A Murder of Crows: A completely gripping British cozy mystery (A Dr Nell Ward Mystery Book 1)

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I really didn't enjoy the format of the novel as it's extremely choppy and some of it irrelevant to the main thrust of the plot. Each chapter is a third person narrative from a different point of view which I find distracting and prevents me from getting fully involved, just as I get settled into one character the viewpoint changes and I have to adjust. The plot which can get hidden in all this swapping is interesting and well thought out but the clever ending is extremely unsatisfactory with nothing tied up in a nice bow. I think that this novel is a bit literary for me. I like a nice straightforward police procedural and this is anything but. This was a fun and engaging little mystery. Some of my enjoyment may have derived from the contrast with my previous read, which was long and tedious, but I have already placed a hold on the next in this series at the library. There were several factors that influenced me to choose this book: it is advertised as “perfect for those who loved Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club.” I'm uncertain what the connection between the two is, but I did really enjoy both of them. Secondly, the main character is an ecologist and there is a lot of natural history detail, which I always enjoy. And, of course, the title which featured crows attracted the birder in me. You did?' An exhale puffed down the line. 'I'm so relieved you told them. So now they'll realise you may be in danger. Offer some protection instead of treating you like a . . .'

A Murder of Crows by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett | Goodreads

As he went to sleep, he thought happily that he now had all the explanation he needed for Carey’s wild streak. By God, the Careys were an entertaining bunch.”I believe there is a follow up in the works for which I am truly grateful. Detailed, lyrical and imaginatively done, A Murder of Crows was a huge hit for me.

A Murder of Crows by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett | Waterstones

I finished listening to this one yesterday. The narrator, Kristin Atherton is excellent - one of the best - IMO! She's the reason I bought this book. It's a murder mystery and it's well written and keeps a steady pace. The author must know or must work as an ecologist or be an expert in bats as all that information was very interesting, but it didn't sound like a lecture - it tied in nicely with the main character's profession and with the murder. I've one complaint The romance - that self-doubting "is he just a friend or is he really interested in me??" And then the constant interruptions when one was finally going to confess all - so frustrating! Frankly, I liked James - he made his intentions clear - Adam's reaction to hearing about her past was too harsh and I think he missed his opportunity - see you later! The book ended on a romantic cliff hanger - more frustration. I enjoyed this read, but once the murderer is exposed there's a little too much after story. I believe that this is the first in a proposed series, so perhaps the author is just setting the stage for what is to come. Time will tell.Tig Torres investigates Hollow Falls' horrific history in this original novel based on the hit podcast Lethal Lit from Einhorn's Epic Productions and iHeartRadio!

A Murder of Crows | Sarah Yarwood-Lovett | 9781471412424 A Murder of Crows | Sarah Yarwood-Lovett | 9781471412424

I so wanted to love this but there were a few components that sadly didnt work for me. Firstly, Nell didnt quite work as a detective for me and the day job got far too heavily in the way with far too much detail. I also often found myself questioning whether the author was clear in her own mind about what type of book she wanted this to be. For the most part it has a cosy mystery feel to it - though there are elements that you wouldn't expect to find in a cosy. Plus, it also felt too long and too much like hard work, which a successful cosy cannot afford to be. There were also significant portions that seemed far more like a mainstream police procedural - but with plot developments that would never pass muster in a true example of that genre and that you could only get away with in a cosy mystery. On top of that, there were also regular diversions into Mills & Boon territory and, rather than adding an extra dimension to the story, I found them to be annoying and unhelpful distractions. The corruption extended all the way up through the ranks into the Queen’s Court. The maneuvering for power, for the favor of the Queen, along with the necessary fending off of those courtiers who would supplant any Royal in the way of advancement was constant. For another look inside this society, read any of Shakespeare’s plays, especially the history plays and the tragedies. A detective novel with a distinct flair. London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. It was a loud, rowdy, stinking town of open sewers, disease, and the most rampant and egregious kind of crime and corruption. It’s a wonder the kingdom survived. Nell finds herself treated as both a witness and potential suspect by the Major Crime Team at Pendlebury, led by DCI Val Johnson and DS James Clark. Their suspicions grow when they learn that Nell has been hiding a major part of her identity, and that she has a past link to the victim. Meanwhile, Nell is navigating both a flirtatious relationship with her colleague Dr. Adam Kashyap and her growing mutual attraction to DS Clark. Desperate to clear her name, Nell uncovers irregularities within the development Sophie and her husband had proposed for Manor House Farm, indicating a potential motive, but the alternate suspect has an iron-clad alibi. Can Nell draw on her knowledge of ecology to find the missing link and solve Sophie's murder?Carey's offsider, Sergeant Dodd, is the star of this book and he is a delight. The way he solves courtly London problems with Scots countryside logic is wonderful to behold. I hugely enjoyed their latest romp set in Elizabethan London, which features cameos by two down-at-the-heels playwrights, Chris Marlowe and Will Shakespeare. There are lots of narrow escapes and plot twists, and I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good period mystery. There's lots of ecological trivia imparted (my life is much enriched by now being able to differentiate between rodent poo and bat poo), but at no point is it preachy or overwhelming. It's just worked nicely into the plot. One of the surprising things about the lists of terms of venery is that they sometimes give different names to the same animal depending upon where they are.