I love a good cozy crime, and this ticks all the boxes: a mystery to solve, lighthearted, cute characters with friendships galore. If a book had a map on page one, I’m locked it! An easy read, I flew through the short chapters.
I read this from NetGalley before I had read the first two in the series, I will be going back to start the series; I’m looking to reading about how Ginny and Connor struck up their friendship.

Forst I was drawn to the novel by the title! So fun! When a skull makes an appearance at a wedding the story takes off. Highly inventive, thoroughly enjoyable. I dod t want it to end!

This was a little too cozy for me with a chief proagonist a little too perfect. The writing was a little simplistic and the ending a little unbelievable

arc book review
upcoming pub date: 6.30.25
genre: mystery and thrillers
⭐️⭐️

about:
when a human skull gate crashes her friend’s wedding day, widower, ginny cole, is on the case with the rest of her crew.

my thoughts:
this book is part of the widows’ detective club series and is somewhat akin to richard osman’s thursday murder club in that an older foursome have a knack for solving mysteries together. i really liked the main character, ginny, however, the rest of the story’s structure, wasn’t my favorite. the two town’s where the bride and groom were from being divided felt contrived when layering in a possible curse having to do with the skull showing up to stop the wedding. i felt pretty disconnected from the characters including the murderer so the reveal at the end fell flat. i struggled to follow the implications of the maps and really this one just wasn’t for me. but if you’re into small town murder mysteries this may be the right read for you!

thank you to @stormbooks_co for the early read opportunity!

The third book in this series and somehow I missed number two! This did not affect my enjoyment of number three.

Ginny Cole is attending a friends wedding when a guest's dog presents the bride with an unexpected and unwanted gift of a human skull. The police are called, the wedding is cancelled, and Ginny and her fellow members of the Widows Detective Club set out to solve the mystery and get the wedding happening again.

A fun story with entertaining characters and an interesting mystery. Now I must find book 2.

This is the third of the Widows’ Detective Club and I was keen to reengage with Ginny and her eclectic group of friends and neighbours. The story starts at a wedding with the bride and groom from feuding villages. Tensions are high as the two sides express their dislike of the other with metaphorical daggers drawn. Then an unexpected event causes the wedding to be cancelled. Was it accidental or was it sabotage?

The plot quickly develops with a smattering of red herrings, unexpected twists, murder, and some interesting historical insights. Another well crafted story, brilliantly told.

This is the third book in the series, but this is the first one I have read. I didn’t have any issues reading this without reading the first two books. I enjoyed this book so I plan on going back and reading the first two books. I enjoyed that this took place at a wedding and then turns into an investigation. I thought this book was easy to follow and a fun read. The mystery aspect was also good and entertaining.

Just before a wedding is due to take place a skull is unearthed in the churchyard by a dog, bringing the proceedings to a sudden halt. The two due to be married are from two wildly different families, the groom from a rich, titled background and the bride from a more, shall we say, down to earth one. The four widows are again drawn into investigating a murder.
This is the third book in the series which is the definition of a cozy mystery, with the four friends investigating when the police don't seem interested. There is also a long running fued between two villages, making the investigation even more difficult. A fun story with plenty of twists and turns, read and enjoy.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book

The quad of lovable but rebellious amateur sleuths are back.  You'd think a wedding in a small village would be a peaceful affair but village scandal, local politics and a detached skull are about to put the wedding in disarray!

Ginny, Tuppence, Hen, and JM really are a bunch of like minded individuals who have found their tribe.  When they've come through some of the toughest times together, now they get to help a young village resident get the HEA she so deserves.

There were enough twists in the story to keep everything fresh and moving at a decent pace.  Unravelling the threads of the story and gasping at the big reveal (did not see that one coming I'll admit).  I've never seen a truer depiction of the bickering that can happen between the close villages in the countryside - you'd think the next village over would as well be on the moon to some, LOL.

It was nice to see more of the local police teams and a certain Scottish Transplant PC continues to be one of my favourite secondary characters. However, that new DI we met I can't stand her and I really hope we've seen the back of her!  I did feel sorry for poor Wallace I'll admit.  Only home for a few hours and still gets no peace and quiet!

Although this is book 3 of the series it was the first one I had read and it was fine as a stand alone. Cosy crime in a village setting, the crime solvers are older and all widows, with help from other villagers. There is a rivalry with a nearby village which sets the scene for the crime. The story has a good pace and plenty of intrigue and the main characters are very likeable.

This is the third book in the series and I enjoyed it even more than the first book! I love the main character Ginny and her quirky
new friends. There is much unpleasantness between the people of two rival towns, with hints of historical mysteries, and the ladies are in the thick of it all, despite the police not wanting them to get involved.

You can read and enjoy this book even if you have not read the earlier ones in the series. It kept my interest all the way through and I did not guess the solutions to the multiple mysteries.

** “We all carry our scars, don’t we?” **

Amanda Ashby continues her fun cozy mystery series with “The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery.”

When a 20-year-old skull shows up at a wedding, village librarian Ginny Cole is once again pulled into an investigation of mysterious circumstances. With the help of her friends and fellow widows JM, Hen and Tuppence, the four women try to determine how and why the skull appeared at the wedding. But as the case grows deeper and stranger, will they be able to figure out the connection to modern-day tragedies? And can they save a wedding on the rocks?

As usual, Ashby creates a delightfully fun story filled with mystery and drama that will appeal to all mystery lovers. She develops a fun cast of characters, some lovable, some quirky, and some who are quite loathsome. And through her story she reminds us to find our strengths and abilities and work together with others; the power of friendship; and we all have our own scars to get past.

Fans of series like Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club,” Robert Thorogood’s “The Marlow Murder Club” and Peter Boland’s “The Charity Shop Detective Agency Mysteries” will love “The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery,” which is due out June 30.

Five stars out of five.

Storm Publishing provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

I enjoyed the characters and the setting. The mystery kept me guessing.

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

DNF'ing at page 75 (33%) due to the overuse of 'adjectives/adverbs/chunky af writing'

I didn't read book 1 or 2 from this series. I wasn't aware it was book 3 when I requested it on NetGalley, and one of my libraries have copies of the previous books. I could only find them on Kindle Unlimited and Audible, neither of which I have due to lack of funds. I wish I had access to them to see if the writing is different, maybe the editor pushed for this in later books or something.

Here are some examples of what I feel are way too chunky writing;

"At the mention of Annabel's name Cynthia's face completely closed, her haughty expression slipping smoothly back on"

"Tuppence bobbed her head, her gray curls spiralling (spelled wrong in the book) out around her"

"the fourth woman shot back" "Cynthia flushed and bowed her head" "Tuppence interjected" "Tuppence ploughed on" "Cynthia choked and turned away" "Tuppence explained in a sunny voice" "the second woman grimaced" "the third one coughed (but not in a sick sense)" "Ginny blinked" "the third woman chimed in" "Ginny tentatively asked" "Ginny sighed" "Cynthia's frosty expression melted slightly" "woman two let out a distressed wail, her eyes going wide"

All of those appear in just a span of barely 10 pages!

It's like the author just used a thesaurus on every single word, and made sure every single line got a quirky adjective/adverb/action added.

J'avais lu le 1er tome mais je n'avais pas été emballée, et je n'avais donc pas demandé le tome 2. Pourtant me voilà avec vous après avoir lu le 3.

Assister à un mariage, découvrir un crane humain, je pense que ça peut etre classé dans les pires mariages. C'est étrange non? surtout que nous sommes face à des querelles familiales, un village au bord de la crise de la nerf, et puis nous avons le club des détectives, oui ces amateurs qui aimeraient découvrir d'où vient ce crane.

MAis voilà Ginny et ses amies ne s'attendaient pas à de tels rebondissements. Oui pendant les mariages il peut avoir des surprises, et surtout des révélations. Donc qui est vraiment le coupable et pourquoi? Et ça comment peut on gacher un mariage?

C'est cosy, c'est mignon, drôle, et puis si vous aimez les cosy murders avec des veuves, alors laissez vous emporter. Ce n'est pas prise de tête, on passe un bon moment, et c'est le but de tout cosy.

A skull discovered at a wedding prompts a group of widows to investigate a decades-old plot involving family feuds and village rivalries, leading them into a dangerous game of cat and mouse before another murder occurs.

I wish this had had less gossip and more murder. The plot is slow-paced, and I couldn’t keep up with all the characters.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

It was lovely to be back in Little Shaw with Ginny, JM, Tuppence and Hen. Ginny is invited to a wedding where a skull ruins the wedding day of her friends! There was a touch of the Capulets and the Montagues between the two families - The Faulkners and The Wests.!!! Ginny decides that her and the other 3 friends will investigate the circumstances behind the skull and why the police won't follow up on the skull's origins. It was hilarious in places, full of twist and turns with a few red herrings. However, in the background, Ginny and friends have help in the investigation! All the sub plots came together to a surprising conclusion.

Not having read any of the other books in this series didn’t matter at all, it is a perfect standalone. Grace and Theo are about to be marries at St Luke’s church when they are interrupted by Colin, the mother of the groom’s dog depositing a skull at Grace’s feet. The police are called and the wedding is called off. The rivalry between the two villages and the alleged curse are seen to be the blame, it when the skull proves to belong to the body of a woman murdered twenty years previously the police are happy to close the case.
Grace’s grandmother is not so happy though and asks Ginny and her friends to try and find out how the skull got there. Their investigations uncover murky deeds and Ginny wonders if they are ever going to get the bottom of things.
A really good story that I enjoyed immensely, especially as it was full of twists and unexpected outcomes.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.

Another feel-good edition to this cosy crime trilogy. Yes, we’re back with Ginny, the librarian turned amateur sleuth, in this third novel. (I previously reviewed the first book in the series, and you can read that here.) I feel like Ginny is really getting into her stride now – as you’ll know if you’ve read the previous books, she’s a really warm-hearted character and in this book, getting on, happier and more settled in Little Shaw. I love the quirky personalities of all of her friends and of Edgar, Ginny’s adorable black cat, too.

The setting evoked Miss Marple type villages, complete with cottages. It’s always lovely to lose yourself in a setting like this. The theme of this book was a cold case murder. I do love a cold case cosy crime, and the novel managed to weave the history of the local area successfully.

The investigation started off well with some suspects unfolding. However, at times, the plot line started to get a bit samey with Ginny and friends constantly interviewing suspects.

I couldn’t find many potential big plot clues or twists either to hook me into the storyline. Ginny had a very good rapport with some of the local force, and this could have been explored more. Things did pick up the pace towards the end of the novel when a rather dramatic showdown occurred with a great twist.

Ginny is such a great character, and there are other themes in the book, such as how older women are viewed in society. I hope in the next book, we get to hear more of Ginny’s inner thoughts. 3.5 stars.

"The Widows’ Guide to Skulldaggery" by Amanda Ashby is the third installment in the Widows Detective Club Series. Things become quite interesting when the local librarian, Ginny, attends a wedding that takes an unexpected turn due to an uninvited guest. This cozy mystery is filled with chaos, mayhem, and Ginny’s quirky sidekicks. I really enjoyed reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Ashby, and Storm Publishing for providing me with this advanced ARC copy for my honest review. for this advanced ARC copy for my honest review.