I absolutely loved this cozy mystery filled with heart, friendship, and humor! I am a sucker for anything murder-y and small village-y, and this book paired both in a charming, heart-warming way. I only wish it continued as a series! A must-read for the summer or curled up with a cuppa on a rainy day!

After her mother’s death, Cath discovers tickets to a murder mystery weekend in England’s Peak District. Joining fellow mystery enthusiasts, she investigates the staged crime, uncovers family secrets, and flirts with unexpected romance.

This is a heartwarming novel with strong character growth. The side characters add an engaging aspect to the story. It should appeal to cozy mystery and women’s fiction fans alike.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Cath and her mother were never close, their relationship fracturing when Skye abandoned her nine-year-old daughter. Cath's scattered memories of time spent with her mother are clouded by hurt and anger, so when Skye dies suddenly, Cath is mostly ambivalent to the loss.

Among her mother's belongings, Cath discovers that Skye had purchased them both spots at an unusual vacation: a murder mystery experience in a quaint English village. Players won't know which villagers are in on the mystery or who among them is a (fictional) killer.

Cath is puzzled; her mother never spoke of wanting to go to England, nor was she a fan of murder mysteries. Though she considers ignoring the trip, friends convince Cath to go, and she soon finds herself in a charming country house with two other guests — Wyatt and Amity. The three Americans each came solo — Wyatt was gifted the trip by his husband, Amity treated herself to the vacation, and Cath reluctantly honored her mother's mysterious wish.

Wyatt and Amity are wickedly sharp and genuinely funny. Both murder mystery (and British mystery) fans, they fill in as lead detectives while Cath gamely pitches in as best she can. As the trio track a murderer, Wyatt and Amity start a second investigation into why Cath's mother was so determined for her to have this experience.

WELCOME TO MURDER WEEK is filled with warmth, wit, and whimsy. The staged murder is steeped in all of the makings of a quintessential British mystery, even poking fun at the very tropes it uses. Wyatt's transformation into a dramatic detective who theatrically reveals "whodunnit," "howdunnit," and "whydunnit" makes for a particularly fun conclusion to Murder Week.

But beneath all the playful mystery-solving lies the book's deeper emotional journey. Cath's story is bittersweet as she pieces together clues about her mother's past while solving the fictional mystery. As she, Wyatt, and Amity track a "killer" through the village, she shares memories of a story her mother used to tell her, bits of information that became clues to Skye's past and a guide to forgiveness and acceptance. While the new knowledge she gains on the trip is far too late to reconcile the mother and daughter in any meaningful way, Cath comes away from the experience with a more open heart and a surprising new beginning ahead of her.

I'm very thankful to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t finish this one. I got to about 60% through. There were parts that I thought were really cute and flowed really well, and other parts that completely dragged for me.

What an absolute delight. Combining the English countryside with a week-long murder mystery guests are competing to solve, Dukess has created a welcoming world to readers.

Cath doesn’t know why her late mother thought she’d enjoy a murder mystery in England but she makes the journey and is soon enmeshed in “Murder Week” - living with two other American participants and getting to know the villagers while searching for clues. (There might even be a love interest along the way… ) Cath has conflicting emotions as she also tries to understand the mother who was also a mystery to her. As the week progresses, Cath realizes she has a second case to solve - her own family history.

Dukess infuses the novel with historical details about the region and has put together a delightful group of characters and a well constructed mystery for murder week. (Truly, the author had quite a few layers to construct and does so with admirable skill!)
A fun read.

Cath isn’t grieving so much as she’s… confused. Her estranged, thrill-chasing mother has just died, and while sorting through her belongings, Cath finds nonrefundable tickets to “Murder Week” — a murder mystery simulation in the English countryside that sounds like a cross between a live-action "Clue" and a tourism Hail Mary. The kicker? Her mother booked two tickets. One for herself, and one for Cath. No note. No explanation. Just a cryptic, posthumous RSVP to chaos.

So obviously, Cath goes. Because grief is weird and airline miles are available.

What follows is part cozy mystery, part identity reckoning, and part found-family vacation that involves zero actual murder and a surprising amount of emotional damage. Cath ends up paired with two strangers: Wyatt, who’s barely holding it together under the weight of bird store marital ennui, and Amity, a romance novelist mid-existential spiral with a sarcastic streak and not enough wine. Together, they form a weird little sleuth squad trying to solve the staged murder… while Cath quietly tries to figure out what the hell her mother was planning and why this random British village seems to know more about her family than she does.

Now, this isn’t a high-octane thriller. The pacing meanders. The stakes aren’t deadly. But the vibes? Immaculate. Think “The Thursday Murder Club” energy meets “Eat, Pray, Plot Twist.” There’s a gin-maker with a beard and a twinkle. There’s a village full of nosy charm. There’s a subplot involving Cath slowly, reluctantly waking up from a life she’s been sleepwalking through in order to avoid feeling anything too sharp.

Grief here isn’t loud. It’s not even all that visible. Cath’s loss sits in her like a paperweight — heavy, but muted. In that detached, I-should-feel-more-than-this kind of grief that makes every emotion feel counterfeit. That emotional flatness gives way to real growth, eventually, but it makes the first half of the book feel like you’re watching someone wade through fog while holding your own umbrella and waiting for her to catch up.

But when it hits? It hits. There’s an emotional undertow that sneaks up beneath all the polite British whimsy. Cath doesn’t come out of this with a grand epiphany or a new lease on life, but she does come out changed. Softened. Braver, maybe. Or just more awake.

This is a 3.5-star cup of herbal tea — a little uneven, occasionally too mellow, but still comforting, curious, and quietly bold in its own way. Not the most dramatic “whodunit,” but definitely a worthwhile journey.

Whodunity Award: For Most Existential Crisis Triggered by a Fake Corpse and an Inconveniently Attractive Gin Distiller

Huge thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC — this one wandered, but I was happy to follow.

A great beginning to this novel gave me hope but by the end I was so lost that I could figure out what was supposed to be happening.

This book has a lot of heart and was fun. I really liked the setting of it all and how this mixing of genres was just unique. I felt like I could have had more with the character depth, this book was a perfect little cozy.

What a fun and delightful read! While this has some mystery and coziness to it, it felt like more of a women's ficition novel with Cath's growth throughout the story. Her roommates and other local characters provided much needed laughter and brought out the best in Cath. I couldn't wait to see how everything unfolded for the characters. Not sure if this will be a series, but I would read more of their adventures and more of Karen Dukess!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Super fast read with a bunch of twists. I now would like to go to a small village in England and participate in a murder mystery week, so I think this book was well written :)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A cozy, heartfelt escape with charming characters, a murder mystery twist, and a deeper emotional core than expected!

Welcome to Murder Week is one of those stories that sneaks up on you. At first, I expected a lighthearted, fun romp through an English village with a faux murder to solve—and while that’s absolutely part of the experience, what really stood out was how layered and thoughtful this novel became.

We follow Cath, a woman who’s just lost her estranged mother and is living a quiet, cautious life far from anything unpredictable. So when she stumbles across tickets to a “murder week” vacation her mother apparently booked for the two of them, she’s understandably confused—and intrigued. Instead of letting the tickets go to waste, Cath steps out of her comfort zone and makes the journey to a picturesque village in the Peak District, unknowingly stepping into something much more personal than a staged crime.

What unfolds is a mix of mystery, self-discovery, and the beautiful mess of human connection. Cath is paired with two fellow solo travelers—Wyatt, who’s charming and full of personality, and Amity, a romance writer who brings both wit and warmth to every scene. Together, they become an unlikely yet delightful sleuthing team, not only navigating clues but helping each other confront the parts of their lives they’ve been quietly avoiding.

The “murder week” setup is whimsical and fun, full of British charm and winking references to classic mysteries. But the real mystery—the one surrounding Cath’s mother, her past, and the reason she planned this trip—is what truly anchors the book. I was surprised by how much emotional weight the story carried. There are moments of grief, reconciliation, and unexpected vulnerability that gave the novel a real sense of depth.

The pacing isn’t always consistent. Some scenes felt a little drawn out, and there were moments where I wished the central mystery had a bit more punch. Still, the atmosphere, character dynamics, and emotional payoff were more than enough to keep me hooked until the end.

This is a perfect read for fans of cozy mysteries who want something with a little more soul and substance. It’s not just about solving a crime—it’s about discovering what it means to step out of your past and into something new.

A very huge thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books | Gallery/Scout Press for sharing this gripping cozy mystery's digital reviewer copy with me. I’m so glad I had the chance to read this—it was heartfelt, quirky, and the kind of story that lingers long after the final reveal.

Cath Little lives in Buffalo, in the big old Victorian where she was raised by her paternal grandparents after her father’s death and her mother’s flit. Throughout Cath’s childhood, her flamboyant mother would visit from time to time, dazzle Cath, but always disappoint her by soon leaving again. It’s now shortly after her mother’s death of a stroke in her 50s, and Cath is sorting through a few boxes sent to her by her mother’s friends. In one, she’s surprised to find a fully-paid trip for the two of them to a town in England’s Peak District, for a Murder Week. This is a week in which an entire town has agreed to host participants to play a murder mystery game, with locals playing the parts of suspects, witnesses, and the victim.

Cath is assigned a bedroom in a charming cottage, and teamed with her two housemates, Amity, a recent divorcée from California, and Wyatt, a man who is having trouble fitting into his husband’s life as a bird lover and owner of a shop devoted to birds. The three make an excellent sleuthing team, but soon find begin delving into another mystery: why was Cath’s mother so keen for them to go on this trip?

This is less a mystery than a romance-flavored search for self. I found it slow going for well over half of the book, without strong character development. The last quarter of the book is much stronger and left me satisfied.

A woman living a quiet, tame life discovers among the things her recently deceased mother left behind a fully-paid vacation in the UK to participate in a village "murder week" - a chance to solve a mystery game with others. Why had her mother, an extravagant and flighty woman who left her with her grandparents and never spent much time with her, always promising but always leaving, planned to spend a week together in this place she'd never heard of? She goes to see if she can enjoy the experience - and to figure out why her mother had planned it.

I found the story entertaining, though unbalanced. The main character quickly makes good friends with members of her team, and they gamely go about solving the mystery, though the stakes are pretty low since it's completely fictional and nobody is really in danger. They also want to help her figure out why her mother planned the trip once they begin to see indications this village was a place her mother knew well. That is the mystery that carries all the emotional baggage, which is where, for me, the imbalance came in. I wanted to care more about the artificial mystery, but didn't; I was interested in the real mystery, but it sometimes was bogged down with the main character's angst.

That said, it was fun, and would be particularly enjoyable for those who like a traditional puzzle mystery and would get more invested in that half of the story than I was.

Such a fun read with heart, romance and mystery! Perfect english village vibe, takes you back to Downton Abbey days but modern day. I love Dukess' writing and this will not be the last of hers I read!

I enjoy a good cozy mystery. A double mystery, a touch of romance, and a truly perfect ending! Such a great read! The real life mystery was also very clever and unique. I can’t wait to read the next one. I really recommend this story if you’re looking for a palate cleanser or just a fun, quick read.

This was a fun book to read with eccentric characters and a fake mystery. It was also a look at unresolved grief. I especially enjoyed the camaraderie of the three "detectives," and descriptions of the English countryside.

When Cath is going through her mother's things after her mother unexpectedly passes, she finds tickets for a murder mystery week in a small English town. Cath has no idea why, but decides to take the trip. Little does she know that the murder mystery is not the only mystery to be unraveled. I really enjoyed this one - the silliness of the murder mystery and Cath's grief made this a compelling read. Thank you to Net Galley and Gallery/Scout Press for a chance to read this early in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Welcome to Murder Week was a fun, touching read. I truly enjoyed getting to know the characters through this unique mystery. I would highly recommend this book to cozy mystery lovers. I would love a sequel to be able to spend more time with these characters.

This book was charming. Cath’s teammates/friends were great characters. I love a mystery and a puzzle, but I still don’t think this book was really for me. I usually read thrillers, so I think this book felt a little slow overall. I liked Cath, but I found myself frustrated with her lack of direction and motivation at 34 years old. Although I felt bad about her situation with her mother (especially every time she reminded us about her mother’s behaviors during her childhood), I did not find Cath to be super interesting beyond this. This is an American author, but if you typically read British authors, you’ll love this.