This was a very good cosy novel and I just slipped into the environment that the author created. For me it was a fun read and took me out of a cold wintery Feb afternoon.

Will be off to investigate more.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

A nice easy read in the vein of Richard Osman, The Trust a classic cosy whodunnit. I loved the setting, it had the elements of small-town Britishness,

This was a great easy read with a fair few laughs and lovely moments along the way. I wasn’t overly blown away by the writing but it was good enough for a quick “who dunnit” - I read the entire thing in one sitting. That should tell you enough and that I enjoyed it to be fair. Astrid was an interesting lead though I did feel that a lot of things just seemed to “work out” for her despite being landed in all this trouble and I found her getting over her 4 year marriage within a week or so a bit strange considering she thought it was perfect. I think that’s the main thing that felt a bit off for me BUT that being said a fun read!!

This was an enjoyable read. I liked the setting and the character of Astrid but the pacing felt quite slow with some random parts of the story that seemed to wander off. I love a cosy crime but this one didn't get me that excited.

Astrid Swift is an Art Restorer living in London in a fabulous apartment with her Husband. Simon and working in a job she loves at The National Gallery. Her life then gets turned up side down and she retreats to a childhood place in Dorset.

She decides she needs to find a job and is taken on at The Trust to restore a collection of art ready for a showing. We are introduced to other members of staff and the volunteers as well as the Lady of the manor who now lives in one wing of the property and is quite grumpy.

Astrid then finds a body in a well on the grounds and she ends up in sleuth mode looking into who the person was and what happened and why. Is it connected to The Trust?

Throw in a cheery new local friend, older feisty volunteers, a handsome moody boatman and a cost cutting career climbing female boss as well as a narky Lady of the Manor and this is a cosy mystery in deed.

An enjoyable romp.

M H Eccleston’s debut novel The Trust is an enjoyable cosy whodunnit packed with eccentric characters, twists and turns and red herrings Richard Osman and M C Beaton fans are going to love.

Astrid Swift’s enviable life in London comes to a crashing halt when she finds a gold bracelet in her eye-wateringly expensive city apartment that certainly does not belong to her. With her Prince Charming husband seeming to have been a rat of the highest order all along, Astrid realises that she will not stay married to a cheater, so she packs her bags and high-tails it out of London and heads to Dorset where, as luck would have it, a position at Sherborne Hall as an art restorer has just become available.

Astrid is looking forward to leaving her life in London behind and to settling into her new job and her new home. However, Astrid soon learns that life is far from quiet in the countryside and that Sherborne Hall is a hotbed of jealousy, intrigue, lust…and murder! When she had moved to Dorset, Astrid never imagined that she would find herself stumbling upon a dead body and with the whole community in shock and eyeing the newcomer suspiciously, she decides to get to the bottom of this case and do some sleuthing of her own.

As the bodies begin to mount up and the threat to Astrid’s life intensifies, she finds herself needing to use every gadget in her toolkit to unmask the killer – and save her own skin in the process.

Cosy mystery fans rejoice because there is a wonderful new writer you simply have to add to your must-buy list: M H Eccleston. The Trust is an absolutely terrific mystery that drew me in from the very first page and kept me guessing until the final earth-shattering twist.

Astrid Swift is a brilliant sleuth you just cannot help but root for and I am so thrilled that this resourceful amateur detective will be going on more adventures in the not too distant future.

A delightful treat for cosy mystery fans everywhere, M H Eccleston’s The Trust is clever, witty and simply sensational.

We're introduced to Astrid Kisner as her life as she knows it implodes - with the result that she finds herself fleeing London for a country inheritance that isn't what it seems. She takes a job working for English Heritage at a stately home they have recently taken over, and finds herself involved with a mysterious murder on-site.

This is a great light-hearted read - there is murder, intrigue, infidelity and betrayal but all used with a fairly light touch. There are elements which are quite predictable and some of the characters are a bit two dimensional, but overall I still found the story well-paced and enjoyable. Easy to dip in and out of and keep track of what's going on.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Love the cover on this one!

If I am not mistaken, this was M.H. Eccleston's debut novel, and it was a very impressive one indeed! It was well written and well paced. I loved the English countryside setting. The plot was cozy and entertaining and kept me guessing until the end. The book was packed full of quirky side characters. Astrid...was complicated. That's to say, I found her a bit annoying at the start of the book. I mean, who finds a dead body and right away without having met any of the local police, decides they will probably bungle it so she might as well investigate herself??!! That said, she quickly becomes a lot more likeable and by the end of the book I loved her character. Overall, this was a solid read and an entertaining first book in an ongoing series. I am looking forward to diving into book two!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I really enjoyed this in the end. The beginning was a bit meh, but then it picked up. A nice diverting read for a weekend.

The main character is just so... stock footage. Some enjoyable supporting characters and an ok mystery. I didn't guess the murderer but a lot of everything else was very predictable. A valiant first attempt but things just felt flat.

Astrid is an art restorer who lives a lovely life in central London, with her art dealer husband. It has a very flowery beginning and we hear about Astrid's expensive lifestyle and expectations, plus the fabulous holidays she has. We then discover that her husband is having an affair with her best friend (very cliched) and leaves her

Astrid gets a job at a National Trust property in Dorset where she has inherited some property her uncle has left her. There she meets a variety of characters who are all quite interesting (more than Astrid to be honest!)

She stumbles across a body while at work one day, and even though I have never found a body, I am pretty sure I wouldn't spend time going through the pockets but Astrid did!!

It was an OK read, if very far fetched.

When her husband leaves her, Laura Kisner flees to a sleepy Dorset village to live in the home she has inherited from her uncle. Discovering that the property left to her is actually a boat, Laura sets to renovating the boat and gets a job as an art restorer at the local English Trust stately home. What she doesn’t expect is to wind up in the middle of a murder investigation with her reputation, and possibly her life, on the line.

The Trust is a pleasant cosy mystery. It lacks any real depth but ticks all the boxes for the genre, with quirky characters and a quintessentially English setting. There are plenty of suspects and a thickening plot involving some fake artwork and Laura’s nasty ex.

The story has a good pace and plenty of light-hearted humour throughout. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a quick and easy but engaging read.

Interesting start, liked how the scene was set. Astrid is a likeable character and you become invested in wanting her to succeed. A modern crime story with a hint of thriller and a touch of family story as we discover her background. Astrid changes as the story progresses and the end with her husband is tense as you want her to make the right decision.

Just about 4 stars. Introduction to a new 'part-time sleuth' who sees the light when she inherits some property from her uncle. A satisfying plot set around a NT house and a rather picturesque Dorset village. A welcome and satisfying start to a new series based around Astrid Swift. Looking forward to book 2. Thanks to Netgalley.

This first effort at a reasonably light hearted mystery (a sort of Agatha Christie meets Agatha Raisin novel) gets a thumbs up from this reader. The setting is likely to be familiar to anyone who has spent time in the Poole/Swanage area. And is used to exceptionally good effect. The central ‘mystery’ hangs together tolerably well, with characters who are nicely drawn without too much resorting to tired clichés and the denouement is pleasingly sprinkled with poetic justice. It’s unlikely to win the Booker prize, but it will fill a few evenings without too much trouble and probably encourage you to read a little more than you planned.

I'm a huge fan of cosy mysteries, but this one unfortunately missed a mark for me.
It's very bland on every level, besides the setting - English Trust house (and this was actually the reason I picked that book ans which made me keep on reading).
The whole murder(s) plot is ridiculous, random characters dropping like flies, main character going into the forest with a random man because he tells her to, strangers becoming friends in minutes.
The romance is lukewarm at best, as there is zero chemistry between MC and the Love Interest.
Everything feels rushed and superficial, characters are one-dimensional and were more of caricatures than real people, the dialogues felt unnatural.
I had huge hopes for this one but I will not be picking up next books.

Fantastic story that offers lots of different threads in the writing. Astrid is a really likeable character and you can empathise with her journey.

Thanks to Net Galley and Head of Zeus for this ARC. I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem. Its entertaining and well written with a host of eccentric characters. Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Astrid is an art restorer at a prominent institution in London. She is married to the head of the department and they live a comfortable life until Astrid discovers her husband is unfaithful. Shocked to the core, she flees London for the countryside when she discovers she's inherited property in Dorset. Thinking she will lick her wounds in a beautiful countryside manor, she is surprised to find her property is a dilapidated houseboat on a muddy estuary.

This is a very good cosy mystery that is a quick and easy read. The mystery is interesting and I really liked the main character Astrid. She is smart, curious and the growth in her character throughout the book felt natural.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

The first in a series of mysteries and a pleasant enough read, the characters were entertaining and the settings realistic, a good start for the new detective on the block