Cozy Mystery Book Review

The Widow’s Guide to Murder

A Widows’ Detective Club Mystery (Book 1)

The Widows’ Guide to Murder

The Widows’ Guide to Murder is a brilliant start to a new cozy mystery series with a senior sleuth and a delightful cast of supporting characters.

Plot Overview

Ginny Cole and her husband were planning to retire together to the quaint and quiet village of Little Shaw. Then, he unexpectedly died, leaving Ginny very much alone. She decides to move to the village anyway and gets a job at the local library.

Things feel somewhat overwhelming for Ginny, and the feelings only increase when she finds a body in the library during her first week at work. Right off the bat, she notices clues the police miss. Thinking they may bungle the investigation, she decides to team up with three other widows and find the culprit.

Spoiler-Free Review

The Widows’ Guide to Murder was a delight to read from start to finish. The amateur sleuth Ginny Cole is realistic, relatable, and endearing. She is easy to like and cheer for in every scene.

The rest of the widows are a fun and unique bunch who become a great support group for Ginny (though she insists she is looking for no such thing!). The cast is rounded out by a grumpy detective, quirky villagers, and a devilishly clever stray black cat named Edgar.

Author Amanda Ashby is a seasoned writer who has written 30+ books in a variety of genres. Her experience and storytelling skills really shine in this book. The plotting, pacing, and writing were all very good. The mystery is twisty, and watching Ginny grow as a character was really wonderful. And that ending!

I can’t wait to read more in this series.

If you enjoy Agatha Raisin, The Thursday Murder Club, and The Marlow Murder Club, you will like The Widows’ Guide to Murder.

The Widows’ Guide to Murder is available exclusively from Amazon in ebook, paperback, and audiobook. It can also be read for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from Net Galley and Storm Publishing. I also downloaded my own copy with Kindle Unlimited subscription. This page contains affiliate links. I may earn a commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase.