This was the start of a new cosy mystery series (I actually didn't realise it was book one as I felt there was a lot of detail mentioned that may have been in a previous book)

Alexi and her feline company (who thinks he's a superior human being) Cosmos pack up their life in London after being let go from her high flying journalist career to visit her oldest friends in the country and whilst their she's turns PI to investigate the disappearance of a local lady who has vanished and it's in this quest she joins forces with Jack a real PI also on the trail of the missing woman.

I started off by enjoying the book but then found myself struggling to stay engaged and focused as it felt a bit long winded and drawn out. I'm a big fan of an amateur sleuth but this one didn't have all the magic for me.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Alexi, betrayed and emotionally bruised, has let her flat and packed her belongings and her cat, Cosmo, in her car and headed towards the hotel her best friend and husband run in the countryside. She discovers her friend Cheryl is upset because another friend has gone missing and no one but Cheryl seems to be worried. She asks Alexi to use her investigative reporting skill to find out what happened. As it turns out, there is another person trying to find Natalie, a former Met cop turned PI, Jack. Alexi and Jack join forces in an uneasy partnership and what they dig up is shocking.

It turns out Natalie has some serious skeletons in her past and one of them may have turned deadly. She has been wronged and she is hell bent on revenge but someone is more ruthless than she imagines. What follows is a good mystery as Alexi and Jack peel back the layers of deceit. While Natalie may have used questionable methods, she did not deserve her fate and the two are determined to find justice for her. The way they do is quite satisfying for both the characters and the reader.

I was pulled into the story and really liked the characters and their chemistry. It is the start of a new series. I am looking forward to seeing where it goes. Five purrs and two paws up.

⭐️Rating: 4/5
✍🏼Author: E.V. Hunter
📖Genre: Mystery

::My thoughts::
It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a good crime story and this book did not disappoint. I loved the banter between Alexi and Jack and thought this was an overall great read. This cozy mystery was a page turner as Alexi and Jack partner up together to find out what happened to Natalie. I look forward to continuing this series and reading more from this author!

Newly redundant journalist Alexi Ellis has ditched her rat of a boyfriend, rented out her London flat and retreated to the horse racing village of Lambourn in Berkshire to reassess her life under the care of her old best friend Cheryl and her husband Drew at his family home of Hopgood Hall which they have turned into a boutique hotel, although that description may be a little questionable right now due to an influx of local jockeys and stable boys to help pay the bills. The couple tell her about their friend Natalie who has gone missing and their worry that she has met someone dodgy on the dating website she recently joined, maybe a man after her money, and Alexi just cannot help investigating. She soon runs into private investigator Jack Maddox, a former Met detective and brother of the Racing Hearts Dating Agency owner Katie who has also asked him to find Natalie. Two heads are better than one, even if they’re not quite sure they trust each other at the start. Further investigations reveal Natalie has a murky past so could this be the reason for her disappearance or has she herself been up to no good? And will they find her alive?
This step away from revenge thrillers into the world of cosy mysteries works very well for this author, and the absolute star of the book simply has to be Cosmo, the still pretty feral and incredibly large cat who inspires hero worship in Toby the terrier and mortal fear in anyone he takes a dislike to. The main characters are easy to picture and take to very quickly, and each one brings their own skills to a new partnership which I hope will see many more investigations for Alexi, Jack and Combo. 5*

A Date to die for

A very quick easy read. Alexi Ellis has spent her career working her way up the corporate ladder only to be laid off. Something her partner was aware of but kept quiet. So, with major changes in her life, she goes to stay with a friend who owns a hotel. Instead of taking a relaxing break to lick her wounds, Alexi investigates the disappearance of a local businesswoman. Cosmo, her cat, and a local PI.

This is the author's first book and the first Hopgood Hall mystery. This cosy mystery story was enjoyable to me. I'll definitely keep an eye out for more stories in this series.

#NetGalley #bookstagram #bookreview #goodreads #booktok #booktour

Book Tour 7th February

This was a great cosy mystery that had loads to uncover. Natalie, our missing lady, has the most secrets of any character I’ve ever known! Alexi and Jack seem to spend most of the book learning more and more about her with every person they speak to, and not all of it good.

They make a great investigative pair, and I look forward to reading more about them as the series progresses. I loved the writing style of this book, and it seemed to go on and on - it certainly felt longer than its 270 pages and I mean that in a good way.

An easy to read mystery that definitely gets your brain working, I had no idea who it was or what had happened and was surprised how it all came together at the end.

Loved this first entry in a brand new series by E.V. Hunter. Two very strong characters in journalist Alexi and ex-cop/Private Eye Jack, and then there’s Alexi’s cat, Cosmo, who is definitely a character! Jack & Alexi join forces to find a missing woman and form a great team. A great plot. I can’t wait for the next book!

I really enjoyed this. I love a good cosy crime thriller and I found Jack and alexi a perfect partnership. I got into this book really quickly and enjoyed the chemistry between the characters. I can not wait for more from these two.

Alexi Ellis has spent her career climbing the ladder only to be made redundant. Something her partner knew about and kept secret. So with huge changes in her life she goes to stay with her, hotel owning, friend. Rather than the relaxing break to lick her wounds Alexi looks into the disappearance of a local businesswoman. Helped by her cat Cosmo and local PI (who’s easy on the eye, just fyi).

This is the first book by this author and first Hopgood Hall mystery. I enjoyed this story, a cozy mystery. I will definitely look out for future stories in this series.

Great book no cliches or tweeness!
Alexi is a journalist visiting her closest friends at their hotel. Whilst there the lady they water the plants for sporadically disappears. The journo in her sets her senses tweaking and she starts to investigate with her gorgeous cat. She meets Jack an ex cop who is also looking for answers because of Alexis’s investigation.
They join up together and seek answers.
This is a good book, lots of plot twists and turns.

Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I just finished reading A Date To Die For and have to say……I LOVED IT!
The story line captivated me right away. I read the book in one afternoon as it was that engaging, intriguing and entertaining. I am hoping this is the first in a series.
I loved the main characters, Alexi and Jack. I can’t wait to see where the author takes their relationship.
I loved Cosmo the anti-social feral cat.
The mystery that Alexi and Jack get involved in is full of suspense, secrets and lies. You are kept guessing right up to the end.
Definitely recommended!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and author, E.V. Hunter, for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Lots of twists and turns with a more darker more sinister plot than most cozies. A solid well written mystery that will keep you guessing. Thanks # netgalley and # BoldwoodBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Natalie, the local flower business, is apparently missing. Alexi has been made redundant from a high powered journalistic job in London and heads to the country to stay with some old friends. Jack is an ex police detective now in the country working as as private investigator. She is asked by the friends to investigate Natalie; he is asked by his sister, who runs an on-line dating agency, to investigate Natalie. Natalie is not quite who they all thought she was but it takes a lot of team work, using their various sources, to investigate - ably helped by Alexi's magnificent and majestic enormous cat, Cosmo. He is the star. We have historic child abuse, coercive behaviour, horse dealing and internet-dating, Twisty plots but good investigations by people who feel real and not over the top. A good start to the series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

A Date to Die For proves to be an absorbing and immersive murder mystery written in a cosy crime style. It has two likeable amateur sleuths, an enigmatic cat and a twisty mystery with disturbing and poignant elements that make this darker than the usual cosy mystery. Alexi is a disillusioned investigative journalist, and Jack is an ex-Met detective, now a private investigator. They quickly move from acquaintances to friends with frissons of romance. The mystery is well-written and full of surprises, all cleverly resolved suspensefully. It's an engaging read that offers escapism and interactivity. I like the characters, the setting and the complex mystery.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

What a good book! It’s book one in what I’m assuming will be a series. It’s fairly fast paced with Alexi and Jack racing to find out what happened to Natalie. It’s a good mystery and kept me guessing. Definitely looking forward to more in this series. I loved Cosmo too, he was awesome!
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources for the early copy

A Date to Die For by E V Hunter is a fast-paced, modern-day cosy mystery.

The two main characters, well three if we include our side-kick, Cosmo, the cat, are well-sketched. Alexi has run away from her old life in the city to her friends in the country. Jack already has a new life in the country. They're both city bods, suddenly faced with the world of equestrian shenanigans; one a journalist and one an ex-police officer working as a private investigator. And Cosmo, is well, Cosmo. He's an unusual cat who likes to travel and has no problem being on a leash.

The author has such an engaging writing style. I actually couldn't believe how quickly I read the pages, the mystery burbling away as the point of view switches between the two main characters so that the reader gets to know them and begins to unravel the mystery of the disappearance of Natalie, the woman who ran a local flower delivery company, but who hasn't been seen for days.

Events take a slightly darker turn as the story progresses. The mystery itself is well-developed, and while there is one particular scene that might have every reader shouting, 'No, don't do that,' I found the resolution to be satisfying and twisty enough that I'd never have guessed it.

A twisty, tightly-plotted cosy mystery, with a fabulous writing style. Very enjoyable.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

I haven't read a book by this author before and I have been missing a treat. Really enjoyed this book, great characters especially Cosmo inspired writing. The story was fast paced and engaging throughout, believable ending hopefully with scope for a sequel. Thank you netgalley for the advanced copy

3.25/5 stars! Cosmo is fabulous and I love a good pet sidekick. Alexi is trying to have a little break from her hectic life as an investigative journalist, but that's not meant to be. When she arrives at Hopwood Hall, there is a mystery to be solved. It was an interesting premise but the payoff was a little bland for my tastes. There were a few interesting twists and turns, but I didn't feel super drawn to Jack or Alexi, which made the storyline suffer.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

A very good read, a new author to me but one I could enjoy reading, I look forward to reading more in the future

A Date To Die For by E V Hunter is a contemporary cosy crime that I read in just one sitting.
The characters were all well drawn, likable and realistic. The leading pair made quite a crime-busting duo – the private investigator and the journalist, accompanied by a very savvy cat called Cosmo! Cosmo has a nose that sniffs out the good and the bad. He turns from a purring fluffball to a hissy, bitey machine in an instant. Cosmo’s presence brings warmth and realism to the tale. The human pair also have noses for a crime, knowing just what questions to ask and where to look, and the tenacity to keep going.
Unfortunately, we witness generational patterns of behaviour that seem doomed to repeat. Those in positions of power and responsibility abuse it.
Friends are important. They look out for, and help, each other.
A Date To Die For would make a fabulous early evening television series. I really enjoyed it and look forward to much more from E V Hunter.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.