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Writer's pictureKirsty Whitlock

Murder At The Inn by Katie Gayle. Review.


Book Description:


Julia Bird loves the village pub quiz, but it seems one of her team won’t make it to the next round alive…


On the first Tuesday of each month, Julia Bird and her Agatha Quizteam teammates take part in Berrywick’s village pub quiz. They take it seriously – what’s the point of playing, after all, if you aren’t in it to win it? But it seems someone connected with the quiz night has taken the competition to a whole new level when Lilian, the local police constable and all-round general knowledge expert, is found fatally stabbed after the evening’s final round.


With local DI Hayley Gibson stuck home with a broken leg and an incompetent Superintendent brought in from the nearby town, it’s up to Julia to make sure the investigation stays focussed – whether they like it or not! While the police are convinced that the murderer is linked to Lilian’s professional life, Julia turns her amateur sleuthing eye to suspects much closer to home. Perhaps Lilian’s personal life could have something to do with the dreadful crime?


When another quiz team member is attacked, Julia is finally put on the right track. But what could possibly be important – or dangerous – enough for two attendees of the pub quiz night to meet such foul ends over? Could the culprit really be among them on that busy Tuesday night? As Julia’s race to identify the killer ramps up to desperate heights, she wonders, where will the murderous spree end?


Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands, Murder at the Inn is a brilliantly compelling English cosy mystery.





BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'Murder At The Inn' by Katie Gayle.


Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Katie Gayle, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous


Publication date 3rd August 2023.


This is the third book I have read by this author. It is also the fourth book in the 'Julia Bird Mysteries' series. I have also read the first book in the series 'An English Garden Murder' and third book in this series 'A Village Fete Murder' which I would highly recommend. All books in this series can be read as a standalone.



This novel consists of 32 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 extremely well written with vivid descriptions that leave you hearing the chickens clucking, Jake barking and it most definitely leaves you wanting to visit!!! The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.


Yet another fantastic success Katie Gayle congratulations!! Such an easy, fun and addictive 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". This series is one of the best ones I have ever read and I love getting stuck into the mysteries with Julia and Jack each and every time .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, quizzes, books, 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. It is one of those immense books that each and every time I told myself just one more chapter I just had to read yet one more to know what was going to happen next, and then another until before I know it I had devoured the whole book in just a few hours. I must say I absolutely adored the growing friendship between the cute and mischievous Labrador Jake and the not to be messed with bossy chicken Henny Penny!!!! Grab your copy and join Julia on her murder mystery, pub quizzes, charity shop volunteering and animal antics where there's a mix of romance, jealousy, heartbreak, anger, amazing characters, deception, mayhem and so much more mixed in!! You genuinely couldn't ask for anything else in a fantastic cosy crime!!! 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 fourth 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 absolutely LOVED meeting Julia, Jake, Sean, Hayley, Henny Penny 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 into the first book in this series 'An English Garden Murder' and they all, well almost all, quickly became friends that I miss each and every time I finish the book. 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 know she will get in trouble!! She is such a strong female role model. 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 but it's nice to see her soft side come out too and watching the friendship develop between them even more so in this book with Hayley injured and unable to do her usual investigating. 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!!), Henny Penny, Tabitha and many, many more!!! An amazing group of string and realistic 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!!



266 pages.


This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited 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.


Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews





@MurderAtTheInn @JuliaBirdMysteries @KatieGayle @KatieGayleBooks @katesidley @gailschimmel @Bookouture @BookoutureAnonymous @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 @Goodreads @Netgalley @Amazon @AmazonKindle @KindleUnlimited @Bookstagram @BookBlogger @KindleUnlimited



















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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