The characters in the book are vividly portrayed but not especially easy to like. It’s hard to imagine a more sarcastic and caustic bunch and their target is usually poor Ursula. They drink copiously and frankly so would I if I had the misfortune to be stuck that lot or I just might just kill them myself!!! The story is very funny at times, it’s highly entertaining, smart and snarky. The killing spree has a Jonathan Creek style mystery ‘how is it done’ element to it which adds an extra element of intrigue as you and the occupants of the house try to figure out what’s going on and why. The murders are as creative as the characters and it’s most definitely in the spirit of an Agatha Christie novel but a darned sight more fun. There’s a Gothic feel to the storytelling too which is partly provided by the house and it’s feel , gloom, mystery and secrets. Each chapter has a rule which are really clever and some are very amusing. The story is well written, there’s a good pace and plot, there are plenty of twists with a dash of suspense and copious amounts of tension between the characters.

Whilst the premise of the book seemed to pique my interest ( I mean we all love a dark comedic whodunnit) 
I just found that the story dragged itself along, the characters were all equally detestable (but in a good way). 
For me I just felt that something was 
Missing within the writing and I was unable to really enjoy the story.

Thanks to the publishers, author and Netgalley for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  This is a darkly funny murder mystery which features predominantly unlikable females and one male.  When Ursula (who advises us early on that she has changed her name) tags along to her mother's book club weekend retreat at a country manor she has no idea that she is about to be snowed in while the household inhabitants are murdered one by one in grisly fashion.  
Ursula's only friend, her father, died when she was 13 and her aloof mother immediately shipped her off to boarding school to deal with her grief alone.
Meanwhile her mother has gathered her stuck-up, nosy and strange friends around her, seemingly oblivious to Ursula's pain.  Years later, at the manor house, Ursula is forced to ask herself if she knows her mother, her father or herself at all!
Hilariously satirical and entertaining - I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Enjoyed the premise of the plot but I felt it lost its way a little after the big reveal. Possibly because I was expecting a different reveal. It moved at a good pace though and the characters were interesting.

A weekend retreat for a bookclub gone wrong. 

When 6 ladies converge on a country estate for a weekend, murder is far from their minds. At least literally speaking. Until the next day when they find the dead body of a fortune teller they had met the night before. But with the snowstorm, there’s no way to get to the village and get help. And with no phones in the house, no way to communicate with the outside world. They’re cut off. But the fortune teller isn’t the only one that meets an untimely death and now the group has to wonder who’s picking them off one by one. 

What a fascinating mix of characters! They weren’t all likable, in fact I wanted to smack most of them half the time. But they each had distinct personalities that stood out and mixed/clashed well with the others. I was confused about who could have committed the murders because I thought they were all capable. 

The book did drag at times but it had a creep factor I enjoyed. Overall, it had enjoyable/hateable/interesting characters but I wasn’t too keen on how the book progressed and tied up at the end. The culprit wasn’t who I thought it was and the reasoning given just didn’t feel right. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Joffee Books for a copy of the book!

I have a thing for books featuring any trapped group of people. Lock everyone in with some dark secrets, a twisty mystery and a killer who could be one of the group and I am totally captivated right along side the characters. I just can't put this type of story down. The chemistry, or should I say animosity, between these characters just crackled with life. The best part of The Smart Woman's Guide To Murder was how reminiscent it felt of older/classic mysteries. I think this kind of country manor house mystery is revisited by writers and readers because it works so well. As a reader I know what to expect, and I like that. This book had enough of the typical elements to make me feel that it was part of this older mystery legacy, but still had enough of a fresh modern take on the format to keep me interested. I find myself really moving toward wanting to read this sort of locked murder mystery as the weather grows cold. I want to like the fire, brew some tea and read well into the morning, and this book didn't disappoint. I really like that the book had some funny bits to break the tension, and I'm looking forward to reading more books in this series.

A classic 'whodunnit' story. The Author has a truly unique style of writing, but unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. Having said that, I can certainly see it being an enjoyable book for others as the characters were great, and the general plot to the book was well thought out.

this was a really interesting mystery, the plot was different and I really enjoyed reading this. I liked the characters and thought they were interesting.

Ursula was there when her Dad died and is left traumatised. She lives with her domineering mother, Pandora. They set off to a Book Club retreat at a mansion house in the middle of nowhere along with Joy (nicknamed Less), Mirabelle, Charlotte (Pandora's sister), Bridget and her dog named Mr Bojangles. They arrive to be met by Mr and Mrs Angel an elderly couple who are employed by the missing owner.

The 6 women don't really like each other which brings humour to the story. Bridget is expecting the book club retreat to involve discussion of the book but the women don't seem to want to do that. The first evening's entertainment is a fortune teller which doesn't go down too well with some. As the snow begins to fall the women realise they are stranded in a house in the middle of nowhere with very strange hosts and no way of communicating with the outside world - then they find the dead body of the fortune teller who is revealed to be someone Pandora and Ursula know from their past.

In a twisty turny journey the women try to work out who killed the fortune teller. It has to be one of them or the Angels. Then there is another tragedy.

Book Retreat Turns Dark....
Modern telling of a whodunnit bordering on a parody. A country house book retreat, cut off by snowfall, a group of guests and, soon, a body. It’s a twisting tale with some very witty dialogue and an eccentric cast of characters, dark atmosphere and dark humour,

"The Smart Woman's Guide to Murder" sadly wasn't for me. This book just dragged and I found myself bored with it. It did have a few (grim) comedic moments but that was the only thing it had going for it. Maybe some other folks might like it but I barely finished it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book. The writing style was a bit out there, and I don't know how I feel about that. I enjoyed the humor that was put in there, and the storyline was fun as well.

I'm afraid this book wasn't for me which is a shame as I had been looking forward to reading it. I found it difficult to get into and it ended up being a DNF.

Sorry.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A classic locked room murder with a twist. It was a locked english mansion, but all the inhabitants were locked in with a massive snow storm as the bodies pile up like cord wood.  Snarky and sassy dialogue gives  the reader a glimpse into the unusual characters as they argue, plot and try to figure out who  the murderer is and why they were killing.

Really didn't like this book. I didn't like the way it was written or the voice of the narrator. Struggled to finish this one.

Ursula's mother drags her on the annual Book Club retreat. Though like most book clubs, meetings mostly involve wine. 
This year Ursula's mother, Pandora, booked an old country estate house. After dinner, the offer of fortune telling is made and accepted. Several women meet with the mysterious woman. 
Over the night, a massive snowstorm began - the women search for a way to leave. Only to discover the fortune teller's dead body. And the murders begin. 

The dark sarcasm was much appreciated, as well as the glimpse of dark humor. The relationships between the women were dark, negative and complex. They didn't really get along, some nasty interactions.  They were bitter and mean with each other. 

As for the mystery- I failed to guess the culprit and motive. 

The story kept me entertained though squeamish - the interactions were quite dark. I did finish but at times struggled to motivation to keep reading.

I liked this story but it started to drag in some spots.  The characters were pretty realistic and the interaction was about as expected.  A group of women take their book club on the road to a spooky out of the way mansion .  The ladies never get to discussing the book as murder's become the focus of their attention.  Hyped as Agatha Christie and didn't quite hit the mark but a fun and good read.  I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Honestly this book wasn't for me. From the start only it was too boring and even into the story I was kinda okay type. 
It was grimly funny, and I do love a dark comedy. Unfortunately the pacing felt off, the descriptions were a bit much sometimes and made me feel like I was being dragged along, although It's still can be good for many

I found this a different read to my usual taste. It was hard going for me as I found it strange the way some of the characters spoke and it didn't have the ability to keep me gripped. It could be a great read for others but sadly not for me.

A locked room mystery where everyone in the room hates one another with passion and drive…

‘Don’t judge book by the cover’. This rule was made for this book and vice versa. It looked like a nice cozy mystery with the cover of lampshade and nice colours. However, it turned out to be anything but…

I am yet to read a book where I did not like a single character. A bunch of middle-aged women and a twenty-something daughter of one of them, butler and housekeeper, fortune teller and even the dog – they were all antagonising to say the least.

I even wanted them all to be killed one by one just like in Christie’s ‘And Then There Were None’ but…

This book reads very smoothly and very quickly. It is not a light read and is full of deep passages and places that are worthy of a quote or two. But it reads well and is mysterious and suspenseful not to be put down until the end.

Secrets, lies, cover ups, misplaced trust, childhood trauma, rotten and vengeful characters, greed for money reader will get a taste of it all. The ties, knots and break ups of relationships, mother-daughter warpet relationship and daughter’s bottomless depression aided by secret in the Bible will keep you guessing and trying to pin your allegiance to the very end.

Author has done an amazing job with the setting. The house and the grounds are so murky, cold, dusty and hungry (yes, even house seems hungry for blood), isolated and encapsulated that nothing light, bright, positive or life-affirming can happen there. There is not enough food. And food is far from being nice and ‘country manor’ like.

This book-club weekend where the rule of the book club is ‘you do not talk about the book’ and where participants hate each others guts is just what doctor ordered in the time of quarantine and isolation. You are going to feel better no matter what (anything is better than to find oneself in that house).

Five stars from me.