Murder at The Mill by M. B. Shaw Book Review

Last night, I finished Murder at The Mill by M. B. Shaw. I received this uncorrected proof copy from Trapeze Books in exchange for an honest review. I have given this book three out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Book Description (via Goodreads): As featured in the Sunday Times, the first festive mystery in a new crime series from bestselling author Tilly Bagshawe – a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie’s Marple and Midsomer Murders. A picture hides a thousand lies . . . And only Iris Grey can uncover the truth. Iris Grey arrives at Mill Cottage in a picture-perfect Hampshire village, looking to escape from her crumbling marriage. She is drawn to the neighbouring Wetherby family, and is commissioned to paint a portrait of Dominic Wetherby, a celebrated crime writer. At the Wetherby’s Christmas Eve party, the mulled wine is in full flow – but so too are tensions and rivalries among the guests. On Christmas Day, the youngest member of the Wetherby family, Lorcan, finds a body in the water. A tragic accident? Or a deadly crime? With the snow falling, Iris enters a world of village gossip, romantic intrigue, buried secrets and murder. As featured in the Sunday Times, the first mystery in a new crime series from bestselling author Tilly Bagshawe – a must-read for fans of Agatha Christie’s Marple and Midsomer Murders.

Unfortunately, this book didn’t end up being my cup of tea. I really enjoyed the plot concept of the story, however I felt that the book dragged on for far too long that I kept stopping to flick the pages and see when the next chapter would begin.

I found it difficult to try and connect with any of the characters too. I didn’t particularly warm to any of them, due to the murder mystery and trying to figure out who the murderer is. The only character I took an interest in was Iris Grey, the main character, who you grew to learn the most about. I felt sorry for her due to her past about her sister, Thea, and her miserable marriage with her husband, Ian McBride.

When a murder takes place in the book I felt the story start to become more interesting but still it took me ages to read through. Like I said, I like the concept of the story but I think it needs to be shortened slightly. I managed to figure out who the murderer was due to the narrative clues throughout the book.

If you guys pick up this book, I really hope you do enjoy it because the concept is great but for me it was too long winded.

Happy reading,

Claire📚