A Village Fete Murder

Julia Bird Mysteries, Book 3

By: Katie Gayle

Narrated by: Lucy Scott

Julia Bird can’t wait to attend the annual village party at the local stately home, with its tea tents, cake stalls, and...dead body in the maze?

The annual village celebration at Berrywick House is underway, complete with overdecorated cake stalls, fiercely contested flower competitions, and even a maze for the disappointed losers to hide in. Julia Bird, now a well-known–even notorious–member of the community, with her trusty Labrador, Jake, has thrown herself headlong into the festivities. But her reputation for adding drama to any event stands up yet again when she discovers a dead body in the maze....

It seems Ursula Benjamin, village know-it-all and prickly baking competition participant, has been strangled–and the killer has to be someone at the fete. As Julia grapples with finding yet another murder in Berrywick, she starts to wonder, could one of the competitive cake-bakers have taken the contest to deadly new heights? Or is there something darker in Ursula’s life that led to her untimely demise?

Embroiled once again in a murder enquiry, Julia isn’t about to leave the investigation to the police. Like it or not, she’s involved, and she’s going to help them solve the mystery. But when there’s another death, and it’s clear the murders aren’t isolated incidents, the stakes become even higher. Can Julia figure out the identity of the killer, and prevent any further dastardly deeds, before the wholesome spirit of the village is ruined forever?

If you like utterly gripping English mysteries, then you’ll love A Village Fete Murder. Perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin, and Betty Rowlands.

©2023 Katie Gayle (P)2023 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

5 stars

A Village Fete Murder is an entertaining cozy mystery with engaging characters and an entertaining plot. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Village Fete Murder

Loved it! Absolutely love the characters and the stories. The little village seems like a wonderful place to live and I love the performance of the narrator!

I love Julia Bird mysteries.

I enjoy the Julia Bird cozy mysteries. I have enjoyed the many characters such as aunt Edna and her walks. I love that Julia found love with Sean O’Connor.

This 3rd book in the series is excellent

Well developed and interesting characters, great plot, excellent Narrator. I love this cozy series.

Believable and likable characters

One of the charming things these authors do is introduce us to the village and surrounding countryside through the eyes of the newcomer retired social worker. It is a clever way to let us feel like we are right there with Julia Bird as the story unfolds .

While the closeness of the police and the retired social worker is closer than is realistic, in general, the characters are believable, and the main protagonists are likable.

Although very few of us experience a mystery of this kind, the reactions and motivations of the people involved in it felt like people I know or know about.

I’m very impressed with the Katie Gayle writing duo.