An unusual start. Not many people have a child come up to them and ask if they killed their parents, buts that's how Millie's life seems to go. After her face appearing in the tabloids everyone in her home town recognise her - locally she's more infamous than famous. She helps out at a Care Home as a volunteer and when one of the residents reports seeing someone fall from a roof she, at first puts it down to old age, but is it? This leads her to work with her nemesis who helped give her a bad name in the first place.

Really enjoyed it. Funny, heartwarming and well written.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

A resident at a nursing home tell Millie that she saw a woman pushed off a roof, Middle set of to find out if this is real. A good light read, the first of a series. Good characters well plotted. Looking forward to the next book.
I received this book from Bookoutre and Netgalley for a review.

The One Who Fell by Kerry Wilkinson is the first in the Whitecliff Bay Mystery series and it does not disappoint! It introduces Millie who is a woman with a past. This includes everyone in town thinking she murdered her parents.

Millie is a dog groomer who volunteers at the local nursing home. One day a resident tells her she saw a girl that was pushed off the roof of a local house. She believes her and sets off to find out for herself what happened. Along the way she gets help from a retired reporter that she learns was friends with her father.

The story flowed and held my interest until the end. I had to keep reading to find out was there really a girl who jumped or was pushed? Did Millie kill her parents? What secrets was Millie hiding?

I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes cozy mysteries.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced copy!

Millie volunteers at a nursing home and one of the residents tells her she saw a woman being pushed off from a roof nearby. Is this resident seeing things? Is it real? Millie goes on the quest to find out if it really happens. It is a bit of a mystery book and kept me engaged from the beginning. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published April 2023.

Having read a few of the Jessica Daniel’s novels, I was expecting something a bit harder edged and darker. Instead Kerry Wilkinson has successfully pulled off a change of direction with this cosy crime drama. No one gets murdered and, while there’s a genuine mystery to be solved, this novel is as much about the characters trying to solve it as the crime that’s been committed. Millie, the central character, is hardly the archetypal sleuth. She is a middle aged woman with a very chequered past and is suspected by the locals of having killed her celebrity parents. Her character is intriguing and, whilst we learn a lot about her, I look forward to reading the sequel to find out more. All in all, this is an entertaining and relatively undemanding read and represents a promising start to a new series.

this was a pleasant read. I am not sure of the characters and the ending was a bit weak but I will definately read the next book. I did not like the secrets that are not explained until the end. I woul reccommend.

3.7 Stars
One Liner: An intriguing start to a new series

Whitecliff is your typical seaside small town where everyone knows everyone and everything is everybody’s business. Millie Westlake volunteers at the local nursing home as a way to avoid her past and the suspicions that cling to her like a second skin. Her parents died a year ago, and people think she killed them. What’s more, Millie has to deal with personal issues too.
However, when Ingrid, an old lady from the nursing home, tells Millie that she saw a young girl being pushed off a roof, Millie doesn’t know what to believe. Something urges her to find out more, and soon she comes across a few things that can be counted as evidence.
This puts Millie in danger, and with most of the town against her, can she find the truth about the young girl on the roof? What about her past that she doesn’t want to think about? Is Millie strong enough to handle the truth?
The story comes from Millie’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
This is a slow-burn mystery with more focus on the central character. Mille is intriguing and complex, with flaws, vulnerabilities, and secrets.
Gus is another interesting character. His passion to tell people’s stories and his complicated relationship with Millie and her parents makes him an almost secondary character in the book.
The small town setting is darker and feels oppressive. It suits the plot and the characters. The underlying tension, the secrets, hints of violence, and the narrow-minded attitudes of people seamlessly oven into the narrative.
The mystery itself is weak. It starts out strong, but the reveal and reasons aren’t emphatic. It doesn’t help that the characters themselves say things like it was a miracle so and so happened. It feels like taking an easy way out to deal with the mystery.
However, the mystery also feels like a subplot, something to take the main story ahead and establish the character arcs. It helped to know that this is the first book in the series, and the next two are also available. I could readjust my expectations and read it more as an installment rather than a standalone. (It can be standalone, though my curious nose will never be satisfied unless I know more.)
The supporting characters, especially Jack and Rish, are sweet and just as flawed. The other side characters aren’t fully developed yet but show promise. The pacing is decent; slowish in the first half but medium-to-fast in the second half.
I like that there aren’t a bunch of suspects or the routine amateur sleuthing. Though Millie does get into trouble for being impulsive, it doesn’t happen until the climax.

To summarize, The One Who Fell is a good start to a series, and I am curious to know more. It is a cozy mystery, albeit slightly dark. So dark cozy mystery, maybe?
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I have read and enjoyed all of Kerry Wilkinson's Jessica Daniels books, which I felt were grittier than this one which I would classify more as a 'cosy' mystery.

I did enjoy getting to know the main character Millie, she is ballsy and stands up for herself, but I think she has many more layers to be unwrapped which I hope will be revealed in future books.

I was not blown away by the plot of the book, as I felt that there weren't enough characters to be suspicious of meaning I guessed the ending of the book.

Having said that, I did like the setting of the book and the introduction to some of the residents of the town. Going forward I'd like to get to know both of these better as I felt in this book the town and its residents were a bit brushed over at times.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The One Who Fell, the first novel to feature dog groomer Millie Westlake, set in the fictional English seaside town of Whitecliff.

When Ingrid, a resident of the nursing home where Millie volunteers, tells he that she saw a young girl being pushed off the roof of a nearby house Millie believes her, after all she is the victim of considerable gossip and innuendo herself and knows what it’s like not to be believed. She starts to investigate and soon realises it might be dangerous.

I enjoyed The One Who Fell, but it’s quite a change of direction for the author from gritty to cosy. There is no murder, instead there is a gentle mystery, some strong characterisation and a large dose of serendipity and then there’s the sightings of a large cat.

The novel is told from Millie’s point of view, which gives the reader continuity in the story and an insight into her character. She’s a strange one. Her parents died a year earlier and suspicion that she killed them swirls around her. If she did she’s not admitting it, but she’s also not selling up and moving away like anyone sensible would do. Instead she lives in the house her parents owned and does a bit of dog grooming when she can find clients willing to trust her. I see potential in her character as she’s smart, inquisitive and good with people, but after this one novel I couldn’t connect with her life decisions.

The plot is as much about Millie as it is about the mystery, which is a gentle stroll through various potential sources in an effort to find out who the girl is and what happened to her. It’s not taxing in the slightest, but it is entertaining, especially with the running gag of big cat sightings. Could these refer to Millie’s truth - dark and elusive? Probably not, as the novel doesn’t feel profound enough for metaphors.

The One Who Fell is an easy read that I can recommend.

I have read a lot of Kerry Wilkinson books and enjoyed them all especially the Jessica Daniel series so was looking forward to reading this. I wasn’t disappointed, a good storyline with several red herrings to throw you off the scent and I wasn’t expecting the ending. I thought it was more like a cosy mystery but I still really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of The One Who Fell by Kerry Wilkinson.
I’m a big fan of Kerry Wilkinsons books especially the Andrew Hunter and Jessica Daniel series, so was really excited to read the first book in the Whitecliff Bay Mystery series, it certainly didn’t disappoint its not quite as gritty as his other books more of a easy read mystery which I loved, I really enjoyed getting to know the main characters which are really likeable and relatable once I started reading it had me hooked till the end, can’t wait to get stuck into the next book in the series.

Millie volunteers at the nursing home; when one of the residents comes to her and tells her they saw a girl being pushed from a roof, Millie takes it upon herself to scout out the area. However, it isn’t long before a second resident saw something similar and Millie knows this cant be a coinsidence. But with her past leaving her with the town talking and he reputation on a string she might have to work through her demons to be able to move forward.

Wilkinson writes a great main character with a lot of in-depth background, I did find this narrative quite slow but liked the style of writing and the intrigue in every chapter. Wilkinson gives us small snippets at the end of each chapter to keep the reader going and wanting to find out what happens next.

This is a great start to a new series.

Thanks to netgalley and bookouture for letting me review an early copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book, i am a big fan of this author.This was a proper good old mystery with a very unlikely couple working together.
Millie lives in whitecliff, and everybody thinks she killed both her mom and dad., did she do it????? Millies marriage fell apart after she had an affair with an mp, what drove her to it? Has alex got secrets???.Millie works as a volunteer at the local nursing home, where her friend jack works.. Two residents say they saw a young woman either she jumped or was pushed off the roof. Are they making it up?? Who is it? Millie joins forces with guy a journalist who was her fathers best friend before they fell out. Together ,can they crack the mystery and untangle the secrets that are hidden in whitecliffe. Great read,, lots of twists, highley recommend onto book 2

I love a new series, I love a new series even more when it's by a favorite author.
An interesting read, this felt more of a cozy mystery a little different from this authors other series. But... It was still a real good read. It still had some of Wilkinson's Humor throughout the book. It was a book that still had you wanting to know what was going to come, wanting answers as to what had Millie done that had people suspicious of her.
This story kept my interest, its made me want to read the next installment to see what it has to offer. To see what happens with the characters in a town like Whitecliff where everyone knows everyone. Where everyone thinks they know everyone's business.
This is a great start to a new series, a real easy read that I got through in no time.

Wow...what a fantastic start to a series. A great story that grabbed from page one.
I look forward to reading more in thus series.

I feel a little bamboozled. I was expecting a mystery/thriller, but I got a cozy mystery. This was definitely advertised wrong.

A young girl falls from a roof. Was she pushed? Who did it? This novel of mystery and mayhem moves quickly. The characters are realistic, and even though there is the hint of intrigue, it reads like a story of finding one's self. There are numerous red herrings that throw the reader off the case. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. I enjoyed this quick read. Thanks to the talented author and the publisher. Enjoy.

From page 1 was into the story, i wanted to know more about Millie, why and how her parents died and why the whole town thinks she killed them?
As usual Kerry Wilkinson writes totally believable characters and just enough of them to know who they are and instantly recognise them.
Great story with an ending i was not expecting.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.
I cannot wait to read the next in the series.

Millie volunteers at the local nursing home to escape from all the rumours about her around Whitecliff. One day one of the residents, Ingrid, tells her how she saw a woman being pushed off a roof. Is she just confused and imagining things? Millie can't help but believe Ingrid and sets out to find evidence to support the story and find out what is going on. But as it starts to look like someone is following her, she can't help but wonder if she could be in danger. Can she solve the mystery before it is too late?

I loved this first entry to the series and can't wait to read the next one. The story was captivating and thrilling, and I couldn't stop turning the pages until the end. Brilliant!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

I really enjoyed this book. A different change to what I like. Kept me invested in the story though
I love this author.
4****