After signing up for a guide to skulduggery, I received a mystery filed with humour, love for one’s community and the twists and turns of a Dan Brown thriller.

Whilst at a wedding appropriate for the Montague’s and Capulets, a dog unearths a human skull, and evidence in a decades old murder mystery, causing the wedding to be cancelled.

We then join Ginny, and her friends Tuppence, JM and Hen who are helped by an eclectic cast of supporting characters to try get the wedding back on, and find out the true facts behind the cause of the surprise skull intrusion.

Remarkably well written, you can feel the warmth and camaraderie the main cast feel for each other.

This book has me on the edge of my seat at times, and caused a wide eyed, slow jaw opening moment once or twice (but I implore you to read it yourself, to find out why!)


For fans of: Agatha Christie, Janice Hallett, Dan Brown

I didn't realize this was book 3 until I had already started. This series is amazing and twisty on every page! I need more!

I have to be honest, I totally picked this book just because of the title. Skulduggery is a great word, and it fit this book perfectly, in a couple ways. I really enjoyed the four widows, each with their own strengths. They referred often to DI Wallace who lives next door to our main widow, Ginny, but he was absent for most of this book. This was a fun, surprising cozy, that kept me guessing. I will definitely be going back to start at the beginning of this series. 4 ⭐️

The Widows' Guide to Skulduggery is the third book in The Widows' Detective Club series, a delightful cozy mystery that delivers charm, intrigue, and engaging twists. The story follows Ginny Cole and her crime-solving group of widows, an endearing cast whose interactions and investigations are a joy to read.

The novel kicks off with the discovery of a skull at a friend's wedding, abruptly halting the celebration and setting the stage for the mystery. Since this isn’t an official police case, Ginny and her fellow widows take it upon themselves to dig into the truth. Their investigation leads them through a tangled web of family feuds and rivalries, revealing secrets that keep the tension high and the pages turning.

Ginny Cole, a librarian, brings a calm and rule-following demeanor to the group, making her an enjoyable protagonist to follow. Her sweet nature contrasts beautifully with the complexities of the mystery, adding to the book’s cozy appeal. The plot is fast-paced, layered, and filled with entertaining surprises, making this a fantastic addition to the series. The Widows' Guide to Skulduggery offers all the fun of a great cozy mystery, and I can’t wait to see what’s next for Ginny and her detective club.

this was a strong third entry in the Widows' Detective Club series, it had that element that I enjoyed from the previous two books. The mystery element worked well in this world and characters. I was engaged from start to the end and was enjoying the overall feel of the suspenseful atmosphere. The characters were so well written and had that element that I was hoping for. Amanda Ashby wrote this well and left me wanting to read more in this series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Goodness, I loved this book! The 'retirees/widows/widowers solve crime' genre has somewhat been done to death but I'm all for repetition if it's been done well. And this has been done well indeed! Not having read the first two books, I crash landed onto the third without any frame of reference for the characters or running themes/plots but that wasn't a deterrent as the previous two were hardly mentioned in this.

I love the ladies in Little Shaw, a fictional Lancashire village who go around sleuthing and get involved in another mystery when a skull shows up to disrupt the wedding of son of one of the noble families of Walton-on-Marsh to the daughter of one of the working class families of Little Shaw. A fabled curse that supposedly strikes everytime a Little Shaw resident decides to marry a Walton-on-Marsh resident is said to be the cause, but of course, our ladies have to prove the curse is very much a fiction.......

This book starts off strong and involves a cold case that very much melds together with the present to bring out the history of the two feuding villages with a startling twist at the end that neatly ties it all together. The book is well written and well paced. I understand that DI Wallace was an important character in the first two books and in this instalment, is on an overseas holiday so his absence is felt. Nonetheless, the ladies do well in their investigation and the book is an entertaining cozy mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

I would highly recommend this and look forward to reading the first two books in the series.

4 stars/5.

This is an undemanding novel which is an okay read, but it isn’t memorable. For me, much of it was unconvincing and didn’t ring true.

Ginny Cole is watching family members and guests snipe at each other as they assemble for the wedding of a young couple Ginny likes very much. However, the wedding is disrupted when a dog deposits a skull at the feet of one of the wedding party.

The police quickly dismiss it as a historical crime, but the explanation doesn’t feel right to Ginny or her fellow widows. The lack of police interest means they have almost free rein to investigate the murder, and they find themselves delving into the past, while a very present danger threatens.

This is the third novel in a series, but it stands alone effectively. There are a couple of references to previous investigations, but I didn’t feel that I was lacking any information.

It’s the behaviour of people that I found unconvincing. The emphasis on social class in a small village seemed to belong to an earlier time. Breaking up with your fiancé altogether because your wedding was disrupted by the discovery of a skull is excessively dramatic. There were numerous times when characters said or did things that just didn’t ring true.

I also found the unwinding of the crime a little unconvincing. It’s true that people do things for nutty reasons, but I just found the motivations here lacked credibility.

Characters tended to be either good or bad. There wasn’t a lot of room for shades of grey. Despite this, the characters of the widows were one of the strengths of the novel. Ashby does an excellent job of depicting the grief of losing a long term partner and the challenges of making a new kind of life for yourself.

To be frank, I was probably not quite the right audience for this novel. This is essentially a cosy mystery, and I tend to like my crime a bit darker and more modern. Readers who prefer a sense of a time gone past, minimal gore, and a gentle approach to investigation will probably enjoy this.

The third Widows guide book by Amanda Ashby I have read and enjoyed. A gentle book that grips and entertains the reader. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

After reading The Widow's Guide to Murder and when this book showed up in the ARC list, I had to pick it up and give it a quick, breezy read. Ginny Cole and her lovely group of widows do not disappoint and deliver yet another cozy murder mystery, which includes a historical animosity between two towns and a double-death that occurred decades ago, which was classified as a murder and a suicide.

When the discovery of a human skull upsets and aborts the wedding of a dear friend, Ginny is convinced the skull didn't turn up out of the blue, but was intentionally planted to sabotage the wedding. When the police show no interest in the skull when it is confirmed to be of a woman who was found dead decades earlier, Ginny and her friends take it upon themselves to solve the puzzle.

The dynamic between Ginny and her fellow widows is a highlight. Their friendship is warm, supportive, and peppered with witty banter. Ashby gives each member of the detective club a distinct personality, and their camaraderie is delightful.

This book is a comfy, come-back-home kind of feeling for returning fans of this series, but can still be a charming read for readers new to this series.

A humourous mystery solving group- some might just think them nosy old biddies with nothing better to do but they get results! Thoroughly enjoyed the wedding of rivals and the polar opposites between the 2 families. Overall a well written and entertaining read!

The Widow's Guide to Skulduggery is a fun romp through a mystery. The cozy town of Little Shaw has their own detective team (willing or not) in Ginny, TJ, Tuppence, and Hen. They are brought in when a wedding is disrupted by the appearance of a skull in the churchyard. What happens next will keep you on your toes as the group finds ways to ask questions without being too direct (they're not the police, you know!). They are witty, wily, and wise. Keep reading!

The third in the Widows Detective series starts with the discovery of a skull interrupting a wedding. Lots of twists and turns leads to a satisfying denouement. I like the characters especially Edgar the car and Brandon the labrador. A quck, humorous read.

Book 3 of the Widows Detective Club is an enjoyable read but the story started off very confusing with so many characters. It begins at a wedding where the family's are definitely not friends, then the discovering of a skull at the church delays the wedding. The club is asked to look into who put the skull at the church and why. Village rivalry, superstitions and rumors threaten to end the nuptials for good if the women can't solve the mystery and soon because a new body has just appeared.
This was a satisfying read with something for everyone, it was hard to figure who the killer was and the women are such characters you can't help cheer them on. Thanks to Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC. Definitely a great read.

I really enjoyed the previous books in this series and this was no exception. A quick fun read with a bit of quirkiness thrown in. Its book 3 in the series but it can be read as a standalone although I recommend reading in order to get the back story. I can’t wait for the next book

My first Amanda Ashby novel but definitely not my last. I did not know this was a series but it read perfectly fine as a standalone. Ok the characters were out of this world and had me burning the midnight oil. Delicate untangling of secrets and lies, very well written.
Thank you NetGalley, Amanda Ashby and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Widow’s Guide to Skullduggery is a thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery with just the right blend of humor, intrigue, and small-town eccentricity. When a human skull shows up at a wedding, widow-turned-amateur-sleuth Ginny Cole and her delightful crew of fellow investigators are off and running—again.

The story delivers a fun, well-paced mystery, complete with long-buried secrets, village feuds, and more than one skeleton (literal and metaphorical) in the closet. The widows’ camaraderie is one of the book’s greatest strengths—witty, supportive, and just rebellious enough to make their sleuthing feel earned rather than silly.

While the mystery starts on a quirky note, things escalate quickly and satisfyingly, with twists that keep the reader guessing. A few plot threads strain believability toward the end, but the energy and charm of the cast carry it through.

If you enjoy your mysteries with clever women, sinister secrets, and a touch of the absurd, The Widow’s Guide to Skullduggery is a delightful escape into murder and mischief.

Widows…skulls…wedding…friends…detecting…the recipe for a page turner. Friends search for answers. This is a fun read…quick read…realistic quirky characters…mysterious…intriguing…even the title is interesting…foreboding…thanks Netgalley

Recently widowed Ginny Cole moved to the village of Little Shaw, started working as assistant in the local library, and has been included in a group of other widowed friends. Her next neighbor is also the grumpy local DI who mumbles a lot about the investigative efforts of the group while giving them information and encouragement. So when a naked skull is brought to a local bride by the dog who dug it up the friends do their best to get involved despite the usual DI being on vacation away and the interim DI's disdain for the "biddies". Of course, that doesn't stop them from snooping nor the reader from enjoying the story while snickering at the sneaky humor. Loved it!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected egalley from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Pub Date Jun 30, 2025 **** #review @goodreads @bookbub @librarythingofficial #NetGalley @the.storygraph @amandaashby #thewidowsguidetoskulduggery #WidowsDetectiveClubBk3 @stormbooks_co #cozymysteryseries @barnesandnoble #olderwidows #bookshop_org #twisty #bookshop_org_uk #librarian #England #MurderInvestigations #seniorsnoops #curses #villagelibrary #grieving #womensleuths #feudingvillages #slyhumor #friendship

4.5 stars

Ginny and friends are at it again - this time at a wedding! The day is decimated by the discovery of a human skull, while questions abound as to who would've planted it and why. Accusations and threats fly like birdseed as the bride and groom are persuaded to wait to hold their ceremony. Mysterious maps, ridiculous curses, rude villagers and even ruder social influencers all take their turn on the page in The Widow's Guide to Skulduggery. Ms. Ashby spins a good tale and this one is no exception. Once again we have unlikely heroes who save the day and we breathe a sigh of relief as the multiple mysteries are solved.

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

A Widows' Detective Club crime novel, The Widow's Guide to Skulduggery (2025) begins and ends with a wedding. The group of women friends who are also widows are back, with Ginny, JM, Hen, and Tuppence caught up in a twenty-year-old murder, when a dog digs up a skull. A podcaster influencer gets involved in the happenings of Little Shaw village and the supposed curse, which is reinforced by events, including another murder. This enjoyable gentle crime mystery with village rivalries, secrets, and an unfriendly new police inspector makes for a three and a half star crime read rating. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.