I absolutely loved how witty this book was! I laughed way more that I thought I would during this book, it was light and had a satisfying end. My favorite parts of this book were the details in how the rooms were described as well as the chapter headings! I can’t wait to read more from Victoria Dowd!

I'm not exactly sure what the author was trying to get at with this book. Was she trying to be funny or trying to write a whodunnit thriller? I'm not sure, but she didn't succeed well in either. This was an absurd story of a collection of women gathered for a book club weekend. The characters were all unlikeable and unrelatable. The most annoying character aside from the narrator, was Brigitte and her dog. How many times did they have to mention the book "Gone Girl"? Answer: enough to make one vomit.

This book is neither comedy nor thriller, so not really sure how it should be categorized.

Thank you to Victoria Dowd, Joffe Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book! This review was also published on Goodreads.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to review this in exchange for an honest review.
Sadly I found this very disjointed, difficult to read and enjoy and with foul language for what seemed no reason.
Not for me and didn’t enjoy this.

Misleading description, but still an entertaining read.

I’m a huge fan of Golden Age mysteries, of Christie, Sayers, Marsh, Allingham. I picked this book expecting it to be something one of them might have written, with a few modern updates. I got through the first chapter then gave up. After a day or so trying to figure out why I was having so much trouble with this book, I realized that it’s not a Golden Age mystery. Sure it has a few ties to the genre with an isolated, snowbound group and the denouement at the end, but there were too many other characteristics that weren’t, all least to this fan. I think I had the most issues with the narrator. She’s too introverted, too damaged, too obviously unreliable (she calls herself, her mother, and her mother’s friends by other names; I’m still not sure if others call them by those names, or is she just thinking of them by those names.) for it to be a Golden Age Mystery. With that realization in mind, I started reading it again from the beginning again, but not as a classic mystery.

And I really enjoyed this darkly humorous, warped story. Ursula, the narrator, has issues stemming from her father dying in her arms when she was thirteen, and it some respects, it feels like she’s still a thirteen year old in her dress and attitude. I also think her mother’s reaction at the time exacerbated some of Ursula’s issues. But because of them, Ursula has crashed her mother’s retreat with her book club at a remote mansion that conveniently has no cell service. There’s a lot of tension in the group - Ursula’s mother isn’t happy Ursula’s with them; Ursula doesn’t like many of her mother’s friends; the food sounds horrible. To add to it, the first evening a mysterious fortune teller entertains the group, leaving as it begins to start snowing. By the morning, they’re snowed in, and the fortune teller is found dead in the yard.

Overall, I’d recommend this book, but not as a Golden Age mystery. I read that Dowd was already working on a sequel. I’m looking forward to it.

I received a free reader's copy of this book from NetGalley.com and voluntarily chose to review.

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

Cool concept, but was only half interested throughout the book.

I really enjoyed this modern twist on a locked in murder mystery. I found the characters intriguing and wasn't able to guess how it was going to unfold. I only gave this a 3 star however as I found some of the characters quite hard to enjoy and found their behaviours and dramatics annoying. I was also not a fan of how the book finally wrapped up. But overall a book I enjoyed reading and loved delving back into a locked in style mystery.
Thanks to Netgally for allowing me to read a ARC of this book in return for an Honest Review.

A smart, clever novel with an interesting plot & funny moments Told in first person (Ursala's point of view).
I glad I requested it; an unusual & interesting read, but I'm not sure if I'd want more like this

Sometimes reading the summaries on the NetGalley page doesn't really prepare you for what's between the covers. Sometimes you're drawn in by the cover. Sometimes you're disappointed with the result. Fortunately, this wasn't one of those times, for me at least.

Ursula invites herself along on her mother's long weekend book club getaway and finds herself marooned at an imposing old mansion with her mother, her mother's best friend, two aunties and the last book club member and her dog, Mr Bojangles (who is some sort of lap dog). The overall feel is quite dark, the first murder happens quite quickly and is followed by three others. The discovery of the bodies is obviously upsetting and instead of discussing their latest book (which we never learn the name of), the ladies spend their time searching for clues and discussing the nature of the deaths and trying to ultimately figure out whodunnit. All while feeling decidedly frightened and unsettled by it all and spending two days trapped in this mysterious house with three dead bodies, no Internet, mobile signal or landline, during a snowstorm in which their cars are stuck in the snow, so they have no way to contact the outside world.

It's a locked-room mystery that takes a few mental gymnastics to figure out, but is ultimately quite satisfying.

The writing is quite 'lush', lots of adverbs and atmospheric descriptors, and while I loved it, I can see why there are readers who wouldn't.

This is apparently the first in a series and I'm very much looking forward to the next book!

A book club weekend away at a isolated country manor, what could possibly go wrong?

When Ursula (not her real name) has to accompany her Mother, Pandora, on her prized weekend away with her mismatched book club friends, the irritation at this unintended change to the plan is evident from the off.

Reminiscent of the cosy crime murder mysteries of the likes of Miss Marple and Poirot, this light hearted and quite amusing mystery is enjoyable. I did find it difficult to find the clues to the final strand that pulled it all together but I liked the way Ursula kept trying to bring all the pieces together. The main characters were individual and I was amused by their interactions and very much felt for Ursula and her Aunt Charlotte.

As the snow fell heavy on this isolated and eerie house, there was something odd about the 'help', Mr and Mrs Angel the Butler and the housekeeper. Cut off from the outside world with no phone or any way to the nearest village, all they had were each other and a killer on the loose!

An enjoyable light hearted read.

It took me a few attempts to get into The Smart Woman's Guide to Murder. Once I did, I enjoyed this quirky, witty murder mystery. Ursula Smart (the sarcastic narrator) invites herself along to her Mother's book club weekend away. Ursula's Mother, Pandora, books a secluded country mansion in the English countryside for herself and her unlikeable friends. As the weather worsens, the women become snowed in and then the murders begin. I was thoroughly entertained by this story. Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for my digital copy.

This was just middle of the road for me. I can see where people would find parts of this funny but it just fell flat for me. There were no likable characters, the first several chapters were slow, and the ending, again, fell flat. The book was trying to be like Clue but didn’t live up to that classic. Just an ok book overall.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun read!
If 'And Then There Were None' was a comedy routine, it would be this book.
The characters are downright caricatures. They are kooky, quirky and outrageous!
Each character has such a big personality and adds a different layer of humor to the story.
I was particularly fond of Bridget...I laughed out loud every time she spoke.

Outside of the animated characters, the mystery was intriguing. They're all trapped inside a sprawling, debilitated country estate during a snow storm and bodies keep piling up. Who is responsible for all this? The journey to find out was great fun and the conclusion was satisfying.
I'm looking forward to Dowd's follow up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A who-dunnit with a twist. I loved the snarky narrator and relationship dynamics of a long term group of friends going through a stressful situation together. I had my ideas about who killed who as the bodies piled up, but I kept being proven wrong. A great novel and a entertaining read!

The Smart Woman's Guide to Murder by Victoria Dowd is a brilliant old fashioned murder mystery for fans of Agatha Christie and cozy mysteries.
Ursula invites herself to her mothers book club weekend and quickly becomes involved in a deliciously clever murder mystery. The characters are all incredibly well written and interact with one another in ways that had me giggling and gripped in equal measures. There were enough twists and red herrings to keep me guessing right up until the final reveal; and the ending did not disappoint.
It's the first entry in a series that looks set to be spectacular. It's a breath of fresh air to the genre in the way its interspersed with comedic and sarcastic wit and doesn't take itself too seriously; while at the same time being completely on point. It's a captivating read and I highly recommend it. Can't wait for the next one!
Thanks to Netgalley, Joffe Books and Victoria Dowd for the ARC.

Pandora Smart is a domineering woman who organises a Book Club retreat at a mansion house in the middle of nowhere. Do you see where this is going? Add to the mix her daughter Ursula, who witnessed her dad’s death and is slightly traumatised by it, and an elderly couple who are employed by the mansion owner and you have the perfect recipe for a murder mystery.

Did I mention no-one likes each other?

In true spirit of who done it mysteries, it starts to snow and it becomes impossible to leave the property. The first entertainment of the evening is a fortune teller who of course dies under mysterious circumstances. The book club members work to figure out who the murderer is, and then they start being killed off one by one.

Seriously, who done it?

If this book is anything to go by, I can’t wait to read more from Victoria Down, what a ride!

The story is very descriptive, and at times immersive. The background is a huge mansion that becomes snowed in, which is in itself a fantastic idea for a novel location. I could feel the cold as I was reading about the house!

The interaction between the various characters is very well made, and each has their own voice. The fact that they dislike each other, and the dry humour combined with the fact that they’re trying not to get killed makes this such an enjoyable read.

As for the story itself, it was lots of different twists and turns, and the end is satisfying. I couldn’t put it down, and I loved trying to guess who had done it, and being certain that I knew who the culprit was to only see them be killed off in the next chapter!

The Smart Woman’s Guide to Murder is a refreshing take on Agatha Christie’s novels which you will not regret reading!

Disclosure: I would like to thank Joffe Books for an ARC of The Smart Woman’s Guide to Murder. This is my honest review.

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I can honestly say that I love the format of this book, with the chapters named after rules for not getting murdered.

However, this writing style is just really not for me and 14% in I'm going to have to throw in the towel. For my tastes, it's much too lyrical and descriptive and I'm finding I'm skipping over unnecessary paragraphs of text in the hope of finding the story in there.

Lots have loved this one though, so it may just be me being grouchy today 😆

A very original cast of characters set in an old mansion, just the sort of house you'd picture in your head for a weekend full of fun and a few crimes along the way, that will keep you entertained as the unlucky group tries to keep from being the next one to die. Entertaining is one of the adjectives that keeps coming to mind as I think back over this book. The title alone was enough to grab a mystery lover's attention. Then Victoria Dowd does an excellent job of building her cast and the setting so you have a very good "visual" of them too. I enjoyed this book very, very much.

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.

This is not a fast paced book but it is intriguing. I had each of the women tagged as guilty several times before changing my mind and choosing a different one only to find that was wrong too. Very unique characters some I didn't like some I found plain annoying but they all worked to make this a gripping read and I found myself turning page after page.

This is the first book from this author in what promises to be a great series. Think of an old style murder mystery story, the sort where an assorted bunch of very peculiar guests are stranded in an old country house with creepy domestic staff, some of their number being bumped off in turn by a hidden killer. One of them turns detective in a bid to solve the crime and save lives. That one is Ursula Smart, narrator of this story. However it has a modern setting, that of a book club descending on a hired mansion house for the weekend to discuss their latest choice of book. So it is that Ursula and her mother Pandora (pseudo-names we understand) arrive at Ambergris Towers along with Ursula's Aunt Charlotte, Mother's dreadful friends (Joy)Less (petty thief, supposed health freak and completely self-absorbed), Mirabelle (large best friend who clings to Mother like a limpet) and irritating book club member Bridget who is inseparable from yappy dog Mr Bojangles. Like a lot of book clubs, gossip and booze rapidly take over from any literary discussions. Before any book can even be opened however, they receive a first night's strange and unsettling entertainment, and soon a body is discovered in the grounds of the house. The fast falling snow means the house guests are marooned with no way of contacting the outside world and fear soon runs riot throughout the house. Not knowing if the killer is one of their number or a deranged outsider, they soon have to muster all their wits and crime solving abilities as the body count rises and they cannot help but wonder who will be next. I really liked the character of Ursula, and the dry wit and sarcasm she uses to impart to the reader the numerous thoughts that run through her head, including the very funny murderous ones about her fellow guests and the very sad ones about the death of her father and difficult childhood and relationship with her mother. The other characters are all somewhat larger than life, giving it a great feel of comedy and even farce at times. I could certainly imagine this book being brought to life on television, such were the fantastic descriptions of the people in it. The progression of the story is slow and steady, setting out the scene and main players before the plot commences as one would expect from this genre, and gives the reader plenty of time to move from one suspect to another, questioning what is coincidence and just who is up to no good. Believe me, the clues are all there, but the reader could be forgiven for overlooking some due to the cleverness of the writing. This is an excellent modern twist on the old classic style and I am greatly looking forward to book number 2, The Smart Woman's Guide To Survival" coming soon. 4.5*

Even if the plot is interesting I couldn't connect to the characters that I found unlikeable and the story fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.