annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Murder at the Village Church is the third Dedley End cozy mystery by Victoria Walters. Released 13th April 2023 by Canelo, it's 330 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.
This is an enjoyable and fun British village cozy mystery set in the Cotswolds. The mystery (and romance subplot) are fairly obvious from early on, but it's well written and quirkily engaging. There are a number of whimsical/eccentric village characters, an appealing amateur sleuth, her best friend/romantic interest, and her grandmother.
This is definitely one for fans of light cozy mysteries. The settings, spelling, and vernacular are UK English, but it won't pose a problem for readers in the US. The language is squeaky clean and the violence isn't unnecessarily graphic. There's an odd twist at the very end of the book that seemed, frankly, tacked on, and some of the denouement and resolution will require a substantial suspension of disbelief, but overall it's appealing and well written.
Three and a half stars. The story is (mostly) self contained in this volume and it can be read as a standalone without any problems. It seems to possibly be the final installment in the series, and neither the author nor publisher have teased further volumes.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.