It’s a real pleasure today to be joining the blog tour for Murder on the Menu by Katie Marsh, and sharing my review. Published on 18th January by Boldwood Books, this is the third in her wonderful Bad Girls Detective Agency series, and now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. Thank you, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy (provided via Netgalley).
I entirely love this series – and amid all the fun and mayhem encountered by the ladies of the Bad Girls Detective Agency, it’s easy to forget that I first fell in love with Katie’s writing when her books used to regularly break my heart. Her transition to cosy crime – however unconventional – really has been an unqualified success in every way. How Not To Murder Your Ex was a complete joy – laugh-out-loud throughout despite the darkness of its subject, a lovely story of the strength to be found in female friendship, and I adored every single moment (you’ll find my full review here). And Murder on the Dancefloor was even better – sheer fun from beginning to end, a really intriguing story that saw them lurching from one crisis to the next at a breakneck pace, the same wonderful characterisation, extremely funny but unexpectedly emotional too. You’ll find my review here, but I must apologise to the author that I never managed to get it onto Amazon – they took exception to the references to murder, drug finds and underworld connections (well, I guess it is unusual for me!) and I was within a whisker of getting banned from posting my reviews. Let’s see if I’m luckier this time…
Since Amber started the Bad Girls’ Detective Agency, she’s been feeling the pressure. So – when she and her best friends win a trip to a new luxury castle retreat on a remote island – she hopes it will be a chance to relax in style.
The girls are all excited to experience world-famous chef Valerie la Fontaine’s tasting menu.
But none of them expect there to be another dish being served that weekend: revenge. And when Valerie is found dead inside a locked room in a tower, the Bad Girls know this is a case that only they can solve…
Hilarious and gripping mystery – perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, The Traitors, and How to Kill Men and Get Away With It.
Oh my goodness, this book was just wonderful – frenetically paced and edge-of-the-seat storytelling, laugh-out-loud funny, those wonderful friendships, and sheer fun from its beginning (and such a gripping opening chapter…) to its perfect end.
Amber has never been too keen on birthday celebrations – they bring back bad memories – but she’s determined to make the best of it when Clio wins a trip to La Fontaine, a new luxury island resort. It doesn’t help that the Bad Girls Detective Agency is struggling, propped up by money from her savings – but she’s determined to plaster on a smile for her two best friends, Clio and Jeanie. But it doesn’t turn out to be much of a break – they’ve hardly arrived when she finds celebrity chef Valerie lying dead in her turret retreat, and there’s little doubt she’s been murdered. There’s no internet or phone signal, but there is a landline to call in the police – but they can’t attend because a worsening storm makes it impossible to get there. And that means no-one else can arrive or leave either – so the murderer must be there too, and there are plenty of suspects. And as our detective trio do their level best to investigate, more deaths follow – and the pool of suspects gets ever smaller as the storm continues to rage.
The plot quite deliciously twists and turns, with some real surprises along the way – it does help a little to know the main characters’ back stories for some of them, but you could happily pick up this book as a standalone and equally enjoy it. Well really, how couldn’t you? With that wonderfully claustrophobic setting, an unlocked gun cabinet, the secret passages, malfunctioning walkie-talkies, the addition of poison to the mix, multiple suspects, the many red herrings, as well as a bit of drug-trafficking – oh, and so much more!
But this is a locked door mystery with a real difference, because it’s also side-splittingly funny. I know humour can be quite a personal thing, but it certainly hit the perfect note for me – particularly the exchanges between the three close friends. And all the laughs certainly don’t detract from the mounting tension – the pacing is just perfect, totally frenetic at times but with those precious quieter moments to take stock, compare notes, and reflect on their lives. And the friendship between them is as warm and wonderful as ever – despite being severely tested at times, and complicated by some of their discoveries.
I really thought this was the best so far in this fantastic series – I raced through it, often rather breathlessly, and thoroughly enjoyed every single moment. You might think locked door mysteries have been done so many times before – but never quite like this one! So entertaining, and tremendous fun – but really well plotted and with moments of poignancy that catch you by surprise. Just wonderful – I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
About the author
Katie Marsh wrote romantic fiction before turning to crime. Her debut novel was a World Book Night pick and her books are published in ten languages.
She lives in the English countryside and loves strong coffee and pretending to be in charge of her children. How Not to Murder Your Ex, the first in her Bad Girls Detective Agency series, was published in December 2023 by Boldwood Books: the next instalment, Murder on the Dancefloor, followed in March 2024.
Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter Sign Up
