This was a well-paced cozy mystery. Definitely not fast but also not too slow. Because it was more centered on the romance than the mystery the pacing gave enough space for the relationship to develop. I liked the dynamic between Georgie and Sebastian and how they were both led to question their assumptions about themselves and each other. The resolution to the mystery was interesting and believable. The queer representation was great to see in a historical novel.

This book is a fun combination of a cozy mystery and a chick-lit book. It is a perfect vacation read, and I flew through it. Although the romance part was predictable, the mystery part was unique and entertaining. The book also had a lot of humor mixed in with the investigation. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for introducing the author to me and giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I would happily read future books in the series.

If you told me I’d be swooning over a murder mystery set in a sleepy 1930s English village full of nosy neighbors and murder tourists… I’d say, “Sign me up.”

And Then There Was One is exactly what I hoped for - sharp, witty, and full of charm. Georgie is the perfect kind of heroine: smart, grounded, and absolutely over the nonsense of everyone around her. I loved the mystery angle, but what really made this shine for me was the banter and slow-burn chemistry between Georgie and Sebastian.

Martha Waters absolutely nailed the cozy historical vibe while still giving me a little thrill of suspense. If you like your whodunnits with a healthy dose of sarcasm, heart, and a reluctant investigative duo, definitely give this one a read!

Expected Release Date: 10/14/2025

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the early access. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I love when a book blends romance and mystery. This book was sufficient, thought not exemplary, at combining both threads. I love this author's Regency Romances (honestly--love is an understatement, as I really adore them), but this combo wasn't firing on all levels for me.

The #1 thing though is that this book oozes charm. And if the author writes more in this series, I will give it another try.

What I wanted more from the book: more mystery solving (interviews, research scenes). I loved the setting of the story and would have liked to seen more "regular interactions" of the town dwellers (dinner party, summer festival, afternoon tea, etc.) Also I wanted more interiority for the male love interest, Sebastian. Typically in this author's writing, both her female and male characters are complex, and readers are given insight about both characters' minds. Here, the male character Sebastian is too perfect, frankly, and I missed getting insight from inside his head.

I do like Martha Waters' writing tremendously, and I am looking to her next book, hopefully from this series,

Another fantastic book by Martha Waters. As a MW completist, I was curious about this departure from her Regency Vows series. While the concept is a little convoluted, the characters were captivating, the setting was charming, and I was so sad when I turned the last page.

I enjoyed the idea of Georgia ending up solving murders she had no intention of being involved in. This had the perfect setting for a cozy mystery. The characters were enjoyable and the plot moved at a good pace.

Martha Waters is back again with this cute and cozy small town romance meets murder mystery!

And Then There Was the One is a cozy, lighthearted mystery with a touch of slow-burn romance, set in the charmingly quirky village of Buncombe-upon-Woolly. The setting, complete with sheep, scones, and murder tourists, makes for an endearing backdrop, and Georgiana Radcliffe is a relatable amateur sleuth trying to make sense of her unexpected role as the village's resident detective.

The premise is delightful: a woman who’s solved four murders begins to suspect a fifth, even as the rest of the town moves on. Pairing Georgie with the reluctant, posh Sebastian Fletcher-Ford adds a fun dynamic, especially as their oil-and-water relationship slowly softens.

That said, the pacing at times felt uneven, and the mystery thread didn’t always feel as tight or suspenseful as I’d hoped. Some characters bordered on caricature, and while the romantic subplot is sweet, it occasionally distracted from the core investigation.

Readers who enjoy cozy mysteries with a heavy dose of British charm and a touch of romance will find much to like here. It may not break new ground in the genre, but it’s a pleasant and whimsical read for fans of the village mystery tradition.

A must-read for historical mystery fans! Martha Waters brings her trademark wit to this satire of the historical mystery (a series of murders in a small English village! An intrepid amateur female detective! And charming male sidekick!) PLUS a lovely, banter-filled romance. The mystery was quite easy to solve, but I didn’t mind as the journey itself was so delightful.

I am a huge fan of Martha Waters’ work and was particularly excited to receive an advanced copy from NetGalley.

And Then There Was The One explores a new genre from Waters’ past books and I found that this book did not have the witty banter and charm that I have loved in her historical romance books. The plot was good, the characters drawn well and the writing was good. But I found it a chore to get through the book and did not find the story engaging. Sadly, this was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This book!! I have have wanted to read books by this author for a while (but just had not gotten my hands on her previous series, so it was incredible to get to read this book

It’s set in a small English town in the 1930s. The main character is Georgianna (Georgie) Radcliffe. She has lived in Buncombe-upon-Woolly her whole life with her father and younger sister. And for most of her life, it was a very uneventful life, until a year ago when suddenly more people were being murdered than an Agatha Christie novel. And Georgie seems to be the only one in town able to solve each of the murders, until a death in the village might just be a death…or possibly a murder. Georgie must enlist the help of old and new friends, including aloof and womanizing Sebastian Fletcher-Ford to solve the most recent mystery.

There was a LOT I really enjoyed about this book, and one notable “ehhhh, not loving that” about the book that helped me figure out how I was going to rate this book
Liked:
- The mystery: the town has had an influx of murders in the past year (resulting in Murder Tourists to the town). All of the murders seem to follow the same pattern: a person receives a letter of some kind, and someone close to them ends up dead. None of the deaths appear to be related, except they mostly seem to be poisonings. When the head of the town’s Council dies of merely a heart attack, Georgie can’t let it rest. Just a heart attack? In this murder village? Unlikely.
- The cozy village: I could picture the small village and all of its little shops and tourist attractions (in my head it’s a mix of Stars Hollow and Salem, MA with Highclere Castle in the distance). There’s even a town rivalry with a nearby town who’s just SLIGHTLY more uppity than Buncombe-upon-Woolly
- The side characters: this town and this book is full of so many interesting side characters. Arthur (who for about five minutes I thought was the MMC before I realized no, I was wrong) is a life long friend of Georgie’s but has his own relationship and personal goals that he achieves throughout the book. Lexington, along Miss de Vere and Miss Singh (called that!!) expand Georgie’s friend group throughout the story

Now for my biggest “ehhhh, not loving that” of the whole book (it combined with a few small things had the biggest effect on my rating.
- Sebastian Fletcher-Ford: he is described in a note to the reader from the editor at the start of the book as a “posh himbo”. Now, to me, a himbo is a “no thoughts, just vibes” male bimbo. Basically, Chris Hemsworth in the Ghostbusters movie. He is also described as being a “posh womanizer” in other summaries of the book. However, I had only seen “Himbo” when I started reading and was EXTREMELY disappointed that he spends a LARGE majority of the book openly flirting with other women or talking about past conquests in front of and directly to Georgie. If he was truly an airhead who happened to mention past conquests, fine, I can roll with that. But he bragged about it. It made me uncomfortable and not like him for a majority of the book because it felt like he was playing with her emotions. I think he really needs to be advertised as a womanizer. If only he then cut back on his flirting with other woman once he expresses feelings for Georgie. Like, aside from him doing it for the investigation, to me he should ogle less and woo Georgie more.

Overall, a fun book and I do hope there is a full series to come

Martha Waters’ And Then There Was The One definitely has themes of Agatha Christie, and much of the timeless setting to it, despite being set in the 1930s. But it also has more of a romance aspect to it and characters that feel a lot more quirky.

The protagonist of the book is Georgie, a member of a long tenured family in her local village, who takes it upon herself to become a crime solver when a unusually high (four) number of murders take place in the village and at her home.

The latest death (#5 for those who are counting) is ruled a heart attack, but Georgie has her doubts. So she and her reporter friend Arthur reach out to a famous detective in London…and his assistant shows up instead. Sebastian is incredibly handsome, very flirtatious and charming, and completely exasperating to Georgie. There are hints though, that Sebastian isn’t as vapid as he appears to be, so Georgie agrees that he can stick around for a week to help her investigate.

Since the local police are in general not enthusiastic about Georgie’s efforts the pair attempt to be portraying Sebastian as a family friend come to visit, but that is an obvious farce to everyone, especially when they begin interrogating their potential suspects. And there are certainly plenty of them, from locals with grudges, The Murder Tourists in the village as amateur detectives, and even members of the neighboring village.

The plot twist of whether the chairman of the village council was actually murdered, and if so, who the culprit is was interesting, but also not entirely surprising to me given the direction of the story.

I didn’t really love either Georgie or Sebastian. Georgie was grumpy and cantankerous, but not in a way that I found charming. Sebastian may have been smarter than he let everyone believe, but he was a little too believable as a vapid flirt. And the pair spent most of the book bickering (if you count Georgie sniping at Sebastian and him deflecting it as bickering)

While the book resolves the whodunnit of the story, it is the first book in a series and there are other storylines with various characters that are set up for a subsequent book. I would read that book after reading this one, but I probably wouldn’t seek it out.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We meet Georgie after the fourth murder is solved in her small hometown in the countryside of England. However, this time, she didn’t help solve it like she had the other three. After a fifth murder, she and her reporter friend Arthur write to famous detective Fitzgibbons for help.

Only—he’s a bit tied up, so he sends his secretary, Sebastian, in his stead. Georgie sees Sebastian as deeply unserious yet deeply charming, and has low hopes that he can help solve anything. Except—sometimes, she catches glimpses of a man more complicated than she ever thought he could be.

As intriguing as it is entertaining, And Then There Was The One is a truly cozy mystery romance and felt like a modern take on the genre. Every character was interesting and fun—I was not bored for a moment.

This read was cozy, clever and SO much fun! Small town mystery meets slow burn romance in the Cotswolds (one of my favorite places I've traveled to!!!) With a heroine who is nosy in the most lovable way, and a charming outsider who may or may not be who he says he is. The banter between them two was honestly the highlight- sharp, flirty, and just the right amount of tension.

The mystery isn't super twisty, but it's more about the vibes: quirky villagers, gossip, tea, and secrets. If you're into light murder, soft romance, and witty dialogue, this is a great pick for a rainy day read (and pretend you're solving crimes in the English Countryside!!!)

Historical romance meets cozy murder mystery? Sign me up! This was super cute! I would love to take a trip to Cotswolds!!! The names of the establishments in this book were so cute....they made me smile. Georgie and Sebastian had great banter between the two of them. George's character was complex and completely entertaining. She was her own grumpy/sunshine. I really enjoyed this one and look forward to more like this by this author.

Set in a Cotswolds village, this cozy murder mystery is a bit of a departure from the author’s regency books, but I really enjoyed the change of pace. Buncombe-upon-Woolly has seen four murders in a year, and when a fifth happens, amateur sleuth Georgie calls for help. Instead of the famous detective she reaches out to, she gets his assistant — enter Sebastian.

This book had fun with the cozy mystery genre, both leaning into the classic tropes and gently poking fun at them. The small-town setting and Agatha Christie vibes were spot-on, and I really liked the quirky cast of villagers we meet along the way.

Sebastian was a great character- he’s over-the-top when he arrives but Waters does a great job peeling back his layers. I just wish the romance had been more front-and-center. Georgie and Sebastian’s relationship doesn’t really shift until pretty far into the book, and I wish it was a little less slow burn.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Atria for the ARC!

Thanks to the publisher for my free ARC; all opinions mine.

📣 an English countryside murder mystery with kissing

📖 what’s a word that starts with a letter in Sunday that describes your day so far? Mine is S for satisfying. I have my coffee, my phone, a book I’m reading for class, & I’m enjoying the quiet 🤫.

Martha Waters takes murder mystery for a spin with And Then There Was The One. George Radcliffe feels like she’s keeping her village & family together. Especially since she’s solved three murders in the last year or so as a total amateur.

When someone new dies mysteriously in the village, she asks an expert for help. Sebastian is beyond handsome & beyond exasperating when he steps off the train, & only too willing to flirt with everyone in sight.

This book was a fun change when I wanted it last week. Georgie is dry, smart, & a tough egg to crack, & Sebastian is the flirtatious, annoying-to-the-other-lead MC I love. The mystery was satisfying & the romance added some nice oomph (although I would have liked a bit more there!).

If you feel the siren’s call of an English countryside-set mystery a la Agatha Christie or maybe Dorothy Sayers (I haven’t read much by her in particular!), you might want to check this one out!

4.25 ⭐️, out 10/14

CWs: murder, manipulation

[ID: Jess holds the ebook over a meadow with white flowers.]

I was in the mood to read a little romance and came across this title. The plot is decent and definitely in the realm of cozy mysteries. However, I ended up skimming a lot of the chapters to get to the main point. It's crammed with a lot of banter and fluff that seemed to have been added to increase the page count. I may pick up another one of her books, and hopefully will not need to skim.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me the opportunity to read this!

“And Then There Was The One” by Martha Waters is a mystery meets romance set in 1930 in Buncombe-upon-Wolly in the Cotswolds.

Our female lead Georgiana has become an accidental detective by helping solve several murders. When a local leader dies suddenly of a heart attack Georgie suspects foul play, she writes to enlist the help of the famous detective Delacey Fitzgibbons. The help she gets is not from Fitzgibbons but his assistant Mr. Fletcher-Ford.

With murder tourists seemingly at every turn, will Georgie solve the supposed murder of the city council man or fall in love? While not the typical novel we have come to expect from Martha Waters, I enjoyed this read. The characters were well developed and entertaining, makes you want to vacation in 1930 and join in on the fun!

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the advance copy of “And Then There Was The One” all opinions are my own.

Poking good-natured fun at the (seemingly well-founded) idea that charming British villages are rife with murder, Martha Waters has created a frothy romp of a novel in which serious-minded, strait-laced local darling Georgie is unwittingly paired with the flirtatious, gastronomically-obsessed London private detective Sebastian Fletcher-Ford. Together they proceed to investigate the recent spate of (four!) murders that have turned their idyllic Cotswolds village (Buncombe-upon-Wooly!!) into a destination spot for "murder tourists" looking to dabble in amateur sleuthing (or even just gawk). By turns humorous and heartfelt, adorable and ridiculous, AND THEN THERE WAS THE ONE is great fun, and I do hope it's the first in a series!

This book is absolutely delightful! A must-read for any banter-loving romance and/or mystery readers. I love that this book answers the question "but WHY are there so many murders in quaint English villages?" The characters are amazing. When Sebastian first appeared in the book I thought there was no way the author could make me like him by the end of the book but I was completely wrong -- he was a delight. And Georgie is my favorite kind of female lead! I love that she didn't really *want* to solve mysteries, though -- she had other goals. Lots of delightful side characters, too. I hope we get a sequel!