Death at Lovers' Leap: The next instalment in Catherine Coles' gripping historical cozy mystery series

by Catherine Coles

The next instalment in the bestselling Martha Miller Mysteries from bestselling cozy crime author, Catherine Coles!

Westleham Village 1948

As Valentine's Day rolls around, Martha Miller finds herself unusually melancholy at the state of her own love life. With husband Stan still missing and with her growing feelings for Vicar Luke still shrouded in secrecy, there’s only one place Martha can go - famous local beauty spot, Lovers' Leap.

Legend has it that those with a broken heart throw themselves off the bridge that spans the river, but Martha is certainly not about to do such a thing! But it looks like someone else has had other ideas….

Because there in the river, Martha finds a body. But is this misadventure, a moment of lovesick madness, or is foul play afoot?

Martha knows one thing…the villagers of Westleham have another crime to solve!

Let the investigation commence!

Find out if Martha and Luke can catch the killer in a brand new Martha Miller mystery from bestselling author Catherine Coles, perfect for fans of Lee Strauss and Beth Byers!.

What readers are saying about Martha Miller!

'An utterly charming 1940’s mystery. Definitely a new series addiction!' Bestselling author Debbie Young.

"Poison at the Village Show" is pure mystery buff entertainment and has all the qualities expected of an English mystery.' James Cox, Editor-in-Chief, Midwest Book Review

• ISBN10: 1804150827
• ISBN13: 9781804150825
• Publish Date: 16 February 2024
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Boldwood Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 300
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Death at Lovers' Leap is the third Martha Miller cozy by Catherine Coles. Released 16th Feb 2024 by Boldwood Books, it's 178 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU. 

This is a well written and whimsy filled historical cozy set just after WW2 in rural England. Life in the village has settled down for "newcomer" Martha Miller, but she's still melancholy about her still missing husband, and her (mostly) secret feelings for pastor Luke. When she finds another body, she and her "Watson" are drawn into another amateur investigation.

It's a fair play mystery, and readers will enjoy evaluating the clues as they come along. The author is adept at providing background story, so although it's the third book in the series, it works fine as a standalone read. There are developments with the characters in the previous books, so readers who choose to read them out of order should expect some minor spoilers.

Four stars, with three books extant it would make a nice mini-binge or buddy read. There's a fourth book due out from the same publishers in first quarter 2025.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 6 hours 18 minutes and is expertly read by Alex Lee. She has an even, beautifully modulated RP accent and a surprising facility with the different voices across a range of characters of widely varying ages and both male and female. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.