I’m thrilled that there is another book in the Dr. Nell Ward series, she’s a fab character who in this instalment is using her ecological skills to help find the murderer of the love rat, Jack Rafferty.
Kudos to the author who has delivered yet another excellent murder mystery and based on the ending … I look forward to book 4!
Thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for the opportunity to read an review an advance copy of this novel 😊

This is the third book of the series and the books just keep getting better. The way the characters have developed has been very enjoyable and they are likeable. The plot was intriguing and kept you guessing right till the end.This has been a very enjoyable read and I can’t for the next book.

Thanks to Sarah and NetGalley for allowing me to read A Mischief of Rats.
Despite the title being a bit daunting, this was a cozy mystery with suspects aplenty and some romance thrown in for good measure.

Ecologist Dr Nell Ward is due to meet her boyfriend, Rav’s parents during the weekend of the event.
However they are less than pleased that Rav has ignored their own matchmaking attempts.

The classic car event generates lucrative business for a number of people.
Having recognised an opportunity, Mark Reynolds, the owner of Reynolds Precision Engineering, is responsible for restoring Lucio Moretti’s gullwing with an electric engine, believing that if the car performs well in the event, it will generate commissions from the classic car enthusiasts who are keen to polish their eco credentials.
He is less than impressed by Jack Rafferty’s driving skills and is concerned that the gullwing will not perform well with Jack at the wheel.

When Jack is found dead in his car in a pond, it results in many more issues.
With the area due to undergo an environmental survey, Nell wades in to help Mai contain the damage caused by the crash.

The investigating officer is Nell’s cheating ex, DI James Clark. Tensions rise, only to be stoked further by Nell’s man eating cousin, Shannon.

A great continuation of the series. A fun cozy mystery. It took some time to hook me but once I started I need to know what was happening. Really hoping theirs more books coming it ends on a cliff hanger.

Dr Nell Ward's family is hosting its annual classic car event at their stately home. Nell is more invested than usual as she has an interest in a vintage car which has been restored and fitted with an electric engine. Unfortunately, the driver, Jack Rafferty, seems to be less invested than the rest of the team and more interested in partying and drinking and tabloid attention with his model wife. Meanwhile, Nell has invited Rav's family to the classic car show, hoping to to dispel their fears that she is a racy socialite (to be fair the two previous murders she has been involved in do give credence to their fears) who will lead their son astray.

Whilst multi-tasking helping out a friend take samples from a local pond, Nell makes a grisly discovery, Jack's flashy car has veered off the road and plunged into the pond. In addition, Nell notices Rav's younger sister's distinctive earrings on Jack's dashboard - was she in the car? Or was she somehow involved in the crash?

Nell's ex, DI James Clark, is also at the weekend car event with Nell's cousin and gets roped into investigating jack's death. But it seems he was universally disliked - its more like looking to see who didn't have a motive. Then James gets told that there is a separate investigation, centred around the car event, related to forgeries - do the two investigations overlap?

This series is growing on me, although I have some sympathy with the police suspecting Nell since she either finds the body or is closely connected with every case so far LOL. Also, Nel seems to be in mortal danger at least once (I think three times in this book) in every book which becomes a bit repetitious.

This series straddles the line between cosy mystery and police procedural. I will definitely look out for the next one.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this installment of the Dr. Nell Ward series. Like many amateur sleuths, Nell has the unfortunate habit of being followed by murder wherever she seems to go. Unlike others, her knowledge of ecology is vital to identifying the perpetrator.
The book moves at a good pace and keeps the reader engaged. This story takes place on Nell's family estate which is holding a large classic car racing event. It also happens to be the first time she is meeting Rav's family. Not ideal circumstances for her to caught up in a murder.
I read the book quickly and enjoyed it as much as the previous two. I would recommend it to others. Although it could be read as a standalone, knowledge of the characters, their backstories and events adds a further layer of enjoyment.

This series continues to be unique in its combination of cozy, British murder mystery (no graphic sex scenes! very little swearing! many descriptions of hedgerows and houses!) with ecological conservation, and for that I continue my general recommendation of the Dr. Nell Ward series. What dipped my rating from 4 stars to 3 stars (besides the general relationship drama which I do not find interesting) was including DI James Clark’s POV; he is Nell’s ex who cheated on her and I honestly don’t care about whether or not his relationship with Shannon is going to work out.

cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, eco-awareness, rural, ecologist, amateur-sleuth, entitled-attitude, environment, environmental, thriller, murder, murder-investigation, relationships, relationship-issues, relatives, country-house, wealthy, family-business, family-drama, family-dynamics, jealousies, soap-opera, paparazzi, England, ethics, extortion****

A fantastic classic vehicle race gets sabotaged by an egomaniac who winds up as the body in the bog. The man was a hound and amoral but pretty for the cameras. The mystery and resolution are quite well done. If you're into lives of the rich and famous you'll definitely enjoy this one.
I requested and received an EARC from Embla Books via NetGalley Thank you!

I’ve read the first 2 books in the series by this author, and enjoyed both, and this one was no exception, but sadly the ending ruined it for me as it left it on a cliff hanger. Personally I hate cliff hangers in books, because who knows how long it will be until the next book is published, and the reader has to try to remember what happened however long ago before they start to read the new book, so I would only rate this book as 8/10 for that reason. The mystery side of this book is as good as the previous ones though

I was happy to be able to read an advance copy of the 3rd book in this series thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I enjoyed the prior two books and was happy to reunite with the characters. Once again, the book was both a good mystery and the continuing story of the life of Nell, the main character. It was interesting to see how her work as an ecologist was crucial to a police investigation. My only complaint is that the book ended very abruptly and awkwardly. I look forward to future books in the series.

The latest in the Dr. Nell Ward series sees Nell spread thin as she manages her family's class car race, lends a hand in an ecological survey, tries to overcome the biases of her boyfriend's family, and deals with murder and fraud investigations that threaten all three. A fun read, but ends on a bit of a cliffhanger!

Thanks to Embla Books for providing access to a digital ARC on NetGalley.

I was so pleased to be offered an advance copy of this third in a series book by NetGalley and Embla Books, it was an enjoyable mystery with plenty of suspects and twists. Dr. Nell Ward (aka Lady Eleanor) involves us with a classic car race at her family estate. When a driver is murdered the author cleverly uses Nell’s science and ecological background to help piece together what happened. Her new relationship is at risk too as her partners parents, already not happy about her involvement in previous murders, blame her for their daughter being involved in this murder. I found the dialogue, thoughts and actions of the characters well written and very believable, and just as I thought all was happily resolved, the author added one more twist. I’ll be looking for book 4, and recommend the series be read in order to get all of the back story. They’re all well written books with interesting characters, a new favorite series.