There are some instances where if you pick up a book midway through the series, you spend too long trying to work out who is doing what to whom. This isn’t one of them. Given the quality of the storyline and the success of the previous books, my firm advice is to read the previous three offerings as they’re a solid treat. But if you decide not to do so, it won’t unduly impede your enjoyment as Brett is very deft at filling in necessary details without holding up the narrative. I would just mention that this book discusses at length a probable suicidal death, which may be triggering.

Poor old Ellen is having all sorts of problems with her family. She has a difficult relationship with her demanding, egotistical mother, Fleur – and it doesn’t get any easier in this book. Her son, Ben, who suffers with mental health issues, has moved to the States where there is more employment and opportunities for him. While Julie, her daughter, has returned to live with Ellen after having been badly trolled online, where she was hoping to become a fashion influencer. At present, she is working alongside Ellen in Ellen’s decluttering company.

I’ve been a huge fan of Ellen since the first book, after having learnt of her tragic backstory. She is compassionate and strong, without being sickeningly good and struggles with family relationships without coming across as inept or a victim. That’s a lot harder to pull off than Brett makes it look and I’m a huge fan of Ellen’s philosophy and approach to life.

As for the main plot – if I have a grumble about this book, it’s that the murder mystery is a little flat. I’d successfully guessed whodunit quite early on – not only that, but it doesn’t feel like the major narrative thread powering the story. If this were a romance, or a contemporary novel about family life in general, that would be fair enough – but it’s a murder mystery. So I’ve knocked off a mark. If the book wasn’t peopled by a cast of strong characters, led by one of my favourite protagonists, I’d have had more of a problem. But I kept turning the pages, always engrossed, so it wasn’t a dealbreaker. The whole series comes very highly recommended for fans of modern murder mysteries that aren’t too gritty or gory – but neither are they particularly cosy. While I obtained an arc of A Messy Murder from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

A Messy Murder is the fourth book in the Decluttering Mysteries series. It was such a fun and cozy read. The plots and the characters were very well-written. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc- this is my honest review.

A fun & cozy murder mystery with Ellen Curtis ( who has a declutterring business, Spacewoman) finding the dead body of one of her clients. Shes solved a murder before so she begins looking into the death.

I enjoyed the story as well as how kind of complicated her family was. It was a fun, short read- I felt like the murder/mystery was pretty easily solved. And somehow in the midst of a murder mystery it was fun & had some feel good moments. Even at the beginning reading Ellen describe or talk about herself had me laughing.

Definitely worth the read- and as the 4th installment in the series definitely bingeable!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc- this is my honest review.

There's something heartbreaking in this series and some funny or lighter one.
I love Ellen and love her complex family and her story. The mysteries are always well done and there's some elements that are thought provoking.
It's not my favorite Brett's series but it's one I always want to read as it deals with serious issues.
This is a good one and there's a cliffhanger that let me wonder.
Well plotted and solid, a good and engrossing read
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

In A Messy Murder, professional declutterer Ellen finds another dead body.

Humph was a D List celebrity with a chat show cancelled long ago. A copy of an article published by him explaining why humans should stop taking up resources when they turn 80 years old is found near his body. Humph had just celebrated his eightieth birthday the night before. The police quickly ascertain that his cause of death was prescription sleeping pills ground up in his liquor bottle. They assume it is a simple case of suicide.

But is it really suicide or could it be murder? Humph’s wife thinks Humph was murdered. Because of Ellen’s previous publicity about solving another murder, she asks Ellen to investigate. Ellen’s investigation will bring up family secrets left long buried.

While the mystery was good, it was relatively easy to solve—though some of the motives of the suspects were fairly convoluted. Because of this simplicity, the book fills up two thirds of its pages with Ellen’s relationships with her two adult children and elderly mother. There is also a side story about a man she knows who believes wood is being stolen from his house. Both of these asides serve only to clutter up the book. They add nothing at all to the main mystery. For that reason, I dropped my rating to 3 stars. A Messy Murder is a good, but not great, cozy mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for providing me with an advanced review copy.

Ellen works as a declutter and when assisting the Carters in downsizing, she finds Humphrey dead in his study the day after his 80th birthday. Looking like a suicide, his wife insists he was murdered. Since Ellen previously has solved a murder, she looks into it. This book was promising but I was hoping for more solving and less family drama which there is a lot of. To me the side problems distracted from the main and made it clunky. The twist at the end was shocking and also heartbreaking.

I’m not sure why I haven’t read this series before, but this book is so good it makes me want to go back and check out the first three installments. Main character Ellen Curtis is a “professional declutterer,” a job that sounds very silly but really isn’t. As the story begins she’s working for a husband and wife looking to downsize, with the wife being all for it and the husband, a fading former TV host, not so enthusiastic. Ellen is a widow, having lost her husband to suicide, and when the husband, “Humph” to his friends, dies, apparently a suicide as well, Ellen’s skills and familiarity with grief come to the fore.

My sister is always informing me that hoarding is all about grief, and indeed, it seems to be an emotion that Ellen deals with on a daily basis. The hoarders she is helping to declutter have deeper issues that extend well beyond simply saving magazines. In the case of Humph’s widow, Theresa, the two bond over their similar traumatic experience, and Ellen agrees not only to continue the decluttering, but to go ahead and investigate Humph’s apparent suicide, which Theresa is sure is murder. She may just be right – this is, after all, a murder mystery.

This book is both cozy and traditional – Ellen’s job is certainly a typical cozy element, but veteran writer Brett deals with some more serious issues as well. Along with being a widow, Ellen is saddled with a needy mother, the demanding and egotistical Fleur, a semi-retired actress. She also has two children – Jools, who now works with her, and Ben, who is presently in California dating an up-and-coming movie star. (Fleur is delighted by this development.) This is background, but it’s not only interesting, but well developed and even deep, giving Ellen’s relationships with her children real resonance.

In the foreground, of course, is the investigation into Humph’s death, which finds Ellen interviewing members of his not extremely bereaved family. Brett has the golden age skill of sketching a character quickly and indelibly in a very few strokes. Characters then stay with you as you read on, gaining real life as more details are added. He’s also funny, adding another underrated golden age ingredient, humor, into his classic mix.
Ellen also deals with a few other clients, along with a mystery about her daughter’s former neighbor. Her compassionate skills are such that you may feel like looking up declutterers in your area as the book makes it sound like the perfect thing for loneliness and grief. An added bonus is that the junk is often reused or recycled rather than simply being discarded.

The clever central mystery has a satisfying wrap up which demonstrates another golden age skill – you’re left guessing the identity of the killer until practically the very last moment. I found this to be one of the best written and enjoyable mysteries I’ve read all year. Simon Brett has produced almost 80 books to this point, and he remains a great gift to all of us who love the genre.

I can't think of anything by Simon Brett that I haven't enjoyed.
This was the first of the Decluttering Mystery series that I have read. The story is told from the first person perspective of Ellen, who runs a decluttering agency called Spacewoman. She has also become something of an amateur detective, due to the fact that she has previously helped solve murders that she has come across during her work. This, the fourth book in the series, centres on the death of an author and celebrity (more in his own head than in reality!) on the occasion of his 80th birthday, and the suspects are his family and friends. Alongside this, Ellen has family problems of her own. Her husband committed suicide and her son and daughter are also showing signs of mental fraility, so she worries a lot about them.
I found the characters interesting and relateable, and it was fun to try and work out the murderer and their motive. I also liked the way that Ellen's family problems allow the issues of mental health and family relationships to be discussed and the fact that there were no easy answers given, because life is messy and more grey than black and white. However, these two threads didn't really come together for me, and I very much felt as if I was getting a (too short) snapshot of Ellen's life. The murder seemed almost secondary and the whole thing was wrapped up a bit too neatly at the end.
Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I was left wanting more.

I usually enjoy these books, but this one felt like it ended abruptly. It was incredibly short—a mere 180 pages on my NetGalley app—, and could have been padded out a bit more. I have also started to wonder why Ellen’s relationships are so strangely strained with her children. It will be interesting to explore Ellen through Jool’s eyes, now that she’s part of SpaceWoman. Also, can we have less of Fleur in these books? She serves no purpose other than to irritate Ellen and, by transference, us the readers. 2.5/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for letting me read an ARC of this book.

Ellen is a professional 'declutterer'. No, I didn't know that was a thing either. She helps clear houses of clutter, such as people downsizing. It is whilst on such a job that she discovers a dead body. An apparent suicide using sleeping pills.
Ellen, having solved crimes before, presumably from the previous three books in the series, is invited by the widow to investigate the death.
What follows is some very willing suspects who seem very forthcoming. Intertwined with her investigations is her personal life regarding her secretive daughter, and her eccentric actress and self-proclaimed star of a mother.
I found the book at its best when dealing with Ellen's personal life and declutterring business instead of the actual investigation. I wanted to know what secrets her daughter was keeping, hiw was she paying her rent, what has caused her breakdown. Instead, we have a murder where everything seemed a little too convenient for her. I felt the plot was not interesting enough. The police were completely absent in this book. Only mentioned in passing and never making an appearance.
I didn't feel any need to find out who did it.
It sounded like this story would be right up my street but I found it lacking substance. Perhaps because it's only around 200pages long

My thanks to the publishers and netgalley for this review copy. All opinions are my own.

This is the first of the decluttering series that I've read, but pleasingly it didnt seem to matter as enough back story is blended in to help understand the characters. Simon Brett does seem to have the ability to write easy to read books with well drawn characters that make the reader happily continue to find out what happens to them all. It's certainly an impressive talent to have and I'm looking forward both to his next book, and the chance to read some of his back catalogue.
Thank you to netgalley and Severn house for an advance copy of this book.

I'm admittedly a fan of this series which sees Ellen solve crimes even as she helps clients "declutter" but know that each one is fine as a standalone. This time out, she's shocked to find her client Humph dead in his study and takes on the case when his widow declares he must have been murdered. Turns out Humph gave a speech at his birthday party that insulted a lot- a lot- of people. That's classic cozy but what's especially interesting in these novels is Ellen's relationship with her family, which is often bumpy, and the sensitive approach to mental health issues. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

Thank you to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC.

I've been a long time fan of Simon Brett and his various mysteries series. Brett is an odd mystery writer for me in that I'm never that drawn in by the actual mysteries but I adore how he writes his characters and their various observations of the world. Brett is a master at capturing a character's entire personality in just a few sentences which is always satisfying and a treat to read. The latest Ellen Curtis installment is no different. The mystery itself feels relatively straightforward and average, but it's really reading Brett's construction of characters in a perfect amount of economical words which sets him apart in the mystery realm.

Ellen didn’t plan on sorting through clues to a potential murder when she took on a new job. But when she finds her client dead, and his wife insist he was murdered, she can’t help but start sorting through the plans death.

Was Humphrey murdered? If not, Ellen is wasting her time. If so, Ellen could be putting a big target right on her self. Can Ellen figure out what happened to Humphrey and help his wife put the matter to rest?

I enjoy having protagonists that are mature, and Ellen certainly fits the bill. This is a well written book with a solid mystery with red herrings that will keep you going back and forth until the end.

A Messy Murder is the fourth book in the Decluttering Mysteries series by British author, Simon Brett. Having met Theresa Carter and found her to be practical and easy to get on with, decluttering expert, Ellen Curtis is looking forward to getting started at Staddles, even though the husband, former journalist, TV presenter and chat show host, Humphrey Carter seems less enthusiastic.

She arrives on the Monday after Humph’s eightieth birthday lunch to find the man quite dead in his study, a bottle of Famous Grouse at his elbow. On the desk, an article he wrote years earlier espousing voluntary euthanasia at age eighty, which the police interpret as a suicide note. One thing that seems strange is that he overdosed on pills that were crushed and put into his favourite tipple.

But many people Ellen speaks to express disbelief at the idea that egotistical Humph would kill himself. A bit later, Theresa asks Ellen to watch the recording of the speech that he made during his celebratory lunch, in which he comprehensively insulted, patronised and denigrated every member of his family, and his closest friend and former producer. Does that represent a motive for at least five people?

Ellen is pleased to have her daughter Jools working with her in Spacewoman, bringing in and handling new clients, and taking the business in a new, innovative direction. But distracting her from this intriguing case are her mother’s concerned calls about her partner’s possibly failing health, social media reports of her son Ben’s liaison with a high-maintenance Hollywood blonde who doesn’t look at all his type, and worries over her daughter’s unresolved financial issues.

Regards the latter, Ellen makes a major faux pas that takes some redeeming. For Ben, she worries about the impending crash likely to come after his current high. She is also surprised by a request from her friend Dodge that involves laying a trap…

Ellen does some excellent deductive work to identify the killer, although the denouement takes several turns before the truth is revealed. There’s a promise of some romance for at least one of the characters, and more of this cast will be most welcome. Another enjoyable cosy mystery.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Canongate Books/Severn House

I thought this book was cute, though I wish it was longer. I liked it enough to want to read the others in the series, as this was my introduction to it. however, the cliff hanger ending was not my favorite. and by not my favorite, i mean i hated it.

This series is growing on me as it goes along. It is a clever idea to set a cosy crime or mystery around decluttering houses whether someone has died or people are downsizing. My favourite series is the Fethering mysteries but I thoroughly enjoy all Simon's books as they are light and fun and a good distraction in between the more heavier themed books. Simon is also an excellent narrator of his books for trips in the car.

So, I jumped into Simon Brett’s series with A Messy Murder, which is the fourth book, and let me tell you, I’m definitely going back to devour the first three. Ellen Curtis, the professional declutterer turned amateur sleuth, is on the case when a curmudgeonly TV personality, Humphrey Carter, turns up dead. Everyone’s calling it a suicide, but Ellen’s not so sure, and it’s not long before she’s neck-deep in family secrets and unexpected suspects.

The story’s a wild ride with Ellen navigating not just the murder but also some messy family dynamics and a whole lot of clutter. The murder mystery itself is pretty engaging, with enough twists to keep you guessing. Ellen’s interactions with her own family add a nice layer of depth, even if she does get a bit nosy at times. Overall, it’s a fun read with some solid humor and a bit of emotional weight. If you’re into cozy mysteries with a touch of real-life drama, this one hits the spot.

"A Messy Murder" by Simon Brett is the fourth book in "The Decluttering Mysteries" series. It follows Ellen Curtis, a professional declutterer who works on solving the murder of Humphrey Carter, an aging TV personality. Initially this death was deemed a suicide, however it is then investigated as a murder. Ellen begins to uncover secrets and suspects, including a local boutique-owner, an old classmate, and a bitter ex-boyfriend. This novel combines wit, psychological insight, and engaging storytelling, making it a delightful read for fans of cozy mysteries​.

coulnt get into this sadly the writing style of the author I wasnt keen on so I will not publicly review