This book is a cozy mystery. The heroine is a suspense writer, so she observed people and how they acted. She had just moved, so she was getting to know the locals and was inspired with the plot of her next book. Only real life becomes too close to that plot--drugs might really be smuggled in and distributed in her neighborhood. A local, charming reporter also convinced her to help him investigate the disappearance of a prostitute.

There were clues as to what was going on and multiple threads that they came across. You could guess at some aspects, but the murder whodunit was revealed suddenly and almost accidentally at the end. The heroine had no clue that person was whodunit (which is why she placed herself in danger). She generally tried to avoid dangerous situations, but she still found herself in some tense moments.

There were no graphic sexual descriptions, which is remarkable given that the heroine attended a male stripper show to investigate a certain lead. There was some bad language (and of a wide variety). Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.

Loved this book. A very cosy murder mystery which was hard to put down. Main character was very likeable, as were the supporting characters. Lightly written with plenty of good description and amusing parts. An excellent first book in the series. I shall look out for others. I recommend this book to any lover of gentle murder mysteries.

Timeless cozy mystery with intelligent charecters and sometimes witty dialog. This is the perfect read for a rainy afternoon.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Although I think it is highly improbable that the main character along with her cohort journalist would have sussed out the events of this tale, I still loved the author's characterizations, plotting and writing skill. The author has good command of the English language and it's proper use. I find poor grammar and style very off putting!

I will likely follow up to see if I can find further books by this author.

I really liked this book there was a lot of description in this book I could picture everything in my mind clearly. I enjoyed the storyline and it kept me intrigued loved the mystery and how we got to the end and I didn't guess what was going to happen will be definitely carrying on with this series.

MURDER AT THE HAWTHORN COTTAGE by Betty Rowlands

This is the first in the Melissa Craig series and is a great novel. Sit down, drink your favorite drink, get comfortable and enjoy. The plot is that of a womam who has just moved and learns that a body was found behind her new home. She starts doing her own investigating and no one or nothing is exempt. The writer makes you feel as though you, the reader, are the protagonist in the story and as you read it becomes clear that what you thought would happen, never does. Rowlands has a way with words and uses them wisely. Overall, if you like books that have a heroine as the main character who has become someone who you would love to know more about, this book is for you!

Thanks to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

5 🌟 out of 5

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Murder at Hawthorn Cottage, the first novel to feature amateur sleuth, crime writer Melissa Craig, originally published in 1990.

After a failed relationship Melissa leaves London for the Cotswolds village of Upper Benbury where life is quiet until her neighbour discovers a skeleton in the woods. Local reporter Bruce Ingram believes he know the victim's identity and soon recruits Melissa to his investigation.

Murder at Hawthorn Cottage is a bit of a mixed bag for me. It has an interesting and convoluted plot which certainly hold the attention as the reader tries to work out what is going on and, as befits a cosy mystery, no real danger to the protagonists despite a couple of tight situations. On the other hand it is exasperatingly old fashioned and twee in its approach to sex, even for the 90s when it was published - among other gems who ever heard of a woman having "sex appeal" after the 60s? It is definitely amateur hour in the sleuthing with Bruce and Melissa muddling through the few slender leads they have and luckily seeing developments at every step.

Murder at Hawthorn Cottage is not really to my taste as I prefer a grittier, more believable read but it is well done and an easy way to pass a few hours.

Crime fiction writer Melissa Craig moves to a cottage in the country, and inevitably becomes embroiled in murder & mayhem

A thoroughly enjoyable mystery with terrific characters

I enjoyed the characters in this book and the ending was a surprise to me but overall I found the book to be slow moving.

In helping others, you might become the target ...

It was nice getting to meet Melissa. I really liked her character. She always wants to help everybody and can hardly say no, but sometimes she does put herself first and draws a line.

So If you are looking for heart-stopping suspense, you will be disappointed. You have to keep in mind that it's not a thriller. If you are looking for an entertaining book with an amateur sleuth doing all the work, you will be pleased. Cozy mysteries are always a bit softer but not less interesting.

I prefer them with a bit more humour and a more playful cover, but that is personal taste.

This does not mean that this one was not captivating and I enjoyed the story. It's fluently written and there were beautiful metaphors used in descriptions.

I would certaily put it in the same league as Agatha Christie.. 3,5 stars.

Thank you, Betty Rowlands, Bookouture and Netgalley.

Murder At Hawthorn Cottage is exactly what is says on the cover. It's a gripping cozy mystery. I must admit, I hadn't heard of Betty Rowlands before Bookouture announced they were republishing her Melissa Craig series. But having had a look at Fantastic Fiction, she's written 26 novels! And she's 95!!!! I hope I'm that capable at 95!
Saying that, there is a very nostalgic feel to the book. I had to keep reminding myself that this was written in the late 80s/early 90s as there were no mobile phones, computers, email or internet mentioned - Mel our heroine writes to her agent ,and her son and she only has a landline for people to contact her on. Saying that other than the communication method employed, this story fits well in the modern day - murder and secrets.
There is very much a cozy mystery feel to it. It reminded me of the family friendly crime dramas on the TV. I half expecting DCI Tom Barnaby or Miss Marple to pop up but I knew they wouldn't! Mel is the Gloucestershire answer to Jessica Fletcher! She's the best selling author who manages to get herself involved in a bit of amateur sleuthing.
I loved the relationships Mel developed in her first few weeks in the village. She gains the trust of people so easily - is this because she's a best selling author or people just want to share with a stranger?!
Mel's neighbour Iris is a wonderful character, in today's world no one would bat an eyelid at her lifestyle of vegetarianism, yoga and kitchen garden but when Ms Rowlands originally wrote this novel, she'd have then been classed as a bit of a hippie!
Ms Rowlands has encapsulated village life to a T. News travelling by the village gossip, the WI managed by the vicar's wife. Everyone knowing everyone else, a close sometimes claustrophobic community.
This is an ideal introduction to crime fiction for anyone who wants to dip their toe into the genre. No gore, swearing, scary stuff, just a "clean" tale of murder. I've even recommended it to my dad!

A big thank you to Noelle Holten and Bookouture (and Netgalley!) for issuing me with my review copy of the book.

Although these books have been published previously in the 1990's, Bookouture have completely revamped them and have given them fresh, new and updated covers (I love this one especially!). This story was previously published as A Little Gentle Sleuthing, and I felt that it has aged very well and although there is of course the social media aspect missing, I actually found this to be a refreshing change and I didn’t miss this at all.

The main character is a hybrid crossed between Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher with a Midsomer Murder village feel which I loved and added to the cosy mystery feel you get from reading it! As you can tell, I do love my mystery books and TV shows, so this book was absolutely perfect for me.

It was very easy reading and the storyline flowed at the gentle pace you would expect from a cosy crime story. As our main character is a crime writer, her interest is immediately piqued when she starts to receive mysterious phone calls and starts her own investigations when a body is discovered close to her new home - who was the body? How long have they been there? Is this linked to the mysterious telephone calls?Melissa Craig is such a good character to have as your eyes and ears and you are swept along for the ride with her!

This is the perfect start to the series and I am very much looking forward delving into the others to see what there is in store for Melissa Craig - I can't wait!

Highly recommended from me.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: We are beyond excited to announce that we've signed up twelve titles from cosy crime writer, Betty Rowlands. First published over twenty years ago, the Melissa Craig Mysteries remain a classic of the genre. We are thrilled to be able to introduce these utterly charming, page-turning murder mysteries to a new audience.

Murder at Hawthorn Cottage, the first book in this absolutely unputdownable series, will publish in August, with the next eleven books to following monthly intervals.

Melissa Craig, a successful crime novelist, has just moved to a countryside cottage in the village of Upper Benbury. Not only does she receive a worrisome phone call almost immediately upon arriving, a shocking discovery is made: that of the bones of a young woman. As a seasoned crime writer, her desire to solve the murder takes over, especially when prodded along by a local journalist.

Murder at Hawthorn Cottage is a curious mystery that captivated my interest from the very start. I have always loved amateur detectives and Melissa joins those ranks marvelously. This cozy mystery was very well-written and is a teriffic beginning to the series and is also a very quick read. I thoroughly enjoyed the danger and surprising twists in this story, as well as the unexpected humor. It is always a pleasure when publishers can revive classics of this sort. I truly look forward to devouring the rest of the series.

Many thanks to Bookouture for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is the book #1 in the Melissa Craig Mystery books. Whilst it is my first book by this author, it certainly isn’t the author’s first, with many books under her belt! This book was previously released under the title A Little Gentle Sleuthing and has recently had a revamp and a new title!

Melissa Craig’s pseudonym is Mel Craig, crime writer extraordinaire! She has recently fled to the countryside from London to avoid her over-protective lover and over-enthusiastic agent in the hopes of getting some writing done. Having bought a cottage in the little village of Upper Benbury in the Cotswolds, Melissa settles right at home putting the local builder in his place and indulging in vegan dinners with her new neighbour. A series of strange phone calls to Melissa’s cottage gives Melissa inspiration for her new novel, but when the bones of an unknown woman are found in woodland behind her cottage, Melissa teams up with a local journalist to solve a real murder!

This book is absolutely perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and MC Beaton! I have read Agatha Christie books since I was a teenager and a few of the Agatha Raisin series by MC Beaton. This book is certainly on a par with these books, and with the revamp of new cover and title this brings this opening book of the Melissa Craig series right up to date!

I’d never heard of books like this being referred to as ‘Cosy Mystery’ books until recently, but I can understand where this comes from. This book is a crime book but there’s no blood and gore and certainly no graphic scenes of violence. You won’t be needed to hide between the cushion for this book. But you do get a good old murder mystery with a bit of humour thrown in. Melissa is certainly a force to be reckoned with and she certainly doesn’t take no nonsense, already having put the builder in his place by the end of the first few chapters. She is a well-known crime writer, but as the story moves on she takes the place of amateur sleuth, working out the mystery of the murder of the woman found in the woodlands.

There is plenty of mystery and danger in this story and there are lots of twists and turns to get to the reveal. The characters are all great and they are so well described that they give you a vivid picture in your imagination as to what they look like! I love Melissa’s character and found her absolutely charming! The descriptions throughout the book of the Cotswolds countryside is also beautiful and set the scene for this gentle murder-mystery perfectly!

This is the ideal book for lazing around in the summer sun! A good old-fashioned who-dunnit with just the right amount of mystery, intrigue and humour to keep you going until the end of the book! Would definitely recommend!