This the first in a series originally published 1990-2004. Crime novelist Melissa Craig flees London, her agent and her over-protective lover, to take refuge in the Cotswolds and produce bestsellers in peace.

The bones of a young woman who had disappeared about two months earlier are found in the woods near Melissa's cottage and she joins with a young journalist to find out the truth behind the murder, on the pretext of researching things for her latest novel. Her journalist friend is full of ideas on how to involve Melissa more deeply in the investigation.

Her research takes her to a ladies daytime strip club, a beauty salon, and eventually to confront the murderer, although she doesn't realise until nearly too late who he is.

Whenever in doubt she thinks about what her sleuth in her books would do.

In the meantime another local is murdered, and Melissa makes friends with a vegetarian living next door.

cosy-mystery, reporter, writers, murder-investigation, murder, england, suspense*****

I've read later books about Melissa Craig but never knew how it all began. She was a crime novelist with a good life but wanted to get away from the city and a smothering sort of boyfriend now that her son was not only out of house, but working in the states. The first week she meets an older neighbor and shortly that neighbor finds a body in the garden. A young news reporter talks her into helping him look into some inequities in the the story, and the story goes on to more intriguing and dangerous things ending with a total blindsiding. Loved it!
Joan Walker gives a fine performance as narrator. ( )

BOTTOM-LINE:
Not quite Christie, but I'll read more in the series
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PLOT OR PREMISE:
A mystery writer moves to the country to find some peace and quiet in her life and for her writing.
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WHAT I LIKED:
The feel is very much an Agatha Christie-style small village with priests, neighbours and a local mystery, with a body dropping shortly after things get settled.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The romance side doesn't work, as it's hard to get a feel for the lead character's age…one minute she seems like a woman in her late 50s and the next she seems like a girl in her early 20s. Worldly, calm, centred and then naïve, unsure, flighty. The ex and her son seem superfluous, and some of the other characters are a bit superficial with their secrets wildly apparent long before they are "revealed". She isn't as bumbling as, say Stephanie Plum, but she's hardly Miss Marple either, or even Jessica Fletcher. But they are minor complaints for a rich world and sense of Christie mystery.
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow her on social media. ( )

FROM THE PUBLISHER: We are beyond excited to announce that we've signed up twelve titles from cosy crime writer, Betty Rowlands. First published over twenty years ago, the Melissa Craig Mysteries remain a classic of the genre. We are thrilled to be able to introduce these utterly charming, page-turning murder mysteries to a new audience.

Murder at Hawthorn Cottage, the first book in this absolutely unputdownable series, will publish in August, with the next eleven books to following monthly intervals.

Melissa Craig, a successful crime novelist, has just moved to a countryside cottage in the village of Upper Benbury. Not only does she receive a worrisome phone call almost immediately upon arriving, a shocking discovery is made: that of the bones of a young woman. As a seasoned crime writer, her desire to solve the murder takes over, especially when prodded along by a local journalist.

Murder at Hawthorn Cottage is a curious mystery that captivated my interest from the very start. I have always loved amateur detectives and Melissa joins those ranks marvelously. This cozy mystery was very well-written and is a teriffic beginning to the series and is also a very quick read. I thoroughly enjoyed the danger and surprising twists in this story, as well as the unexpected humor. It is always a pleasure when publishers can revive classics of this sort. I truly look forward to devouring the rest of the series.

Many thanks to Bookouture for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest opinion. ( )

Crime fiction writer Melissa Craig has moved from the big city to a small country cottage. She plans on fixing up the place, living a quiet country life, and diving into her next mystery novel. Melissa never expected a real murder would happen virtually in her backyard and that she would get involved in helping solve the crime.

The setting is in sleepy town not far from London and the author uses a number of slang that had me in stitches as they don’t mean the same thing in the USA. The main character is in her forties, but I kept on picturing someone much older and a bit more proper. While it took a bit for the mystery part of the story to unfold, once it did, I found the plot had the right amount of intrigue and twists and turns to keep your interest. The cast of characters had a variety of expected and unexpected including a rector, his prude wife, an eccentric neighbor, a young zealous reporter, and numerous quirky villagers.

The book had the feel of classic Agatha Christie books and fans of hers will find this series delightful. ( )