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Murder (and Other Unpleasantries): A Classic Murder Mystery
Nothing ruins afternoon tea quite like a body…
Tamsin's day is all planned out: deliver fresh scones to the local castle, walk her dachshund puppy, eat a bowl or three of curry, and watch reality telly until bed.
Instead, she's stranded on a tidal island off the Cornish coast, where the storm of the century is brewing and the formidable Lady Atherton has just taken her tea with two lumps of sugar and one lump of cyanide.
With no way home, Tamsin must reluctantly team up with Clarence Crumpet—the world's chattiest detective—and his dignified dachshund, Fritz, to solve the murder.
Everyone on the island has a motive. Everyone is accusing someone else. And no one expects a talkative American sleuth, two wiener dogs, and a very muddled baker to uncover the truth.
Perfect for fans of classic British mysteries, eccentric detectives, and dogs who call the shots.
Tamsin's day is all planned out: deliver fresh scones to the local castle, walk her dachshund puppy, eat a bowl or three of curry, and watch reality telly until bed.
Instead, she's stranded on a tidal island off the Cornish coast, where the storm of the century is brewing and the formidable Lady Atherton has just taken her tea with two lumps of sugar and one lump of cyanide.
With no way home, Tamsin must reluctantly team up with Clarence Crumpet—the world's chattiest detective—and his dignified dachshund, Fritz, to solve the murder.
Everyone on the island has a motive. Everyone is accusing someone else. And no one expects a talkative American sleuth, two wiener dogs, and a very muddled baker to uncover the truth.
Perfect for fans of classic British mysteries, eccentric detectives, and dogs who call the shots.
- GenresMystery
314 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 11, 2026
About the author
Julie Titterington
23 books80 followersJulie Titterington is an author, essayist, and editor who lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley. When she's not hanging out with her husband and three children, she can be found baking, eating, and reading mysteries from the Golden Age, in that order.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
Want to Read
July 14, 2026I'm just here for the Doxi
September 11, 2026
A fun cozy mystery and dachshunds what more could you ask for.
August 22, 2026
Murder and Other Unpleasantries, by Julie Titterington, is a cozy mystery built around one very inconvenient day in Cornwall. Tamsin Castle is trying to keep her struggling bakery afloat when she meets Clarence Crumpet, a relentlessly friendly American with a dachshund named Fritz and a talent for turning casual conversations into marathons. Tamsin reluctantly accepts his help delivering food to a tearoom on the tidal island of St. Peter the Rock, where a storm traps them with a wealthy, deeply dysfunctional family and the suddenly dead Lady Atherton. The setup gives the book all the ingredients of a classic closed-circle mystery: a limited group of suspects, a poisonous cup of tea, old grudges, money problems, family secrets, and no easy way for anyone to leave.
What makes the book especially fun is the pairing of Tamsin and Crumpet. Tamsin begins the story committed to routine and suspicious of anything that might complicate her life, even making a reluctant promise to spend one day saying yes to new experiences. Crumpet is almost her opposite. He talks constantly, follows every stray thought that catches his attention, and seems genuinely delighted by nearly everyone he meets. Once the investigation starts, though, his rambling personality reveals a surprisingly sharp mind, while Tamsin discovers that she's good at noticing inconsistencies and keeping him focused. Their friendship develops naturally because each supplies something the other needs. The dachshunds, Bundle and Fritz, add another layer of personality without feeling like accessories pasted onto the mystery.
The novel clearly has some Agatha Christie in its bloodstream. There's even an early reference to Christie's Bundle Brent, which signals the author's affection for Golden Age mysteries. The isolated setting and hostile group of relatives bring And Then There Were None to mind, while the poison, inheritance questions, interviews, and carefully planted physical clues feel closer to a Poirot investigation. Titterington takes that familiar puzzle-box structure and gives it a much more playful voice. The book keeps bouncing between murder clues and wonderfully specific distractions involving scones, British vocabulary, bad tea, dachshund behavior, class manners, and the differences between American and British ideas about food. Tamsin's position between Oregon and Cornwall also gives the culture-clash jokes more substance than simple tourist humor. She understands both worlds while feeling completely settled in neither.
The structural choice is one of my favorite things about the book. The first half largely lets us experience Crumpet from the outside, where his endless stories can make him look scattered, while the second half moves into his first-person perspective and shows how much is actually happening underneath all that chatter. The eventual solution is carefully tied to details that have been sitting in plain sight, particularly the almond-heavy menu, the tea, the family's behavior, and Lady Atherton's peculiar plans for the gathering. That makes the conclusion satisfying as a mystery. More importantly, the case changes both lead characters. Tamsin's accidental adventure gives her a taste for a life beyond protecting her routines, while Crumpet finds in her the kind of partner who can steady a detective who's been struggling since losing his wife. By the final pages, their proposed partnership at the Sausage Roll Bakery, with the possibility of future investigations, feels earned. Murder and Other Unpleasantries is a warm, eccentric mystery about murder, pastry, loneliness, friendship, and the strange things that can happen after one badly timed yes.
What makes the book especially fun is the pairing of Tamsin and Crumpet. Tamsin begins the story committed to routine and suspicious of anything that might complicate her life, even making a reluctant promise to spend one day saying yes to new experiences. Crumpet is almost her opposite. He talks constantly, follows every stray thought that catches his attention, and seems genuinely delighted by nearly everyone he meets. Once the investigation starts, though, his rambling personality reveals a surprisingly sharp mind, while Tamsin discovers that she's good at noticing inconsistencies and keeping him focused. Their friendship develops naturally because each supplies something the other needs. The dachshunds, Bundle and Fritz, add another layer of personality without feeling like accessories pasted onto the mystery.
The novel clearly has some Agatha Christie in its bloodstream. There's even an early reference to Christie's Bundle Brent, which signals the author's affection for Golden Age mysteries. The isolated setting and hostile group of relatives bring And Then There Were None to mind, while the poison, inheritance questions, interviews, and carefully planted physical clues feel closer to a Poirot investigation. Titterington takes that familiar puzzle-box structure and gives it a much more playful voice. The book keeps bouncing between murder clues and wonderfully specific distractions involving scones, British vocabulary, bad tea, dachshund behavior, class manners, and the differences between American and British ideas about food. Tamsin's position between Oregon and Cornwall also gives the culture-clash jokes more substance than simple tourist humor. She understands both worlds while feeling completely settled in neither.
The structural choice is one of my favorite things about the book. The first half largely lets us experience Crumpet from the outside, where his endless stories can make him look scattered, while the second half moves into his first-person perspective and shows how much is actually happening underneath all that chatter. The eventual solution is carefully tied to details that have been sitting in plain sight, particularly the almond-heavy menu, the tea, the family's behavior, and Lady Atherton's peculiar plans for the gathering. That makes the conclusion satisfying as a mystery. More importantly, the case changes both lead characters. Tamsin's accidental adventure gives her a taste for a life beyond protecting her routines, while Crumpet finds in her the kind of partner who can steady a detective who's been struggling since losing his wife. By the final pages, their proposed partnership at the Sausage Roll Bakery, with the possibility of future investigations, feels earned. Murder and Other Unpleasantries is a warm, eccentric mystery about murder, pastry, loneliness, friendship, and the strange things that can happen after one badly timed yes.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This one was a little different from the author's other series, which I really enjoyed, and not just because it was set in the U.K. It's not that I didn't enjoy this one; I did, but it was a little more difficult to get through. For starters, the first half of the book gives us just about all of the action, such as it is, while the second, told from the detective's POV, basically rehashes everything. It's the classic grand drawing room unmasking scene, only it lasts for over 100 pages instead of a single chapter. What's more, the detective's interior and exterior monologues are a bit much. I get that his whole gimmick is a tendency to ramble, and he even provides some explanation right at the end, but it makes for slow going and grows less amusing over time. He comes across like Benoit Blanc in "Knives Out," and I'll admit I found that character a bit annoying, as well.
Also, what gives with his alleged inability to understand even the most basic of British slang words when he seems to have worked quite a bit in that country and is also living there? At first I thought it was a put-on and he was trying to disarm people by seeming to be a bit of a bumbler, but according to his own narrated thoughts, he really doesn't understand phrases that even a basic bit of inference would allow him to interpret, even if he'd never set foot in the U.K. or read a book by a British author.
I did read an ARC (that I received for free from the author), and perhaps the book has undergone one more edit before publication, but there were a few spots where someone was speaking, and it wasn't made clear who. In one particular instance, a line is followed by, "snapped her husband," but there is no "her" referenced for several paragraphs before this. Only one female character has a husband present, so you know who it is, but it's a little jarring.
Finally, this may be pedantic of me, but I feel compelled to point it out. Jemima is in her mid-50s, since she says she got kicked out of the house at age 14 40 years ago. I'm assuming this book is meant to be set in the present day, so she'd have been born in 1972. The detective refers to her as an "early Gen X-er," although she'd actually have been right in the middle of that cohort. This isn't my real issue, though. He also says that she'd have been too young to be a hippie (true), but too old for the punk scene ... ????? The U.K. punk scene was underway by about 1976, at which time she would have been four. If the book had taken place 10 years earlier, she'd have been born in 1962, and thus technically a baby boomer, but still not too old for the scene at age 14. Unless toddler punk was a thing for a minute there? Even then, there are no scenarios where any Gen Xer would be too old to have been part of some type of punk scene in their youth, especially since most of the members of '80s punk/post-punk/goth/new wave/etc. bands were themselves boomers.
Ok, done with my little TED talk. Short version: Good book, I liked it, but it needed a little less rambling and a little more dachshund action. Also, one more pass from a copyeditor, including the deletion of that one line about Jemima's chronological suitability (or lack thereof) for any specific counterculture,
Also, what gives with his alleged inability to understand even the most basic of British slang words when he seems to have worked quite a bit in that country and is also living there? At first I thought it was a put-on and he was trying to disarm people by seeming to be a bit of a bumbler, but according to his own narrated thoughts, he really doesn't understand phrases that even a basic bit of inference would allow him to interpret, even if he'd never set foot in the U.K. or read a book by a British author.
I did read an ARC (that I received for free from the author), and perhaps the book has undergone one more edit before publication, but there were a few spots where someone was speaking, and it wasn't made clear who. In one particular instance, a line is followed by, "snapped her husband," but there is no "her" referenced for several paragraphs before this. Only one female character has a husband present, so you know who it is, but it's a little jarring.
Finally, this may be pedantic of me, but I feel compelled to point it out. Jemima is in her mid-50s, since she says she got kicked out of the house at age 14 40 years ago. I'm assuming this book is meant to be set in the present day, so she'd have been born in 1972. The detective refers to her as an "early Gen X-er," although she'd actually have been right in the middle of that cohort. This isn't my real issue, though. He also says that she'd have been too young to be a hippie (true), but too old for the punk scene ... ????? The U.K. punk scene was underway by about 1976, at which time she would have been four. If the book had taken place 10 years earlier, she'd have been born in 1962, and thus technically a baby boomer, but still not too old for the scene at age 14. Unless toddler punk was a thing for a minute there? Even then, there are no scenarios where any Gen Xer would be too old to have been part of some type of punk scene in their youth, especially since most of the members of '80s punk/post-punk/goth/new wave/etc. bands were themselves boomers.
Ok, done with my little TED talk. Short version: Good book, I liked it, but it needed a little less rambling and a little more dachshund action. Also, one more pass from a copyeditor, including the deletion of that one line about Jemima's chronological suitability (or lack thereof) for any specific counterculture,
Review of advance copy received from Author
Julie Titterington has done it AGAIN!
Best take ever on the locked room/no exit mystery – a baker with a nose for puzzles, a semi-retired detective with the gift of gab, and DACHSHUNDS! And they’re not just the “pick a dog breed just to have dogs,” token characters; they’re treated with the same knowledge about, care, and love for weens as Julie has done in her Three Hounds Bakery and Dog Ladies series; these long doggies are just as involved and important to the plot, and the resolution, as their humans are.
Baker Tamsin Castle, trying very hard to avoid anything out of the ordinary which could even marginally yank her life out of utter normality – i.e., control – being dachshund mommy to energetic puppy Bundle is exciting enough, even though Bundle does nap a lot still, finds what should be an ordinary catering delivery getting absolutely out of hand. It starts when the excessively loquacious (but charmingly entertaining) older American gentleman, Clarence Crumpet, who, along with his very long dachshund Fritz, arrives at her grandmother’s bakery in Cornwall just before Tamsin’s due to deliver a large order for a special party to the Rosebud Tearoom on the nearby tidal island of St. Peter the Rock while the causeway is still above water. Rather than taking his leave, Mr. Crumpet offers to help with the delivery, and they, and both dogs, are still on the island when a sudden storm arrives, cutting off any return to the mainland for the next several hours.
The situation worsens when the disagreeable and demanding Lady Atherton face-plants in her tea, quite dead, in front of her family, setting off a delightfully complex and twisty plot involving multiple motives, complicated by the Rosebud’s owner’s odd behavior, before Tamsin and her new acquaintance are able to work their way through all of the knots and solve the mystery. Along with, of course, wise and observant help from Fritz and Bundle’s enthusiasm and nose for strange objects, all of which is integral to Tamsin and Clarence’s success, even with a couple of totally unexpected developments I did not see coming at all and clearly needed a dachshund nose or two to sniff out!
Told with Julie’s characteristic light touch, affection for her main characters, care with the others, all of whom are fully dimensional and vital to the plot, and sheer love for the canine members of the investigative team, this romp is absolutely delightful, and it bodes well for the continued adventures of the Castle and Crumpet dachshund/human team! If you love cozy mysteries, especially with dachshunds, Murder (and Other Unpleasantries) is a must for your personal library! (And if you haven’t already found Julie’s other series, read those too.)
Note: I received a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Best take ever on the locked room/no exit mystery – a baker with a nose for puzzles, a semi-retired detective with the gift of gab, and DACHSHUNDS! And they’re not just the “pick a dog breed just to have dogs,” token characters; they’re treated with the same knowledge about, care, and love for weens as Julie has done in her Three Hounds Bakery and Dog Ladies series; these long doggies are just as involved and important to the plot, and the resolution, as their humans are.
Baker Tamsin Castle, trying very hard to avoid anything out of the ordinary which could even marginally yank her life out of utter normality – i.e., control – being dachshund mommy to energetic puppy Bundle is exciting enough, even though Bundle does nap a lot still, finds what should be an ordinary catering delivery getting absolutely out of hand. It starts when the excessively loquacious (but charmingly entertaining) older American gentleman, Clarence Crumpet, who, along with his very long dachshund Fritz, arrives at her grandmother’s bakery in Cornwall just before Tamsin’s due to deliver a large order for a special party to the Rosebud Tearoom on the nearby tidal island of St. Peter the Rock while the causeway is still above water. Rather than taking his leave, Mr. Crumpet offers to help with the delivery, and they, and both dogs, are still on the island when a sudden storm arrives, cutting off any return to the mainland for the next several hours.
The situation worsens when the disagreeable and demanding Lady Atherton face-plants in her tea, quite dead, in front of her family, setting off a delightfully complex and twisty plot involving multiple motives, complicated by the Rosebud’s owner’s odd behavior, before Tamsin and her new acquaintance are able to work their way through all of the knots and solve the mystery. Along with, of course, wise and observant help from Fritz and Bundle’s enthusiasm and nose for strange objects, all of which is integral to Tamsin and Clarence’s success, even with a couple of totally unexpected developments I did not see coming at all and clearly needed a dachshund nose or two to sniff out!
Told with Julie’s characteristic light touch, affection for her main characters, care with the others, all of whom are fully dimensional and vital to the plot, and sheer love for the canine members of the investigative team, this romp is absolutely delightful, and it bodes well for the continued adventures of the Castle and Crumpet dachshund/human team! If you love cozy mysteries, especially with dachshunds, Murder (and Other Unpleasantries) is a must for your personal library! (And if you haven’t already found Julie’s other series, read those too.)
Note: I received a free advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
August 12, 2026
Oddball world famous Detective 1st in New Series
Tamsin Castle is a baker who's (kinda) taking over the family business, The Sausage Roll--accent on Dachshund. Enter Clarence Crumpet, world famous, highly respected Detective & Dachshund lover. Both are both American & British, and each owns a doxie--hers is a black & tan female pup named Bundle; his is a brindle male called Fritz (the Amazing doxie detective).
Set in 1951, where rationing was still in effect in Britain. Clarence offers to help Tamasin with a massive delivery to a castle tea room on an island (Mount St. Michél--like).
From there, it is a wild, crazy very non-traditional 37 irons-in-the-fire & 203 diversions. A very wealthy 90+ year old matriarch (Lady Lucy Atherton) has summoned her remaining kin proposing her desire to atone for her abuse, cruelty, and being a sick & twisted old hateful cow. While the high tea is being served, Lady Battle Ax dies of cyanide poisoning.
The author writes believable characters, ALL who've been traumatized with resultant scars & flaws. Crumpet is a first rate detective, aided by Tamasin, Fritz, and Bundle. It will make you shake your head, laugh, and saddened by Man's inhumanity to man.
SO, what do a tin of mints, a Wedgewood tea set, soap flakes and digoxin have to do with Murder??? You'll need to read it to find out!
Tamsin Castle is a baker who's (kinda) taking over the family business, The Sausage Roll--accent on Dachshund. Enter Clarence Crumpet, world famous, highly respected Detective & Dachshund lover. Both are both American & British, and each owns a doxie--hers is a black & tan female pup named Bundle; his is a brindle male called Fritz (the Amazing doxie detective).
Set in 1951, where rationing was still in effect in Britain. Clarence offers to help Tamasin with a massive delivery to a castle tea room on an island (Mount St. Michél--like).
From there, it is a wild, crazy very non-traditional 37 irons-in-the-fire & 203 diversions. A very wealthy 90+ year old matriarch (Lady Lucy Atherton) has summoned her remaining kin proposing her desire to atone for her abuse, cruelty, and being a sick & twisted old hateful cow. While the high tea is being served, Lady Battle Ax dies of cyanide poisoning.
The author writes believable characters, ALL who've been traumatized with resultant scars & flaws. Crumpet is a first rate detective, aided by Tamasin, Fritz, and Bundle. It will make you shake your head, laugh, and saddened by Man's inhumanity to man.
SO, what do a tin of mints, a Wedgewood tea set, soap flakes and digoxin have to do with Murder??? You'll need to read it to find out!
September 11, 2026
⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️
I really enjoyed Murder (and Other Unpleasantries)! 🔎📚
This was such a fun cozy murder mystery, but I think the characters really made this one for me.
The main male character had me cracking up with his random side conversations and tangents. 😂 Every time he started going off on something completely unrelated, I couldn’t help but smile.
And Tamsin and Crumpet? I loved them! ❤️ They were the perfect pair, balancing each other out and bringing so much personality to the story. Their dynamic was definitely one of my favorite parts of the book.
The mystery itself kept me interested the entire way through, and I have to give Julie Titterington credit because I did NOT see that ending coming! I thought I had things figured out… apparently I did not. 😂
Great characters, plenty of humor, a mystery that actually kept me guessing, and all the cozy vibes I want from this genre.
Definitely a fun 4-star read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
And needless to say… if there’s more Tamsin and Crumpet, I’m in. 🥰📖
I really enjoyed Murder (and Other Unpleasantries)! 🔎📚
This was such a fun cozy murder mystery, but I think the characters really made this one for me.
The main male character had me cracking up with his random side conversations and tangents. 😂 Every time he started going off on something completely unrelated, I couldn’t help but smile.
And Tamsin and Crumpet? I loved them! ❤️ They were the perfect pair, balancing each other out and bringing so much personality to the story. Their dynamic was definitely one of my favorite parts of the book.
The mystery itself kept me interested the entire way through, and I have to give Julie Titterington credit because I did NOT see that ending coming! I thought I had things figured out… apparently I did not. 😂
Great characters, plenty of humor, a mystery that actually kept me guessing, and all the cozy vibes I want from this genre.
Definitely a fun 4-star read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
And needless to say… if there’s more Tamsin and Crumpet, I’m in. 🥰📖
Review of advance copy received from Author
Murder (and Other Unpleasantries) is a Superb story about Tamsin Castle who runs her Grandmother's Bakery an American Customer Clarence Crumpet a Detective comes into the Bakery with his clever dog Fritz. Tamsin needs to do a delivery to a Tea room in a Cornish Tidal Island and Clarence goes with her. But they find there is only one party of family and friends at the tea room when one of the customers collapses and dies. Clarence starts to investigate with Tamsin as Assistant until the local police arrive as there is a violent storm.
But what will they be able to uncover and can they discover the truth before the police arrive?
I enjoyed reading this story very much and I highly recommend that you read this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
But what will they be able to uncover and can they discover the truth before the police arrive?
I enjoyed reading this story very much and I highly recommend that you read this book.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 20, 2026
Julie Titterington's new series is absolutely delightful, considering it's a murder mystery. Her two primary characters couldn't be more different, and as such, they play off each other very well. I think "Bing" is going to be my absolute favorite. He would drive a saint to drink with his rambling, but it does tend to make people underestimate him, which can be very unfortunate for the "bad guys". And speaking of bad guys, this is one more deplorable group. While not all of them are murderers, they are all guilty of manipulation, condescension, snobbery, and plain old bad manners. I loved every minute of it. I highly recommend any of Ms. Titterington's work for cozy mystery fans, and if you are a dog fan, all the better because the two dachshunds in this story are adorable. I received a review copy from the author via BookSirens, and this review reflects my honest and voluntary opinion.
August 18, 2026
I really wasn’t sure how Crumpet was going to wrap everything up. I got to his part of the story, and I was only about 60% of the way through the book, and I just wasn’t sure what would fill the rest. It ended up being a delightful story, and the mysteries throughout were explained satisfactorily. I got Knives Out vibes from this story, which honestly made Crumpet a more compelling character. I was hooked, and I’m sad it’s over! Can’t wait to read more!
I received a free copy of this book and am reviewing it willingly.
I received a free copy of this book and am reviewing it willingly.
August 19, 2026
I just love Julie’s books! Her characters are always the best, and this one was no exception. Crumpet was SO much fun, and I loved the whole cast of quirky characters, especially the dachshunds! The setting on the little tidal island made the mystery even more fun, especially with a huge storm brewing and everyone stuck there together.
The murder mystery was done so well. I was trying to figure out who did it the whole time, and I never saw that twist coming! Such a fun, quirky, delightful mystery. Julie has done it again!
The murder mystery was done so well. I was trying to figure out who did it the whole time, and I never saw that twist coming! Such a fun, quirky, delightful mystery. Julie has done it again!
September 20, 2026
Selected this book solely on the link to the dachshund. Not as much activity involving the doxie as I would have liked, but it was my "invitation" to read it.
Tasmin teamed up reluctantly with Clarence Crumpet at a private tea party that turned deadly for the hostess of the event. The first half of the book was told primarily from Tasmin's point of view. The reader (me) struggled with the ramblings.
All came together in the second half as the "killer" and the escapades of all the suspects are slowly revealed by a more than verbose Clarence Crumpet.
Tasmin teamed up reluctantly with Clarence Crumpet at a private tea party that turned deadly for the hostess of the event. The first half of the book was told primarily from Tasmin's point of view. The reader (me) struggled with the ramblings.
All came together in the second half as the "killer" and the escapades of all the suspects are slowly revealed by a more than verbose Clarence Crumpet.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an ARC of Murder (and Other Unpleasantries) from the author. Since this book is not yet published I don't want to give too much away but I found it to be delightful with many twists and turns until all is revealed at the end. It is a cozy mystery which was just what I was looking for. An enjoyable read and not too heavy but kept me guessing.
I look forward to future books in this series.
I look forward to future books in this series.
Review of advance copy
Murder (and Other Unpleasantries) is Book 1 in The Castle & Crumpet Mystery Series by Julie Titterington. In my opinion, this author has written an excellent book 1. I really liked how Remain with her doxie, Bundle, met a world famous detective, Clarence, with his dachshund, Fritz. They are stranded on an island with a killer. A new team is formed and I can't wait to read book 2! I received an arc for free and a leaving my review voluntarily.
August 26, 2026
First off thanks to the publisher and author for the free ebook via a goodreads giveaway.
Overall an enjoyable story for my first time with this author. There were hints of Agatha Christie influence. The "whodunit" was an interesting twist.
From a writing style it is technically a dual POV, but not in the usual way where chapters alternate. The beginning of the book is one main characters POV but then it switches to the other and doesnt really switch back except for small tidbits.
Overall an enjoyable story for my first time with this author. There were hints of Agatha Christie influence. The "whodunit" was an interesting twist.
From a writing style it is technically a dual POV, but not in the usual way where chapters alternate. The beginning of the book is one main characters POV but then it switches to the other and doesnt really switch back except for small tidbits.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Opposites working together. Tasmin has to dig deep to find the patience to deal with a very gabby detective and ends up solving a mystery with him and his dog. This is a new series and the characters are coming together. I think as they investigate together in the future we will see if Clarence Crumpet is acting to catch people off guard or not. This can be read as a standalone.
Want to Read
August 25, 2026I found this book quite a long and hard read at times, but I did persevere until the end and it was ok. I’ve read a couple of this authors books previously of which I’ve enjoyed but this one just didn’t quite hit the spot.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Review of advance copy
Thanks to BookSirens, publishers and author for an ARC of Murder (and Other Unpleasantries)The Castle & Crumpet Mystery Series: Book 1
True rating 3.5
I enjoyed this book, always love a dog book, but it was a bit too long.
True rating 3.5
I enjoyed this book, always love a dog book, but it was a bit too long.
September 8, 2026
MAGNIFICENT!!!
I loved this book from beginning to end. It was so hard to put down! It written very similarly and beautifully like an Agatha Christie book. Great characters, twisted plots and you do know who the murder was until the end! Can’t wait to read more of this series!
I loved this book from beginning to end. It was so hard to put down! It written very similarly and beautifully like an Agatha Christie book. Great characters, twisted plots and you do know who the murder was until the end! Can’t wait to read more of this series!
September 8, 2026
Enjoyed the Story But
The mystery was great fun and had many twists and turns. Unfortunately although set in 1951 the protagonist kept referring to women as “Ms” a term that wasn’t commonly used for at least another 20-30 years. It was discordant. Perhaps an AI editor?
The mystery was great fun and had many twists and turns. Unfortunately although set in 1951 the protagonist kept referring to women as “Ms” a term that wasn’t commonly used for at least another 20-30 years. It was discordant. Perhaps an AI editor?
Review of advance copy received from Author
LOVE LOVE LOVED IT!!! This was another PHENOMENAL read by Julie! It was definitely mind-engaging and had many twists and I NEVER saw the end coming! A MUST read!!
Read
September 1, 2026Crumpet is a delight
I loved the interactions with both Doxies. But Crumpet made the book. He's a bit of a Columbo, intelligent and hides it at first. Catches people unaware.
I loved the interactions with both Doxies. But Crumpet made the book. He's a bit of a Columbo, intelligent and hides it at first. Catches people unaware.
September 18, 2026
Super
Delightful. Complex and interesting. Kept the who done it till the end. Not a lot of extra wording. Great story, well write, developed. Look forward to sequel.
Delightful. Complex and interesting. Kept the who done it till the end. Not a lot of extra wording. Great story, well write, developed. Look forward to sequel.
Review of advance copy
A fun, humorous tale of murder and mystic!
I received this book to read the ARC for the BookSirens.
I received this book to read the ARC for the BookSirens.
Review of advance copy
I could not put this book down! It was a funny, witty, very British murder mystery set in a castle with an assortment of oddball characters and two lovable dachshunds. The first half of the book, told from one perspective, moved faster than the second half. I thought the second half, from the investigator's perspective, could have been a little shorter. The story kept my interest, the characters were interesting, and I was sad when the book ended. It was in the style of Knives Out--smart and dry.
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