Book Description:
Julia Bird can’t wait to attend the annual village party at the local stately home, with its tea tents, cake stalls, and… dead body in the maze?
The annual village celebration at Berrywick House is underway, complete with over-decorated cake stalls, fiercely contested flower competitions, and even a maze for the disappointed losers to hide in. Julia Bird, now a well-known – even notorious – member of the community, with her trusty Labrador Jake, has thrown herself headlong into the festivities. But her reputation for adding drama to any event stands up yet again when she discovers a dead body in the maze…
It seems Ursula Benjamin, village know-it-all and prickly baking competition participant, has been strangled – and the killer has to be someone at the fete. As Julia grapples with finding yet another murder in Berrywick, she starts to wonder, could one of the competitive cake-bakers have taken the contest to deadly new heights? Or is there something darker in Ursula’s life that led to her untimely demise?
Embroiled once again in a murder enquiry, Julia isn’t about to leave the investigation to the police. Like it or not, she’s involved, and she’s going to help them solve the mystery. But when there’s another death, and it’s clear the murders aren’t isolated incidents, the stakes become even higher. Can Julia figure out the identity of the killer, and prevent any further dastardly deeds, before the wholesome spirit of the village is ruined forever?
If you like utterly gripping English mysteries, then you’ll love A Village Fete Murder. Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'A Village Fete Murder' by Katie Gayle.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Katie Gayle, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 27th January 2023.
This is the second book I have read by this author. It is also the third book in the 'Julia Bird Mysteries' series. I have also read the first book in the series 'An English Garden Murder' which I would highly recommend. This book can be read as a standalone.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'If you like utterly gripping English mysteries, then you’ll love A Village Fete Murder. Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands.' I am a huge fan of M.C Beaton and Faith Martin so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Katie Gayle and if this is even half as good as' An English Garden Murder'it is guaranteed to be a page turner. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 31 chapters. The chapters are medium to long in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in the Cotswolds, England 🏴 , UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited the Cotswolds on many occasions and find it to be an absolutely gorgeous place so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise any of the gorgeous settings.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists is Julia Bird. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that leave you hearing the chickens clucking, Jake barking and it most definitely leaves you wanting cake!!! .The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.
Yet another fantastic success Katie Gayle congratulations!! Such an easy, fun cosy mystery that had me hook, line and sinker!!!
I absolutely loved reading this book which took place in such a stunning environment I felt like I had disappeared on holiday for the day. It was a shame it was only a day but that's how long it took me to zoom through the pages after not being able to put it down. I genuinely felt like I was in the storyline and I was devastated to come to the end and have to "unpack my suitcase". The storyline is multilayered with mystery upon mystery to keep the reader completely absorbed throughout without a moment to get bored. It was filled with murder, animals, mayhem, mystery, tension, twists, romance, friendship, cakes, mazes, twists and absolutely everything you could ever ask for in a cosy mystery. The fact that it was filled with animals, chickens and one Jake to be precise and included a book club was right down my street being a huge book and animal lover myself. This is yet another fantastic addition to this addictive series! ! I was not expecting the killer twist so a huge congratulations there!!! I have read so many books it seems to be getting harder and harder to shock me but you definitely managed it after leading me down the garden path several times!! This is an absolutely fantastic, page turning and fun cozy crime series that can be read in any order. I would love to see them all turned into movies and I cannot wait to get into Katie's next fantastic success!!!
Do not pick this up until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!
Although this is the third book in the series I had would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I am absolutely LOVED meeting Julia, Jake, Sean, Leo and everyone else who makes this cosy mystery series perfect the way it was again. I became completely invested in each of the characters and Katie and Gail portray village life and characters perfectly. I really clicked with Julia immediately who was a perfect choice for this cosy mystery. Julia has a habit of coming across bodies and then getting involved with trying to solve the mystery to the annoyance of her friend (for now 😂) and DI Hayley Gibson. I love the fact that Julia refuses to back down on her digging even though she now she will get in trouble!! She is such a strong female role model and I hope she manages to sort things out with her daughter soon. I also loved meeting Sean (007) again and find him to be such a true gentleman. I have loved watching his and Julie's relationship develop and I'm looking forward to watching it continuing to do so. DI Helen can be very grumpy at times especially when she has to tell Julia off for getting involved (several times) but it's nice to see her soft side come out too and watching the friendship develop between them. I am looking forward to meeting them all again in the next book in this fantastic series and seeing how all the friendship and relationships with the characters develop especially with the naughty but lovable Jake (definitely my favourite!!), Tabitha and Leo (a not so naught canine companion!) . Other characters who definitely left an impression on me include DC Farmer, Edna, Pippa and Flo and I'm looking forward to seeing what they all get up to in the not so distant future!!! A group of characters that jump out of the pages and I look forward to meeting time and time again. A fantastic group of unique and strong personalities!!
Congratulations Kate and Gail on an yet another absolutely addictive book in this absolutely page turning series!!! Here's to a fantastic and many more successes 🥂
Overall an addictive cosy mystery set in a stunning area that you won't be able to put down!!
Genres covered in this book include Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery, Humorous Dark Comedy, Cozy Animal Mystery, Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Private Investigator Mysteries and Mystery amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin, Claire Chase, Verity Bright, Betty Rowlands and anyone who loves an addictive cosy mystery!!!
262 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle and £7.99 in paperback via Amazon (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio:
Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats. Unlike their sleuth Epiphany Bloom, neither of them have ever stolen a cat from the vet.
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Buy Link:
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