From the publisher: A retired San Diego police detective embarks upon group walking tours in England’s most scenic counties in the first in a charming new mystery series set in the English countryside.

A Deadly Walk in Devon is a debut novel and the first book in the Walk Through England Mystery series. In it a group of Americans on a guided walk in Devon, England includes a man named Gretz. I’ve read a lot of cozy mysteries, and Gretz is right out of cozy mystery central casting. The grouchy, hard to get along with, unlikable man who is obviously going to be the murder victim and about whom other characters say, “If you did kill him, we don’t blame you.” (p. 148 of the ARC)

I’d guess the author has also read a lot of cozy mysteries. Besides the unlikable victim we have the bickering couple, the clueless Chief Inspector, the attractive young new widow, and a whole cast of suspects hiding secrets. I hope in the sequels that the author can strive for a little more originality, instead of a cookie cutter cozy. I think we might see some of the walkers return in future books, and maybe they will be fleshed out a little. The climactic confrontation of the killer was truly eyerolling in its implausibility.

I love England and have yet to do a walking tour, so the premise of this book appealed to me. Unfortunately, there is not as much “walking” as I had hoped. Once the murder occurs, the group stays in one place. Still, I enjoyed the English setting.

The book is narrated by ex-detective Rick Chasen, and at one point he mentions that he likes whistling as he walks. That would certainly be grounds for murder if I were on a walk with the guy. Although this is marketed as a debut, there were references to the main character’s previous cases which originally made me wonder if I’d missed something.

At one point Chase’s walker friend Billie jokes, “I’ll kill you if you don’t. Oops. Guess I shouldn’t be joking about murder, should I?” (p. 131 of the ARC) Is the author poking fun at cozy cliches or just being cliched? I can’t tell. The main character is supposed to be a huge baseball fan, but I wondered if the author is. At one point the main character muses, “I often looked at my success rate through the lens of baseball, where batters typically fail to get a base hit seven out of ten pitches.” (p. 170 of the ARC) I think he means seven out of ten at bats. I read an advance reader copy, so maybe that will be fixed when the book is published. I do give the author points for trying to redeem Bill Buckner, who is unfairly blamed for costing the Red Sox the World Series in 1986. Although I felt like the author made some rookie errors (ha ha) in his debut, I enjoyed it enough that I might read book two.

The cover is very attractive and I imagine similar matching covers on the whole series that will look great together. If you enjoy the sometimes outlandish stories in M.C. Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin series, you may enjoy A Deadly Walk in Devon. I read an advance reader copy of A Deadly Walk in Devon from Netgalley. It is scheduled to be released on March 26 and will be available at the Galesburg Public Library.

The first in what I hope will be a series, A Deadly Walk in Devon was a delight! I love a good mystery that takes place in England and this fit that coziness I was desiring. Chase, a retired American detective, recently lost a loved one and is getting back to his love of English walking tour vacations. Unfortunately, this tour group has a eclectic mix of characters with one in particular being prone to mishaps and threats that is not as relaxing as Chase hoped. Of course, there's murder and all the walkers are suspects with a bit of a locked room twist. I really loved the writing and characterizations by the author. I'm looking forward to more from this author!

This is a refreshing. lively, and intriguing story about a murder investigation during a walking tour. The main character, Rick Chasen, is part of the tour and a retired US detective who is still in mourning over his partner's recent death. The author provides delicate insight into his grieving process.

The plot and characters are developed well, and the setting in the lovely Cotswolds region provides plenty of scenic opportunities. A slight glimpse of possible romance is also included. Rick (Chase) is a compelling character for future stories. Readers will look forward to more!

This novel has it all: a sympathetic protagonist, a gorgeous setting, a quirky cast of suspects, and a mystery that kept me guessing until the end.
The hero, Rick Chasen (“Chase”), is in a transition phase of life at age sixty-seven. He has retired from his career as a San Diego police detective and is still grieving the death of his long-time partner. When the story opens, Chase has joined Billie, his friend and fellow Anglophile, on a walking tour of the Devon countryside with five other American tourists.
The diverse group is fairly amiable except for Ronald Gretz, the wealthy corporate mogul who founded the international chain of nursing homes known as Golden Sunset. Gretz complains constantly, making life miserable for his fellow walkers, the driver, and their guide. He even speaks abusively to his trophy wife, Summer.
When Gretz receives several death threats by text and email, he begs Chase to help. Chase suggests he report the threats to the local police, but Gretz doesn’t want to involve them. After several near-miss “accidents,” Gretz is sure someone in the group is out to get him.
On their second day of hiking, the group tackles a cliff trail in dense fog. At times, the mist is so thick that the walkers can’t see each other. When they rendezvous at the end, Ronald Gretz doesn’t show up. Chase and Billie go back to look for him, and they discover his body floating in a lake at the bottom of a cliff.
The local authorities are called, and a witness comes forward. The fisherman happened to look up at the cliff when Gretz tumbled down, pushed by someone wearing a green jacket. No one in the group was wearing a green jacket, but when the police search the hotel rooms, they find a green jacket stashed in the suitcase of one of the walkers. Chase believes it was planted.
The most obvious suspect is Gretz’s young widow; none of the other tourists admit to knowing him, and thus, Summer is the only one with a motive. But Chase isn’t so sure she’s the killer.
The local police don’t have much experience solving murders, and progress is slow. The DI invites Chase to assist in the investigation, which makes him feel useful again.
They soon discover that everyone in the group is hiding something, and almost everyone has some connection to Gretz that they did not disclose. And then a second murder complicates the case.
The author did a good job of hiding clues and casting suspicion on multiple characters, so I didn’t figure out whodunnit until Chase did. I understand this is the first in a series, and it’s a great start.

This first book in a new series by Nicholas George was a very enjoyable cozy mystery. Set in modern day, retired Detective Rick Chasen is now retired and depressed after the death of his husband. He joins an old friend in signing up for a walking tour of Devon. Things don’t go as planned when the one obnoxious jerk on the tour ends up dead in mysterious circumstances. Was it his wife or one of the other members of the tour? Very enjoyably written, with a logical explanation for why this American is asked by the investigating officer to assist. I hope there are more to come in this series.

I did not love this debut mystery by Nicholas George. Although the mystery was pretty intriguing, the writing itself was a hindrance to my enjoyment of the book. The main character was gay, which led me to expect more diversity of representation than there actually was. I felt the 67 year old main character's ease at finding new love after a losing a long-term partner to death was a bit unrealistic. The overall story arc that revolved around nursing homes was interesting and timely. I would recommend this with reservations as a debut novel, but I will give the author another try if he decides to write more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This is the first book with Rick "Chase" Chasen (I am not sure if this will be a series but I hope it will be) as the main detective. He is a retired detective from America on a holiday in England while still working through the death and grief of his partner (romantic partner not police partner). Aside from being a well constructed cozy mystery, I enjoyed development of the main character getting a chance to try a new romance where often middle-aged and older queer characters do not get the opportunity to.
I do hope that this becomes a series and look forward to reading more of Chase's mysteries.

A very charming cozy that I thoroughly enjoyed.. Loved the setting (I want to go on a walking tour in Devon! Minus the murders, of course), the protagonist, and the budding romance between Chase and Mike. Looking forward to the next in the series.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this book.

When retired detective Rick ‘Chase’ Chasen books a walking tour in England to try and recover from the loss of his long-time partner, he hopes to get refreshed and not be forced to investigate a murder. However, a grumpy participant on the tour immediately asks him to find out who is ‘out to get him’. After several ‘incidents’ involving the intended victim, Rick tries to watch for anything suspicious. Even though attentive, the man eventually falls off a cliff, and it seems like he was murdered. The detective brought in enlists the help and insight that Rick can offer to help solve the case, but that can still not prevent another murder before all of the clues fall in to place.

This was a pleasant cozy mystery, with an interesting cast of characters.

How about a new cozy mystery series that involves walking tours set in England? Although most of Nicholas George’s A Deadly Walk in Devon involves the murder investigation, the early part of the book describes the scenery and background of Exmoor in northern Devon. The concept of walking tours is a new one for me with a cozy series, although it may have been used before.

Rick Chasen (Chase) is a retired police investigator from San Diego who is still mourning the death of his partner, Doug, although Doug died more than a year ago. He’s an avid walker, and he hopes the walking tour of Devon, England will help him deal with his depression. He meets up with an old friend, retired librarian Billie Mondreau before joining the rest of the Wanderers, a tour group that specializes in Americans who enjoy walking. The tour guide herself is new to the company, eager to welcome the group. And, everyone seems eager to experience the countryside and the walks, except Ronald Gretz, The business tycoon makes everyone’s life miserable, but he has reasons to be frightened. He tells Chase he’s been receiving threatening letters, and asks Chase to watch out for him. Since one incident after another happens to the man, Chase agrees. But, despite his guilty feelings, there’s nothing he could have done when the man is finally killed.

The Chief Inspector who is assigned the case doesn’t have a great deal of experience with murder investigations, so he’s happy to work with Chase. As they probe the history of Chase’s fellow walkers, they discover that almost everyone has something to hide, some have connections to the victim, and almost all of them are liars.

A Deadly Walk in Devon is enjoyable as the first in a new series. I really only had one complaint when Chase put himself in danger, as so many amateur sleuths do in cozy mysteries. However, as a retired professional, he should have known better. Even so, I’ll be watching for the next in the series.

A Deadly Walk in Devon by Nicholas George is a great cozy mystery that is the first book in a new series: Walk Through England Mystery.

I really, really enjoyed this first book that focusses on a retired detective, Rick “Chase” Chasen, grieving over the loss of his husband, and his adventures in touring on foot the stunning English countryside. With his American friend and counterpart Billie Mondreau, we are transported to Devon, England with this first book. But it ends up being much more than an English walk and vacation…a murder occurs within the touring group…good thing Chase is there to investigate and solve the crime before the killer strikes again.

This is such a unique angle for a cozy mystery; to incorporate a real locale within England for each murder/mystery is just brilliant. The murder/mystery was creative and engaging, and I liked the cast of characters. If the rest of the series is as good as this first entry, we are surely in for a treat.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Kensington Books for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/26/24.

As he seeks to find himself again after retiring as a police investigator and losing his longtime romantic partner, Rick Chasen books a quiet walking tour of the Devon countryside in the U.K. Instead of peace he comes face to face with murder in a mystery that will test his old skills.

For fans of cozy mystery this has it all! A mix of American and UK suspects, with just enough quirkiness, all brought together by a walk in the delightful, rural English countryside. Rick as a retired detective has both the light touch of an amateur and the insight of a professional sleuth. Plenty of red herrings and a light touch of LGBTQ+ romance will keep you turning pages.