So cozy and charming! A really delightful fluffy read. Sweet and clever banter between Georgie and Sebastian. The murders made for fun plot.

I received a free copy of, And Then There Was The One, by Martha Waters, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Georgiana Radcliffe, never planned on being a detective, but she has solved four murders already. The Cotswold is not as safe as it used to be. Georgiana is quite busy solving murders, this is a nice cozy mystery.

This book was so much fun! I love a cozy mystery with a charming location and characters you want to spend time with - this book is populated with fun characters, like if the early-2000s Stars Hollow residents lived in 1930s Cotswolds and also there were murders. I wish I could visit all the adorable sounding shops - The Scrumptious Scone! The Shorn Sheep! The Fleecy Lamb! I love an easy, breezy mystery where the "peril" isn't all that serious but following the characters puzzling together the clues keeps you turning the pages. The romance subplot adds an interesting twist without cannibalizing the mystery element and leaves the door open for potential future cases for the murder-solving duo in this story.

If you enjoy books by old-timey mystery writers like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, AND you enjoy rom-coms…this is the book for you. Set in a small village in 1930’s Britain, the heroine is Georgie…smarty older daughter of the charmingly eccentric and impoverished local gentry. Georgie has already solved two murders and is suspicious of what’s really going on when a third murder is committed…in her tiny village in less than one year. She and her friend Arthur who is the local news reporter have noticed that the village has had so many murders that “Murder Tourists” have arrived eager to see the murder sites and meet the local lady sleuth. When the wife of yet another murder victim is arrested and Georgie cannot accept that this lady is guilty, she decides to write a letter to the country’s most famous private detective asking him to visit from London and solve the crime as discreetly as possible. The local police are incompetent and have greatly resented Georgie’s past crime solving so they have warned her to stay away from future investigations and she can’t be seen as interfering. Georgie and Arthur are quite surprised when he agrees to visit but instead, his extremely handsome secretary arrives instead. Sebastian is oh so charming and seems like nothing more than an empty headed flirt. But there is much more the Sebastian than his string of former lovers in London and opposites really do attract. In the end, Georgie and Sebastian may make the perfect duo…as detectives and in love. This books is a homage to to Christie and Sayers and hits all the right tropes. There’s even a sweet, older dog. I hope this is the beginning of a series.

This was a perfect cozy mystery. If you are a fan of Agatha or Father Brown, you would like this. It was set in the English countryside in the 1930s. I enjoyed the characters and the writing!

Super cute mystery with a side of romance. Very cozy and relaxed. Took me a bit to get fully into this one I felt like there wasn’t enough suspense around the mystery to make me fully commit. I enjoyed the characters and banter. Georgie is kind of the grumpy sunshine of the novel and Sebastian was a perfect match for her. Loved loved the English setting of the village.

Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as her regency series I’ll be honest, but it was still cute

so, i actually adored this. it took a second to really get into it (and i was really only here for the romance plot of it) but when it hit… it really hit. i loved georgie and sebastian guys. that was a good slow burn. my only deep desire and wish was that there was an epilogue, i love epilogue so much. would’ve been a perfect way to end

It's the 1930s and Georgie is the responsible member of her family living in genteel poverty in a small town in the Cotswolds. She has correctly solved the past four murders this year despite the local police blustering, but this newest one is getting on her last nerve. So she agrees to write to the renowned detective fellow in London. But instead of coming himself, Sebastian his farcical assistant/secretary arrives with his wardrobe and scandalous ways. The investigation is full of twists, murder tourists, laughs, and even some romantic ideas. Too much fun!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected reader's proof from Atria Books Via NetGalley. ***** review Pub Date Oct 14, 2025
#AndThenThereWasTheOne by @marthabwaters @atriabooks #murdertourists #cozymystery #smalltownnewspaper #reporter #petbeagle #historicalmystery #romantic #family #notwhatitseems #poisonousplants

Having read Martha Walter books before, my hopes were high- and this delivered.

First note- from the get go, Egg is my favorite and should be in every scene as Georgie’s companion. She should be part of the whole story and play a part in the investigation.

However, the book was good. We’re set in the 1930’s following Georgie, a bit of a detective whose solved murders in her town since people seem to be dropping dead every other month and the police don’t seem to be doing their jobs. With someone else in town dying and it being considered a natural death, she’s suspicious. And honestly, rightfully so if it’s that small of a town and people are just randomly dying all of a sudden. Without wanting to be discovered by others on the police force, Georgie, Arthur, her friend and journalist, and Lexington, the only police officer who seems to be good at his job but doesn’t have the authority to do much of anything. Together, they think it’s a good idea to reach out to a retired detective, turned PI, to discreetly investigate if this man had been murdered. Instead, sent is a man named Sebastian who clearly doesn’t have that much experience. At least, detective experience.

Sebastian is immediately characterized as a charmer who would first with any woman in his path. I wasn’t a fan from the start, but as Georgie discovered more and more about him and how some of this is a facade, he started to grow on me a little.

Together, they start to dig to discover anything they could in order to determine if Mr. Penbaker had actually been murdered. Leaving Sebastian to be the people person, Georgie discovers what she can.

Also, totally ship Arthur and Lexington. I want more of their story and need them working together more. Unfortunately, neither of them contribute to the investigation too much- that’s Georgie and Sebastian.

I would love another book that follows Arthur and Lexington. Just a thought.

I received an ARC from Atria Marketing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A historical romance with a murder mystery twist! It’s like this book was written for me! Was initially pulled in by the title as I’m a HUGE Agatha fan. And was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this book. A perfect blend of the romance and mystery set in a quaint English town. I didn’t want it to end and hope she is able to write many many more!

The historical characterization was so unrealistic that I felt like everything in the plot was not at all cozy. I think that in the next books the author can get closer to the Agatha Christie vibe.

Well this was lovely and delightful! Martha Waters has a real knack for cozy mysteries. I’ve read a lot of her work and I’m always happy to have read her novels. This one is a cozy murder mystery with a romantic subplot that’s reminds me of a nice cup of tea! A great fall read for sure!

Thanks to @atriabooks for the ARC!

as an avid devourer of all things martha waters, i was so excited ti read this one! i was a bit nervous as i generally prefer the regency period but this one comes much later, in the 1930s. i was intrigued at the murder mystery aspect but much prefered the interactions between characters. martha waters is so good at story development!

When Ms. Waters first announced she would be writing a mystery/romance inspired by the "Golden Age of Mystery," I squealed with delight. When I found out I received an ARC for this book, I squealed even louder, and promptly devoured it.

"And Then There Was The One" was such a lovely book. I love mysteries and romance, and I think I love it even more when the two are combined! As a hardcore devotee of Agatha Christie, this hit all the right notes. She weaves in nods to the classic mystery authors while also slightly poking fun at the genre (the "Murder Tourists" lol) in a way that felt so effortless. It was so charming, and I loved the chemistry and interactions between Georgie and Sebastian. They are a great duo--both in romance and crime-solving!

I will read anything Waters writes and Martha, PLEASE WRITE MORE MYSTERY ROMANCES THANK YOU!

A cozy murder mystery with a charming 1930s village setting and just a hint of romance. Georgie, the local sleuth, teams up (somewhat reluctantly) with Sebastian, a flashy assistant detective sent from London. The mystery itself is fun, full of red herrings, gossip, and Agatha Christie vibes. I especially enjoyed how it poked fun at cozy tropes while still embracing them. The romance felt a little undercooked, but the banter and slow build tension made it satisfying by the end. Would definitely read another Georgie and Sebastian case.

And Then There Was The One was a solid read, though it didn’t completely capture me. The premise was intriguing, and there were definitely moments of tension and emotion that pulled me in. However, the pacing felt uneven at times, and I found it hard to fully connect with some of the characters and their decisions.

There were a few twists that kept things interesting, but the overall execution didn’t quite deliver the punch I was hoping for. It wasn’t a bad book by any means, just one that didn’t fully resonate with me.

This book was a refreshing and fun read with just the right amount of mystery and romance. I loved the characters, the mystery was compelling and the story was engaging. As someone who sometimes gets icked out by some cringier aspects of some contemporary romance, I didn’t experience that with this, it was all very cute with good banter. Would be a great pallet cleanser.

This book is relatively short but contains a good complete story in both the mystery and the romance. And I would be interested to read the story of one of the other couples shown throughout the story.

4.5 ⭐️
1.5🌶️

I’m a big Agatha Christie fan and have read just under 40 of her books so the premise of this book really had me hopeful. When I first started reading it felt as if I had somehow been dropped into the story about 1/4 of the way in. So much so that I had to check my kindle to be sure I hadn’t accidentally skipped ahead in the book. Once I verified that I was in fact in the first chapter, I settled in to try to ground myself in the book. Unfortunately, this continued to be an issue for me as the book continued. DNF at 20%.

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication.

Is there anything Martha Waters can’t write? After five fantastic regency romances, the best anti-Christmas Christmas contemporary rom com, she now applies her sparkling wit and banter to a 1930s cosy mystery/romance set in Cotswolds. I adored this.

This has her signature acerbic wit with well-layered characters. Serious-minded Georgie is a self-described curmudgeon, contrasted nicely with flirtatious Sebastian who is such a sweetheart. I loved their slow-burn romance as fiercely independent Georgie, slowly realises how Sebastian values her insight and takes her seriously. He also knows how to call her out, such as her stubbornness to remain in her village despite desiring to work in botany in London. Sebastian, in turn, also experiences Georgie take him seriously, after being seen as a bit of a screw up in comparison to his high-achieving siblings. They were the perfect complement for each other.

An expertly balanced historical rom com with a cozy mystery that plays homage to Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers and small English villages. I devoured this. If Martha wants to write a series featuring Georgie and Sebastian solving mysteries, take my money please!

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.