One murder mystery weekend. Two rival sleuths. They’re looking for answers. But will they find love?

Kate Brannon is delighted to be attending her first murder mystery weekend in a movie-worthy Victorian manor house. Still getting over being dumped, cracking the case would be a welcome boost to her flagging confidence. And the prize money wouldn’t hurt either. But Kate’s dreams of victory become a nightmare with the arrival of Max Ravenscroft. Smart, enigmatic and annoyingly handsome, Max is Kate’s sleuthing nemesis.

When she and Max are forced to work together, Kate despairs. But, as the investigation brings them closer, she finds being his partner in solving crime isn’t all bad. With growing suspicions that the game is rigged against them, can Kate and Max beat the odds to find the killer? And, as their partnership deepens, can they find romance too?

A sweet romantic comedy with a cosy mystery at its heart. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Freeman, Laura Jane Williams and Katie Fforde.

This rivals-to-lovers romance is a standalone romcom and part of the Love in the Comptons collection.

My Review

After a hiatus of over three years, Kate Brannon, her best friend Bella and her fiancé Ethan, and the annoying-but-incredibly-handsome Max Ravenscroft, embark on a murder mystery weekend at a lavish manor house in the countryside. But this isn’t just any old amateur sleuthing. This is the real deal. The crème de la crème of murder mystery weekends.

Run by Roger Merryman, it has so far never been won, and the prize fund is now £50,000. Teams can work together or submit their solution individually. Kate and Max have always been rivals, so how is this ‘team’ going to work? Can they put their differences behind them and work together?

Kate is a primary school teacher and has recently split up from fiancé Paul – actually he virtually threw her out, having started a relationship with the secretary at Kate’s school. He’s not her favourite person right now. Max, on the other hand, is being charming to Kate, completely different from before.

The mystery is a story in itself, very Agatha Christie and set in 1932, but of course we don’t find out the solution until the end of the book, when our super sleuths will also find out who has won. It’s all great fun – a cosy mystery within a cosy mystery – with a dash of romance in a beautiful setting.

I love the actors (all professional of course) who are there to play the characters in this ‘murder most horrid’. They are such an integral part of the book. I particularly like Lucille, and of course the Wooster-like Archie, or in his own words, ‘Jolly good fun, what. Tinky tonk old girl.’

Another ripping yarn from Claire – probably my favourite so far. Many thanks to the author for an ARC.

About the Author
Claire Huston lives in Warwickshire, UK, with her husband and two children. She writes uplifting modern love stories about characters who are meant for each other but need a little help to realise it.

A keen amateur baker, she enjoys making cakes, biscuits and brownies almost as much as eating them. You can find recipes for all the cakes mentioned in Art and Soul, her first novel, at clairehuston.co.uk along with over 150 other recipes. This is also where she talks about and reviews books.

Social Media Links
You can also find Claire on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Goodreads and Pinterest:
https://linktr.ee/clairehuston_author