How Not To Murder Your Ex: A BRAND NEW clever, laugh-out-loud, cosy mystery from Katie Marsh (The Bad Girls Detective Agency Book 1)
£2.80
It is 5:30 am on Clio’s forty-fifth birthday and her hated ex is lying dead on her doorstep. Even worse, this is no accident. Someone’s killed him…
When single mum Clio’s ex Gary turns up dead on the doorstep of her caravan – the one she’s been forced to live in ever since he stole every penny she had – there’s only one suspect. Her.
What’s more, she doesn’t remember much about the night he was killed – not just because of the forgetfulness that’s been plaguing her along with the hot flushes – but because she definitely had one too many cocktails with her two best friends Amber and Jeanie.
Clio does remember them talking about how much they all hated him though. And, in the frame for murder, she has to ask herself – if she didn’t kill Gary, who did? One of his many enemies? Or someone a little closer to home? And can she and her friends find the real killer before it’s too late?
Unputdownable mystery set on the English coast – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, Bad Sisters, and How to Kill Your Family.
Readers love How Not to Murder Your Ex:
‘For lovers of the Thursday Murder Club, this is an equally compelling read, friends united together to solve a murder for which one of them is in the frame.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Devoured this in 24 hours!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘So gripping and so dark. Had to stay up very late to finish it – I inhaled it! I can’t wait for this to come out and for y’all to lose your minds. If you had doubts about preordering, don’t. You’re going to want to read this one.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Pacy, funny, heartwarming and a terrific read… Highly recommended… This is perfect if you loved Bad Sisters.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Such a brilliant and fun mystery, set in a small town full of secrets. The characters were brilliant and the twist was gripping. Can’t wait for more!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Mystery and intrigue. This talented author has written a cannot put down whodunit.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I loved this book! A mom who strikes back and holds her own is an inspiration in itself. Relatable as a mom at times and totally loved the plot! Great read!!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Clever and twisty, I loved how each of the main characters used their strengths to get closer to the killer, and it’s laugh out loud funny. I thought I’d worked out whodunnit and then was proved sort-of right and also wrong. The ending is a great mix of drama and hilarity, and I’m already looking forward to the next one – to spending more time with Clio, Jeanie and Amber.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Additional information
| Publisher | Boldwood Books (1 Dec. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 2307 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 354 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 1785138812 |
by Robert Crouch
Drunk and disorientated, you arrive back at your mobile home to find your ex lying on the steps. Then you notice the blood and realise someone’s killed him. Earlier that day, you confronted him a café and said you would kill him for what he’d done. Did you do it?
For Clio, this is a birthday she won’t forget in a hurry. She’s soon the prime suspect in the eyes of the police. But her friends since school, Amber and Jeanie, have no intention of seeing her go to gaol for a crime she didn’t commit. They resolve to track down the real killer of her ex, Gary, who made plenty of enemies.
The forty-something characters are sharply drawn and observed from the beginning. They all have their different problems and demons, but are united in their love for one another and a determination to get to the truth.
There’s a lot of humour and wry observation in the story, which motors along at a brisk pace, showing the story from each character’s viewpoint, including the victim Gary, in the build up to his murder.
I was drawn to the story by the title and the promise of a fun read. While I doubt if I’m the target reader, it didn’t disappoint and I enjoyed the story, the three lead characters and the way they solved the murder, which left me cheering for them at the end.
by M J Porter
I picked up How Not to Murder Your Ex on Wednesday evening and finished it on Friday:) It’s a funny, fast read that instantly engages the reader and doesn’t let them go until the resolution to the mystery is uncovered.
We have four main characters. Gary, who is, quite frankly, not a nice person – and the ‘Ex’ in the title. Clio, his wife, who should be his ex-wife, but she won’t divorce him until he parts with the cash he owes her. Jeanie who is one of Clio’s two best friends, a ‘new’ but ‘older’ mum of IVF twins, struggling to find herself amongst the chaos of caring for two small children. And Amber, an angry ex-copper. She has a point to prove with her old ‘Boss’, and this, somehow, becomes the perfect opportunity.
While we hear the details of the last 24 hours of Gary’s life, this thread of the story is interspersed with details of the three women as they try to come to terms with and then find the answers to how Gary turned up dead on Clio’s step at 5.30 am.
The book is stuffed with humour – some gentle, some not so gentle, as our three friends seem to veer from one disaster to another in their quests to rediscover themselves.
A fast-paced, funny novel, sure to delight readers.
by The Cookster @ Reviewer ranking #31
Rating: 3.2/5
Although already fairly established in the world of romantic fiction, “How Not to Murder Your Ex” marks the first entry of Katie Marsh into the cosy crime fiction market. The cosy crime arena is one which is quite heavily populated and there are any number of other authors to compete with, some of whom are firmly established names already.
This is an engaging read and the author’s apparent ease in creating a flowing style shows that she is an experienced wordsmith. There is also ample evidence stylistically of her background writing romantic fiction. In a number of ways this influence actually aids and enhances the effects of the gentle humour that runs throughout the novel. The main protagonists are all female and “of a certain age”. Clio, Jeanie and Amber are long-standing friends and it is at a regular gathering of the three to mark Clio’s 45th birthday that the suspicious death of Clio’s former husband, Gary, is discovered. The question is, who killed him? Could it even have been Clio herself whilst still in a drunken stupor?
The narrative is pleasingly well-paced and is provided from the perspectives of the three friends and also that of Gary in the hours leading up to his fatal demise. As is the fashion at present, there is also the inclusion of chapters using other media, such as an online news blog and text messaging. Although this book could be read by anybody, I suspect it will generally find more widespread approval from a female audience.
I enjoyed reading “How Not to Murder Your Ex”, but I don’t think it quite does enough to elevate from being described as “Good” rather than “Very good”. As I said earlier, the cosy crime marketplace is a heavily populated one and I don’t think this is unique enough to stand out from the crowd. It is competently executed, but without ever seeming particularly original. I sense that this book is being positioned to be the first in a series featuring the triumvirate of ladies from this story, but much as I enjoyed it, I am not sure those characters gripped me enough to make me definitely want to come back for more … it may well depend on how crowded my reading list is at the time.
by Mrs Emma Murch
???? Book Review ????
What do you get when you put three hungover, perimenopausal (one definitely) women together with a jug of margarita and a jar of Nutella in a wet and windy Sunday at dawn? A dead body on the steps of a caravan of course!
This is an entertaining book, complete with very likeable main characters, full of personality. The timeline and perspective switches between before the murder and after which adds to the enjoyment and enables the reader to learn more about all of the characters. The insight into the victim and their thoughts just added to the narrative for me and helped me to build a rounded view of his past.
The addition of texts and social media posts was genius because it added to the feeling of a small seaside town and the gossip and interest from the local people, who were dying to know all the gory details.
The reveal at the end and the twists leading up to it were well devised and fun. All round, a great read ????????
Thanks to Amazon for this pre-release on kindle.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
by ValC
I chose this book from the Prime selection for this month, not ever having heard of this author before.
The story is pretty basic but the plotting and red herrings kept me guessing. The ending was satisfying.
This book is to be developed into a series but I’m not sure that the 3 characters are strong enough to warrant this. However having read the preview of the follow up it certainly shows promise.
Well worth a read.