I am a big fan of Katie Gayle’s previous series but I haven’t settled into the Julia Bird one the way I hoped despite Julia and her labrador being lovely characters. This one was particularly jarring for me. I struggled with the bullying of children as I found it triggering and the resolution flippant in the handling of both the bully and the bullied.

As Julia is a social worker, I find her behaviour incongruent with her history. I found the police’s response lacking. The perpetrator didn’t feel plausible to me either.

The writing itself is good and you may well enjoy this cosy mystery but just not for me.

4 Stars
One Liner: A comfort read dealing with a serious topic

Julia Bird is excited about the village fair at the Berrywick House. The day arrives, and Julia is enjoying the event with Sean on her side. However, the duo ends up discovering a dead body in a maze. The body belongs to none other than Ursula Benjamin, a math teacher at St. Martin’s and a prickly person to anyone who knows her.
This time, Julia is more than happy to let DI Gibson handle the case. But she can’t help it when her mind refuses to ignore the missing links. After all, she found the body and is involved in the case. With another death occurring in the next few days, can Julia find the killer before murder number three?
The story comes in the third-person POV of Julia Bird.

My Thoughts:
This is the third book in the series, and as enjoyable as the previous two. Julia Bird has settled into her village life with a chicken coop, vegetable garden, a part-time job, and her mischievous chocolate Lab, Jake.
This book blends the case and Julia's personal life. We see some developments in her interactions with her daughter, Jess. The reason for her resigning from her previous job is also revealed.
The story is compact (200 pages) and has a decent pace. With recurring characters doing their bit and Julia playing sleuth against her wishes, the case is settled to satisfaction.
What I particularly like in this one is the theme of bullying and its effects on people. Being bullied by schoolmates is one thing. But being bullied by a teacher? The damage can be severe. The book handles the topic with the right touch as required by the genre. It’s not surface level, but it is not too deep either.
Julia and Sean’s relationship is in the background, pretty much established for what it is for the time being. The focus is much on the case, which is a good thing, given the theme. There’s a small action scene in the climax to make it more interesting.

To summarize, A Village Fete Murder is a solid continuation of the series, and the characters are settling in real nice. There aren’t many laughs in this one, but Jake and Julia manage to bring out a couple of chuckles. And... do I sense the DI's story coming up?
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This was a fun English cozy set in the small villiage of Berrywick. Julia Bird attends the annual Village celebration that includes a cake contest. flower stalls. Tea stalls. and a maze. Julia bakes a cake for the highly competitive best decorated cake competition. One of the beautiful cakes accidentally falls to the ground and two rival competitors get into a heated argument over whether it was an accident or not. Julia and her boyfriend, Dr Sean O'Connor take their dogs for a walk in the maze and find one of the cake rivals strangled to death on a bench in the center of the maze. Julia does some investigating to help the police and learns the victim was somewhat of a bully and wasn't well liked. Things get dangerous when a second murder occurs. This book was a page turner that I couldnt put down! It had a good plot, well fleshed out characters, plenty of red herrings, and a cute Labrador dog named Jake. I was surprised by who the murderer turned out to be. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of cozy mysteries, and A Village Fete Murder by Katie Gayle is a favorite of mine. I love the Julia Bird Mystery series and this installment is probably my favorite. It’s time for the annual village celebration at Berrywick House and with all the festivities in full swing and Julia Bird is in the middle of it all. Ursula Benjamin, who seems to know all the happenings in the village, is in everyone’s business, and has entered the baking competition. She has been strangled by one of her competitors and Julia is running out of time to find out who the culprit is. She doesn’t want to leave the investigation to the police knowing full well that she must solve the case as soon as possible. But when there is another murder Julia must step up her game, put her detective skills to work and find who the murderer is before another festival attendee becomes victim number three.

This was a great who-dunnit and I loved the twists and turns throughout the entire story. The author kept me guessing who the culprit was and just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was another twist to the story. I am also a huge fan of Julia’s loveable Labrador Jake. He always has a nose for the story, and makes the story even better. I loved this installment to the fabulous Julia Bird Mysteries Series. This book can be read as a standalone but don’t pass up the other books in this amazing series. I highly recommend it.

Julia Bird plans to enjoy the spring village fete with Dr. Sean, her boyfriend. The day is going well until they find a woman dead.
The mystery is well done with twists you might not see coming. The murderer was disguised until close to the end. It was a good reveal.
I like how Julia’s critical thinking skills are helpful to Hayley, the Detective Inspector.
I like Julia as a main character. She is smart, mature and knows she is a bit of a busybody who can’t leave a puzzle unsolved.
Give the Julia Bird mysteries a try, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

A Village Fete Murder is the third book in the Julia Bird Mysteries Series and what a great story it is. This cosy instalment involves Julia finding the body of village no-it-all Ursula Benjamin during the village fete being held at Berrywick House. There are plenty of suspects for Julia to investigate and there are plenty of twists and turns to throw the reader off track. I have really enjoyed all the books in this series and look forward to more in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

I really enjoy Katie Gayle’s cozy mysteries and her protagonists. This is the third Julia Bird mystery – though it can be read as a stand alone – and I’ve read the earlier novels in this series. So much fun and well-plotted. Julia is a retired social worker who is smart and sensible and has a dog that is often getting into trouble. I love this type of small-town-in-England murder mystery!
thank you for my copy!

A good cozy with engaging characters, an adorable dog and a satisfying mystery. Julia Bird has developed something of a reputation in the village she recently settled in as a discoverer of bodies and an amateur sleuth. So it isn't a huge shock when she finds a body during the village fete. Of course she feels the need to investigate, though the local police aren't exactly thrilled.

I like Julia. She's down-to-earth and realistic in her attempts to settle into retirement in a new place after her recent divorce. Her divorce wasn't ugly but more uncomfortable as her long-time husband realized he was gay and had fallen in love. So, her life in upheaval she moved to a new place and try to figure out what she was going to do next. In comes a dog who provides plenty to her life, a volunteer job at the local charity shop and a proclivity for finding bodies and doing some amateur investigation. A maybe a new love interest, but that is a slow burn.

Another thing I like about this series is that the police are competent. Julia does provide them with some help but sometimes she is way behind them. There is even some collaboration at times.

An enjoyable series that I will be reading more of.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest opinion.

A village Fete, with competitive bakes
The last time for one of them to partake.
In the maze, Julia Bird is shocked to discover
A woman at the centre who'll never recover.

Living in an English village that's small,
It seems there's someone who knows it all
A Maths teacher, a baker and not nice, too,
Someone's had enough and decided what to do!

Julia is involved in this mystery once more
Unable to resist the evidence to explore.
At least this time the police know her well
Maybe she can help? Only time will tell!

Get ready for secrets of things from the past
Being shared and revealed at long last.
But even so, who did the deed?
They're trying not to be caught, Can they succeed?

Another engaging contemporary case
Which keeps you intrigued and goes at a great pace.
For my complementary copy, I say thank you,
As I share with you this, my honest review.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'A Village Fete Murder' by Katie Gayle.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Katie Gayle, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 27th January 2023.

This is the second book I have read by this author. It is also the third book in the 'Julia Bird Mysteries' series. I have also read the first book in the series 'An English Garden Murder' which I would highly recommend. This book can be read as a standalone.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'If you like utterly gripping English mysteries, then you’ll love A Village Fete Murder. Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands.' I am a huge fan of M.C Beaton and Faith Martin so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Katie Gayle and if this is even half as good as' An English Garden Murder'it is guaranteed to be a page turner. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 31 chapters. The chapters are medium to long in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in the Cotswolds, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 , UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited the Cotswolds on many occasions and find it to be an absolutely gorgeous place so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise any of the gorgeous settings.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists is Julia Bird. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.

This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions that leave you hearing the chickens clucking, Jake barking and it most definitely leaves you wanting cake!!! .The cover and synopsis suit the book perfectly.

Yet another fantastic success Katie Gayle congratulations!! Such an easy, fun cosy mystery that had me hook, line and sinker!!!

I absolutely loved reading this book which took place in such a stunning environment I felt like I had disappeared on holiday for the day. It was a shame it was only a day but that's how long it took me to zoom through the pages after not being able to put it down. I genuinely felt like I was in the storyline and I was devastated to come to the end and have to "unpack my suitcase". The storyline is multilayered with mystery upon mystery to keep the reader completely absorbed throughout without a moment to get bored. It was filled with murder, animals, mayhem, mystery, tension, twists, romance, friendship, cakes, mazes, twists and absolutely everything you could ever ask for in a cosy mystery. The fact that it was filled with animals, chickens and one Jake to be precise and included a book club was right down my street being a huge book and animal lover myself. This is yet another fantastic addition to this addictive series! ! I was not expecting the killer twist so a huge congratulations there!!! I have read so many books it seems to be getting harder and harder to shock me but you definitely managed it after leading me down the garden path several times!! This is an absolutely fantastic, page turning and fun cozy crime series that can be read in any order. I would love to see them all turned into movies and I cannot wait to get into Katie's next fantastic success!!!

Do not pick this up until you have cleared your schedules as you will not be able to put it down!!

Although this is the third book in the series I had would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

I am absolutely LOVED meeting Julia, Jake, Sean, Leo and everyone else who makes this cosy mystery series perfect the way it was again. I became completely invested in each of the characters and Katie and Gail portray village life and characters perfectly. I really clicked with Julia immediately who was a perfect choice for this cosy mystery. Julia has a habit of coming across bodies and then getting involved with trying to solve the mystery to the annoyance of her friend (for now 😂) and DI Hayley Gibson. I love the fact that Julia refuses to back down on her digging even though she now she will get in trouble!! She is such a strong female role model and I hope she manages to sort things out with her daughter soon. I also loved meeting Sean (007) again and find him to be such a true gentleman. I have loved watching his and Julie's relationship develop and I'm looking forward to watching it continuing to do so. DI Helen can be very grumpy at times especially when she has to tell Julia off for getting involved (several times) but it's nice to see her soft side come out too and watching the friendship develop between them. I am looking forward to meeting them all again in the next book in this fantastic series and seeing how all the friendship and relationships with the characters develop especially with the naughty but lovable Jake (definitely my favourite!!), Tabitha and Leo (a not so naught canine companion!) . Other characters who definitely left an impression on me include DC Farmer, Edna, Pippa and Flo and I'm looking forward to seeing what they all get up to in the not so distant future!!! A group of characters that jump out of the pages and I look forward to meeting time and time again. A fantastic group of unique and strong personalities!!

Congratulations Kate and Gail on an yet another absolutely addictive book in this absolutely page turning series!!! Here's to a fantastic and many more successes 🥂

Overall an addictive cosy mystery set in a stunning area that you won't be able to put down!!


Genres covered in this book include Cozy Crafts and Hobbies Mystery, Humorous Dark Comedy, Cozy Animal Mystery, Thriller, Cozy Mystery, Private Investigator Mysteries and Mystery amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin, Claire Chase, Verity Bright, Betty Rowlands and anyone who loves an addictive cosy mystery!!!


262 pages.

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle and £7.99 in paperback via Amazon (at time of review) which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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A Village Fete Murder is an exciting mystery.

Julia Bird has signed up for the local cake baking stall at the fete, when she goes away for a walk through the maze, her dog Jake finds a dead woman in the middle. Julia starts her investigating along side the police and helps to discover who the murderer is.

A gripping, mystery with great characters and a lovely setting.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Retired social worker Julia Bird is back, in "A Village Fete Murder," the third in the series. This time, Julia discovers the body of a local schoolteacher in the maze at the village fete, and uncovers some dark secrets that the community have been hiding.

Julia's retirement seems far from restful. She's not been in Berrywick long, and she's come across multiple murders. On the other hand, her sleuthing does help her meet new people, and she's fitting in to village life nicely otherwise. Jake, her boisterous Lab, remains as lively as ever, and her romantic relationship with local doctor Sean O'Connor is progressing.

It's nice to have a series where the protagonist is a bit older, but still vital and active. Julia does leap to conclusions a bit in this case, and I think she tests the patience of her detective friend Hayley a bit more than in previous outings. Overall, though, she's right more often than not, and her former career serves her well in dealing with murder suspects and neighbors alike.

What worked for me: older protagonist with a well-developed voice, naughty dog, believable characters, and good relationships
What doesn't work quite as well for me: Julia does interfere in the official police investigation perhaps a bit more than she ought, and some of her actions do obstruct the case, as well as infuriate the detectives.

4 out of 5 stars

I received an advance copy from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Commandant’s Daughter and The Pilot’s Girl are the first two books in Hanni Winter series by Catherine Hokin. In this third book, The Girl in the Photo, more of Hanni’s tragic story is told. The war is over, and Hanni was among countless people who experienced unspeakable horrors while trying to survive. Now married to Freddy, Hanni is excelling in her photography career.

Hanni and Freddy are at her first photo exhibit, and Freddy spies a photo of a young girl that takes him on a path of near obsession. Why? He tells Hanni that the girl, at about four years of age in the photo, is his sister Renny. Freddy is determined to find Renny, and this means returning to the concentration camp that holds terrible memories. Fred strongly believes that by returning to the Theresienstadt camp it could possibly be the successful first step in locating Renny.

As Freddy gets closer to locating Renny, Hanni is forced to deal with her painful past. Hanni has had very good reasons for not sharing the depth of events from her life of years ago with Freddy. In fact, this has led to Hanni having kept a huge secret from him. This is where this stellar read becomes heartbreaking, as Hanni is forced to reconnect with her father. What is worse is that she also crosses paths someone truly despicable from her past, and this could bring her life crashing down.

This amazing book had quite an impact on me as it tells a story that I will not soon forget. I imagine there might be one more book in the series. Lovers of historical fiction will get to know Hanni and feel her pain, all while she strives to hold onto a thread of hope as they read all three of these compelling stories.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please also enjoy this video book review - https://youtu.be/_HIOdRvQYb0

Julia Bird is still settling into her retirement and her new life in the small village of Berrywick in this third book in Katie Gayle’s series. This time Julia and friend Sean find the body of maths teacher Ursula Benjamin in a maze at the village fete. As usual, there are plenty of suspects and as usual, Julia is keen to help the police find the killer. A great series!

Favorite Quotes:

Julia always thought the term foolproof sounded like a challenge. She imagined rising to her full height of almost five foot six, placing hands on hips and saying, ‘Foolproof, you say? Well, we’ll see about that. You haven’t met this fool!’

‘Whoever heard of someone killing a person over a WI cake sale? … Having said that,’ Hayley said, in an almost apologetic tone, ‘I’ve seen someone killed over a parking space when I worked up North. And there was once an attempted homicide related to a pear tree– there was an axe involved.’

I’m wondering whether we should close the whole intelligence department and just have someone hang around the Buttered Scone for local intel.

My Review:

I have reveled in each of the three amusing and intriguing installments of this lively cozy mystery series. Much to the amazement of her fellow villagers, since Mrs. Bird’s arrival from London, their small village appears to have become a hot spot for homicide, with Mrs. Bird somehow always in the thick of it. And she has stumbled into yet again in broad daylight with a village fete being in full swing.

As with the previous two books, the crafty scribes known as Katie Gayle’s storylines were easy to follow as well as engaging, beguiling, and delightfully entertaining. The story threads were laced together with clever wry humor, brain and rib-tickling observations, perceptive insights, and uniquely quirky characters.

I hope Mrs. Bird has a long run as I simply adore her and doubt I will ever tire of her propensity to stumble into unusual situations and murders, or of her indomitable curiosity and inability to refrain from snooping. She just can’t help herself, she is a complete busybody. Luckily, she is also a smart and well-seasoned one.

The annual village fete at Berrywick House is underway & it’s Julia Bird’s first fete since moving to the village the previous year so she's thrown herself headlong into the festivities & a baked a foolproof chocolate cake. Whilst walking with her friend Dr Sean O'Connor & their dogs they enter the maze only to find a dead body in the centre. It seems Ursula Benjamin, has been strangled. Embroiled once again in a murder enquiry, Julia isn’t about to leave the investigation to the police. Like it or not, she’s involved, and she’s going to help them solve the mystery. But when there’s another death, and it’s clear the murders aren’t isolated incidents, the stakes become even higher
The third outing for retired social worker Julia & a well written entertaining cosy mystery. I love that Julia is in her sixties & is making a new life for herself, recently divorced & retired, she's moved to the village of Berrywick, got herself an adorable but mischievous chocolate Labrador, Jake, some hens & a new 'friend' Dr Sean O'Connor. She's nosy but also observant & loves helping the police & has formed a friendship of sorts with DI Hayley Gibson. There are twists, turns & red herrings before the murderer is caught & Julia is in the thick of it. I read this engrossing mystery in a sitting & look forward to more
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I think that authors known Katie Gayle have done a great job in developing this series as it’s not stereotyped, there’s a interesting cast of characters and the mysteries are solid.
Julia is realistic, is the woman you could meet at the gym or you would be happy to sit and chat with her. Her garden is part of my dreams and Jake is a lovely and quirky dog.
The village and the inhabitants are vivid and I can picture them in my mind as most of the characters.
The mystery is solid, full of twists and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I can’t wait to read the next story as I want to catch with these characters and travel to Berrywick.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookouture for this arc, all opinions are mine

A Village Fete Murder is Katie Gayle’s latest (January 2023) book. I do enjoy Katie’s books: both the Pip Bloom series and this series about Julia Bird, a social worker who has retired to a Cotswold village. This time, Julia and her friend, Sean, find the body. There are a few “Oh, it could be X” type moments before realising “No, it can’t be X because…”. I found the ending quite powerful but, equally, perhaps a little unsatisfactory because I’m unconvinced that the reader could work it out from a trail of clues, as with the best detective plots. Nonetheless, I do recommend this book as a “cosy” read.

As usual, Katie Gayle has absolutely nailed the voice; the mannerisms; and – I don’t know what to call it – the ambience (?) of a lady in their late fifties / early sixties. Don’t get me wrong: this is emphatically NOT about a Miss Marple-type old lady crocheting and opining from her rocking chair. Julia is a modern woman: quite happy to start a new relationship with a handsome local GP; perhaps sign up for keep-fit classes; and to split a bottle of wine with a friend.

Several characters are developed a little bit further: DI Hayley’s impatience is emphasised; Julia’s relationship with Dr Sean develops to the extent that they hold hands and are happy to be acknowledged as, perhaps, “very good friends”. Julia’s relative newness to the village is also mentioned – that’s good, as, again, it moves her away from the “Miss Marple? Oh, she’s lived here for ever” stereotype. I like my characters to develop in time, rather than being like Billy Bunter, in the same year at school from 1908-1958.

Although newcomers to the series will probably enjoy this novel, I’m inclined to think some aspects might be a little puzzling and I would strongly advise them to read the other two books in the series first as this third book will then be more enjoyable.
#AVillageFeteMurder #NetGalley

Although the weather outside is cold and grey in real life, in A Village Fete Murder by Katie Gayle, it’s spring in Berrywick and smack in the middle of fete season.

This is the third cozy crime novel featuring retired social worker Julia Bird who seems to keep finding herself embroiled in murder – although she is trying to make a new, peaceful life for herself in the country, she can’t help getting caught up in solving the crime!

Once again, the writing partnership of Kate Ridley and Gayle Schimmel have created a gripping murder mystery, in this case seemingly involving bullying at a local school, that has plenty of twists and red herrings.

You can just see the conflict within Julia as she feels compelled to look into the murder – especially to help a young man who seems to be wrongly in the frame – while trying to mind her own business and concentrate on the life and friendships she has built in her new life. That is really well put across in all of the novels but lucky for us, Julia just can’t help but get involved!

I thought the premise of bullying within a school’s really well put across – and not in the way you might think – and it’s handled quite sensitively when we hear from some of the victims. It’s a very current issue I think.

There are some nice explorations of characters from the previous novels, whose involvement is more than it first appears and – of course – that lovely, naughty dog, Jake is back as Julia’s steadfast companion.

Having read all the novels, it’s been great to see Julia develop in her country life, and form friendships and relationships in Berrywick so, although the murder plots are first class, it’s this very human side to the books that makes them.

A cosy murder mystery, a cosy village and the cliché village fair. This is a cosy read and I really enjoyed it. I love the connection to food, the mystery of the murder in the maze, the victim Ursula Benjamin, village know-it-all and of course the Julia Bird is there to solve the crime!

This is a fun read, very entertaining, quite the perfect setting and a maze. A great mystery, a great setting and a tasty read. I look forward to seeing what comes next in this series.