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Julia Bird Mysteries #6
Murder on a Country Walk
Julia Bird loves a walk in the countryside. There’s nothing quite like the fresh air and green rolling hills of the Cotswolds to clear your head. Unless you come across a dead body, that is…
When the local Berrywick vet, Dr Eve Davies, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the police believe it’s nothing more than a tragic accident, but Julia isn’t so sure. Just a few days earlier when she took her dog, Jake, to the vets, Dr Eve said she believed something awful was about to happen. It turns out she was right…
But who would want the beloved village vet dead? Was it her mother Kay, a down-and-out gambler who stands to inherit her unwedded daughter’s home? Was it her assistant Olga, who was close to getting fired? Or was it her cut-throat tennis partner Will, with whom Dr Eve had an argument shortly before she took a tumble? And who is the stranger skulking around Berrywick peering into people’s windows?
When a second body appears in the exact spot where Dr Eve was found, Julia knows it can’t be a coincidence. Both victims were pushed off the cliff, but why?
Should Julia let sleeping dogs lie, or will she be like a dog with a bone to find the murderer?
A totally gripping and charming cosy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries.
When the local Berrywick vet, Dr Eve Davies, is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the police believe it’s nothing more than a tragic accident, but Julia isn’t so sure. Just a few days earlier when she took her dog, Jake, to the vets, Dr Eve said she believed something awful was about to happen. It turns out she was right…
But who would want the beloved village vet dead? Was it her mother Kay, a down-and-out gambler who stands to inherit her unwedded daughter’s home? Was it her assistant Olga, who was close to getting fired? Or was it her cut-throat tennis partner Will, with whom Dr Eve had an argument shortly before she took a tumble? And who is the stranger skulking around Berrywick peering into people’s windows?
When a second body appears in the exact spot where Dr Eve was found, Julia knows it can’t be a coincidence. Both victims were pushed off the cliff, but why?
Should Julia let sleeping dogs lie, or will she be like a dog with a bone to find the murderer?
A totally gripping and charming cosy mystery set in the English countryside. Fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands will love the Julia Bird Mysteries.
- GenresMysteryCozy Mystery
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 11, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 17, 2024
Murder on a Country Walk is Katie Gayle’s sixth novel featuring retired social worker, Julia Bird. As always, the two young writers who jointly comprise Katie Gayle – Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel – have done a brilliant job at inhabiting a sixty-year-old’s mind and body. Julia still feels young enough to be a little upset that her beau, Dr Sean O’Connor, almost - but not quite - tells her he loves her at the start of the book, yet is mature enough to know she doesn’t need his affirmation.
As is inevitable in this “cosy” genre, Julia finds a body - at the end of Chapter 3, this time – and it’s someone that she knows: her dog’s lovely vet, Dr Eve Davies. Equally inevitably, when the police are called, DI Hayley Gibson (Julia’s partner on all the other murder cases in her small town of Berrywick) arrives to take charge of the case. Please don’t think I’m being cynical: the attraction of such mysteries, from Sherlock Holmes through Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple, has always been the comfort provided by the series detective and assistants joining together to solve another nasty crime and restoring the rightful order, where villains get their just desserts and the world is safe for us once more. The crime doesn’t always have to be murder, but it seems that Conan Doyle and Christie are the only authors who have realised that. The danger of this approach is that it can become formulaic and I felt that Murder on a Country Walk was, if not flirting with the formula, at least giving it a thorough sniffing-over. Julia decided that various people, in turn, were the obvious suspects, based upon fairly circumstantial evidence. (For a mature ex-social worker, she does jump to silly conclusions at times!) Alibis are uncovered and suspicion moves to the next-in-line.
There is nothing wrong with that: it gives comfort to most of us, knowing that things will all be OK again by the end of the book. That’s why cosy mysteries sell so well in these unsettling times: they offer the certainty of a world where all shall be well. The key question is: how much do we enjoy arriving at that happy position? With Katie Gayle, the answer is always “Very much, thank you.” While the direction of the plot may be predictable, the details are not. The development of the plot – with another death – was well handled, as was the denouement. There is gentle humour; there were red herrings – not every aspect ended up resolved tidily – and the perpetrators were those I predicted a third of the way through the book, but I still really enjoyed the book’s development. Although the relationship between Julia and DI Gibson is professional, I enjoy the moments of informality, e.g. Julia suggesting that the DI should pop round and share an omelette for supper. The book is undemanding but the denouement was still unexpected and exciting. There are lots of digressions about designer-breed dogs with adorable examples popping up every few pages. I am not a dog-lover but I still enjoy the author’s descriptions of a puppy taking an older dog as their role-model; and a small child’s loving relationship with a tolerant dog. The emphasis on dogs in this book subtly resonates with the fact that the deceased was a vet.
If you like “cosy” mysteries, I can confidently predict you’ll enjoy Katie Gayle’s books, with their evocative descriptions of Cotswold villages and inhabitants – you just need to be tolerant of some of Julia’s wilder thinking.
#MurderonaCountryWalk #NetGalley
As is inevitable in this “cosy” genre, Julia finds a body - at the end of Chapter 3, this time – and it’s someone that she knows: her dog’s lovely vet, Dr Eve Davies. Equally inevitably, when the police are called, DI Hayley Gibson (Julia’s partner on all the other murder cases in her small town of Berrywick) arrives to take charge of the case. Please don’t think I’m being cynical: the attraction of such mysteries, from Sherlock Holmes through Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple, has always been the comfort provided by the series detective and assistants joining together to solve another nasty crime and restoring the rightful order, where villains get their just desserts and the world is safe for us once more. The crime doesn’t always have to be murder, but it seems that Conan Doyle and Christie are the only authors who have realised that. The danger of this approach is that it can become formulaic and I felt that Murder on a Country Walk was, if not flirting with the formula, at least giving it a thorough sniffing-over. Julia decided that various people, in turn, were the obvious suspects, based upon fairly circumstantial evidence. (For a mature ex-social worker, she does jump to silly conclusions at times!) Alibis are uncovered and suspicion moves to the next-in-line.
There is nothing wrong with that: it gives comfort to most of us, knowing that things will all be OK again by the end of the book. That’s why cosy mysteries sell so well in these unsettling times: they offer the certainty of a world where all shall be well. The key question is: how much do we enjoy arriving at that happy position? With Katie Gayle, the answer is always “Very much, thank you.” While the direction of the plot may be predictable, the details are not. The development of the plot – with another death – was well handled, as was the denouement. There is gentle humour; there were red herrings – not every aspect ended up resolved tidily – and the perpetrators were those I predicted a third of the way through the book, but I still really enjoyed the book’s development. Although the relationship between Julia and DI Gibson is professional, I enjoy the moments of informality, e.g. Julia suggesting that the DI should pop round and share an omelette for supper. The book is undemanding but the denouement was still unexpected and exciting. There are lots of digressions about designer-breed dogs with adorable examples popping up every few pages. I am not a dog-lover but I still enjoy the author’s descriptions of a puppy taking an older dog as their role-model; and a small child’s loving relationship with a tolerant dog. The emphasis on dogs in this book subtly resonates with the fact that the deceased was a vet.
If you like “cosy” mysteries, I can confidently predict you’ll enjoy Katie Gayle’s books, with their evocative descriptions of Cotswold villages and inhabitants – you just need to be tolerant of some of Julia’s wilder thinking.
#MurderonaCountryWalk #NetGalley
June 16, 2024
Somehow we're up to book six of this lovely series. I didn't realise that there had been so many, but I've been enjoying them so much that it happened without me realising.
This time Julia finds herself stumbling over a body that seems to have died an accidental death. The local vet has fallen over a small cliff and died in the process. At first it seems as though there is no foul play involved, but Julia, being Julia, she can't help but try and find out more.
I love this series. It's just the right level of gentle countryside and murder. There's also the slowly unfolding love interest storyline with local doctor Sean. In this book, Julia starts to question how they really feel about one another.
I did manage to figure our some of this mystery, although that had more to do with the why than the who it was that was actually involved until quite close to the end. I did better than Julia though, who found herself barking up the wrong tree on more than one occasion.
I really enjoy this series and I'm looking forward to more visits to Berrywick in the not-too-distant future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.
This time Julia finds herself stumbling over a body that seems to have died an accidental death. The local vet has fallen over a small cliff and died in the process. At first it seems as though there is no foul play involved, but Julia, being Julia, she can't help but try and find out more.
I love this series. It's just the right level of gentle countryside and murder. There's also the slowly unfolding love interest storyline with local doctor Sean. In this book, Julia starts to question how they really feel about one another.
I did manage to figure our some of this mystery, although that had more to do with the why than the who it was that was actually involved until quite close to the end. I did better than Julia though, who found herself barking up the wrong tree on more than one occasion.
I really enjoy this series and I'm looking forward to more visits to Berrywick in the not-too-distant future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.
June 30, 2024
*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*
Over the past year I have become quite a fan of the cozy mystery and the Julia Bird series is a big reason why. I love all the characters in these books and how Julia is very much a down-to-earth person who just has the bad luck of stumbling upon dead bodies. I chuckled when Julia makes a comment about not wanting to tell her daughter about the most recent murder because she didn't want her to think the village was full of murderers. Of the books from the series that I have read so far this murder just seemed to be the saddest. Probably because the victim's mother was so upset and blamed herself for not having been there. The author once again put together a list of possible suspects who all had a motive. I certainly didn't put it all together until Julia had her lightbulb moment. On a non-murder mystery note, it was also nice to see Julia and Sean's relationship take another step forward in a very mature and realistic way. As always, I am excited to see what comes next for Ms. Julia Bird.
Over the past year I have become quite a fan of the cozy mystery and the Julia Bird series is a big reason why. I love all the characters in these books and how Julia is very much a down-to-earth person who just has the bad luck of stumbling upon dead bodies. I chuckled when Julia makes a comment about not wanting to tell her daughter about the most recent murder because she didn't want her to think the village was full of murderers. Of the books from the series that I have read so far this murder just seemed to be the saddest. Probably because the victim's mother was so upset and blamed herself for not having been there. The author once again put together a list of possible suspects who all had a motive. I certainly didn't put it all together until Julia had her lightbulb moment. On a non-murder mystery note, it was also nice to see Julia and Sean's relationship take another step forward in a very mature and realistic way. As always, I am excited to see what comes next for Ms. Julia Bird.
July 6, 2024
In this latest outing for Julia Bird, a retired social worker, she discovers a body lying at the foot of a cliff while she is taking her dog Jake for a walk. The body is that of the local vet and appears to be just a tragic accident. However, Julia doesn’t feel that this is right and starts asking questions. When a second body is discovered in similar circumstances, she is proved correct but who did it and why?
This was another enjoyable cosy mystery with its Cotswold village setting and varied cast of characters, most of which are familiar from the previous books. Julia continues to enjoy her retirement spending her time gardening and volunteering at the local charity chop as well as taking Jake for long walks. The detail of her life and the people that she meets make this a very gently paced mystery but also give the characters depth.
The mystery is an interesting one with several red herrings to divert the reader before we begin to see the real motive for the deaths.
I loved this new visit to the village of Berrywick and hope to read about Julia and Jake again before too long.
Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This was another enjoyable cosy mystery with its Cotswold village setting and varied cast of characters, most of which are familiar from the previous books. Julia continues to enjoy her retirement spending her time gardening and volunteering at the local charity chop as well as taking Jake for long walks. The detail of her life and the people that she meets make this a very gently paced mystery but also give the characters depth.
The mystery is an interesting one with several red herrings to divert the reader before we begin to see the real motive for the deaths.
I loved this new visit to the village of Berrywick and hope to read about Julia and Jake again before too long.
Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 26, 2024
This was another enjoyable read about Julia Bird's life in Berrywick, a sweet little town in the Cotswalds. Jake, the chocolate lab, hurts his tail by wagging it too much. Julia takes him to Eve Davies, the vet, who prescribes some pills and some tail rest. A few days later, Julia is walking Jake up a hill when she finds Eve's dog standing alone at the top of the hill. Reaching down to pick up the dog, Julia see Eve's body lying far below, arms and legs spread out at weird angles. She is dead from falling from the hilltop. Did she jump or was she pushed? Julia sets about to learn the truth.
I really enjoy these books. Julia is a great character and has such a good life - chickens to collect eggs from, a fun volunteer job and a lovely boyfriend. And the "l" word is being thought about between her and Sean. Some gentle humour and discussion of dogs throughout this book. More please!
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advance copy of this much anticipated story!
I really enjoy these books. Julia is a great character and has such a good life - chickens to collect eggs from, a fun volunteer job and a lovely boyfriend. And the "l" word is being thought about between her and Sean. Some gentle humour and discussion of dogs throughout this book. More please!
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advance copy of this much anticipated story!
July 19, 2024
This is one of my favorite cozy series. I especially love Julia's personality and sardonic humor: "Jake was delighted to see her after their long and traumatic separation of an hour and a half." This book is enjoyable, and the only reason it's not 5 stars is that there's a pretty big, obvious clue right near the beginning that it seems weird is not pursued for most of the book. But, still a winner. I'd love to have Julia for a neighbor, and I'd even dogsit Jake occasionally :>D
Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 1, 2024
Book 6 of the Julia Bird Mysteries. I love the Julia Bird series. It's easy reading and relaxing to read. As an older reader who owns a dog and spends time pottering in the garden amongst other things, I can really identify with Julia. She investigates the death if the local vet and gets herself in a bit if a pickle. The characters leap out of the page at you and almost seem to fall into the facts they need to find who done it. A lovely series of books, perfect for summer evening reading. Well recommended. With thanks to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for this advanced copy to review.
July 14, 2024
This was my first book in the series, and it was very readable as a standalone. There are hints of long-running story threads that I'll enjoy catching up on when I go back to the start of the series, but they were easy to jump into in book 6.
This was a nice, gentle read, with a thorough investigation at its heart and plenty of relaxing time in the Cotswolds. Pet lovers in particular will enjoy this.
This was a nice, gentle read, with a thorough investigation at its heart and plenty of relaxing time in the Cotswolds. Pet lovers in particular will enjoy this.
May 28, 2024
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Julia Bird is retired and living in the Cotswolds and comes across a dead body on a country walk. Knowing the deceased, Julia can’t let the circumstances go and decides to investigate herself.
This is a cosy crime novel, if you love a who sun it and you love dogs, this is the book for you. Shorter than my normal reads and easy to plough through!
Julia Bird is retired and living in the Cotswolds and comes across a dead body on a country walk. Knowing the deceased, Julia can’t let the circumstances go and decides to investigate herself.
This is a cosy crime novel, if you love a who sun it and you love dogs, this is the book for you. Shorter than my normal reads and easy to plough through!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews