*I received a free copy of this book with thanks to the author, Storm Publishing and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel's Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Blurb: A shocking murder in charming Raven's Edge sends Milla Graham sleuthing to catch a killer, win back her detective ex-boyfriend, and dig up a decades-old secret along the way...
When a gruesome murder rocks the picture-perfect English village of Raven's Edge, erstwhile amateur detective Milla Graham finds herself right at the centre of the mystery. Still reeling from her recent breakup with local police officer Ben Taylor, Milla sets her sights on solving the case, hoping to win Ben back.
But when the evidence begins to point to Milla's old friend and former paramour Lorcan Black, she must choose between her loyalties to the past and the possibilities of the future. Meanwhile, Ben is on a different trail – he's begun to suspect that the murderer could be someone from his own family's dark history.
Further complicating matters are Milla's meddling grandmother, Ben's no-nonsense police partner Harriet, and David the surprisingly young and sexy new vicar. With shocking twists around every cobblestone corner, the truth refuses to stay buried for long in this quaint village, whose picture-postcard façade hides decades of buried grudges, plots, and betrayal.
Will Milla solve the mystery in time to rescue her relationship with Ben? Can Ben face the skeletons in his family's closet before one of his own relatives meets the same bloody end?
Brimming with drama, intrigue, romance and quirky characters, this addictive tale will have cozy mystery fans racing through the pages long into the night. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Fiona Leitch will love this book!
After the highly personal family mystery of Murder at Raven's Edge, I really wondered where Louise Marley would take her characters next and was thrilled to find that there are still more dark secrets lurking in the past for Ben and Milla to face up to together... or separately.
The story again has a fairytale feel to it, despite being a cross between police procedural, PI and cosy crime in style, as mysterious highwaymen appear through the fog, a talking raven sweeps in and out and a body is found laid out on a tomb covered in blood not their own. There is definitely a spooky Halloween theme at work, and all may not be exactly as it seems.
Milla's independent nature and tendency towards casually criminal behaviour gets her in trouble once again, as she tampers with evidence, hindering Ben's investigation, jeopardising his career and their budding relationship. But she also added an important layer of excitement and unpredictability to the investigation which I appreciated as a reader, even if her fellow characters didn't!
I really like this pairing, as their personalities are so different and complement each other nicely, while they have quite a lot in common in terms of family history and trauma - I would definitely read more from this series in future, whether they manage to resolve their romantic difficulties or not.
If you like your mystery stories modern but with a nod to the fantastical and are willing to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy the unfolding story then you should give this series a try. Preferably in order, as Milla's family history and Ben's recent career path affect your understanding of how they behave in this story, even if you don't need them to follow the plot.
There was a copy of Shelley's poems, a silver pendant containing the wing of a morpho butterfly and, if that wasn't Gothic enough, a large specimen jar at the very back, containing more bits of dead animal.
This farmhouse was turning out to be a regular house of horrors.
She sighed and bent to check it out, and immediately wished she hadn't.
The contents were fake.
They had to be.
It was a prop from a film.
Because anything else...
Was unthinkable.
- Louise Marley, Murder at Ravenswood House
About the author
Most of my stories are set in small villages filled with quirky characters. These are partly inspired by the places I've lived in over the years, although the characters are straight out of my imagination! I currently live in Wales, close to a famous library and two ruined castles. My husband thinks we moved here by accident.My first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg's Write a Bestseller competition. As well as eight novels, I've written short stories for women's magazines such as Take a Break and My Weekly. Before becoming a full-time writer, I worked as an administrative officer for the police.When I'm not writing, I enjoy visiting big old houses, which I use as inspiration for the houses in my novels, and reading other people's books when I ought to be writing my own.
Website: https://www.louisemarley.co.uk/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LouiseMarleyAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LouiseMarley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisemarleywrites/
Don't forget to check out the other blog stops on the tour for more great reviews and content (see the poster below for details)! And check out my previous review of Murder at Ravenswood House here!
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