overwhelming number of side characters made the story a bit confusing at times. While the twist was satisfying, the pacing toward the end felt dragged out. Still, if you enjoy cozy mysteries with bookish settings, a touch of unpredictability, and a heartwarming protagonist, this is a great pick!

A. Setting & Atmosphere
⭐⭐⭐: A decently immersive setting, but not particularly unique.

B. Main Character & Sleuthing Skills
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Clever, resourceful, and enjoyable to follow.

C. Side Characters & Community
⭐⭐⭐: A well-rounded supporting cast with a few standouts.

D. Mystery & Clues
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Well-plotted with clever twists and satisfying deductions.

E. Pacing & Suspense
⭐⭐⭐: Steady flow, though not particularly gripping.

F. Cozy Elements & Charm
⭐⭐⭐⭐: Delightfully cozy, with drinks, crafts, pets, and small-town charm.

G. Enjoyment & Replay Value
⭐⭐: Had a few good moments but mostly forgettable.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

An enjoyable cozy mystery, which I'm guessing will be the beginning of a series.

This is an enjoyable cosy mystery clearly been set up to be the first in series. The character of Ginny, newly widowed and new to the area, is relatively well developed.

The three other eccentric widows who feature heavily in this book have room for further development, I wonder what the later books in the series will be from their perspective.
The minor characters were all distinct and easy to differentiate from one another - not always so with other cosy mysteries.

One of the key features in this novel is female friendship after a bereavement which is well handled and nice to see in a otherwise frivolous read. I also enjoyed the focus on older women as competent and capable individuals.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great story about Ginny Cole, recently widowed and struggling to live an independent life. She finds herself a job as a library assistant only to discover her boss murdered shortly after starting the job. Ginny manages to be adopted into a group of widows and their search for the murderer begins, up to and including digging up a grave in the middle of the night!

This is a fun book, very well written and a really good read. I had not read her before and it turns out she is an Aussie author and she has written heaps of books. There is already a follow up to this book which I must get hold of.

It's a bit of a slow start, and some of the characters don't quite solidify in the book. Hopefully, that will improve in the second book. I did really enjoy Ginny and her personal journey, though!

The Widows' Guide to Murder: A completely gripping and charming cozy mystery
is book #1 in The Widows' Detective Club series by Amanda Ashby.

This is the first book in an entertaining new series. Ginny is a widow who has moved to a new village to start over. She has a job at the library with an unpleasant manager who ends up being murdered. Ginny teams up with 3 other widows to investigate. Likable characters, interesting mystery, and a cat - just what I need for a brief escape from reality. I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you to the author, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Ginny has not completely admitted to herself that she's a widow yet. She may have moved to a new village but years of coupledom has left her still talking to her departed husband out of sheer habit. But that loneliness won't last for long. She has a new part-time job and it would seem she has been adopted by the local band of rebel pensioners!

When the Library manager, the ghastly Louisa Farnsworth, is killed, Ginny and the gang get involved when the daughter of one of them is in the frame for murder. But just which of the prime suspects had the best motive for murder?

Poor Alison. I really felt for her. She was so wrapped up in that toad-like ex-husband she just couldn't move on. I can understand not wanting to give up quickly but yeesh! The gang really had a selection of strengths to blend together. They are proud of their rebel status and they have no time for growing old gracefully - this lot are out to cause mayhem and upset the status quo!

There are a few red herrings and I'll admit I fell for one of them and did not see the big reveal coming. This is a great story showing that being over 60 isn't the end of the world and that even if you don't find love after loss, you can definitely find a new tribe.

I'm now totally invested in this new series and I can't wait to see what happens next time.

I was intrigued by the title of the book and quite excited to read it through NetGalley. This is the first book in this series and it is off to a good start.

Ginny Cole is a fairly new widow and decides to follow through on her and her deceased husband’s (Eric) plan to move to Little Shaw. She is starting a new job as an assistant at the local library and her boss is incredibly rude. Is it any surprise when she is murdered? Unfortunately, Ginny finds her body and through a series of events, meets three other widows, and they investigate the murder.

The three widows are good for Ginny in getting her out of her grief and getting her involved in the community. I think readers will enjoy the widows, library workers, DI Wallace, and even Edgar the cat. There were several suspects and I was surprised by the killer’s identity. There are dead bodies throughout this book and how they are interwoven and how Ginny figures it out makes it a fun read. At first I thought Ginny talking to her deceased husband was weird, but it seems to give her comfort and courage and anything that helps her move forward is a good thing.

I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, The Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ginny recently widowed now needs to get a job and manages to get one in the local library where the manager librarian is a nasty piece of work, she gets murdered and Ginny is another manager who can be nearly as bad as Louisa but she does make friends with a few more widows and this forms a sort of club. Ginny and company decide to do some investigating to the dismay of the local constabulary, who one of the detectives lives next door to Ginny.
A nice read the author knows how to keep the story alive it's well written and put together well, with great characters, looking forward to another book by this author.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy.

A good start to a new cosy series!

Ginny has moved into her new home in the village of Little Shaw; as a new widow she feels quite alone and hopes to meet new friends. What she didn't hope for was to discover a dead body .. but it does bring her a new group of friends as they determine to find the murderer ...

This is a fabulous beginning to a series; great characters all with their own idiosyncrasies and a murder for them to get their teeth into. As with any good mystery, nothing is straightforward and I enjoyed all the comings and goings along the way. Definitely a series to follow and a book I'm very happy to give my recommendation and 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

Virginia "Ginny" Cole just started her job as a part-time librarian in the small village of Little Shaw. On her second day there, she discovers the body of the head librarian, Louisa Fansworth. This death marks the beginning of several other deaths, attempted murder, old rumors coming back, a land sale that seems fishy and affair that only brought destruction to Little Shaw. With the help of Hen, JM and Tuppence, well sorta, Ginny with uncover all the secrets and mysteries that the inhabitants of Little Shaw hold and will kill to keep hidden.

The Widow's Guide To Murder will have you guessing who did it, because they all have motive and they are all hidding something!

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this very entertaining and cheeky murder mystery.

I loved this cosy mystery and I read it very quickly, overall it was such a easy and fun read with characters that I adored.

The Widow's Guide to Murder by Amanda Ashby is an entertaining Cozy mystery, especially if you are a fan of senior sleuthing. Ginny Cole is recently widowed and starting over in the town where she and her beloved husband Eric were going to retire. Knowing no one, she is pleased, yet nervous, when she is hired as a part-time librarian; she hopes it will provide a good opportunity to meet people. Her first day on the job is less than stellar as the head librarian doesn't appear happy to have Ginny there, nor the inclination to train her. Imagine Ginny's dismay when on her second day of employment she discovers Louisa Farnsworth, head librarian dead, and in the library no less. Ginny and 3 other widows join forces to prove that one of the women's daughter is not guilty. It's a fun read, with more murders, multiple suspects and a surprising ending. Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Amanda Ashby for the opportunity to read an ARC of The Widow's Guide to Murder; my review reflects my honest opinion. 3.5 stars.

Amanda Ashby’s The Widow’s Guide to Murder is a charming and twisty cozy mystery that introduces readers to an unlikely but utterly lovable group of amateur sleuths. With humor, heart, and just the right amount of danger, this book is a delightful read for fans of The Thursday Murder Club and small-town whodunits.

A Widow’s Fresh Start—Interrupted by Murder
Ginny Cole, a sixty-year-old widow hoping for a peaceful new chapter in the quaint village of Little Shaw, quickly finds herself entangled in a murder mystery when she stumbles upon the body of the town’s unpopular library manager, Louisa Farnsworth. To make matters worse, the police seem convinced that her friend Hen’s daughter is the prime suspect—all because of an innocent threatening letter. Refusing to let injustice prevail, Ginny teams up with fellow widows JM, Tuppence, and Hen to form the Widows’ Detective Club.

A Perfect Blend of Humor and Suspense
The book’s greatest strength is its characters. Ginny and her friends are not only resourceful but also hilarious, bringing wit and warmth to their crime-solving escapades. Whether they’re sneaking through graveyards at midnight or uncovering scandalous village secrets, their chemistry makes for an entertaining and heartwarming read. Ashby captures the essence of small-town gossip, where everyone has a secret and no one is quite as innocent as they seem.

An Engaging Mystery with Plenty of Twists
Just as the widows start putting the puzzle pieces together, another body turns up, raising the stakes. The mystery unfolds at a steady pace, with enough red herrings and surprises to keep readers guessing until the very end. The plot is well-crafted, never veering into overly dark territory, making it an ideal pick for cozy mystery lovers.

Final Verdict
The Widow’s Guide to Murder is a delightful and cleverly plotted mystery with a cast of endearing, sharp-witted widows determined to outsmart a killer. Amanda Ashby delivers a feel-good whodunit that’s as charming as it is suspenseful. Fans of lighthearted mysteries with strong friendships and plenty of intrigue will adore this book.

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of The Widow’s Guide To Murder.

Ginny is recently widowed and she decides to take a job in a small town library. She meets her horrible boss Luisa and she has a pretty rough first day. On the second day she finds her new boss dead in her office. She teams up with her new found friends who are also widows and they set out to solve the crime.

This was a cute fast read.

Thank you, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for letting me review this book.

This is the first book in the cozy mystery series of The Widows’ Detective Club, and this is my first book I have read by the Author, Amanda Ashby.

I truly enjoyed this book so much. I never saw the twists coming, and when you think there will be no more twists...more twists come your way! It was an amazing and fun ride to be part of, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This Series, follows sixty-year-old Ginny Cole, who was recently widowed, and moved to Little Shaw, just wants to talk to her dead husband and go about her day. Well, it doesn't take long before her life takes on an entirely different path, and she is far from reaching her life quota now! She adopts a cat that only likes her, and won’t leave her alone.

She meets other widows in the village, works at a library where she dislikes her manager, and she can tell she isn’t the only one, and has to deal with a grinch of a neighbor.

She goes to work one day, and finds her boss murdered. Then one thing leads to another and she starts to go down the rabbit hole. Who killed Louisa, the library manager? Ginny gets too close for the killer’s comfort, so will she be next?

Read this book, and the second book will be coming out on March 10th. So, you will not have to wait long to see what happens next. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the arc of this book!
I really enjoyed the story of Ginny and her courage through becoming a widow and all the people she meets along the way! She really came into herself in the book and gained confidence and friends!! Add a little murder into that and you have a great easy fun read! Definitely read this book!

After the death of her husband Eric, Ginny moves to a small village where she takes up the position of assistant librarian in the local library. Still deeply mourning the loss of her husband things change when she finds the body of the universally disliked head librarian and joins with three other widows investigating the suspicious death.
I do enjoy a cosy mystery and this certainly fits the bill. There is humour along with the murder mystery to keep it cosy, with the four widows getting in the way of the local police, but also finding new clues. Ginny finds herself acting totally out of her normal reserved character, but adding her calm, common sense the the more extrovert others. Add in a stray black cat who adopts her and you end up with a very enjoyable story and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.