Murder at Raven's Edge by Louise Marley Published by Storm Publishing on May 7, 2024
Source: Rachel's Random Resources
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 410
Format: eBook
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When Milla Graham returns to her childhood home of Raven's Edge after eighteen long years away, she finds the perfect English village looks much the same – all rose-covered cottages, nosy neighbours, and chintzy teashops full of scones and gossip.
But her nostalgic visit takes a dark turn when the body of a local woman is discovered in an abandoned manor house on the edge of the forest. The murder scene is chillingly close to that of Milla’s own mother, whose death was never solved. As she begins to investigate the connection, Milla realizes this adorable village is guarding some dark secrets.
Handsome, grumpy local policeman Ben Taylor doesn't believe in coincidences, and he doesn’t think mysterious newcomer Milla Graham is as innocent as she seems. Why is she really here in Raven’s Edge, and how come she keeps turning up at his crime scenes, causing trouble? Can he solve this murder case without losing himself – or his heart – to the rather distracting Miss Graham?
When another body is found, everyone becomes a suspect – from the barmaid at the local pub to Milla Graham herself. It seems that in Raven's Edge, not everybody is as friendly, or as innocent, as they first seem...
I truly enjoyed Murder at Raven’s Edge. Milla Graham has returned to her childhood home for reasons of her own. At the same time, Inspector Ben Graham has a case which may be linked to the death of Milla’s mother, Rosemary, 18 years ago. But is Milla really Milla Graham? Milla was presumed to have died in a fire the same night her mother was killed. Things get more complicated when Ben realizes he ight be falling in love with Milla, who lies as easily as breathing but is so likeable. She’s a member of a wealthy family but feels very much alone. Ben is a divorced cop who doesn’t always play by the rules, but is also uncomfortable straying too far from them. He’s also very competent at his job and has learned when to trust his instincts.
The setting was interesting. It’s a quirky, small English town, but this one leans into its witchy history.
The book just worked really well for me. I like Milla and Ben. Milla’s family’s secrets were confusing in a good way. The characters were all developed well and their actions felt believable. The mystery was put together well with plenty of red herrings and people not telling all they know. There are also some interesting flashbacks to the night of the fire and the Alice in Wonderland costume party
Murder at Raven’s Edge grabbed my attention and kept me wondering what was going to happen next and who was telling the truth. The twist was good, even if I should have seen it coming. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series.
About Louise Marley
Louise Marley writes murder mysteries and romantic comedies. She is lucky enough to live in a village where there is a famous library and TWO ruined castles. (Her husband still thinks they moved there by accident.)
Her first published novel was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, which was a finalist in Poolbeg’s ‘Write a Bestseller’ competition. She has also written articles for the Irish press and short stories for women’s magazines such as Take a Break and My Weekly. Previously, Louise worked as a civilian administrative officer for the police.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
“one leans into its witchy history” oooo adding this to my TBR list