NetGalley offered me an ARC of Allison Brook’s new series. It was well written with a decent story line and the added feature of a ghostly grandmother and a hidden library. As with any first book of a series, a fair amount of time was spent on character development, so the pace was a little slow. My biggest issue is that I really do not like the main character very much. The author had made her whiny and fairly annoying. But, this is just my take on the book and the opinion is mine alone.

Delia Dickens, whose anncestors founded the Dickens Island, has returned home to the house that her grandmother willed her, after several years living in Boston and Manhattan. She returns to her 15 year old son who has been raised by her parents since he was three. Delia seeks to help her dad in the village general store and faces some resistance from him when attempting to update the merchandise. That resistance to change is a male family trait as both her dad and uncle like to leave things as they always have been. I loved that this old house has a secret niche from which treasures from the past are found or raises more situations for Delia. This cozy mystery involves the entire community with town hall meetings as they struggle to determine the owner of two properties which could determine the future of Dickens Island. Oh, yes, she gets involved in solving two murders. This book and new series will delight fans of Nancy Atherton. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book; this is my honest opinion.

Would you believe me if I told you that I read and finished this book in one day?

Well, you're gonna have to, because this was truly an entertaining and amazing book. Death on Dicken's Island is a fun and adventurous novel, combining humor, mystery, and romance all in one -- and succeeding perfectly!

The author truly has a sense for writing, making the book easy to follow and fast-paced. This book was quite honestly hard to put down. If I had to summarize my review, it would turn out as the following:

A truly amazing book, combining different aspects and genres perfectly and making it entertaining and easy to follow. This book was hard to put down, and deserves to be read by the book community!

This is my first book by this author and I was happy to start with her new series. There is a paranormal element, which I wasn't sure of, but that is not a deal breaker for me as I enjoy paranormal cozies. There is a good mystery and intrigue, but the book is a bit slow to get started. I also liked that when the main character returns to her home town after being away for so many years it was not the same place as she left. Sometimes, in a cozy mystery, the town never changes but yet there are murders. In this story the main character realizes that home might not be how she remembered it.

Delia has moved back to the small island where she was raised. She is happy to be back but dealing with a teenage son, a father who dislikes change and a old boyfriend is stressful. Maybe a murder to solve will be a good thing.

Death on Dickens Island is the debut book in this cozy mystery series. Delia Dickens returns home to the island where she grew up and it's not the peaceful haven she remembers. A young woman is murdered, and when her aunt and uncle are implicated, Delia does her best to find the real killer. There is mystery, a little intrigue, romance, and a cute dog. The pacing of this book was a bit slow for my liking. I did like the characters, the family dynamics, and the unexpected paranormal visits from her grandmother. Overall, a nice cozy. I look forward to reading the next one in this new series.

Delia's sleuthing techniques and style left a lot to be desired; she wasn’t a convincing amateur sleuth. This story lacked the excitement I had expected, it was mildly entertaining with mild intrigue.

#DeathonDickensIsland #NetGalley is the first in a new series by a favorite author.
This book knocks it out of the park for me, an avid cozy mystery reader.
Delia returns to Dickens Island, and she is desperate to heal her relationship with her son.
Working at the family general store keeps her busy, but when a murder takes place, putting her aunt and uncle on the top of the suspect list, Delia knows she needs to ask questions.
There is so much to love about this book, I am so happy to have read it, and I'm hoping there will be more to come.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
I will be recommending #DeathonDickensIsland to other cozy mystery readers.