☆5☆

⇝ Chicklit
⇝ Women's Fiction
⇝ Thriller
⇝ Mystery
⇝ Crime
⇝ Series (2 of ...)


Main Attention~ Ginny
Ginny did not expect to be found at yet another crime scene, let alone be involved in the investigation through sale thing despite her promise to Detective Wallace. The widows are back with a new case which threatens the peace of their little town with a murder and a lot of backstabbing.
Ginny is becoming a dear character to me as the series moves own. Reading her perspective is kinda satisfying. Maybe Because she has the qualities I admire and insecurities I identify within myself. The way she is presented throughout the story is inspiring - her calm attitude, her analytical mind, her vast knowledge, her empathy, and her people skills.


Other Voices~
Hen, JM, and Tuppence are back with a bang! I love their eccentric contributions to the investigations. I feel that each of their skills truly shined in this book. Wallace was as usual a grump but seemed to have accepted the fact that he can't really stop the widow's club. He truly adds charm to the story with his surly attitude. I loved that Conner had more part in this one. I love to see more of him. And, of course, Edgar was the silent de

Musings~
The writing and the plot were such a page turner! This time though, I correctly guessed the killer, but it didn't dampen my mood to continue the story. I enjoyed the discoveries and the revelations one after the other.

Parting Thoughts~
I am in love with the series and the with Amanda's captivating writing style. I'm excited to read more of her works and highly recommend this series.

3.5, rounded up to 4 stars
Another fun adventure from the WIdow's Detective Club!

This book follows much of the same story beats as the first - Ginny stumbles upon a body, her or one of her crew (accidentally) steal some evidence, DI Wallace is fondly exasperated by them.... hijinks ensue. As in the last book, this one had me laughing out loud at points, and I just love the town of Little Shaw and all the excentrics who live there.

This book does have a little more grief in it, I found. Ginny is still dealing with the loss of her husband, and seems more comfortable expressing that sadness this time. Her gals are there to support her, as always, and she is there to support both them and her town!
I enjoyed seeing bits of Connor's growth happening in the background, as well as Ginny coming out of her shell and becoming part of the community!

As for the mystery, it did feel a bit discombobulated - firstly, Megan (daughter of the victim) was sort of the worst! She annoyed me so badly throughout. But the villian kind of felt like it came out of nowhere, at least for me.

I fully enjoyed my visit to Little Shaw, and can't wait to see what the Widows get up to next time!

Really enjoyed this cozy mystery but my one complaint is that this book starts off almost exactly the same as the first. Ginny manages to be the first person to find a dead body (someone who isn’t very well liked in their community) and she and her friends take it upon themselves to investigate. Don’t get me wrong, there are funny moments and the twist at the end was good. But, I would’ve liked to see a completely different story.

Ginny Cole is starting a new life. Not only has she moved to a new village, but she is also now widow, which wasn't in her plans. Starting a new job is stressful at the best of times, but finding your boss dead on your second day certainly doesn't help. Especially when you realise it was murder. Ginny is reluctant when a local trio of women start to take her under their wing, and persuade her to help them investigate the murder. Surprisingly though, she finds herself starting to enjoy her new life.

I grabbed this from NetGalley as it is the first book in a new series along the lines of Richard Osman and Robert Thorogood. It definitely has a lot of promise.

I warmed to Ginny very quickly. She comes across as a capeable and competent woman, who is clearly finding it hard to adjust to her new life without her husband. She is a very likeable character, and I could empathise with her reluctance to be on the wrong side of the law! The other widows were a very quirky mix, and at times were a little too much for me (JM particularly is quite overbearing). That said I have a feeling they will grow on me as the series progresses.

I enjoyed the storyline, I thought it was well structured and had plenty of red herrings and depth to it. I did find some of the aspects (such as the widows digging up a grave) to be a bit out there! It was an enjoyable read though, and had a nice balance of humour and more serious storylines.

Overall I did enjoy this and will read book 2. There was a couple of minor drawbacks to it, but I think there is a lot of potential and look forward to seeing how things develop.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

3⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of The Widow’s Guide To Backstabbing.

Ginny has now become the manager of the little library in the small town she moved to after becoming a widow. She thinks things are going well until she finds another body. She gets her gang of widows back together to help solve this crime.

This was a pretty fast read. There was a lot going on in this book but it was still an okay read.

3.5 stars, rounded up

The residents of Little Shaw are preparing for their annual spring fete. When Ginny makes her first visit to the local haberdashery shop, discovers the body of the self-important shop owner, and a friend of a friend is accused of the murder, she and her friends set out to learn who the actual killer is.

As in the first book, there are a lot of characters in this book, and some of them are still quite unlikeable, especially a couple of the library volunteers. I like Ginny and her friends, although their antics and questions made me roll my eyes more than once. We didn’t see much of PC Singh in this book and I missed her, but surprisingly, DI Wallace is extraordinarily patient with them.

My mental list of suspects kept changing as the investigations progressed, but I wasn’t surprised to learn who the culprit actually was. The motive was disgusting, but not surprising given the character.

According to the author’s note at the end of this book, there will be at least one more book in this series. I’ll watch for it and look forward to reading it.

I’m loving this series, it’s easy reading that will make you laugh. Ginny is a amateur sleuth that needs to find another murderer. The plot thickens and the woman begin.
There is nothing to love about this feel good mystery, easy characters to like and the plot was brilliant. Highly recommend this series. 5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

The sequel to 'The Widows' Guide to Murder', we are coming back to the small detective club of Little Shaw. Although written in a more serious tone than the previous one, I enjoyed the fast-paced story, and it did not lack the comedic and cozy style of the series.

The characters of the novel are easily distinguishable, and similar to the first installment, many of the characters hold their own grudges against the victim, an each of them could be the suspect. The twist in the end definitely surprised me, and I'm happy to see the character development of some minor characters from the previous book.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity!

Amanda Ashby returns to Little Shaw in Lancashire where her widows are once again going to upset D.I. Wallace.
This novel is every bit as good as 'The Widows' Guide to Murder' and I am so happy to meet many of the same characters again.
I love the way in which the author takes the trouble to include some reformed characters: there's Connor, steering clear of bad influences in his own family, and Slim, who seems set to find the right path through volunteering at the library. And then there's Edgar...I think he's too busy developing his feline sleuthing skills to worry about any sort of character reformation.
It was an absolute joy to read this novel and I can't wait to read the third book in the series.

Ginny Cole is my new hero. I loved book 1 but I fell head over heels in book 2. Ginny Cole just owns this story, and I love how the author just let the characters take control. It was such a fabulous read and I could actually see this one as a play or BBC drama. This novel also shows the author’s experience with writing for a long time, the story is just so compelling and easy to read and the reader wants more at once. Bravo.

Librarian Ginny turns amateur sleuth when the arrogant owner of the local haberdashery is murdered. Ginny and her friends unravel a web of village secrets, putting themselves in danger as they race to uncover the killer.

This is a fun and light-hearted book with quirky characters. The story is full of interesting twists. I recommend reading the series in order.

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

"When librarian Ginny Cole discovers a body in Little Shaw's beloved haberdashery shop, she finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation. The victim? Arrogant shop owner and spring fete judge, Timothy Harlow, found with a pair of sewing scissors plunged into his back. While the police are quick to arrest Milos, a charming young upholsterer, Ginny thinks the case has been sewn up too neatly.

Together with her friends - no-nonsense JM, craft-obsessed Hen, and irrepressible Tuppence - Ginny delves into the village's secrets. Between apologising for her kleptomaniac cat and making marmalade for the spring fete, she discovers that behind Little Shaw's quaint façade lies a tapestry of rivalries, affairs, and deadly ambitions. And when her own car brakes are sabotaged, Ginny realizes the killer is still at large - and getting closer.

With help from the widows and an increasingly exasperated Detective Inspector Wallace, can Ginny unpick the clues before the murderer strikes again?

A fun, fast-paced mystery full of small-town charm, perfect for fans of Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, Robert Thorogood and The Thursday Murder Club series."

The real mystery is how a small town can still support their own haberdashery shop...

The Widow’s Guide to Backstabbing was an absolute blast! Ginny continues to be a witty and sharp-witted protagonist, and I loved seeing her back with her quirky crew of fellow widows. The mystery was so well crafted, with plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing. The small-town charm of Little Shaw mixed with its dark underbelly made for a perfect setting. I especially loved how the widows’ investigations led them to uncover hidden secrets—plus, Ginny’s cat was a hilarious addition to the chaos! The suspense was high, and I couldn’t put it down. A fun, engaging cozy mystery that I couldn’t get enough of! I loved it as much as the first in the series and I can't wait for more.
**rounded up from 4.5 stars**

Another great book in this new cosy mystery series. I love how the ladies form their own little detective club and get in all sorts of trouble trying to solve the murder. It reminds me of the Thursday murder club series. A great easy read would recommend

I read Amanda Ashby’s previous book, The widows’ guide to murder which I thoroughly enjoyed so was delighted to read this second book in what I suspect will become a series. We meet again Ginny the librarian and her three friends, Hen, Tuppence and JM and not surprisingly they get involved in a murder which despite them promising not to interfere, they seem to stumble upon clues. Once again the story is gentle and the characters are well rounded and believable. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the arc.

The Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing is the 2nd fun book in Amanda Ashby’s The Widows Detective Club series. The characters are likable and add warmth and humor to this British cozy mystery. Ginny Cole recently became a widow, moved to Little Shaw, a new town in England, and is the local librarian. She has become friends with widows JM, Hen and Tuppence. The four widows are the Widows Detective Club and when an unpopular local ends up dead, they begin to investigate to clear their friend. The local fair is very popular and there are contests for every kind of Craft especially baked goods. Several of the locals are hiding secrets which keeps it interesting. I wasn’t a fan of Megan. Detective Inspector James Wallace lives next door to Ginny and his father is visiting. There is some heated competition at the fair. This is an enjoyable cozy mystery and I look forward to more escapades with the Widows Detective Club Club ladies. #TheWidowsGuideToBackstabbing #TheWidowsDetectiveClub #StormPublishing #AmandaAshby

I read this straight after reading A Widow's Guide to Murder and it follows on a few months later.
Timothy Hatton, the local "celebrity" haberdashery owner is found stabbed to death with scissors in his back by Ginny in his shop.
The village is in uproar as he was due to do the judging at the village fete in a few weeks. When his daughter's boyfriend is accused of the murder, Megan begs the Widows to prove him innocent.
In the course of their investigation, with the help of their innovative mobile murder board, they get themselves into several scrapes and in trouble with Ginny's policeman neighbour, Wallace.
An easy and pleasant read.

There is a lot of benefit in being the second book in a series. For one, if the legwork had been done earlier in terms of character creation and world-building, the sequel can focus on the fun stuff, such as funny hijinks and witty banters. This book excels at that; compliments to Ashby for capitalizing on that advantage. Genuinely I think this book is funnier and more engaging, and I was kind of sad that there is no Book 3 at the moment.

Despite the grim nature, the story starts off cheekily with Harlow literally stabbed in the back with a pair of scissors. It was also somewhat funny when Ginny, due to circumstances, ended up finding the body again. As DI Wallace pointed out, that made her sort of a suspect?

Following the formula of the first book, the list of suspects was long indeed. Despite his celebrity status, Harlow was deeply unpopular. Not being someone who minced his words and having judged the spring fete for years, it meant that he had pissed off a lot of people. It didn't help that those participating in the fete could be dramatically competitive, a fact that Ginny learnt the hard way.

The overall plot of this book is fine. There were plenty of red herrings and some plot twists, allowing the gang to get into all kinds of funny trouble. However, I'd say that the resolution was a little weak. Really, the murderer killed Harlow for *that* reason? I'm not really buying it, but well... FINE.

By any means, I was glad that Connor and DI Wallace were given more screentime this time around. Connor, who was forced to serve in the library in the first book and was largely monosyllabic there, now has some pretty funny lines and more to do. At one point he even joined the ladies on their mission! Meanwhile, in a sobering scene, DI Wallace demonstrated to the widows that contrary to their impressions, he and his team were not slacking or incompetent, but were instead doing all they could to solve the murder despite limited resources. I mean, I knew he is a good detective even from the first book, so I liked that Ashby wrote a scene specifically to demonstrate that. Anyway, there was one scene that had me laughing out loud: DI Wallace spread his arms to block off Tuppence, Hen, and JM, only for them to misunderstand his gesture and hugged him instead!

This was a fun whodunnit that's not particularly heavy or long. I'm hoping for more books to come!

Another very fun installment with Ginny and the widows! I really enjoyed getting to know them all better and spending more time in the village of Little Shaw. The murder and storylines were interesting, with lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming. I can't wait for the next one, and to get to know more about this little village! Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the advance digital copy!

Oh, the trouble Ginny and her friends can get into. Even though they promised that handsome, albeit grumpy, detective they would not investigate any more crimes. But could Ginny help it if she found another body? More lively Shaw Village characters are introduced, a backstabbing murder in more than one way occurs and although I did not find as much humor in this book as the first standalone, this was still a delightful cozy to read. Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the arc. This review is my personal opinion.