Slaying at Stanway (Cotswolds Classics #1)
by ACF Bookens
My Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/f
Blurb:
Some weddings end with ‘I do’—this one ends with ‘whodunit?When American ex-pat Nigella Hunt agrees to help her friend with the flowers for a wedding at the grand Stanway Manor, she expects a day of romance and celebration. But when the cantankerous wedding planner is found dead among the roses, the festivities take a deadly twist, and Nigella finds herself caught up in her very first murder mystery.
With all eyes on the guests at Stanway Manor—a historic estate rich with secrets and ties to J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan—Nigella’s curiosity quickly pulls her into the investigation. As she digs deeper, she realizes this case is no fairytale; hidden motives, swirling secrets, and clues embedded in the manor’s storied past make every revelation more unexpected.
Set against the picturesque backdrop of Stow-on-the-Wold, Slaying at Stanway offers cozy mystery lovers an enchanting escape filled with literary charm, village intrigue, and a dash of danger. Can Nigella solve the case before the killer strikes again?
Perfect for fans of village life, literary legends, and amateur sleuths, this first installment in ACF Bookens’ Cotswolds Classics series is sure to delight.
My Review
I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
A.C.F. Bookens is one of my favorite cozy mystery authors, so I was excited for this new series. It took me some time to get into this book, but after a few chapters I started to get into the story and the further I got the more I enjoyed it. The story follows Nell who lost her parents and inherited a house in the English countryside, so she moves there and starts her new live there.
I liked reading about Nell. Moving to the British countryside is quite the change for her. I liked seeing her discover her new house and make it her own. She also meets some great people and becomes friends with some of them and there’s a bit of romance as well. I liked seeing her working on starting her own business and reading about the planting she’s doing. There’s already a great group of side characters and I liked seeing Nell interact with all of them. There are some great animal characters as well.
The mystery was less interesting to me than reading about Nell’s daily life. I felt like the mystery just wasn’t as interesting and there aren’t as many suspects. The only thing I kept wondering about is the motive as there weren’t many clues for that and that was a surprise when it came to light. There were some interesting parts during the investigation and I liked the way Nell got involved.
To summarize: This was a solid start to a new series by one of my favorite cozy mystery authors. It took me some time to get into the story, but I enjoyed it more the further I got. I liked reading about Nell, how she’s adapting to life in the UK, making new friends and starting her own business. The mystery was less interesting to me and I just wasn’t as interesting about that part of the plot. The motive did keep me guessing and there were some interesting scenes along the way, but there weren’t as many suspects and I just didn’t find the mystery as interesting. I look forward to the next book and reading more about Nell, the animals and her friends.
I’m glad to hear this was a good read for you.
I look forward to future books in this series.