Most excellent read, indeed! Miss Amy Rowlings works working an industrial sewing machine. Though her skills at the machine are notable, it's her vivaciousness, cleverness, and a razor sharp wit that distinguishes her personality. She also has a penchant for solving radio and movie murder mysteries. Oh, and she is rather attractive to boot.

Her looks catch the attention of Edward, son of the owner of the factory where she works, a known womanizer. When he catches her in a small room and tries to take advantage of the situation Amy manages to put him in his place with a few quick moves and choice words.

Problem is, he is found dead later on that night, his head smashed in. The next morning Amy can't keep from trying to survey the crime scene where she encounters, Detective Sergeant Bodkin, who tries to shoo her away from the crime scene until she begins to point out some clues that are being missed. A kind of chemistry begins to draw the two together as the case unfolds.

I found the combination of great characters and an ever more complex mystery to be an intriguing combination. Also, more than in most novels in this genre, we, as readers, are immersed into the work-a-day society of the time (the 1930s), both its habits and its people.

I really enjoyed those precious minutes cruising through this book.

A well written and entertaining mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I liked the characters, the setting and the solid mystery.
I want to read other books in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Murder At The Mill,by T.A. Belshaw is a new author to me. I was to read and review in 2020 by Net Gallery and I didn't make it but it's the beginning of 2021 and this is a fantastic crime mystery story! Very well written where you really think you know who did it but then something happened to change your mine. You have a new police detective in town so he is shown around by Amy who works in the factory where the murder happens. In 1939,this takes place where Amy finds out she's pretty good at this mystery stuff and Any and the Detective have a difference of opinion on who committed the murder and she's out to prove not only who did this but to free the one who is being accused but to show up this one minded detective he is so,so wrong even if he's handsome! Follow the leads,thickness you help these two solve this murder but there's more than a murder going on at the Mill and behind some close doors!

A cosy detective mystery where our heroine mill-lass Amy joins with newcomer DS Bodkin to seek our who murdered the profligate son of the mill-owner. Interesting twists and turns with a good selection of potential perpetrators; looking forward to the next in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A very well written cozy mystery. Good plot and character dynamics. Great historical setting. I received an arc from the publisher and Netgalley and this is my unbiased review.

I enjoyed Murder at the Mill. The characters are interesting as was the mystery. As an insider at the Mill where a murder has taken place, Amy Rowlings offers her assistance to the Detective Sergeant Bodkin to find the killer of the owner's son. Their investigation finds plenty of suspects and uncovers secrets of several of the Mill's employees. I recommend it and look forward to the next one. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to review #MurderattheMill.

An enjoyable mystery that was humourous at times. The story was set in a mill town and the characters were interesting and all quite believable. I guessed the murderer before the end but would recommend this book if you want a mystery without too much horrible detail.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


When young Amy Rowlings meets Detective Sergeant Bodkin at the scene of a burglary on the way to work at The Mill one snowy January morning, she is blissfully unaware of how much her life is about to change.

When I read the synopsis of Murder at the Mill, it gave me huge Agatha Christie's books vibes, which I absolutely love and decided to give it a chance. At the beginning of the book, the pace felt good and the crime was interesting and piqued my interest. Besides, I loved that it was set in 1939 and it was written so well that it was easy to imagine every scenery. However, as the story progressed, I felt it didn't pay off quite well, with too many implausible twists and situations that kept me disliking it more and more. Assuming this is going to be a series of mystery books, I don't know if I'll be interested on pick up the next one. Despite loving mystery and especially those lead by women, this one just doesn't float my boat, I guess.

Lighthearted Mystery.....
Lighthearted cosy crime, 1939 set in a small Kent town. Engaging mystery with a likeable protagonist in young Amy Rowlings who becomes unwittingly drawn into a murder case, aided by the aptly named Sergeant Bodkin. Nicely written, flows well, laced with gentle humour and provides some perfect escapism.

Murder At the Mill y T. A. Belshaw is An Amy Rowlings Mystery, presumably the first in the series.

The story is set in late 1930's England, in a small, bleak, industrial town. DS Bodkin is the newcomer to the place and his first case is the break in that quickly turns into murder case. Young Amy Rowlings is the seamstress in the local Mill where the murder happened.
The victim is owner's son, man with a bad reputation as a molester and adulterer and someone to avoid. Amy somehow manages to convince Bodkin that she will be invaluable to his investigation as she is the long time resident and knows everyone and everything that goes around.
Therefore the joint investigation ensues for this unlikely team.

I really loved the time period, especially of social relation and economical situation and giving a detailed and illuminating portrayal of day to day life in the small town England of that time.
There are some inconsistencies but if you are willing to overlook the fact that DS cooperates more with the civilian that fellow officers or that said civilian occasionally orders him around, the story is engrossing enough to keep reading.
The main character is young girl, but with a good head on her shoulders, sassy and compassionate. I liked the friendship between the main and side characters, their banter, fights, solidarity and most of all genuine friendship.
The characters are well rounded, very vivid and two dimensional. The setting is well portrayed and atmospheric.
It was at times quite slow paced but not dull or uninteresting and the ending did take some time to get to.

All in all a solid read. I am curious to know whether it will turn out to be a series.

I enjoyed this book, but the reminders that I hadn't read the previous one did jar a bit. The story is a bit contrived, but the characters were good and mostly of there time.

Set in 1939, the story set amongst the workings of a large mill in a small Kentish town begins with the murder of the owner's son. Edward was unpopular not just with the workers of the mill as he was immoral and tried to intimidate the women workers, but he was unpopular with his father despite being the only son.

The detectives in charge of the case work slowly and methodically to eliminate so many people who are suspect as Edward made many enemies on the way. They were hindered in their investigations by their superiors because the big wigs in the town did not want to be interrogated or questioned in anyway, and felt that it was something below their dignity to be interviewed by the Police.

The story not just a mystery murder, but set out in descriptive detail the social background and workings of a working class family life, the outlook and general day to day life of a working class girl and how they lived on a day to day basis. Amy was different from the other girls but she was also governed by the moral standards of the day and she adhered to them all. This part of the story was equally interesting as the detective part itself.

Set in 1939, we join the lovely seamstress worker Amy and DS Bodkin as they solve a nasty crime. The factory

owner's son, Edward has been brutally murdered. Together, they sift through facts and lies, investigating a host

of suspects, The pace is fast as the twosome search for valid clues amongst plenty of red herrings.

It's an atmospheric story that will keep you hooked from the outset. Police procedure with commonsense,

a touch of romance. and often amusing.characters, this is an extremely enjoyable read,

Murder at the Mill by T. A. Belshaw is full of twists and turns.

It's the kind of book you cannot put down until you get to the end. Great story. Highly recommend.

January 1939 and twenty one year old Amy Rowlings, a machinist, is on the way to work at The Mill when she meets Detective Sergeant Bodkin at the scene of a burglary in the building next to the Mill, she is blissfully unaware of how much her life is about to change. She is drawn into the murky world of murder when the body of Edward Handsley is found lying on the floor of the clothing factory. Edward, the son of factory owner George is a libertine, philanderer, and a young man with a lot of enemies, many of them female. Bodkin is new to the area and accepts Amy’s offer to provide local knowledge but she soon becomes an invaluable source of information. When Adam Smethwick is arrested for the murder, Amy, a family friend, is convinced of his innocence and sets out to prove that the detective has arrested the wrong man.
A well written book which I enjoyed although Amy’s involvement did stretch my powers of belief at times, she certainly didn’t lack confidence! However I did like Amy who just couldn’t keep her nose out of things but her local knowledge did prove to be invaluable to Bodkin. Whilst I liked Bodkin he did seem to kowtow to Amy. There was also the budding romance between the pair & I look forward to it developing in future books. An entertaining cosy mystery which I read in a couple sittings, there were plenty of twists & turns & red herrings
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

This is a classic cozy. With a murder, lots of suspects and some romance thrown in. Cozy readers know not all cozies are equal. This is one of the good ones. Well written, good plot, some really nasty people and a very likeable heroine. I am hoping there will be a sequel.

A machinist at a local Mill, Amy Rowlings is an outgoing, friendly, idealistic girl who by chance makes the acquaintance of a police Detective as he is investigating a burglary. When the body of the Mill owner’s son is discovered, bashed on the head with a large spanner, Detective Bodkin is called back in to investigate and his friendship with Amy blossoms into cinema-going, pubbing and a bit of sleuthing on the side. When he arrests the wrong man for the murder, Amy is adamant that she will clear the accused’s name. Bodkin is somewhat free and easy with information about his cases, and he allows Amy to question some suspects, even to potentially put herself in harm’s way, which all seems a bit unlikely.
However, accepting this scenario as a given, the rest of the book flows quite well and the identity of the murderer is well concealed until the end. Unfortunately, the book itself contains spelling, grammar and formatting errors too numerous to count, which should have been polished out with a more thorough edit before publishing. Unfortunately, this interrupts the flow of the story, but it is still a simple, fun romance wrapped up in a clean, cozy mystery.

Meet Amy Rowlings - a machinist/sleuth/devoted daughter and friend.
Joining her in 1939 is Agatha Christie + Sherlock Holmes personified in fierce and feminine Amy Rowlings.

I like how Amy is strong and fierce and brave. She stands up for her dignity, has strong friendships, and knows how to ask for what she wants. Characteristics that are underrepresented in literature/history, but artfully done to show respect for the period in a very plausible way.

Fun, well written, and doesn't pander. An enjoyable read that shows that women could fit into society, have friendships, relationships, and a brain.

I found the beginning quite intriguing and the lead character, Amy, very likeable. Her strong family ties and relationships with family, friends and colleagues gave great context to why she was so approachable and why so many of those involved in these murder cases set in the 1930s confided in her, rather than in the recently appointed Detective Sergeant Bodkin. There were many twists and turns that did add depth to the story and keep the reader guessing.

However, as the story progressed , it all started to feel just implausible and complicated. I struggled to follow through to the end. It just didn't feel likely that the police would require such a detailed level of assistance in solving the case. I also think some of the raunchiness will not sit well with some readers, and they should be alerted to this content. There are also a number of abusive/unhealthy relationships. outlined in detail

I am feeling that I won't be looking to read the follow on novels in this series. Just not quite my cuppa tea.

With thanks to #Netgalley, Booksgosocial and the author for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

When a murder occurs at her workplace, an inquisitive Amy Rowling, with her natural charm and deductive prowess worms her way into the investigation. With a long list of suspects at hand, Amy and Det. Bodkin are hard-pressed to find the killer before the wrong person ends up in prison.

The book is off to a good start, with the author painting a pretty picture of the 1939 settings. Amy is shown to be a diligent girl who cares for those around her. But what started out as charming soon turned grating as she inserts herself more into the case, taking advantage of Bodkin's feelings for her. Bodkin, on the other hand, seemed like a weak-willed fellow who couldn't say no to Amy. I mean, where else do we have civilians conducting investigations on behalf of the police for fear of a suspect shutting down? And the parts where Amy DEMANDS that Bodkin 'sort out those MONSTERS at the police station right NOW' and Bodkin sharing case details with Amy just to get back into her good books...(shaking head)..seemed way too far-fetched bordering on unbelievable.

After struggling to finish this book for the better part of a day, I must say that my thoughts on this one are pretty inconclusive.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.