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WISE Enquiries Agency #1-4

A Welsh Murder Mystery Box Set #1–4

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In this four-book box set:

BOOK 1: THE CASE OF THE DOTTY DOWAGER
Henry Twyst, eighteenth Duke of Chellingworth, is convinced his mother is losing her marbles. The dowager claims to have seen a corpse on the dining room floor, but all she has to prove it is a bloodied bobble hat. Henry hires the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency. The duke wants the strange matter explained. But the truth of what happened at the Chellingworth Estate is more complex, dangerous, and deadly, than anyone could have foreseen . . .

BOOK 2: THE CASE OF THE MISSING MORRIS DANCER
Henry, eighteenth Duke of Chellingworth, is about to marry Stephanie Timbers in a grand ceremony at his Welsh estate. But one of the Morris dancers, who must lead the wedding party through the village, is missing. Along with the troupe’s kit of exquisite sixteenth-century silver bells and engraved sticks. Can the ladies of the WISE Enquiries Agency track him down and save the day?

BOOK 3: THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS COOK
Henry, eighteenth Duke of Chellingworth, is terribly worried about some water damage to the priceless books in his library and hires a local book restorer to tackle the repairs. Meanwhile, strange shenanigans are going on at his book shop and Dowager Duchess Althea brings the case to the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency. They come across a valuable book of miniatures which seems to be the work of a famous local artist, who was murdered by her own brother. The WISE women are on the case — and nothing will get in their way . . .

BOOK 4: THE CASE OF THE UNSUITABLE SUITOR
Successful businessman and charmer Huw Hughes has his sights set on Annie. But Huw has been widowed three times and the other women of the WISE Enquiries Agency want to know why. Mavis and Carol have to work with Dowager Duchess Althea Twyst to ensure their unsuspecting friend Annie’s safety . . . and possibly protect the lives of other villagers. And of course all this mustn’t disrupt the Duke’s annual croquet tournament! Someone seems to want it to turn out very nasty indeed.

1108 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2022

1157 people are currently reading
252 people want to read

About the author

Cathy Ace

43 books387 followers
Cathy Ace migrated from her native Wales to Canada at the age of 40. She is the award-winning author of the traditional Cait Morgan Mysteries featuring her Welsh Canadian criminology professor sleuth who travels the world tripping over corpses, which have now been optioned for TV. She also writes the cozier WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries featuring a quartet of female PIs who run their business out of a Welsh stately home. Both series have been well-reviewed. Her award-winning standalone, THE WRONG BOY, is a gripping novel of psychological suspense, set in Wales, and has also been optioned for TV.

"Ace is, well, an ace when it comes to plot and description.” The Globe and Mail

Cathy's work has won the prestigious Bony Blithe Award for best Canadian light mystery, an IPPY and an IBA Award, and has been shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story.

Her short story "Dear George" appeared on the UK's O Level English Language syllabus and, together with another story, "Domestic Violence", has been produced for BBC Radio 4. You can find out more about Cathy, her books, and events she'll be attending, at www.cathyace.com

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5 stars
1,134 (63%)
4 stars
484 (27%)
3 stars
120 (6%)
2 stars
22 (1%)
1 star
21 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
Profile Image for Kayla Wilson.
174 reviews5 followers
March 31, 2023

Welsh Murder Mysteries: Carol (Welsh), Christine (Irish), Mavis (Scottish), and Annie (English) make up the WISE Enquiries Agency, which is sort of like what Americans call private investigating. Originally headquartered in London, the four women move to Anwen-by-Wye in rural Wales. There is always something going on in the village or in Chellingworth Hall, but that doesn’t stop the agency from also investigating things farther afield. 

I read this as a box set, so I’m going to review them as such because laziness. Overall, I love this series. The women are delightful, the settings are beautiful, and the mysteries are well plotted. I can actually solve them! And I love the addition of Althea, dowager duchess and honorary enquiry agent,. She’s my favorite character. Also, each book has basically the same opening sentence and I eat that sort of thing UP. I’ll  just do some short recaps, shall I?

The Case of the Dotty Dowager: Henry, Duke of Chellingworth, thinks his elderly mother Althea is getting senile after she claims to have found a body in her dinning room. Henry, finding no body himself, hires the WISE ladies investigate. They travel to Anwen-by-Wye, where they learn about the village and befriend the dowager duchess. Everything is set up for the rest of the series here and you meet most of the recurring characters. It almost feels like a prequel, which isn’t a bad thing. 

TCOT Missing Morris Dancer: the Duke is about to get married, but the musician from the local Morris group is missing, putting a traditional part of the wedding ceremony in danger. The WISE women (+the duchess) investigate family secrets and village lore. Oh and Annie befriends a man who for sure wants more, pub owner Tudor Evans. I am so into them. It is a slooooowww burn though. This book is a lot of fun and is maybe my favorite so far. It is all set in the village, which might be why I like it so much. Tell me all the village secrets!

TCOT Curious Cook: a local bookshop owner finds himself with more books in stock than he should, and some of the mystery books have drawings possibly done by a recently murdered artist. The WISE women set out to see who is leaving the books and if the illustrations are genuine. Plus a whole bunch of other stuff by the end! There is a lot going on in this book, but it is a lot of fun. Althea gets to do some undercover work and that tickles me. 

TCOT Unsuitable Suitor: Annie starts spending time with Huw Hughes, a rich local newly returned to Anwen after decades away. None of her friends can stand him, and I love their energy. I also just want Annie to get with Tudor. They uncover some less than great information about his past…and then there is a suspicious death in the village! Plus Christine and her man friend are in Ireland! I loved this one. Half is it was just in the village and I am such a fan of finding out the history of the village and everyone who lives there. I didn’t even really care about the mystery. 
Profile Image for Elaine Bidstrup.
204 reviews
September 5, 2022
I loved this series of four mysteries in the series and look forward to reading more.
The WISE Enquiries Agency consists of Carol who is from Wales, Christine from Ireland, Mavis from Scotland, and Annie a cockney from England. The name, comes from the first letters of the country is each from. Even more varied as the countries they come from, so are the women. Carol, a computer expert, is married and pregnant with her first child. Christine is the daughter of an Irish aristocrat, although she mostly lives in London. Mavis is a retired nurse and a widow with two grown sons. Annie grew up in London, but is originally from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia.
The first book "The Case of the Dotty Dowager" features Henry Twyst, the 18th Duke of Chellingworth in Wales and his mother, Althea, the Dowager (widowed) Duchess of the 17th Duke of the estate. His sister, Lady Clementine also has a small part in the book. Henry believes his mother is, as he says, "losing it" meaning her mind when she phones him in the middle of the night to say that she had found a dead body in her dining room. When Henry arrives, there is no body, dead or otherwise in the dower house. The next morning Althea does find a blue and black knit hat with a bobble ( pom-pom) on top of it in her dining room and it has blood on it.
The WISE Women Enquiries Agency is called in and eventually solve the case and the disappearance of Henry's grandfather's (valuable) collection of false teeth. For this the His Grace and Her Grace are so grateful that they invite the WISE women to move to the local village and give them an unused barn (which the Duke re-furbishes) and set up there offices there, which they do.
The other books in the box set are equally unusual and are titled "The Case of the Missing Morris Dancer," "The Case of the Curious Cook," and "the Case of the Unsuitable Suitor."
I look forward to reading more books in this series.
Profile Image for Rosemary Hughes.
4,192 reviews23 followers
March 13, 2023
#1 The case of the Dottie Dowager

This is a murder mystery, with a missing body, an elderly witness, a cynical son and group of WISE women, who investigate crimes and find answers.
It's not a quick who dunit, but an intricately woven tale, from multiple viewpoints, each guiding the reader to the final outcome.

#2 The Case of the Missing Morris Dancer
Traditions had to be kept, when a member of the local aristocracy was getting married. Part of that tradition was to have the newly married couple escorted to their their new residence, after their nuptials, by a group of Morris Dancers.
When the main Morris Dancer is a no show, for a meeting, people who knew how reliable a you man he was, went on a hunt for him. The WISE agents were employed and a number of various incidents uncovered.
What happens, well, the author's version is better than my poor synapses.

#3 The Case of the Curious Cook

Boy oh boy! Mad cap from start to finish.
Miniature artist works discovered, the young artist murdered, supposedly by her brother, and strange things involving an aged care home.
Yes it's like giant ball of wool, with multiple threads that are all tangled and need to teased out to be of any use.
A wonderful look at what women can do, when they combine their strengths.

#4 The Case of the Unsuitable Suitor

On his arrival back to Wales, Huw Hughes, put a lot of people on edge.
His free admittance to thinking of marriage with Annie, one of the WISE women agents, really stirred up the ruffles of a couple of people, the least being the pub owner Tudor, who had his own eyes on the wayward lass, and was concerned for Annie's welfare, as the last three wives of the said Mr Hughes had all died.
Thus, enquiries begun, but there were more for our intrepid slueths, both in Wales and also in Ireland, where Christine and Alexander were supposed to be an a relaxing holiday in Christine's family's county seat.
17 reviews
September 29, 2022
Great plot lines

As a regular reader of detective, spy and similar novels I bought this box set as something lighter to read. So have been pleasantly surprised that the stories are well written with interest throughout the story, even the introduction to each character was handled well.

I found myself wishing I could meet the WISE enquiry ladies: Mavis, Christine, Carol and Annie: they each are written to make you understand their strengths and why 4 ladies from the four nations and with such diverse backgrounds could work through to a successful conclusion.

Even the simple extra plot of why they moved their base to Wales from London is handled well. But it's the people and the plot lines that kept me reading, the people are believable we all know a Sharon: a nice gossip: a lady Althea: ok I don't know many dowager duchesses , but a lady with a past and present, an Alexander: someone with a shady past, who's doing good. These are the first books I've read for a while that I've remembered the characters main and supporting to be able to write a review with the vision in my head of the people.
Profile Image for Deborah Wallen.
28 reviews2 followers
May 23, 2022
Fun, cozy mysteries. The four novels are connected by the main characters, the WISE women. The ladies come from all walks of life and each has a "particular set of skills" that come into play.
Carol is their computer researcher ; Mavis is a retired nurse; Annie is able to draw out confidences in people with her friendly manner; Christine is a MENSA member & viscount's daughter. They are from Wales(Carol), Ireland(Christine), Scotland (Mavis) and England(Annie).
Their honorary member is Althea, the Dowager Duchess from the first book.
I particularly liked the descriptions of Wales and the village, Anwen.
A quick read that left me wanting to read more of their adventures.
Profile Image for Janice Clark.
Author 4 books9 followers
April 25, 2022
Some books are like a box of chocolates--you just have to have one more. and one more... I gobbled up this collection much faster than intended. The plots are complicated, with seemingly unrelated issues that somehow connect. The characters are fascinating, well-rounded people that I came to care about. The pacing is excellent--always enough to keep you wondering what happens next. And no matter how well you've followed the clues--red herrings and all--there are surprises that make perfect sense after you encounter them. Highly recommended.
189 reviews1 follower
June 5, 2022
A really good set of books well researched and easy to read

I thought the first book was a bit repetitive and slow to start with but this was to establish the characters . it got much better and was very good at the end. each book has a different story but the same characters running through them. their story continues through the books and brings interesting elements to each story. throughout the book are interesting insights which show the author had done a lot of research. A very enjoyable light hearted set of books
2 reviews
July 31, 2022
At first, I didn't think I would like these books. In the first book, there were quite a few characters in multiple locations. I had so much trouble keeping things sorted out that I wrote a list names to refer to! Since I already had books 2-4, I kept reading.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed books 2-4. Many of the characters appeared in all four books, so it wasn't as difficult to follow the story lines. I enjoyed learning the backstory of each person as the books progressed.

I had trouble choosing my star rating. The first book wasn't great, but I liked the last three.
98 reviews1 follower
June 9, 2022
Could not put it down

I enjoyed reading this boxed set. It is fast paced with plenty of twists and turns. A bit of romance thrown in to add to the mystery. 4 women who form the WISE Enquiry Agency set in the countryside of Wales. The 4 ladies bring each a different set of skills as well as personalities. And a wide variety of age. I look forward to more from this author. Highly recommend this.
8 reviews1 follower
March 14, 2023
An Entertaining Read

This is a great series of cozy mysteries for rainy weather: you can easily slide from one book to the next. The quartet of 4 friends and associates has great characterizations and a delightful sense of place in the settings of each story. With 2 mysteries to solve per book, each story is lively and fun. Lots of red herrings provide plot twists galore to keep the reader guessing until the end.
12 reviews
March 18, 2023
Excellent reading

I loved the stories and the close friendship of the women. Cathy Ace has certainly done her research on using the internet and the areas of London, Wales and Ireland. I wish, though, she would use the English way of spelling "all right". Two words not one - "alright" is the American version. Also, too many split infinitives. Sorry, am being pedantic. I do want to read more of The WISE enquiry agency. Thank you.
11 reviews
October 23, 2023
A good set of reads

A woman’s detective agency is afoot. Four friends have come together to firm the WISE Detective Agency. Each has different skills and usefulness in playing their part in getting their man in the end. Not taxing but an enjoyable cast of characters you get to know over the series of books. A rainy day read for escaping the dreary weather in Autumn or Winter as would recommend this series.
13 reviews
July 17, 2024
I must say I really began to feel like I was reading about old friends while going through all the different books. Annie, Mavis, Stephanie, Althea, Christina and Carol are all now my sisters. The stories were different enough that they did not bore me as so many sequential stories do. My favorite part however is the descriptions of the different locals in which the stories featured primarily Wales and Ireland. I want to move to Wales and meet my new sisters. Keep writing Ms. Ace!
426 reviews2 followers
March 14, 2022
Ladies Detective Agency Solves Mysteries

The Wise Detective Agency, Caroline, Mavis, Annie, and Carol each with her own skills are able to solve mysteries by working together. They begin in London and move to the country in Wales. These tales make great and enjoyable reading. I would like to read more of their adventures in Wales and other places.
Profile Image for Carlin.
1,757 reviews18 followers
April 21, 2022
I adored these Welsh cozy mysteries highlighting the WISE Enquiry Agents, 4 clever women hailing from Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and England (with the sometimes assistance of a Dowager Duchess). Each of the characters is an interesting woman, with a certain set of skills, and they work together to solve this series of four mysteries. I certainly hope there are more books in this series.
Profile Image for Beth Temin.
290 reviews
May 19, 2022
Great group of female "enquirers"

The WISE women were excellent at their jobs and very successful at figuring out the culprits in these books. I enjoyed their adventures and the twists in the plots. While the Welsh references were sometimes difficult to interpret, the stories couldn't have been more entertaining.
31 reviews
June 15, 2022
Reading about W.I.S.E. Inquiries is a wise choice!

I absolutely adoted this series! I am hoping to find there are more of these stories about the wonderful women, Welsh, Irish, Scottish and English! Lots of fun entries in some very interesting plots. I enjoyed every minute spent with all four ladies.
Profile Image for Janeva Bailey.
23 reviews
July 14, 2022
I really enjoyed these light-hearted detective stories. It was a treat to read about the different cultures involved without vulgarity or grim details of deaths. Many of the "enquiries" were into mysteries unrelated to death, yet they were very interesting. I also appreciated the interaction and personalities of the characters involved.
23 reviews
September 23, 2022
An extremely enjoayable series

I just finished the welsh murder mystery box set. I enjoyed reading each story. The author made the main characters come alive and you learned something new in each story. The story line was easy to follow but I did not guess the murderer until the end. I recommend this series to any one who enjoys a cozy mystery
Profile Image for Cheryl Moulton.
69 reviews5 followers
March 3, 2023
I really enjoyed reading the first 4 books in the 'Welshe Murder Mystery' series,
Great story lines and 'deductive' skills amongst the 'enquiry agent' in the 'WISE' agency.
I highly recommend the series to light mystery readers.
I do wonder why British authors use the vulgar US American term 'ass' though?
the dictionary meaning is 'Nth American vulgar slang of a persons buttocks or anus' why not use the more accepted word 'arse'?
also the use of the z in spelling? eg: acclimatize instead of acclimatise? organize instead of the British spelling 'organise 'etc etc
Profile Image for JoAn.
2,458 reviews1 follower
March 6, 2023
These cozy mysteries set in Wales were very enjoyable. All of the WISE women were unique with their own skill sets. Some of the mysteries were more complex that the others but all provided a few twists and turns that kept me turning the pages. I found the Welsh language to be challenging at times but they did not interfere with my enjoyment of each story.
667 reviews7 followers
March 7, 2023
Detectives in Wales!

Four female Enquiries Agents have moved to Wales to begin their new business. Solving murders and righting wrongs is their goal. They become involved with a Duke and his family and settle down to solving the areas problems. Each book can stand alone but is much more fun as a four pack. Read to find out their adventures.
63 reviews2 followers
April 16, 2023
Lots of mysteries here!

Wowza, Cathy Ace really jam-packed this box set with mysteries!! I lost count! Very good mysteries, too. I love the WISE Enquiring Agency's members - they all interact very well, each having their own "particular set of skills", and each having their own fun and interesting personalities.
10 reviews
May 27, 2023
I loved them all!

The characters are so real! I felt as though I knew them all as real friends by the fourth book
Settings are beautifully described and plots are interesting and unpredictable
One of my all time favorite cozy mystery series!
Thank you so much for making this available
Profile Image for Jennifer.
556 reviews2 followers
June 19, 2023
I really should be rating this 4 stars, because I really struggle to define what it is that I didn't connect with as much as I would like to have, but, in the end, there's just something missing for me, despite likable, well realized and engaging characters, solid mysteries, and good writing. That said, definitely worth a read!
174 reviews1 follower
July 21, 2023
Characters are the best!

The characters, I believe, are the most important ingredients in this series. Each one is interesting, believable and very well illustrated. The cases the WISH ladies work on are all intriguing. I just wonder how Annie dealt with Huy! I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries. I look forward to reading more from this author.
278 reviews1 follower
March 16, 2024
Very Enjoyable

This book set has four very enjoyable and separate stories. The main characters are well developed, the supporting characters are interesting, and the storylines are complex. By the time I got to book four in the set I was hooked! Looking forward to reading more books by this author.
1,628 reviews1 follower
March 30, 2025
This is a fun set of books to read. None of them very long but each of them engaging. The characters are unique and each have their own personalities and skills. The plots while not complex are interesting and keep you turning the pages. None of the stories very long, but are satisfying and leave no loose ends.
3 reviews
November 21, 2025
A surprising hit!

These are not my usual fare, and I took a while to get into them. But once I had engaged with the stories, the characters, and the plots, I was hooked. I've read all four books, one after another, without pause, and now I'm lost. I might just have to read them again! Well done, Cathy Ace. A great read, thank you.
12 reviews1 follower
March 2, 2022
Lovely Welsh Mysteries

Thouroughly enjoyable for this American with ancestors from Wales .DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF THE COUNTRYSIDE and the dialect, along with intricate plots and solutions make these cozy tales hold my interest through all four.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews

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