‘Stunning… case.
Obituary writer Eve is looking forward to her new assignment, as well as spending a few days in the sweet little village of Saxford St Peter, walking the country lanes with her beloved dachshund Gus. But it turns out that it’s Bernard’s death that she’ll need to investigate, not his life. On the day she arrives, news breaks that the world-famous cellist was the victim of a grisly murder. Could this quaint English village be hiding a dark secret?
As Eve starts to interview Bernard’s friends and colleagues, she finds that he’d ruffled more than a few feathers. In fact, from the landlords of the Cross Keys Inn to his own seemingly devoted secretary, there’s barely a person in town who doesn’t have some reason to hate him… is one of the friendly villagers really a cold-blooded killer?
Eve hoped Saxford St Peter would be the perfect escape from her busy city life. But there is darkness even in the most sunlit of settings. And when a second body is found, Eve realises she’s spoken to every single suspect. Her notebook contains all the clues she needs. But will she be able to crack the case and identify them… before they realise she’s on their trail and make her their next target?
An unputdownable page-turner, perfect for fans of Faith Martin, Agatha Christie and Betty Rowlands.
What readers are saying about Mystery on Hidden Lane:
‘Drags the reader right into the plot from day one. She writes so vividly… I can almost imagine I’m on the dunes walking Gus, an inspiration of a dog that steals the show. The plot is strong… A Marplesque amateur sleuth.’ Jenny O’Brien ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I really enjoyed reading this! Loved the typical English village location and the very Jessica Fletcher-type protagonist… I am anxious to read more of this character soon!’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I thoroughly enjoyed it… loved the setting… I was reminded of a modern-day Miss Marple.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A cast of characters who are inviting and warm. I love Eve, and the people she befriends in this small village as she digs for the truth… I’m happy to highly recommend this writer and her books!’ Roxx is Reading ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘A wonderful beginning to a new mystery series!… I love that the main character’s job is an obituary writer – how unique and creative’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘Loved it… a very good whodunnit… And she has a long-haired dachshund ;)’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I love cozy mysteries and Mystery on Hidden Lane is the first book in a new series that I just know that I will enjoy. Eve’s character is perfect, the setting is ideal and the mysteries abound.’ Robin Loves Reading
‘Brilliant… I can’t wait to read the next instalment.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘What a perfect and brilliant start to a great new series!… I am eagerly anticipating what Clare Chase has in store for Eve next! Brianne’s Book Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Very enjoyable… gripping… leaves you looking forward to the next’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Excellent cozy mystery. A real page turner. Kept me entertained all the way through’ NetGalley Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Hits the ground running… I loved it!… And of course Gus is an excellent side-kick!… A cracking series opener… left me hankering for more’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐more
Mystery on Hidden Lane is the first book in the Eve Mallow Mystery series written by Clare Chase. It was published in January 2020 and I found a copy on NetGalley. I was initially attracted to the book because of the charming cover, great description, and the idea of the amateur sleuth being an obituary writer. What an easy way to find your victims… I mean cases!
I am an avid cozy reader. As I spend more time in this sub-genre, I am more suited to the American ones, but I adore the settings in the British ones. In this caper, Eve Mallow rents a charming home to meet a few people who were close to a newly deceased musician. After she arrives to interview others, Eve learns that the cops have ruled the man’s death a murder. Everyone is tight-lipped when she approaches them, but Eve is persistent and finds a way to learn about the guy. She has to write a ~3k word obituary, after all.
As a main character, Eve has potential. She’s ~50, divorced, half American/British, and has twin kids around ~25. She’s not ready to date. She’s unsure where to live. But this job feels right, so she sticks with it… and she methodically researches the deceased man, learning who can provide input on his character and personality. He was a bit of a mystery, and she uncovers more secrets than answers at first. By the time she presses everyone for details, she also solves his murder, and nearly gets killed in the process. She’s highly intelligent and clearly follows all the right paths to solve the case.
As a series, this has lots of potential too. I like the amateur sleuth approach. The plot was a little difficult to accept at first, but by 50% in, I was much more interested. Part of the struggle for me was an overly descriptive writing style (which also worked because it was pretty) and the characters were a little on the dull side. I couldn’t get invested, and I found myself skimming a few paragraphs. When the story got more interesting half way through, I slowed down and found myself keen to solve the investigation.
Overall, it’s a good start. I am curious what others think of it, and I give it 3.5 stars. I’ll read more by the author, as her writing style is quite nice… but I like a bit more in my plots and a little more colorful characters. Maybe the second one will be stronger and pull me right in — the obituary angle is quite intriguing.
Clare Chase is a new author to me; however, I will definitely be reading more of her excellent cozy mysteries.
Eve heads to Suffolk to write an obituary on a recently deceased famous cellist, only to find that he has actually been murdered.
It is hard for Eve to resist a little amateur sleuthing, but with so many suspects, she is repeatedly lead in several different directions.
A well written cozy mystery which had me hooked from beginning to end.
This book is one of the most enjoyable cozy style / amateur sleuth mysteries I’ve read. The method the main character, Eve, uses to solve the crime is believable and fun – an obituary writer?? it’s perfect! The entire book centers around her getting to know the villagers and figuring out who is lying to her and why. I absolutely loved this book.
Amusing cosy mystery
Well written and unpredictable! Great characters!!
This is a cozy cottage mystery in Saxford St. Paul, England. A quiet village close to the beach, water and a delightful area with a great bar and a wonderful pastry, dessert shop. What could go wrong?
Eve is a divorced working mum of two grown kids. Her dachshund Gus is going along the trip as Eve travels to meet people that knew the famed cellist Bernard F. She is doing an obit piece on the man, leaving the city and her job in the school system for a break.
So staying on the coast to see the cellist friends will be nice…until it is known that Bernard was murdered. Beautiful scenery abounds and the dark lanes have romantic or ghostly names.
Meet poor Adam, Polly, Fiona and others that worked for the cellist. Hear the gossip about the dead man’s affairs, temper, rigidness and need to be the only famous person in the town.
Eve describes the food, the genial atmosphere, as she takes notice of the easy going rector, the gardener Robin, Viv, Cole, Simon and Lucas.
This moves slowly at first until a second murder shocks everyone. Secrets are exposed, old affairs, regets and good sleuthing by Eve and her friends solve the case.
Some really red herrings and the killer or killers comes as a bit of a surprise. 4 stars. Savor the people, village, food and solve a mystery or two!
I love the way this series is progressing and that the plot is good and things move along.
Not my cup of tea. sorry…
I loved this book. It’s quite charming, notwithstanding the murder. The characters are delightful and the village is somewhere I would like to live, like Three Pines in Louis Penny’s Inspector Gamache series. It’s a great book to read before bedtime – very relaxing. I didn’t want it to end.
Favorite Quotes:
… she reached down to ruffle Gus’s fur as he looked up at her, no doubt after another treat… ‘No, Gus – no more. Because I love you and I’m taking care of your health.’ For a moment she imagined how it would be if the roles were reversed, and Gus was in a position to ration her cake intake at the teashop. It didn’t bear thinking about.
Can’t blame you for not trusting DI Palmer. You have to chivvy him if you want something in a hurry. When Simon had that horse stolen, he had all the urgency of a dormouse on Valium.
My Review:
I enjoy cozy mysteries for a change of pace between my habitual reads of women’s fiction and thrillers as they are almost medicinal as they generally allow me the novel experience of sustaining a consistent pulse rate and blood pressure at normal levels. This slowly developing tale was rather complex for a cozy and entertained and amused me with the quirkiness of the characters and originality of the plotlines.
So, a Londoner arrives in a small village to write a celebrity obituary for her part-time job. Who knew there was such a thing as a celebrity obituary writer? But the character of Eve was perfect for the task as she was a full-on natural-born snoop who was eaten up with curiosity, oozed diplomacy, and easily put others at ease while she finagled and finessed interesting bits of information out of them. Eve was highly observant and spent endless hours researching everyone, even those on the fringes. She was also apparently in love with my beloved Mr. Google. And yes – I do know that my love is unrequited and that he cheats on me relentlessly, sigh… Regardless, Eve arrived in the small village to interview her subject’s peeps only to learn that her assignment had not only died but had been murdered, which was her first, but I have a feeling it won’t be her last.
I adored Eve! She talked aloud to her little dog Gus and sought his opinion as well as assigned him thoughts, motivations, and emotions. I reveled in these anthropomorphized bits as I do the same with my fur babies who, of course, are feline geniuses and possible serial killers/ninjas. The storylines were heaving with colorful and amusing descriptions, copiously noted details, and possible suspects. Eve kept track of her carefully curated details on spreadsheets and was quickly befriended by Viv, a gifted baker who conjured divine cakes, whom I loved just as much as Eve because, well, cake, and, she was good fun and had pink hair. I am eager to read the next book in the series, which is locked and loaded on my impatiently idling Kindle.
I picked up two new clever bits and bobs for my Brit List with playing away – being unfaithful to a partner, and chivvy – pushing or nagging someone repeatedly to do something.
4.25 Stars
Seasoned obituary writer Eve Mallow has a new assignment: to tell the life story of famed musician Bernard Fitzpatrick. A chance to spend a few days in the sweet Suffolk village of Saxford St Peter, walking the country lanes with her beloved dachshund Gus and meeting new people sounds like a dream. On the day she arrives, news breaks that the charismatic cellist was murdered. As Eve starts to interview Bernard’s friends and colleagues, she finds that he’d ruffled a few feathers. In fact, from the keepers of the Cross Keys Inn to his own staff at High House, there’s barely a person in town who doesn’t have some reason to hate him. Eve hoped Saxford St Peter would be the perfect escape from her busy city life. When a second body is found, Eve becomes certain that one of the people she’s met must be the murderer.
This is the first in a new series & the first I’ve read by the author. If you love cosy mysteries & murders then this will be right up your street. A well written very well paced book that gripped me from the start & which I read in two sittings. I really liked the author’s style of writing. I warmed to Eve immediately & loved that she was moving on with her life even if Ian was trying to undermine her confidence. There were plenty of suspects to choose from & I enjoyed how Eve sifted through the evidence gleaned from her interviews. I hope there are plenty more in the series.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
cosy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, family-dynamics, friendship, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, england
I loved it because it is actually a very good whodunit led by a woman with an unusual career who had been unaccustomed to sleuthing and set in a lovely village. And she has a long haired dachshund 😉
Eve writes obits for niche magazines about people of their interest, and in this case it is a renowned cellist. The easiest way to manage interviews and whatever is to lease a cottage for a couple of weeks, and the best part of that is the good people she met who want her to stay despite her other life in London. Lo and behold, it turns out that the death was not a simple misadventure but murder! Let the sleuthing begin!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!