Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village is a quick but enjoyable read. The illustrations, all in black and white with occasional pops of red, are as charming as they are coyly gruesome. The writing is meticulously wry, and while the humor is fairly consistent in tone and pacing, there are a handful of exceptionally funny bits sprinkled throughout. If anything, I'd say that the first section dealing with only the village was certainly humorous but felt a bit random, as though I was still waiting for some kind of punchline, but the second section with the manor and the people inside it is the real comedic heart of this book.

I didn't know what to expect going into Maureen Johnson's Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village, but what I got was a hilarious guide book that kept me laughing the entire time I was reading it. From the description of the characters and locations and events everything was comedic gold.

Let me start off by saying I will read anything Maureen Johnson writes, especially murder mystery books. When this title was released, I was thrilled. I received an ARC from NetGalley and it was...well I don't know what it was.

The book is an 'instruction manual' on how to not get murdered, as implied by the title. But, it really didn't have a point. It was supposed to be a comedy/parody but instead it was just words on a page with no cohesive point to it. There were some lines that made me laugh ("The Village Shop: It sells cheese, stamps, tea, and death" // "The Gardner: The roses are perfect because of all the people under them") but overall I didn't find it comedic and I think that took away from the point of the book.

Its divided up into sections that example how you could get murdered in a quaint English town.
Buildings and Spaces - places in town to avoid
Residents - people to avoid
Village Events - events to avoid
Rooms and Architecture - locations in buildings to avoid
People living in the Manor - household, guests, and staff
Manor Events - don't trust events the Manor hosts if you are invited

It was a cute outline and had the potential to be funny but it came off more dull than actually entertaining. Overall, this book was not what I expected. The phrase I kept thinking over in my head was "what is the point of this?" I'd recommend checking it out if you want a quick, 30 minute read with nice artwork, but perhaps save this for a book you ask your library to get and check it out from the library.

Thank you for the EArc NetGalley & Ten Speed Press. This was adorable. The illustrations were beautiful and there were a ton of interesting little details in each one. I laughed out loud a couple of times and I loved how it took me away to another place. I highly recommend reading this in bed on a rainy day with a good cup of tea. The only problem is it leaves you wanting more! Wonderfully done! #YourGuidetoNotGettingMurderedinaQuaintEnglishVillage #NetGalley

Maureen Johnson peels off the quaint cover that hides the murderous truth of visiting the English village. You have seen the BBC TV shows and want to visit a village yourself. Take Johnson's advice and stay far, far away so that you can keep reading and watching your favorite shows. Jay Cooper provides the illustrations of the locations, inhabitants, and scenes that Johnson sketches so quickly. I just wish that the duo would have ventured forth into the fields around the village and manor to visit the farmlands. A fun, quick read appropriately illustrated!

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this title!

This darling little book made me laugh out loud! It poked fun at all of the usual tropes of British murder mysteries in the most charmingly tongue-in-cheek way. Those illustrations just made it even more perfect and amusing. I showed our library director the blurb for the book on NetGalley, and she already has an order card filled out for it! I can't wait to see what the finished product looks like.

A delightful and witty read with clever illustrations. Would make a good gift for a cozy mystery reader.

This light, humorous book pokes fun at the conventions of cozy mysteries set in English villages. It's very reminiscent of Edward Gorey, but somewhat lacks his dark wit. The illustrations and text are amusing enough and the book short enough to justify the quick read, but it's a little too lightweight to be enduring.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.