The Widow's Guide to Skulduggery

This is the third book in this series, but the first one I’ve read. This did not detract from the story for me, as any needed references to earlier events were smoothly woven in. It was a good escape book as it was a somewhat easy read (I did keep confusing a couple sets of characters) with a solid mystery to unravel. The rivalry between villages was an interesting plot point, but the snooty wealthy vs the poor was over the top and missed the mark as humorous for me. There are elements of other cozies I enjoy - the interest of a crime family in the success of the amateur sleuths, older main characters who play on their weaknesses to learn what they need to, and a good balance between dialogue, thoughts, and environmental description. All in all, it was a decent read, but probably not a series I’ll add to my “must read” pile.

Thank you to Storm Publishing, Netgalley, and the author for access to this fun cozy mystery.

The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery is the third book in The Widows’ Detective Club series and it is great to meet up with Ginny, Tuppence, JM, and Hen once again.

Connor’s sister Grace is about to marry local “royalty,” Theo Faulkner, who comes from Walton-on-Marsh, a touristy type of town located near Little Shaw. There is mention of a curse and when a skull is dropped at Grace’s feet by Theo’s family dog, the curse is blamed. Reading about the groom’s family attending the wedding wearing black, you know things aren’t looking too good for Grace’s future with this family.

The skull belonged to Lesley Charlton, a woman who died 20 years ago, killed by her husband. As a result of the skull episode, Grace calls off the wedding. I felt that Grace calling off the wedding was an extreme reaction, but when your fiancé’s family hates you, maybe she thought it was for the best. However, Grace’s grandmother wants the detective club to find out who planted the skull at the church to ruin her granddaughter’s wedding. To me the question was why wasn’t the skull with Lesley’s body to begin with and where has it been all this time? The ladies discover who planted the skull, and that person ends up murdered. They then investigate the murder to find the connection between the skull and the current death.

Unfortunately, we don’t get grumpy DI Wallace in this book until the end because he is on vacation. The description of the people living in Walton-on-Marsh and how they look down on the people of Little Shaw is pretty funny, especially at the tea shop. I think readers will enjoy the women of the detective club, Grace’s family (especially her grandmother) and the story of how maps were made in the past and how that affected towns. I think people will be surprised by the killer and the end with Wallace is pretty funny. Please let’s have more books in this series because these ladies and the town are a delight.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another very entertaining book in this series!

Everyone looks forward to a wedding, and Ginny Cole is no different. But, when a skull turns up in the churchyard and the betrothed couple end up at daggers drawn, something is afoot. Ginny and her friends can't resist looking into the matter and they begin to suspect that it isn't so much about the skull, more about breaking up the wedding . . .

This is the third series with Ginny and her friends and each one just gets better. It's never obvious where it's heading, but such fun in getting there! Well-written, packed with great characters this is a series I hope continues. For me, 4.5* and a definite recommendation to all mystery lovers.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

Ginny is attending the wedding of Grace and Theo. Some guests on Theo's side are behaving badly in the form of trying to convince him not to marry Grace. Then Colin, Theo's mother's dog digs up a skull and everything goes to hell in a handcart.
In the aftermath of the wedding that never was, Maureen, Grace's grandmother asks Ginny and her friends to look into what happened because her son Joey, is threatening to return and wreck havoc to find out what happened. No one wants this to happen as he is a wanted man with very little impulse control.
As Ginny and her friends dig deep, certain things come to light which in turn cause a chain reaction of bad events.
Another easy to read murder mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed.

This is the third book in the series but it didn't matter I hadn't read the second.

It has all of the key characters and was really fun. A little obvious but a cosy read.

Thanks for the arc.

Another fun one from Amanda Ashby. I do love Ginny and her coconspirator band of amateur sleuths.
The return to Little Shaw was more interesting this time. with the history between them and their posh rivals in Walton-On-Marsh. The class difference and favoritism (looking at you DI Sterling) were well critiqued.

The mystery was not so obvious, it took me a while to see the dots connecting.
I missed Wallace but Anita and Bent were sufficient police representation.
I also enjoyed Ginny's journey as a widow, coming to terms with loss, loneliness and not expecting her late husband to respond to her etc.
The ladies using the address book as an indexed note keeper was such a cute touch.
This was a good palate cleanser, fun for a cozy weekend. I look forward to more books in the future.

Thank you Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery is the third Widows' Detective Club village cozy mystery by Amanda Ashby. Released 30th June 2025, it's 280 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU.

Small village cozies are perennially popular and it's lovely to find a solid series. The book is populated by small town eccentrics, undercurrents of rage, jealousy, and scandal, into which the new local village librarian has been unceremoniously thrust without warning. It checks all the boxes: intelligent late middle aged sensible widow/librarian, small town gossip, an outlandish ensemble cast of apparently harmless oddball characters, and a satisfying resolution and epilogue.

Compared to the first books in the series, the series has found a footing and more surety in the plotting, with a host of secondary characters who are a bit of a handful to keep track of, but overall, still readable and enjoyable.

It's not derivative, but fans of Robert Thorogood (Marlow Murder Club), Janice Hallett, and Richard Osman will find a lot to like here. The author has a genuinely good grasp of character and setting, good pacing, and a satisfying denouement and conclusion.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 40 minutes and is capably read by series narrator Diana Croft. She has a well modulated alto voice and an impressive command of regional accents (East London, Midlands, etc), and switches seamlessly between a range of ages and male and female (even Scottish) without a hiccup. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Four stars. It's a diverting read. It would be a great choice for home library, or a binge/buddy read. There are now three books extant in the series.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Thank you, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for letting me review The Widow's Guide to Skulduggery, to provide an honest review in return.

I absolutely love this series! This is the third book, and definitely the best for me! There was more suspense, and I will never get enough of the group of widows, that can get away with sneaking around to work on investigations.

The widows are always running into trouble on accident or on purpose, and then being older widows, they get looked over, which has helped them uncover many murders.

This one had me wanting to turn the next page, then the next page, until I know it, I have read the whole book in one sitting. It was gripping, and I love all of the characters in this book. You just fall in love with them and their quirks.

This book is suspenseful, gripping, and twists and turns throughout the whole book starting at the very beginning, with Little Shaw and a skull just uncovered and crashing a wedding. An old skull, a new dead body, can they solve this before another one drops dead?

Check this book out you guys! I absolutely love this series.

Ginny, JM, Hen and Tuppence are back, and I can't get enough of them!

Ginny Cole is invited to a wedding. All is going well until a skull rolls onto the bride's feet. Chaos ensues, and the police are called. However, it seems like no one is interested in finding out the origin of the skull. It is up to Ginny and the Widow's Club to figure it out.

It is always such a treat to read this series. There are enough twists, turns, and secrets to make this another fast-paced success.

Thank you, Netgalley and Storm Publishing, for this ARC. All opinions are entirely my own.

I have been thoroughly enjoying this series! The widows a quirky without being "too much" and the mysteries offer up some nice twists and turns. I especially like how the author has added depth to the side characters and keeps them involved throughout each book. With this book we also get to know more of Connor's complicated family - his grandmother is somehow both terrifying and someone you would want to sit around and have a drink with. Having the initial events occur during the wedding opened up the door for plenty of new characters all of whom made good suspects. The rivalry between the towns offered some levity as well as plenty of motives for the various crimes. The big reveal of the murderer came as a surprise to me - I did not see it coming until Ginny made the realization herself. The only bigger surprise (for me at least) was the reason behind of the initial murder that kind of got everything started. Of course, the best parts are those in which the widows are carrying out their investigations. I would not mind growing up to be any one of these women!

I enjoyed this book like I did the other two in the series, they are easy to read and are charming, twisty, and have just the right amount of macabre.

I really enjoy this series, with a great cast of characters and very involving mysteries. In this one, I especially enjoyed the research into maps that the writer must have done.

This is the third book in the series and they have improved over time.

To give too much information would be to provide too many spoilers for what is a cozy mystery thriller..

It’s well written with lots of twists and turns to keep the reader entertained - and to encourage just one more page/chapter.

The group of widows are developing their own characters and their own roles within the group as they investigate the Skulduggery.

Can’t wait for the next in the series - I sincerely hope there will be a next !

I love a good cozy crime, and this ticks all the boxes: a mystery to solve, lighthearted, cute characters with friendships galore. If a book had a map on page one, I’m locked it! An easy read, I flew through the short chapters.
I read this from NetGalley before I had read the first two in the series, I will be going back to start the series; I’m looking to reading about how Ginny and Connor struck up their friendship.

Forst I was drawn to the novel by the title! So fun! When a skull makes an appearance at a wedding the story takes off. Highly inventive, thoroughly enjoyable. I dod t want it to end!

This was a little too cozy for me with a chief proagonist a little too perfect. The writing was a little simplistic and the ending a little unbelievable

arc book review
upcoming pub date: 6.30.25
genre: mystery and thrillers
⭐️⭐️

about:
when a human skull gate crashes her friend’s wedding day, widower, ginny cole, is on the case with the rest of her crew.

my thoughts:
this book is part of the widows’ detective club series and is somewhat akin to richard osman’s thursday murder club in that an older foursome have a knack for solving mysteries together. i really liked the main character, ginny, however, the rest of the story’s structure, wasn’t my favorite. the two town’s where the bride and groom were from being divided felt contrived when layering in a possible curse having to do with the skull showing up to stop the wedding. i felt pretty disconnected from the characters including the murderer so the reveal at the end fell flat. i struggled to follow the implications of the maps and really this one just wasn’t for me. but if you’re into small town murder mysteries this may be the right read for you!

thank you to @stormbooks_co for the early read opportunity!

The third book in this series and somehow I missed number two! This did not affect my enjoyment of number three.

Ginny Cole is attending a friends wedding when a guest's dog presents the bride with an unexpected and unwanted gift of a human skull. The police are called, the wedding is cancelled, and Ginny and her fellow members of the Widows Detective Club set out to solve the mystery and get the wedding happening again.

A fun story with entertaining characters and an interesting mystery. Now I must find book 2.

This is the third of the Widows’ Detective Club and I was keen to reengage with Ginny and her eclectic group of friends and neighbours. The story starts at a wedding with the bride and groom from feuding villages. Tensions are high as the two sides express their dislike of the other with metaphorical daggers drawn. Then an unexpected event causes the wedding to be cancelled. Was it accidental or was it sabotage?

The plot quickly develops with a smattering of red herrings, unexpected twists, murder, and some interesting historical insights. Another well crafted story, brilliantly told.

This is the third book in the series, but this is the first one I have read. I didn’t have any issues reading this without reading the first two books. I enjoyed this book so I plan on going back and reading the first two books. I enjoyed that this took place at a wedding and then turns into an investigation. I thought this book was easy to follow and a fun read. The mystery aspect was also good and entertaining.