Stranger in the Village: A page-turning, addictive cozy mystery from Kate Wells (The Malvern Mysteries)

by Kate Wells

An absolutely page-turning cosy mystery, where death comes to a small village. Perfect for fans of Faith Martin.

Where there’s a body in Malvern End, there are secrets to be uncovered…

Jude Gray has worked hard to bring a steady equilibrium to life on Malvern Farm and things are going well.

The only fly in the ointment is the foul addition of a new face in the village: staunch townie and chauvinistic sleaze, Des Smith. Jude has nothing but sympathy for his caring, patient wife, Loretta, who has become a regular visitor to the farm for a cup of tea and a chat.

But things take a turn for the worse when a hit and run outside The Lamb brings death once again to the village. Is it an accident or is something more sinister afoot?

Perhaps the answer lies in the stranger with red trainers who’s been seen wandering through the village and through Jude’s fields at night. Following the clues, Jude desperately hopes she will find the right answers, because the murderer being someone she knows is unfathomable…

A totally page-turning mystery novel with unforgettable characters you will love, suspect and enjoy. Fans of Faith Martin and Frances Evessham will love the Malvern Mystery series!

'I loved this book as much, if not more, than the first book in the series. Great plot twists with believable characters all set in a beautiful location.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

'A hugely enjoyable and clever murder mystery.' C L Miller

'...like a lovely visit to the countryside, a tense murder mystery, and a visit with people I’d want to be friends with all rolled into one.’ Kristen Perrin

'This book had a bit of everything! ... Action packed, intrigue, mystery, murder, revenge, a fantastic who done it, great plot twist, and some crazy twists and turns!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

'Brilliantly plotted, with twists and turns - and a truly satisfying ending.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

'What a story bursting with adventure, Murder and Romance. It was so good I just kept on reading.' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review

• ISBN13: 9781785134319
• Publish Date: 30 January 2024
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Boldwood Books Ltd
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Stranger in the Village is the second Malvern Farm thriller(ish) mystery by Kate Wells. Released 30th June 2024 by Boldwood Books, it's 359 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 also currently available on KU. 

Jude is again drawn into investigating a spate of unsettling occurences including a hit and run outside the pub and a mysterious stranger walking her fields at night. She and DS Binnie again collaborate to get to the bottom of things. It's a testament to the author's command of character that all of the characters, including the secondaries are well delineated and three dimensional. Each is quite distinct from the others and readers won't have any trouble keeping them straight.

The author is also quite adept at setting, and the whole is effective and engaging. The mystery itself is well engineered and culminates in a satisfying and twisty way. The plotting is -excellent- and the mystery is very clever.

It's the second book in the series and although it works well enough as a standalone, the continuing characters' interrelationships develop throughout; readers should expect some minor spoilers if read out of order.

Four and a half stars. It's not at all derivative, but fans of Faith Martin, P.F. Ford, and J.R. Ellis will likely enjoy this one. With three books extant in the series and a fourth out from the same publisher in first quarter 2025, it would be a good candidate for a binge/buddy read. The author seems to be on a semi-annual publishing release schedule, so there are books coming out regularly.

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