Cover Image: Daggers at the Country Fair

Daggers at the Country Fair

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Member Reviews

A wonderful cozy mystery with strong elements of historical fiction. I have read the first book in the series as well, and absolutely love the author’s pace. The characters in the book are interesting, and colorful. The book is not for lovers of fast paced stories. It is based in the post war era, and is steadily slow paced. If cozy mysteries lighten your mood and brighten your day, this one is for you.

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Daggers at the Country Fair is the second Martha Miller cozy by Catherine Coles. Released 26th Sept 2022 by Boldwood Books, it's 246 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The first book in the series is also currently available on KU, and a third book is due out in late fourth quarter 2023.

This is a well written and whimsy filled historical cozy set just after WW2 in rural England.Village life seems to be settling down for "newcomer" Martha Miller, but she's as surprised as anyone when she's invited to open a village fair in a neighbouring village. When murder conspires to draw her and her charming "Watson", vicar Luke, the game is certainly afoot again.

It's a fair play mystery, and readers will enjoy evaluating the clues as they come along. The author is adept at providing background story, so although it's the second book in the series, it works fine as a standalone read.

Four stars, with two books extant and a third due out in late 2023, it would make a nice mini-binge or buddy read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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This is the second book in the Martha Miller Mystery series. They really are good old fashioned cosy mystery books and I loved the first one and this one was just as good, if not slightly better, as it felt like being back with old friends. Martha is a very likeable character and you can’t help getting behind her. If you haven’t tried this series yet I would recommend starting from the beginning. I hope there will be more in this series as I can’t wait to read what happens next to Martha and her friends. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for letting me read and review this book.

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Daggers At The Country Fair by Catherine Coles

Martha has to keep her relationship, with the Vicar Luke Walker, ac secret. The town would not accept it.

A pleasant novel. Poison at the country fair? Many twists and turns. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

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Catherine Coles delights cosy crime readers with the second Martha Miller mystery, Daggers at the Country Fair.

It’s 1947 and amateur sleuth Martha Miller is guest of honour at the Winteringham Country Fair after wowing the village with her crime solving prowess. This time around, Martha plans on doing nothing more strenuous than enjoying a lip-smacking cream tea and judging the dog show. Keen to further her friendship with Vicar Luke Walker, Martha does not think that there will be much call for sleuthing this time around. However, fate will end up proving otherwise as she discovers…

The local teenage femme fatale has been found dead behind the tea tent next to Martha’s red setter, Lizzie. Just who would want to kill such a young girl and why? Who would go to such lengths to keep their deepest and darkest secrets hidden? And which member of the Winteringham village community is responsible for this shocking murder?

Luke, Martha and Lizzie fully intend to get to the bottom of this mystery and they will not rest until the killer has been apprehended and justice has been served.

Catherine Coles writes fun historical cosy mysteries that are such a treat for fans of Agatha Christie and Father Brown. Daggers at the Country Fair is a gripping bucolic crime novel spiced with village gossip, intrigue, red herrings, period atmosphere and twists and turns readers will simply not be able to stop themselves from devouring in one sitting.

An irresistible cosy mystery I couldn’t put down, I cannot wait for the next installment of Catherine Coles’ fabulous series featuring the fabulous Martha Miller.

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I read both books of this series at different times of the year. I really enjoyed the calm feeling and the slightly different mind of the protagonist. Martha Miller is an ordinary woman who has had a hard life. Her tough life situation is better than some people's, which obviously means she cannot complain, but it is complex in its own right.
I would not recommend reading this book without having read the first solely because of the background story. The mystery itself is self-contained, and not knowing people from before will not hinder the enjoyment of that aspect of the plotline.
Martha solved the mystery in her own little town, and this has brought her some measure of fame. She has been invited to open a fair in a nearby town. She sets off with her trusty gang in tow. Her sister and dog, two older supporters and the man she has unwisely developed feelings for. The case begins as soon as people settle and we have a measure of all the players. When investigations into the death of a young woman develop, the ugly, selfish faces of people come to light. It was quite fascinating to see the change in Martha as she sees how people can be to save their own skins. The indignation and open expression are new for the character and are something to enjoy.
On the personal side, there is no hope for a happily ever after. The controlled display of emotions and the situation itself makes me want to read the next as soon as possible. It might be too much to wish for a resolution of Martha's husband's disappearance!
I highly recommend this series to fans of this genre.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

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Super disappointed in this one. I loved the first book. This one seems to have lost all of the delight and charm that made the first one so enjoyable.

I mean, I wanted to know “whodunit” and why, but it was a chore to get through unfortunately.

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i really wanted to love this book. it started out super fun and thrilling and then i just got kinda bored. i am so thankful to netgalley for letting me read this early!!

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The BRAND NEW instalment in the Martha Miller Mysteries from bestselling author Catherine Coles! It’s a great easy read, perfect for a holiday, a rainy Sunday or any other time you just want to escape.
Ultimately the book is riveting and left me feeling satisfied, definitely worth a read.

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Amateur detective Martha Miller is invited to open the Winteringham County Fair in 1947. She and her friend Vicar Luke Walker anticipate the dog show, food and fellowship. But their plans take a different turn when Martha's dog finds the body of a young girl. The local vicar, grocer and numerous other folks could be the murderer. Will Martha and Luke be able to solve the mystery?
I enjoyed trying to figure out the mystery. And Martha is tenacious yet kind as she unravels the puzzle pieces.
My heart breaks for the pain several characters experience, including unrequited romance, childlessness, abandonment, rejection, and grief.
While this book is the second in a series, the author does a good job of explaining the backstory. In fact, I'm really curious now and want to read the first book in the series.

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i really love these quick easy murder mysteries. They are good fun to read with some quick witted humour too.
This book was great full of busy bodies in the village ( just how we like it) who think they know everything but some secrets are not supposed to surface........... But could you murder to keep the secret hidden? and why?

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It’s 1947, and as recognition of solving a crime, Mrs. Martha Miller has been invited to open the fair at a neighboring village. No sooner than the fair is opened, then a young girl is found killed.

I have mixed feelings about this story. It was entertaining, but it felt like the author was trying too hard to establish the setting but yet misses other key details. While Martha is good friends with the Vicar Luke Walker with the potential to be romantically involved, Martha is still married. Only her husband had disappeared the year before, leaving for work one morning and never returning. There’s lots of gossip about Martha and Luke, but no mention of her trying to find her missing husband. Did she file a police report? Contact his work? Has anyone looked for him? Maybe all these details were covered in the previous book, but if feels like there should be a mention about them here.

However, the story was entertaining, great for reading on the beach or on a rainy day. Recommended.

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

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Ruth? Lizzie? Which is the sister and which is the dog? Good thinking on the author’s part to put a long character list at the beginning of the book for those of us who tend to mix people, and animals, up.

Slow through the first three-quarters of the book with no spark, humor, or interesting side notes. It isn’t until the end of the book that the who-done-it starts to pique attention -- a little too late since the culprit could have only been two people, and eventually, it occurred to you that one had no motive.

I enjoyed the first book in the series, Poison at the Village Show, but this second book had me questioning if I care what is in store for Martha Miller and Vicar Luke Walker from Westleham.

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My first book in this series and I feel a wee bit lost. I enjoyed it but I need to go back and read the previous books. Well written, well paced, and memorable characters with will keep the reader engaged and entertained.

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The second in the Martha Miller Mystery series sees Martha’s fame spreading, after solving a murder in her village a couple of months earlier, with an invitation to open the Country Fair in the neighbouring village of Winteringham. Despite being slightly baffled as to why she had been selected as guest of honour, Martha accepted and travelled to the village with her sister, Ruby and her friend, the handsome vicar, Luke Walker. The vicar of Winteringham was an old friend of Luke’s and he was glad of the opportunity to visit.

'Usually, the local gentry were asked to open village events. I was just a housewife from a small village. Who was I to open an event half the country would travel to attend.'

All was going well at the fair until Martha, alerted by her dog that something was amiss, discovered a body behind the tea tent. The victim, Helen, was the niece of Luke’s friend. Martha didn’t need too much persuading before they began to investigate. There are multiple suspects – Helen was a popular girl with the male population of the village – and several red herrings, which did keep me guessing. It also begs the question how well does one know those classed as friends, and to what lengths people would go to for something they wanted desperately.

This series is set just after WWII so attitudes and societal issues of the period need to be taken into consideration. There’s a definite spark between Luke and Martha but Martha is an abandoned wife and even if she was divorced a relationship between the two of them wouldn’t be tolerated by the church.

'Luke looked at me in a way I found disconcerting. It was a strange sort of mix between the way a parent looks fondly at a child, and a sad resignation. I wasn’t nearly brave enough to ask him why he looked at me that way — that would be a conversation that would not only stray towards inappropriate, but the answer was likely to be one I didn’t want to hear.'

I enjoyed the story, although perhaps not quite as much as book one, and wasn’t expecting it to end as it did. The main characters are engaging and well fleshed out. Martha has really come out of her shell since she was forced by previous events to interact with her neighbours. With rumours flying around the village about her husband and where he might be, she had kept very much to herself. I’m intrigued to find out how the Martha/Luke/Stan storyline will be resolved.

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It's 1947 and Martha Miller is living in the village of Westleham, a small village outside of London with her red setter, Lizzie. Married Martha makes her own gin but her husband has been missing for a long while. He went to work in the city but never returned home. To help pay the bills, Martha's younger sister, Ruby Andrews lives with her. Ruby is employed as a factory worker and Martha used to work for the Women's Land Army but now grows fruit and vegetables. It's time for the Winteringham village Country Fair and Martha is the guest of honour and will open the event, but why is a teenager, a local seventeen-year-old lying dead behind a tent?

I loved this second instalment - the continuation of this cosy mystery series by Catherine Coles, finding it tickety-boo! Martha's friend is the vicar, Luke Walker and he helps out Martha when they learn the victim is his old friend's niece, someone with a bit of a reputation. The terrific character cast as a whole contributes to the great amateur sleuth narrative. The historical timeframe, the small details and the feeling of post-war rural England all positively add to the overall tale. The plot and pacing are good and there's abundant fodder for future instalments. I'm excited about book three.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Boldwood Books via NetGalley.

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Martha Miller is enjoying her celebrity status as an amateur sleuth and is invited to open a fair in a nearby village. But she soon finds a body and is embroiled in another murder investigation...
Daggers at the Country Fair is the second book to feature Martha Miller and vicar Luke Walker. I have reviewed and enjoyed the first book in the series: Poison at the Village Show. The series is set in the south of England in 1947.
The gently blossoming romantic tension between Martha and Luke continues in this book and is a joy to read. The couple are both united and divided as they investigate but maintain the social norms. With regard to their relationship, there are mentions of gender stereotypes and expected behaviour norms which are outdated by odern standards due to the post war setting.
The case itself definitely involves stereotypes from the time. The victim is a young woman with a dubious reputation and had a string of married lovers. She is blamed while the men are blameless but who would have wanted her dead? This got my hackles up but was appropriate to the era the book is set in. Even Martha notes the discrepancy of the gendered behaviour expectations as she herself faces judgement about her errant husband and her potential new romance with the vicar.
There are plenty of suspects and motives so the plot maintained my interest until the end as I tried to figure out the truth. The range of characters all seem very authentic, committed to self preservation which made them difficult to empathise with and condone their behaviour.
Daggers at the Country Fair is a hugely enjoyable cosy murder mystery and I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.

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I love a cosy mystery and this was just perfect! I think Martha Miller might be my new favourite character! I love the relationship between Martha and Luke, though it does tug at the heartstrings as they obviously have feelings for each other. However, with Luke being a Vicar and Martha being married still, in post-war England a romantic relationship between them wouldn't be acceptable. I just hope they somehow find a way. There were so many great characters and with many of them being a possible suspect to murder it kept me guessing.
Just wonderful, I can't wait to go back and read the first book (though you don't need to to enjoy this book) and will keep my fingers crossed that there will be a book three soon!

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Enjoyable cosy crime set in 1940s, post war.

Martha Miller and her friend Luke investigate the murder of a young woman at a local fair.

The setting is very authentic and the attitudes of the time are very well portrayed. Also there is an unspoken attraction between Martha (whose husband has run off and disappeared) and Luke, who is a vicar.

There are a few red herrings along the way, until Martha does a Poirot style reveal by sitting the suspects in the room and revealing the killer.

3.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.

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How would I describe this book? Fun, quick and easy to read, it's a great who-dunnit and it has some mystery and crime going on it it.

It also has an historical aspect to it and is well paced, not to fast, not to slow! And although I haven't read the first book in this series I had no problem reading this one as a stand-alone novel. Loved the characters and the story,

This is a good, entertaining and cosy read and I quite enjoyed it and look forward to reading the first book and any future books in this series.

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