The Widows' Guide to Backstabbing by Amanda Ashby is a delightful and intriguing addition to the Widow's Detective Club series. This time, librarian Ginny Cole finds herself caught up in a murder investigation when a body is discovered in the local haberdashery. Timothy Harlow, the arrogant shop owner and spring fete judge, is found dead with sewing scissors plunged into his back, and the police quickly arrest a charming young upholsterer, Milos, as the prime suspect. However, Ginny’s instincts tell her that the case is far from solved.

Joined by her eccentric friends – the no-nonsense JM, craft-loving Hen, and the irrepressible Tuppence – Ginny sets out to uncover the truth behind Timothy’s death. As they dig deeper into Little Shaw’s secrets, they uncover a web of rivalries, hidden affairs, and ambitions that go far beyond what they first suspected. Between making marmalade for the fete and apologising for her kleptomaniac cat, Ginny balances her detective work with the challenges of village life. But when her car brakes are sabotaged, it becomes clear that the killer is still out there, watching and waiting.

Ashby’s writing is as charming and witty as ever, with a perfect blend of humour, mystery, and quirky characters. Ginny and her friends are as endearing as they are determined, and the addition of the increasingly exasperated Detective Inspector Wallace adds another layer of humour as he tries to keep the ladies from getting too involved. While the book retains the fun and twisty elements of the first in the series, it also feels a little more grounded, with the stakes higher and the danger more immediate.

The Widows' Guide to Backstabbing is a delightful romp through murder, mischief, and village intrigue. With its colourful characters and captivating plot, it’s a perfect read for anyone looking for a fun, light-hearted mystery with a touch of heart. If you enjoyed the first book, this one is sure to keep you hooked from start to finish.

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After the settling in to her new role as library manager and life in Little Shaw, Ginny has promised her policeman neighbour she would stay out of police business. Unfortunately when she pops into the local haberdashery she finds the owner murdered in the back room of the shop and ends up unwittingly investigating the crime with her other widow friends.

As with the first book in this series I really enjoyed the twists and turns in this enjoyable cozy mystery. I particularly liked the hand crafted felt “murder board” (because their original one was confiscated by the police) and Edgar the cat who kept bringing her clues.

This is definitely a series I’ll carry on reading.

With thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the advanced e-book copy.

We are back with book 2 of The Widows' Detective Club series. Ginny is finally getting settled in Little Shaw, only to find herself right back to square one. Ginny discovers a body in the local haberdashery shop, and she finds herself right in the middle of another murder investigation. Can the widows solve another mystery before it’s too late?

I found this book to be a bit slower than the first, but it’s still enjoyable. It was nice to hang out with the gang and all their troublesome ways. I’d recommend it if you enjoy reading cozy mysteries.

Ginny Cole, the Little Shaw Librarian, is once again in the middle of a murder scene, when Timothy Harlow is found in his haberdashery shop! Ginny, along with Hen, JM and Tuppence join forces to do some amateur sleuthing much to DI James Wallace's chagrin. I love this widows and they work well together!! Ginny has to return items to various villagers that Edgar, her cat, has found, which leads her to discover there are more secrets in this village! All in all, the subplots knit together to a surprising ending, which I never saw coming. More please!!!!

I have read the first book in the series and looked forward to this one with relish.

Sometimes second books in a series can be a disappointment but this did not apply to this one.
The characters have developed and come into their own and although it would be easy for the books to all be similar this one was very different and I did not predict the perpetrator at all, it was a complete surprise.

To give too much detail would provide too many spoilers but Ginny and her friends pull out all the stops to sort out the mystery.

As with the first book this one is well written and enjoyable to read.

Second Amanda Ashby book read in a week. Enjoyable for me with part of the storyline being about crafts and shows as I show my cross stitch, photographs, artwork, produce such as fruit and veg and plants. Looking forward to the next book. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

A great continuation of the first book, The Widows’ Guide to murder!! Easy to read and kept me interested up until the very end! If you’re looking for something to change up your TBR, this series is it!

Better than the first which is saying something cause the first book was delightful. Loved spending time with these people again. Another fun easy breezy read, and sometimes that’s what you need. Great mystery at the center of this. If you’re a fan of Murder She Wrote or Colombo, this is for you.

Poor Gini seems to have a habit of walking into rooms and finding a dead body, this time Timothy Harlow, the unpopular shop owner and judge for the local annual fete.
Unusually for me I actually managed to read the first book in the series, so knew the general background of the setting and characters, although this one can be read as a standalone. This one is certainly darker than the first, although it can still be classified as a cozy mystery. As usual the group of four women manage to annoy the local police with their own investigations, but still manages to find out new information. There are plenty of twists and turns, false leads etc before, for me at least, the murderer is a surprise. Perhaps the takeaway from books like this is to avoid moving to a quaint English village where the murder rate is so high.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

I also enjoyed part two of this series. The author has a fun writing style and these are quick, easy reads. I love Ginny but my favorite character is honestly the cat. Definitely check out this cozy mystery series.

I don’t often read mysteries, and I’ve never read a cozy mystery myself, but reading Amanda Ashby was a charming surprise.
The strength of this story lies in its vibrant and lovable characters. Their interactions are filled with humor and warmth, making them incredibly easy to root for. Ashby does an excellent job of bringing them to life.
The plot is cleverly crafted, with plenty of twists and turns that keep readers guessing. The small-town dynamics add a comforting sense of familiarity to the story.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Amanda Ashby for the ARC!

Again? You found a dead body again?"
"It's an honour I could've done without."

Ginny Cole is back with another murder in her quaint and quirky little town of Little Shaw. This time our victim was dramatically stabbed in the back. The amazing second novel of our dear (albeit reluctant) detective kicks off some time after the events of the first novel. As often with second novels the story kicks off a bit faster than the first one and you are immediately transferred back into Little Shaw and its lovely librarian. We go a bit deeper into the characters that we have already met in the first book and meet a few new friends (or foes?). The story was again very compelling and had me hooked until the last pages. The reveal even had me utter motherfucker out loud. I had zero suspects, I was just in for the ride.

One thing that I really loved was the visual of the widows all coming together to watch YouTube video's on body language so they can catch a killer. The storyline of grief was as in the first book well thought out and I love how we can follow and see it evolve over time.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It gave the same vibes as the first one without being repetitive or boring. I hope we see a next novel of our Widows detective club soon!

Thank you Storm Publishing for the ARC! Rated 4.5 stars on Story Graph.

Ginny and her friends are back on the case after a local haberdashery shop owner is found murdered. She's promised DI Wallace that she won't be interfering this time around, however before long she's found herself muddled in the drama to try to solve a mystery that her and her friends aren't sure the police are taking seriously. Little does she know she's put herself straight in the path of danger this time around.

*****

This is the second book in the Widow's Detective Club series and it's just as fun and twisty as the first. The townspeople are as quirky and strange as ever, and Wallace is still a cranky, annoyed and overworked detective that tries to keep the ladies from their own poor choices. This one is still funny, but also a bit more down to earth than the last novel.

Ginny has adapted to the small town and it's characters, and is slowly coming out of her shell as a peacekeeper, while still trying to be a voice of reason. She has ideas of how she's going to proceed in a hands-off manner, yet as usual, gets dragged into the mischief by her new friends. Those characters seem to have balanced out a little bit more in this novel as well. They're still odd and overbearing but with more heart, and more logical intentions, vs just being completely off the wall with their antics.

The twist in this one was a little bit easier to spot to an extent, as I got the vibe for the authors writing style after the last book, but it was still thrown by who the murderer was, even if I knew which mundane clues were leading to them.

All in all this was a fun and quirky novel, and I can't wait to see what else the author comes up with next.

*****

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm publishing for the digital ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Ginny returns to the library as manager and Connor the troubled youth is a permanent employee. The local fete is coming and there’s lots of competition going on – particularly in the baking competition. Timothy Harlow is the judge supreme and harborer of good weather – it’s never rained yet. Unfortunately, Timothy is found dead in his shop. Now the women not only need to find the murderer but the town needs a new judge. I do enjoy these women of a certain age with the addition of Connor. Love this series. #netgalley

Thank you to the author and storm publishing for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I adore Ginny and her band of widow friends! They get into mischief and drive the detective mad in the process! I love a good cozy mystery and this one hits the spot! I am so glad I started with the first book, and can’t wait to read more!! You won’t regret picking both of them up to read!

Ginny Cole, 60, found herself at a crime scene, again. This time, the victim was the infamous owner of Little Shaw’s haberdashery shop and the judge for the upcoming Spring Fete. Naturally, Ginny and her friends once again took it upon themselves to help with the investigation.

The Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing is the second book in The Widows Detective Club series by Amanda Ashby. Like the first one, it’s a fast-paced and easy read, set against the charming backdrop of Little Shaw village. However, I didn’t find this installment quite as entertaining as the first. That might be because I read the two books back to back, but I also felt that some of the widows’ dialogue wasn’t quite as witty this time around.

All in all, though, this is another great cozy mystery to add to your list. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

4.25/5. Thank you to Ms. Ashby, the publisher, and netgalley for the ARC!

In the second book in the Widow's Detective Club series, we're brought back to Little Shaw, a town that never ceases to find oddness, coziness, and murder. Ginny, our medical-office-manager-turned-library-manager, is finally settling in a year after her husband's death with a new job, new friends... and a new murder to solve. When she goes to help out one of her fellow Widows, she finds a man who has been stabbed in the back by a pair of sewing scissors. And she finds herself once again solving the crime, despite being neighbor to the lead detective on the case, James Wallace.

I think a lot of the characters grew between this novel and the first, though there's still a bit of frustration at times with Ginny internally questioning if she should call the police (yes) versus following along with her friends (mostly no, but how would that be entertaining?). This time, though, I did really appreciate DI Wallace breaking it down for the widows so we could see the why behind his frustration.

The new characters introduced fit in perfectly, each with their own quirks of small town living. I look forward to seeing who arrives in the next batch. Likewise, it was nice to see some of the side characters from the first novel get another cameo. It makes the world of Little Shaw feel that much more alive.

Certainly a series I'm going to be keeping up with!

Poor Ginny Cole finds herself discovering another dead body through no fault of her own. Why she let Tuppence talk her into going into the shop to run interference for her is puzzling. Because of that, she finds the poor shop owner, Timothy Harlow, with scissors in his back and there is no short supply of suspects as he is an arrogant jerk.

Ginny wasn’t going to investigate because she has no reason to, but Hen feels for Timothy’s daughter, Megan, who wants them to prove her boyfriend did not kill her father. There is a lot going on in this book and a lot of suspects and I think people will be surprised by the killer, who appears to be more than unhinged.

I loved Edgar stealing things and Ginny being embarrassed by his behavior. I think JM is a hoot in the way she interacts with the lawyer, Edward Tait. They seem to have a love-hate thing going on. It was also nice to see more depth to Connor in his role in helping at the library and his living with Hen will help her out financially.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.
In The Widows' Guide to Backstabbing, our main character Ginny once again stumbles upon a body - this time in a haberdashery shop. And, of course, the not-so-official detective group is back in action.
Overall, it was a cozy read, but I feel like the quality hasn't changed much from book one - there are still a lot of characters to keep track of, the widows conduct their investigation while ignoring the DI, and the motive for the murder felt a bit far-fetched to me.

I just loved this book, that I read it in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down. The story was just so good, I just had to read on to find out more. This book has some amazing characters they just seem so much fun. I was very sad to have come to the end of this book and I look forward to the next book in the series.

I would highly recommend reading this book as it was just such a good mystery with amazing characters.

I would like to thank Storm Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.