Murder at Benbury Brook, the ninth novel in the Melissa Craig Cozy Mystery series, uses the beautiful Cotswolds setting as one of the central aspects of the story and reminds me a lot of the chocolate-box villages portrayed in Midsomer Murders. It's a story that is full of charm and works well as a standalone - it certainly isn't necessary to have read the previous instalments. The author is adept at moulding interesting characters that you really care about, an intriguing plot and the twists and turns throughout make for a satisfying tale. We also get more development of main protagonist Melissa which is exciting to see and book nine is just as exciting as the rest of the series.

It's an engaging mystery with a menacing undertone and chilling atmosphere running through it. Importantly for a cozy there is no profanity, sexual liaisons or blood and gore, and the conclusion was unexpected and satisfying. Previously published as The Man at the Window, fans of Agatha Christie and MC Beaton should enjoy this as well as those who love to read cozies. A superb and highly entertaining addition to an already popular series, and a perfect read for those dark, chilly nights.

Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I look forward to reading the Melissa Craig books and have enjoyed every one in the series, this was no exception

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was an absolute treat to spend time with Melissa Craig once again in Upper Benbury. Much has changed in her life since we last saw her. Her best friend Iris has married and moved to the South of France. Her boyfriend Ken Harris is in America working as a PI.

In addition to writing books Melissa is now tutoring one of the local teenagers in French. She learns a lot from what she learns from her.

Iris has rented out her cottage to a teacher that will be starting in the fall term. He's very private and not overly friendly. Melissa tries to engage him in conversation on several occasions but he doesn't seem to want to talk.

One day she finds him running from the woods after finding the body of Cissie, a teenager from the village. Did he find her or did he kill her? It's not Melissa's job to figure this out but she just can't help getting involved (again). She's sure that the police are wrong in suspecting her new neighbour but she feels if she doesn't get to the bottom of things, he will be sent to prison for something that he didn't do.

There are several interesting characters that live in Upper Benbury....an old hermit who's up to shady things, a former choirmaster that left his post under hushed up circumstances.

A wonderful mystery that has Melissa working hard to prove just who killed Cissie and why.

Melissa Craig is a crime writer. She has now decided to give her fictitious detective a retirement and go into the world of literary fiction. Her nose however leads her elsewhere. Mystery and murder seems to follow her even in this idyllic village she now calls home.

Melissa is missing her friend Irish who lived next door to her. The house has stood empty but at last there seems to be a tenant - a quiet man who is the teacher in the local school. Melissa hopes the new neighbour will prove to be a good one. The village is turned on its head when one of its youngsters is found dead in a brook in the village. When a chance encounter with her next door neighbour turns out to be chaotic and frightening, Melissa now has to decide whether the man is innocent as she believes him to be, despite his shadowy past or whether he is just a victim of circumstance.

Believing him to be innocent, Melissa sets out on a dangerous path of proving the Police wrong and finding the actual culprit responsible for this murder.

Set in beautiful surroundings and extremely descriptive of this part of England - the Cotswolds added to the interest for me in this book.

I liked Mel's new neighbor and once again a mystery I wasn't able to figure out. The characters are interesting and engaging. I like the setting as well. Ms. Rolands has added a few new characters into the mix.

I thank the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest review. - This is a very good series and I highly recommend it.

Another great story from Betty Rowlands. Mel Craig does it again, with twists and turns to keep you on your toes, the story unfolds to an unexpected ending. Great easy read from one of the best!

Another great book from Betty Rowlands in the Melissa Craig series. I did wonder how she would fare now that Iris, her next door neighbour and close friend had left for France. The arrival of a new neighbour to live, at least for the time being in Iris's cottage soon throws Mel into the midst of another mystery and it isn't long before she finds herself involved in a little sleuthing.

With the changes that happened in the last book, I knew that we were likely to be without a few of the supporting characters from previous books. Although I have always enjoyed reading about them, they weren't really missed her and Mel still had a couple of friendly faces to rely upon.

This time the mystery focuses on the death of a girl was it an accident, or something more sinister? There is also something decidedly seedy going on in the village. It becomes pretty clear what's going on, although there are no graphic descriptions, just enough hints to make it clear what certain characters have been doing. I've said before that I feel that these books are more 'classic mysteries' than cosy mysteries. Although things aren't spelt out as such, I think that the crimes do make these more classic than cosy, but perhaps that's because I tend to be a little dismissive of the term 'cosy' and see it as twee and insubstantial, which these novels certainly aren't.

One of the joys of this series is the way that village life is depicted. I don't know if it's because I grew up in an English village and I relate to this picture, or just because it's so well written, a little of both perhaps? I suppose that there is a little nostalgia too, with these books being set (and written) twenty years or so ago now. That doesn't detract from the enjoyment though, these are great mysteries and a good read, even if the world has moved on a little.

The more of this series I read, the more I enjoy them. I can't wait to see what the next book has in store for Mel.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is the 9th book in the series and I would recommend reading this chronologically and not as a stand alone.

This book has lost some of the main characters and I did miss iris although I liked that Ken no longer featured.

I felt that this was a darker plot and the style was different to the others. I prefer the other books in the series as there is more guess work, I felt this was all a little too obvious - perhaps at the time of original publication this would have been shocking but we live in a world of instant online resources and the themes felt dated. I also felt that the relationship with mels editor was an obvious direction to go in in terms of the love object in her life and hope that this is expanded on rather that be very obvious.

Overall I enjoyed this book but so far it is my least favourite in the series.

Mel comes home to find a new neighbor has moved in next door. A death in town leads Mel to start looking into how and why. This story has lots of twist that keeps you guessing is it an accident or murder?

The next instalment in the Melissa Craig series is just as good as previous and is getting better and better...another writing session is again interrupted by Murder, a new neighbour and people who are not what they seem, This novel has a slightly darker storyline than earlier novels but it is just as riveting and another novel unable to be put to one side

I am pleased to see the series continues to evolve. Ex-boyfriend Ken Harris is in NYC being a PI, next door neighbor Iris Ash is married and living in the South of France. Graham Shipley, a fortyish teacher has moved into the cottage next door. Apparently he has suffered some type of a break down and is on medication for his nerves. Mel makes a few friendly overtures, but they are not received well.
This has been the darkest of the series, a teenager dies, and Graham is suspected as the murderer.
Another good entry in the series. As always, well drawn characters and strong sense of place.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an electronic ARC, all opinions are my own.
Highly recommended.

An engaging and fast-paced mystery!

The body of a teenager is found near a stream in the woods. Did she slip, fell in the water and drowned? If it was an accident then who pulled the body out of the water? What was the girl doing in the woods and who was she running from?
When Melissa Craig finds out that her new neighbor, whom she believes to be innocent, is implicated because of his finding the body and his presence at the time of the incident, she is determined to find out what exactly happened and help clear the man’s name.

Thanks to the author, Bookouture and the NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This is the 9th book in the Melissa Craig series and for me it seems to have a different feel to it. I think it is down to the end of the story as it definitely turns out to be a somewhat unique outcome. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the story regardless. At its core it still has a well written mystery running throughout, and Melissa once again finds herself becoming involved in things far more than she means to.

Melissa is a brilliant character. Without even trying she is drawn into matters in her local area more deeply over time. Even without two of the core characters we have grown to love, she is such a strong woman. I still have in the back of my mind the cryptic message she received from Rachel, the gypsy woman in the previous book, that she should give her heart to her true love. I have my ideas of who that could be, yet I also feel that the author may throw a spanner in the works in the future.

I’m loving this series and can’t wait to read more. Many thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing a copy.

#MurderAtBenburyBrook#NetGalley#
Review by: ILoveToRead/Librarian

Melissa Craig, Benbury's local writer, has a new neighbor who's leased next-door Elder Cottage for six months. The new tenant, a teacher, awaiting a position nearby is shy, and reluctant to become friendly. Shortly after this man's arrival, a local teenager is found drowned under suspicious circumstances.
This young man is a suspect in the girl's death. He withdraws more as the community believes him guilty in the court of village gossip. Melissa believes he's innocent. She investigates. A slate of possible suspects emerge in the girl's drowning. Tenacious to the end, Melissa uncovers village secrets and motives she never suspected. Her detective work brings the matter to a satisfying conclusion.
A quick enjoyable read.

Melissa Craig has a new neighbour - schoolteacher Graham Shipley. There's something odd about him, and when local teenager Cissie is found dead in a brook, he falls under suspicion

Another good instalment in the series

Melissa Craig has just met her new neighbour Graham Shipley, a rather lonely, shy insular character who has taken the lease on Iris' cottage for six months. A few weeks later a local girl's body is found by Benbury Brook and the police are investigating to see whether the death is suspicious. Melissa gets drawn into the investigation once again by just trying to help her neighbour.This is another enjoyable book by Betty Rowlands

Another winner in the Melissa series by Betty Rowlands. This book had a slightly different flavour with the absence of the previous two main sub characters but enjoyable nonetheless. Not my favourite book in the series, but because of the loss of the two old friends, would be a good introduction to the series for anyone who has missed the previous 8 books. A good ‘coxy’ Murder mystery which should appeal to lovers of this genre.

Love love this series I devour each one as it comes out looking forward to the next episode.Someone should grab this for a tv series, #netgalley #bookoture

The nineth book in this series is the first without two of the main protagonists but still works on all levels. The stock characters visible in any village tale are well written and their various foibles lovingly created to make you smile, cheer or rant in equal measure.

There is a new neighbour for Melissa, a teacher who has a new job to go to at the end of the summer holidays. Never one to hide away, Mel is friendly in the face of his reluctance and soon becomes his main ally as it seems his world is about to come crashing down.

The storyline this time leads Mel and the police into areas neither expected while investigating an unexplained death and although this is something dealt with in many different literary genres I felt that its prevalence in a small village was very well handled. I worked out some of the issues in this story but as is usual with Betty Rowland's books there are twists and turns which surprise right to the end.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publishers and would recommend it to anyone who is reading the series in order, you won't be disappointed, or to anyone who enjoys a cosy mystery with a little bit more bite than some.

I ARC received via NetGalley and in exchange for an honest review.

Again another great mystery Melissa Craig is,at it again as I said before this will be great if the author would adapt this on hallmark mystery movies channel. I still picture either Roma Downey or Jane Leeves as Melissa Craig