Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC.

This is book 1 in The Widows' Detective Club series but book 2 is straight behind.

Ginny Cole, 60, recently widowed, has moved to Middle Cottage, Little Shaw for a fresh start, and got herself a part-time job in the local library. However, on her second day she discovers the universally disliked library manager Louisa Farnsworth dead on the premises. Together with Hen, JM and Tuppence, three other widows, she sets upon discovering the murderer, even though grumpy DI James Wallace who also happens to be her neighbour, is not happy about it. 

Suspects are not in short supply, from husband Bernard to Bernards ex-wife Alyson to historian Harold and handyman Mitch, they all had a bone to pick with her, not to mention all the disgruntled library members.

The cast is enormous but most of them are just there in the background to round out the community. I had so many theories and changed my mind countless times - if the widows were convinced of the murderer's identity I was too, and we were all wrong every time. The reveal came a bit out of left field in what turned out to be quite a complicated story involving several unsavoury characters.

I'm giving this such a high score because I felt extremely entertained by this motley crew of community characters, and I love feisty, elderly women just doing what they want, although unfortunately the other widows felt somewhat underdeveloped. I hope we get more background on them in the next book. The plot was also really interesting, and full of female friendship and village life.

I found it endearing and weird at the same time that Ginny still talks to her dead husband, but she is a lovely lady with a big, grief-stricken heart. I liked how she took young Connor under her wings, adopted black cat Edgar and just generally became a fixture in Little Shaw's community ever so quickly. Also, a book with so much library content is always a winner with me! Recommended as this incredibly warmhearted cosy mystery with great characters is cracking good fun.