After a 30% of reading this book, I couldn't connect with the players. It was slow starting, even at the point I stopped reading, I have no exciting points. I did not finish this read.

Love the setting for this cozy that features Sergeant Ali Wren and her canine Officer PD Wilson, a Springer spaniel. When Ann older resident in town reports his wife missing Ali suspects just routine stuff but but she discovers his first wife died mysteriously. A small English town in the countryside with a quaint setting makes a delight to read. Thanks#Netgalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

Death in the Countryside by Maria Malone is a thoroughly enjoyable book. Though I enjoyed the book, it took a bit for me to become used to the style and rhythm of the book. It seemed choppy at first, but after reading I became attuned to the style and the story was quite enjoyable! I am already hoping for a follow-up book!

A murder mystery with a dog? Sign me up!

Ali is a small town police officer, and with her dog Officer PS Wilson, they help keep the peace. However, when Melody, a local resident,goes missing it up to Ali and Wilson to uncover the secrets that lie behind the missing woman's disappearance.

I enjoyed Ali's character. She is meticulous and kind-hearted. Her detective skills are thorough, and she really enjoys serving justice. Wilson was a delight to read, so smart and passionate with his work.

A beautiful cozy murder mystery that is enjoyable from beginning to end!

Thank you, Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books, for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review. I give this one 3 stars because it was a cute small town mystery read! I do enjoy how the author builds up to the main plot. I feel like we were never really sure as readers what actually happened to the missing person or who the suspect was. I like books where you are thrown left and right with clues as to who it might be.

I absolutely LOVED Wilson, he was the perfect other main character in the story. Showcasing how different people act based on if they’re dog persons or not was too real, and in my opinion made the FMC a bit more interesting. Ali Wren is impressive, doing all this work by herself, but her trusty side kick definitely added to that!

Overall an enjoyable read! I would recommend it to those who are in need of a new small town, countryside, muster book with a super cute dog as the MC’s bff, and a story that will keep you guessing until the very end!

Overall, I'm enjoying the book, almost inspite of the author. There's a desperate need for editing as the asides take up more space than the plot. First it was cute, but veers in talking to Uncle Colm from Derry Girls territory. I'm not sure I'll finish it but it's good for a chapter while I'm in between books.

3.75 stars, rounded to 4 stars.
This one starts just a little slow, but then gets better.
Strong FMC (Ali), which I love.
Character development was done very well throughout the book.
Cozy feels that were mixed in with mystery.
Small town. Small as in, there is only 1 police officer in the whole town (well, and Wilson, Ali's dog). Ali is trying to find a work-life balance.
People start going missing. The mystery develops.
The plot is structured very well. However, the pace was slow. Definitely a slow-burning mystery. I felt like there were some areas that could have been tightened up and sped up. Specifically, the first half of the book was very slow. Once things started happening (I don't want to give too much away), the pace got a little better.
Again - characters are well developed. Easy to connect with.
I have to say.. this almost reads like one of the older detective/police/crime shows. Something happens, clues are gathered, an investigation occurs, and then the bad guys are apprehended.
Overall, not a bad book. Good for a beach read. Quick and easy, not very thought-provoking, which I enjoy when on vacation.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

This book was a bit of a slow burn, cozy English mystery. It started a bit slower than I anticipated, but I ended up really enjoying it. This book was a good blend of a cozy mystery and lovely character development.

I’m giving this book a neutral review of 3 stars because I have DNF’ed it at 25%.

‘You got the thing you wanted only to find it wasn’t quite what you were expecting’. I really enjoyed the opening chapter! The writing in this book is very beautiful, and I do find the premise interesting… BUT I know this is not the book for me personally. I just don’t feel connected to the characters at all.

HOWEVER, please don’t let my DNF deter you from reading this book! While I don’t feel invested enough in the story to continue, I can think of many people who I would definitely recommend this book to!

Thank you so much for the ARC. I’m sad that this wasn’t the book for me, but I would love to check out the author’s other books because I loved their writing style.

The book starts out very quietly with the only thing happening in the town of Heft is the competition brewing between two bakeries situated right across the street from each other. Sergeant Ali Wren is approached by the woman who has been running a bakery the longest to look into the rivalry. She has been subjected to pranks. This is the sort of thing that Ali Wren expects to have to do in her new position in Heft and the only police presence. Soon however, she is looking into the disappearance of Melody, the wife of one of the residents of the town. And then she is asked to investigate the death of a young man who disappeared 20 year previous. For being such a small village, there sure is a lot things going on. This book started slowly and, just as I was getting inpatient and thinking of stopping, the action picked up. I was hooked and wanted to know what happened to all the individuals involved. If this the start of a series, I would happily read the next one. And who could resist Officer PD Wilson!

What started as a missing person turned not so much more. I really enjoyed reading Death in the Countryside. Strong female character with a down home feel. Many characters to keep up with, but in the end everything falls into place. Highly recommended this read.

"Death in the Countryside" came across as a cozy mystery even though the heroine is a police officer. Ali's the only police officer in a small town, and her main job seemed to be to help people get along. Ali's dog partner was trained by her and mainly acted as an emotional support dog. People liked to pet the attentive dog and would say things to him that they weren't comfortable saying directly to Ali. She occasionally let the dog off his leash to sniff around with the vague assurance that he'd let her know if he found something important. He found several critical clues with no obvious guidance from Ali on what he should look for (a dead body, drugs, evidence, etc.).

The mystery was clue-based and was paced more like a detective mystery. Ali gathered information, followed up on clues, and used police resources to dig into background information and such. She tended to assume the best about people and helped them out even when they didn't ask for help. I was willing to accuse whodunit long before Ali had the proof she needed to do the same. I liked that she did get her proof for the missing woman, the murder, and the bakery shops rivalry.

There were no sex scenes. There were only a few uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable mystery.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish

Ali Wren is a cop in small town England. She is the one people come to when they have odd crimes. Her buddy dog, and her sweet husband all help too. Murder of course throws a wrench into everyday life. Good story and fun to travel with her finding clues. Would highly recommend.

I adored this book. I fell in love with the characters, the small town, and the writing style was descriptive yet fast paced. Highly recommend for any mystery or dog lover!

It took a bit of reading for me to really get involved in the story, but once I got to the meat of the story I had a hard time putting it down. I loved the small town setting and many of the characters. It made me feel like I was living in the English countryside. Initially I thought this book was for a younger audience based on the cover, but the writing is definitely geared toward adults. I would have liked a little more suspense throughout, but found that it was probably just more realistic than the typical murder mystery books I am used to. Fans of The Thursday Murder Club will likely find this book enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this.

This book starts out very slowly as Ali, who is a new officer in the local police department, gets a case where a man named Brian says his wife Melody is missing. Did she leave voluntarily? Is she still alive? It's hard to believe that Ali, in her efforts to aid the poor helpless man, cooks for him and irons his shirts. The second half of the book gets better as Ali solves a 20 year old murder, deals with a local bakery vendetta, and searches tirelessly for the missing woman. Her dog Wilson, who goes with her everywhere, is another big asset to the story. Four stars for the second half and for the dog. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Ali Wren has returned to her small village of Heft to work as the sole police officer -- assisted by her dog Wilson. Her duties mainly consist of patiently listening to the complaints of villagers. When a man comes to her and wants to report his wife missing, Ali isn't too concerned. It seems the wife in question has "disappeared" before, only to turn up before long. When it is discovered that the woman has taken cash and her passport, it seems even more likely that she's left her husband. As Ali begins to investigate, certain things don't add up and she begins to wonder if something sinister might be at play after all. To add to her problems, there's the rival bakery that has opened across the street from the lone, long-term bakery in town. When that establishment starts to suffer acts of vandalism, Ali has to try to figure out if it's connected to the new arrivals. Then there is the mysterious case of a young man who disappeared 20 years ago while hiking. His father is questioned as someone who knew the missing woman, and Ali becomes aware of that case and decides to look into it as well. Finally, a rich and obnoxious American has bought the stately Heft Hall and is rumors are running rampant about all of the outrageous plans he has for it.

This is definitely a cozy, with Wilson the dog front and center of every investigation. There is only one person (the obnoxious American) who objects to Wilson, and Ali takes him EVERYWHERE. Of course, he's a loyal, intelligent, and well-behaved dog. The pace of the story is very, very leisurely. When Ali is questioning witnesses and suspects, she often grows weary as they meander along talking nonsense and taking forever to get to the point. Imagine how we poor readers feel! I did enjoy the story, if it was a bit on the slow, uneventful side.

This is an absolutely wonderful book. Police Sergeant Ali Wren has returned to her hometown to become the only police officer. Her love for the townspeople gets her involved in many non crime issues but she and her trusted police dog Wilson enjoy solving small issues before they become big ones. Then, she gets called for a missing person case which becomes crazy complex. This and several other crimes present her with extreme challenges but she always manages to figure them out. I am looking forward to the next episode of Ali’s adventures! NetGalley provided me with a ARC, but the opinion is mty own.

Sgt Ali Wren has returned to the small town of Heft in Yorkshire as the lone policeman (along with her dog, Officer Wilson). She wants to be involved in the community, but is swamped with all kinds of minor complaints that have nothing to do with the police. Before long, though, Ali has not one, but two missing persons cases to solve.
Ali is learning that she needs to balance work and her personal life, but it also feels right to her to be involved in her community. She is an excellent policeman and truly cares about people. She has a great relationship with her dog and the Yorkshire countryside is amazing. I really enjoyed this mystery.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC.