Murder by Candlelight

By: Faith Martin

Narrated by: John Hopkins

One suspicious death. Two amateur sleuths. And an utterly impossible crime…

The NUMBER ONE ebook bestseller!

'Amuses and intrigues in equal measure… a splendid start to what promises to be a long-running series’ Daily Mail

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The Cotswolds, 1924. At the Old Forge in the quiet village of Maybury-in-the-Marsh a cry of anguish rings out: lady of the house Amy Phelps has been discovered dead. But with all the windows and doors to her room locked from inside, how – and by whom – was she killed?

Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift finds himself in the unlikely position of detective. The celebrated author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Ghost-Hunting is staying at the Old Forge to investigate a suspected spectre, but now the more pressing matter of Amy’s murder falls to him too.

With old friend Val, he soon uncovers a sorry tale of altered wills, secret love affairs and tragic losses – and plenty of motives for murder. When events take another sinister turn, Arbie must find the killer, fast. And to do so will mean cracking a most perfectly plotted crime…

Perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club, The Appeal and The Marlow Murder Club, don’t miss this stunning new series from the multi-million bestselling author!

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Readers LOVE Murder by Candlelight!

‘I absolutely loved this… The story grabbed me from the beginning and I devoured it.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'The perfect village mystery. A golden-age world with an energy that is totally contemporary.’ J.M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder

‘A beautifully constructed puzzle… I so hope this will be the start of a series.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Brilliant characters that leap off the page.' The Sun

‘Very entertaining… Full of red herrings, plot twists and turns. I thought I knew who was the killer but I was wrong.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘All the ingredients of a classic mystery… enormous fun.’ Orlando Murrin, author of Knife Skills for Beginners

‘What an utterly delightful and clever mystery… I highly recommend this book.’ Reader reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A fabulous romp… witty, devious, fast paced and totally absorbing' The People's Friend

‘Terrifically good, and just great fun!… All of the clues are provided, but so are a number of very good red herrings… I can’t wait to see more of Arbie and Val.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘WOW. I loved this book.’ Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely perfect! This is the book I have been craving since I last read the Thursday Murder Club series!’ Reader reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

(P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

Praise for Faith Martin:

‘A gripping series noted for its labyrinthine plotting, stunning twists and turns, an exquisitely drawn cast of characters, and – without the help of modern technology – some wonderfully entertaining, good old-fashioned detective work’ The Lancashire Post

‘Absolutely loved it… The characters were some of the best I’ve read in a long time.’ Angela Marsons, no. 1 bestselling author of the Kim Stone series

‘A brilliant book! The pairing of Ryder and Loveday is a stroke of genius.’ Clare Chase, author of the Eve Mallow and Tara Thorpe mysteries

Praise for Murder by Candlelight

‘The perfect village mystery. A golden-age world with an energy that is totally contemporary’ J.M. Hall, author of A Spoonful of Murder

‘A charming and clever take on a locked room murder’ Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, author of The Doctor Nell Ward Mysteries

‘A wonderful Wodehousian world of intrigue and suspicion and a tricky puzzle to solve.’ Helena Dixon, author of the Miss Underhay Mysteries

‘All the ingredients of a classic mystery – engaging characters and an impossible crime. The story races along like a runaway locomotive… enormous fun.’ Orlando Murrin, author of Knife Skills for Beginners

'Brilliant characters that leap off the page.' THE SUN

' We devoured this whoddunit in one sitting!' BELLA

'With murder, intrigue, and ghostly happenings, this will satisfy cosy crime fans.' HEAT

'Her knowledge of the genre and easy writing style makes this an effortless and fun read.' MY WEEKLY

'A clever mystery.' WOMAN’S OWN

'This engaging and energetic mystery hosts an abundance of engaging characters and is great fun.' PLATINUM

Good plot, likeable characters, but with loose ends

It was my first book with Faith Martin, and I enjoyed it. While she has many series under her name, I chose this series due to the 1920s timeline.
The characters were very likeable, especially Arbie. I love that he was portrayed as someone with slight flaws, but still lovable and funny.
The plot was really good, and kept me guessing, especially how the murder was executed. However, the end part was a little short, with loose ends hanging, ie what happened to the other suspects? Perhaps their fate will be mentioned in book 2? We will see as book 2 isn’t out yet at the time of this review.
The narration was good too, as narrator did a beautiful job with all the voices EXCEPT the female lead Val. She was given such a low pitch voice that sounded like a male. It took some time to get use to and even then I had to remind myself again “oh ya, that’s Val”.
Overall I enjoyed this audio book and will be getting book 2.