A cozy mystery set in the Cotswolds in 1924, in a quaint little village full of gossip and now also ... MURDER!
The lady of the house has been murdered - with cyanide nonetheless - and Arbie Swift finds himself in a sleuthing position, together with the vicar's daughter Val. The two youngsters act under the watchful eye of the local detective and they uncover clue after clue in search of the culprit.

All in all, it is a very nice cozy, ticking all the boxes required in the genre: a sleepy village, the manners and etiquette of the upper classes, adorable characters, funny dialogue and a locked room mystery. What's not to like?

Although very well written, this is no grand literature but in its genre it is perfectly well done and a welcome distraction from more serious books.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley, HQ Harper & Collins and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Good cozy mystery.

It was very entertaining and slow at the same time. I was expecting a bit more from this book but it fell a little flat. I mean come on you're solving murder and dealing with a ghost! nonetheless, the book was a nice read.

Thank You to Faith Martin for the digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

This is a book that I feel falls into the category of ‘cosy crime’. It wasn’t gory or violent in any way which may also be reflective of the time in which the story was set. An elderly lady is murdered after seemingly being ‘haunted’ by a family ghost. A young man enlisted to look for the ghost goes on to solve the murder. There was some clever misdirection in the story and until the end I was convinced it was one character which proved to be a false impression. A good read, but a little slower than I like my crime to be.

This is a lovely cozy mystery and what I hope will be the start of another historical crime series to enjoy.
Friends Albie and Val are tasked with helping Amy when she fears she is being haunted, is it by a ghost as some would have her believe or someone more solid? Albie has become somewhat of a ghost expert after he mistakenly wrote a tongue in cheek guise to ghost hunting and Val is keen to escape the drudgery of life as the vicars eldest and unmarried daughter.
Some good characters and a healthy dose of old English charm with a decent story.
Happy to recommend to those who enjoy this genre.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

An advanced copy of this book was sent to me in return for an honest review.

This was a very different type of book to what I’ve been reading. It was set quite a long time ago and it showed how different the English language is these days! I really liked the way that the story flowed. It was a classic whodunnit. I didn’t actually think it was the character that did do it. All the characters seemed well written but you don’t then hear about a couple of them at the end. Their reactions, what happens next etc. It was a jolly romp. I would definitely read a follow-up, if there was one. What ho!

Arbie, an ironic writer of ghostly lore in the Costwolds, and Val, his school friend from days gone by, try to solve a local murder. Was the perpetrator a ghost, or a human with a grudge? I couldn't quite get into the prose on this so it was a bit of a slog, but the plot points of the murder/s themselves kept me interested enough that I had to finish! I learned quite a bit of science with this one. I kept waiting for something to happen between Arbie and Val, but maybe that's saved for subsequent books - I can definitely see this being first in a series. There's quite a bit going on that seems outside of the crime at hand, which felt like a setup for additional books.

Did I love it? No. Did it hold my interest enough to finish? Yes. It reads a bit like an old-timey cozy mystery.

A classic murder / mystery set in the era of a time when a certain Mrs Christie was coming to the fore with her crime stories. Plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing right to the end. Something a wee bit different from this author but enjoyable nonetheless.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review

This is a lovely cosy crime novel set in the 1920s in a small village in England. Echoes of Miss Marple, and Sunday afternoon TV dramas give you all the cosy vibes. Of course there's a murderer to find, but it's a lot of fun along the way!

A pleasant and cozy murder mystery, full of era-accurate language and depictions, reading this book really was like being immersed in a British weekday afternoon mystery series from days of yore! The dialogue was particularly enjoyable, really vibrant and dynamic, and the setting was bucolic, very much matching the "old England" feel of Marple etc. Pleasingly, I didn't guess the murderer or the method, which is always a nice surprise. Not sure if this is going to be part of a series, but I feel like it could be. My thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

In the Cotswalds of 1924, Arbuthnot “Arbie” Swift is the celebrity author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting. Which also makes him the ideal man for Miss Amy Phelps and her ancestor ghost problem. After one of his nightly vigils, Miss Amy Phelps is found locked in her bedroom, deceased. His friend and the vicar’s daughter, Val, insists that they must investigate the murder, but Arbie isn’t so sure. Soon it becomes clear that everyone has a motive, and when another tragedy occurs, Arbie realizes he must close both the ghost and murder cases before it’s too late.

I honestly did not like Val, the vicar’s daughter. I found her to be rude to Arbie and a bully. Most of what happens to Arbie is because of Val. However, I also thought Arbie was a bit of a whiner. I appreciated that he was kind of forced into the ghost hunting, and the murder investigation, but Arbie turned out to be one of the more intelligent characters in the novel.

The mystery starts right away as readers follow Arbie in “assisting” Amy Phelps with her ghost problem. Miss Phelps murder doesn’t occur until about 25% of the way in. The waiting for something to happen made the pacing of the book go slower than what might have been intended. I think if the blurb was written differently than readers would have a more anticipatory feeling as opposed to “when does this lady die?” feeling.

I do feel the same as many others. There seemed to be a lot of useless information, especially about Arbie’s Uncle and his hobbies. Maybe if there had been some things that could have been removed and a couple of others given a little more attention than the pacing and connectivity would have been better.

Overall, I rate this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.

After a lunch that included several drinks the conversation turned to the public’s obsession with spectres, Arbuthnot (Arby) Swift is challenged by his companion to compile a guide for tourists to satisfy their curiosity. It resulted in The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost Hunting, which became a published sensation. Now, to his annoyance, he is approached by Miss Amy Phelps, an elderly prominent member of the village. There are disturbing events taking place at the manor that indicate the presence of a ghost that may be trying to kill her. Even as he is looking for a reason to refuse his help, they are joined by Valentina, the vicar’s daughter, who offers to join Arby in his vigil to detect the ghost. Their vigil turns up no ghosts or disturbances. When they return to the manor they discover that Miss Phelps is dead. They found her body in her locked bedroom with all of the windows also locked. An autopsy reveals that she was poisoned. Miss Phelps had them to dinner the day before along with several guests and family members. No one else had ill effects from the dinner and she had no other food or drink before retiring. After Inspector Gorringe dismisses them Val convinces Arby to investigate the death.

At the time of her death, Miss Phelps’ nephew Murray, her niece Phyllis, her friend Cora and Reggie, a friend of her late brother, were all at the manor. She also had Jane Brockhurst, her long time housekeeper, attending to her. Each person has secrets of their own that make them a suspect. Reggie has a studio on the property where he paints and develops his photos. Everyone has access to the studio, where he keeps his chemicals. Murray runs the family business and believes that he will inherit everything upon his aunt’s death. Both Cora and Phyllis have been seen coming out of Miss Phelps’ unattended bedroom after looking for something. Arby’s publisher is pushing him to write a second book. It is the perfect opportunity to not only gather information on the manor’s ghost, but also to observe the suspects. Val is delighted to join him. Their friendship dates back to their childhood. While she sometimes considers him foolish, there are also times that her admiration peeks out. It is Arby who discovers how the murder was done, but not before there is a second victim. Murder by Candlelight is the perfect mystery for fans of locked room mysteries and Agatha Christie. I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ Digital for providing this book for my review.

The 1920s village ambience and society are immediately noticeable in this story. It sets the scene for a locked room murder and a cast of quirky and vibrant characters, particularly the pair of amateur sleuths, Arbie and Val. All the characters are vividly portrayed and easy to imagine. It took me a little way to get used to them, but once I did, I enjoyed the cleverly thought-out mystery with its false leads and numerous suspects. I liked the English country village setting, the sensory imagery that brings the characters and setting to life, and the twisty mystery to solve.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

It is 1924, Arbie Swift, has found himself the author of a bestseller- The Gentleman's Guide to Ghost Hunting! When wealthy Amy Phelps asks him to investigate goings on at The Old Forge he is not very keen, but vicar's daughter Val talks him into it! When Amy is found dead shortly after, with all windows & doors to her room locked. Arbie finds himself in the midst of a mystery. Their investigations reveal tragedies, star crossed lovers & altered wills.

This was a really fun read. The characters were fantastic- I do hope to meet Arbie & Val again. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read this book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

A nice cosy crime read

DNF 25%. Very much an issue of taste, not objectively anything wrong with the book.

I think the characters were meant to be quirky and wholesome. To me, they felt cartoonish and childlike. The dialogue was meant to be humorous and 'of the time'. To me, it felt goofy and over the top. The vocab used in the general storytelling was meant to invoke old timey propriety. To me, it felt needlessly pretentious and out of place for the type of book.

The setup of the actual plot seemed decent. I actually quite like the idea of a reluctant and skeptical ghost hunter getting drawn into, what I assume, was to become a murder mystery. I just, for lack of a better word, was too irritated by the characters and writing to push through.

I wish this book the best in finding its way to people who like cozy, silly, wholesome little books that don't take themselves too seriously.

I was prepared to not like this book, because I am such a big fan of Faith Martin’s DI Hilary Green series, but this was such an entertaining read! The main characters are Arbie and Val, and they find themselves in detective mode as they try to figure out who killed Amy Phelps in this locked door mystery.

“‘Righty-oh then.’ He sighed. ‘We’ll just have to join the ranks of amateur sleuths, like that Belgian chap with spats.’ ‘Who?’ Val asked, momentarily sidetracked. ‘You know, the one in the books. With his grey cells.’ Val sighed. ‘Arbie, do stop waffling.’”

My thanks to HQ Digital for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Murder by Candlelight’ by Faith Martin.

What a delight this 1920s mystery was: a clever locked room whodunnit, written with tongue set firmly in cheek.

The Cotswolds, 1924. Arbuthnot Lancelot Swift, known to his more discriminating friends and family simply as ‘that young fool Arbie’, has found himself a sensation with the British reading public after penning ‘The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting’. He grew up in the quiet Oxfordshire village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh.

One of the local residents, the wealthy Miss Amy Phelps, has invited him to stay at the Old Forge as she is convinced that not only is her house haunted but the unquiet spirit means her ill. Arbie is joined on the ghost hunt by his old friend Valentina (Val) Coulton-James, the vicar’s daughter.

However, when Miss Phelps is found dead in her bedroom with the door and all the windows locked it presents a classic mystery. Who killed her and how? Could it have been the ghost? The police, of course, suspect everyone while the two amateur sleuths undertake their own investigation. No further details to avoid spoilers.

This was my first experience of Faith Martin’s writing, though I can see that she has written a fair few titles.

Arbie was a great lead, very much the archetypal young toff about town, breezing his way through life. Val too was terrific, a no nonsense sort who ran rings about the hapless Arbie. No surprise that she was the captain of her school’s hockey team as the term ‘jolly hockey stick’ fitted her perfectly. It’s clear that he is rather intimidated by her. The mystery itself and its solution proved very clever.

As every cosy needs animal characters, I was pleased to meet both the fluffy black cat, Empress Maud, and Arbie’s artist uncle’s mongrel, Basket.

Overall, I enjoyed ‘Murder by Candlelight’ very much, finding it a fun, engaging cosy mystery. I was delighted to read on the author’s website that it is the start of a brand new series featuring the unlikely detective duo of Val and Arbie. I shall be looking out for news of Book 2.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Faith Martin for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Murder by Candlelight coming out January 4, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I love historical cozy mysteries, so I was really excited to check this out. It was a fairly short book, but I thought it had a lot of plot. I loved the characters. I thought there was a lot of mystery and secrets. I would definitely read other books by this author and I’d love it if there are more books in the series. The time period is one of my favorites. I loved the writing and the dialogue.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy British mysteries!

I am finding that the older I get, the more I love cosy mysteries! And I've just discovered author Faith Martin - who is a master in the genre. Her brand new book is Murder By Candlelight.
All the bits are there. The book is set in 1924 in Maybury-in-the-Marsh, a small village in the Cotswolds. A place where everyone knows everyone's business. Or do they really know their neighbours? I love the dialogue and mores of this time frame - how a verbal barb is parried back, covered in politeness. The solving of the whodunit is found in piecing together bits of conversations, memories, observations, unplanned slips of the tongue, deduction and more, into a family answer. Its a nice change from current day DNA samples etc. Now while the police are are indeed investigating, there is a young pair of villagers who are also having a poke about. They were easy to like and you can't help but like them. I also have my fingers crossed that we will see more of Val and Arbie - they're delightful - and I feel like there's a romantic connection just waiting to be made.

Martin's plotting is wonderful! The crime seems to be of the locked room type, but there are other avenues that might also be in play - 'nuf said. Martin's case has lots of suspects to choose from. I have to admit - I didn't solve the case until the the list was down to one. Bravo to Faith Martin - this whodunit was not obvious.

I am really hoping that this is just the first book in a series. I would very happily pick up the next book!

Murder by Candlelight is set in a small English village in the 1920s. A well respected lady, Amy Phelps, is discovered dead inside her locked bedroom. A local ghost hunter and the vicar's daughter find themselves thrown into the investigation and acting as detectives.

I'm not sure if the author is English, but the first few chapters of this book were painful to read. They seemed to contain every single 'traditional British' phrase ever written. We begin by being introduced to the characters, but nothing really happens atall in the first third of the book. Beyond that, there is the mystery to solve, but I just found that I really wasn't that interested. I think the first part of the book put me off so much, it felt like more of a chore than an enjoyment to read.

The second half of the book was certainly easier to read and slightly more enjoyable, but overall, not for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.