Let us Talk of Many Things; of Books and Queens and Pirates, of Mystery and Kings...: Rachel's Random Resources

Rachel's Random Resources
Book Tours

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About the Book

Murder at Raven’s Edge

(An English Village Mystery Book 1)

When Milla Graham returns to her childhood home of Raven’s Edge after eighteen long years away, she finds the perfect English village looks much the same – all rose-covered cottages, nosy neighbours, and quaint teashops full of scones and gossip.

But her nostalgic visit takes a dark turn when the body of a local woman is discovered in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest. The murder scene is chillingly close to that of Milla’s own mother, whose death was never solved. As she begins to investigate the connection, Milla realises this adorable village is guarding some dark secrets.

Handsome, grumpy local police detective Ben Taylor doesn’t believe in coincidences, and he doesn’t think mysterious newcomer Milla Graham is as blameless as she seems. Why is she really here in Raven’s Edge, and how come she keeps turning up at his crime scenes, causing trouble? Can he solve this murder case without losing himself – or his heart – to the rather distracting Ms Graham?

When another body is found, everyone becomes a suspect – from the barmaid at the local pub to Milla Graham herself. It seems that in Raven’s Edge, not everybody is as friendly, or as innocent, as they first seem.

This picture-perfect English village is full of rumour, romance... and murder! A gripping, funny, absolutely unputdownable murder mystery, which is perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Fiona Leitch and M.C. Beaton.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CV1CQ68Y

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CV1CQ68Y

Murder at Ravenswood House

(An English Village Mystery Book 2)

A gruesome murder in charming Raven’s Edge sends Milla Graham sleuthing to catch a killer, win back her detective ex, and dig up a decades-old secret along the way...

When a shocking murder rocks the picture-perfect English village of Raven’s Edge, erstwhile amateur detective Milla Graham finds herself right at the centre of the mystery. Still reeling from her recent breakup with local police officer Ben Taylor, Milla sets her sights on solving the case, hoping to win Ben back.

But when the evidence begins to point to Milla’s old friend and former paramour Lorcan Black, she must choose between her loyalties to the past and the possibilities of the future. Meanwhile, Ben is on a different trail – he’s begun to suspect that the murderer could be someone from his own family's dark history.

Further complicating matters are Milla's meddling grandmother, Ben's no-nonsense police partner Harriet, and David the surprisingly young and sexy new vicar. With shocking twists around every cobblestone corner, the truth refuses to stay buried for long in this quaint village, whose picture-postcard façade hides decades of buried grudges, plots, and betrayal.

Will Milla solve the mystery in time to rescue her relationship with Ben? Can Ben face the skeletons in his family’s closet before one of his own relatives meets the same bloody end?

Brimming with drama, intrigue, romance and quirky characters, this addictive tale will have cosy mystery fans racing through the pages long into the night. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Fiona Leitch will love this book!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CV249DZ1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CV249DZ1

The Author

Louise Marley writes murder mysteries and romantic comedies. She is lucky enough to live in a village where there is a famous library and TWO ruined castles. (Her husband still thinks they moved there by accident.)

Her first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s ‘Write a Bestseller’ competition. She has also written articles for the Irish press and short stories for women’s magazines such as Take a Break and My Weekly. Previously, Louise worked as a civilian administrative officer for the police.

Social Media Links –

Website:

https://www.louisemarley.co.uk/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LouiseMarleyAuthor

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/louisemarley

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/louisemarleywrites/

Bluesky:

https://bsky.app/profile/louisemarley.bsky.social

Threads:

https://www.threads.net/@louisemarleywrites

Blog:

https://louisemarleywrites.blogspot.com/

My thoughts:

Murder at Raven's Edge is a mystery within a mystery and it was very cleverly done. The ongoing theme: is Milla Graham really Milla Graham or not? Several years ago there was a fire with the death of an adult and some children - only the adult was murdered before the fire started. Someone has been convicted for the foul deed but did he do it or not? The repercussions are still reeling in and around the picture-perfect village of Raven's Edge. But then a young woman turns up claiming to be one of the dead children.

From here, the plot gets complicated with many tangled twists and turns, complicated by our hero detective, Ben Taylor, realising that he's falling in love with Milla (who might or might not be the assumed dead Camilla.)

The red herrings were well done, the plot moved at a good pace - I changed my mind several times about what the truth was or wasn't. (I ended up wrong.) So for that part I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

But I must be honest, I was a little confused because this is a series and I initially found myself muddled about which plot belonged to which book because of a different title connected to the series, which I had read first: Something Wicked A romantic mystery with a supernatural twist. This one I also thoroughly enjoyed, but is the cause of my confusion because it's set in the same village, with similar characters and a very similar opening. (Woman in road nearly gets killed, meets the detective by chance...) I went back and forth with Murder at Raven's Edge a couple of times thinking 'Hang on, have I already read this one or not?' Then I started wondering, is this the same village/place/author? Which, of course it was. So maybe a little more initial backstory in Raven's Edge would have helped? Or an author's note at the start?

These books are all standalone, but there are some loose ends in Murder at Raven's Edge: why didn't the police know that one of their officers used to babysit the children - surely a huge conflict of interest during a new investigation? And why was the murdered woman in this story murdered? I rather lost track of that bit. How did the murderer get hold of the dress? In such a small village the apparently unlived in cottage would have been known about - so who did live there, or at least keep the cobwebs at bay? Who was the policeman outside who let Milla sneak off?

And Ben's background? This is another puzzle not yet revealed. Will we find out in the next book Murder at Ravenswood House?

However ... despite my comments, I did thoroughly enjoy this mystery it was very cleverly thought out.

* * * * 4 stars

Murder ast Ravenswood House

Ah, that's better! I made more sense of this one because I knew where I was location-wise and who the characters were, and (despite this being a murder mystery) it was an entertaining and enjoyable read.

I also enjoyed meeting Milla and Ben again, they are both such intriguing and interesting characters, plus there was the bonus, this time, of discovering more about Ben, his family and his past.

The pace did slacken very slightly towards the middle, but it soon picked up again - and headed towards a good ending. (I'm keeping quiet - no spoilers!) My only other slight reservation would be that maybe the first episode (Murder at Raven's Edge) should be read before this one.

I do hope this turns into a series, as I very much like Milla and Ben, and maybe there are some other characters who could be explored some more?

**** 4 stars