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Dorothy Martin #25
A Deadly Web
When an 'unofficial' relative of Alan's arrives from the States, Dorothy and Alan are drawn into a tangled web of murder and lies.
Dorothy Martin is more than capable of dozing during a raging storm in her snug house in Sherebury, but the loud ping of an unexpected text on her husband Alan's phone quickly wakes her up. Alan's unofficial great-niece, Lucy Bowman, is coming over from the States for a conference.
When Lucy arrives, she gushes about her fiance, Iain. But Alan makes a disturbing discovery about Lucy's engagement ring, and no sooner has Iain set foot on UK soil when he's the victim of a mysterious hit-and-run. Was it an accident, or murder? Drawn into the police investigation, Dorothy learns that Iain was not all he seemed to be, and uncovers a shocking trail of deceit. Can she separate fact from fiction to untangle a deadly web of lies?
Dorothy Martin is more than capable of dozing during a raging storm in her snug house in Sherebury, but the loud ping of an unexpected text on her husband Alan's phone quickly wakes her up. Alan's unofficial great-niece, Lucy Bowman, is coming over from the States for a conference.
When Lucy arrives, she gushes about her fiance, Iain. But Alan makes a disturbing discovery about Lucy's engagement ring, and no sooner has Iain set foot on UK soil when he's the victim of a mysterious hit-and-run. Was it an accident, or murder? Drawn into the police investigation, Dorothy learns that Iain was not all he seemed to be, and uncovers a shocking trail of deceit. Can she separate fact from fiction to untangle a deadly web of lies?
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2022
35 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Jeanne M. Dams
46 books217 followersJeanne M. Dams lives in South Bend, Indiana. The Body in the Transept, which introduced Dorothy Martin, won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Dams is also the author of Green Grow the Victims and other Hilda Johansson mysteries published by Walker & Company.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 2, 2023
It was great to be back in England with Dorothy !! I love this series ….
October 31, 2022
Dorothy and Alan Martin are a charming elderly couple who live in the cozy village of Sherebury and frequently find themselves involved with murder. Alan’s unofficial grand-niece is coming from America to attend a conference and would like to visit. Connected through Alan’s late wife, they had lost touch when she moved to America as a child but she would like to meet Dorothy and catch up with Alan. She is newly engaged to Iain Campbell, who will be following a few days later. He is a fund raiser who manages his own charity. As she describes his work Alan and Dorothy’s suspicions are aroused and they decide to learn more about him. Before they can even meet Iain, he is the victim of a hit and run in London. Oddly, he is carrying a passport that identifies him as William Gray with no other identification.
Alan was a former police official and Dorothy was a school teacher in America. They have connections through their professions and travels that may be able to answer some questions about Iain’s true identity. Lucy’s also involved in fundraising for small colleges. Some of her contacts were wealthy donors who may have had contact with Iain. The more they learn about him the more questions they seem to have. One thing is clear. He was not working alone. The question is whether or not his death was an accident. If it wasn’t, could Lucy be in danger?
A visit with Dorothy and Alan is like a visit with friends. Her neighbor Jane is always there to offer support and plenty of food. The peal of the church bells, the visits to the local pub and the pets curled up on Dorothy’s lap as they discuss strategy give the reader a warm glow and will have you looking forward to your next visit with the Martins. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for providing this book for my review.
Alan was a former police official and Dorothy was a school teacher in America. They have connections through their professions and travels that may be able to answer some questions about Iain’s true identity. Lucy’s also involved in fundraising for small colleges. Some of her contacts were wealthy donors who may have had contact with Iain. The more they learn about him the more questions they seem to have. One thing is clear. He was not working alone. The question is whether or not his death was an accident. If it wasn’t, could Lucy be in danger?
A visit with Dorothy and Alan is like a visit with friends. Her neighbor Jane is always there to offer support and plenty of food. The peal of the church bells, the visits to the local pub and the pets curled up on Dorothy’s lap as they discuss strategy give the reader a warm glow and will have you looking forward to your next visit with the Martins. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for providing this book for my review.
August 8, 2022
Dorothy and Alan may be retired, but that doesn’t stop them from jumping into the investigation when their honorary niece’s fiancée is a victim of hit-and-run. It’s so much fun to read a book where the main characters have bad knees, don’t hop out of bed wide-awake, and enjoy naps!
I was caught up in this story from the very beginning and Lucy (the honorary niece) is a great addition. I recommend this for those of us who love cozy mystery stories, especially those set in England.
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC.
I was caught up in this story from the very beginning and Lucy (the honorary niece) is a great addition. I recommend this for those of us who love cozy mystery stories, especially those set in England.
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC.
August 6, 2022
A Deadly Web is the 25th book in this cozy mystery series set in a small cathedral city in England. I enjoy reading this series when I’m in the mood for an Agatha Christie style mystery featuring an American woman and her ex-policeman British husband. This book checks all the boxes of a classic cozy mystery including a murder that takes place “off page”, well developed characters, descriptions of British life and lots of interactions with the family pets.
February 5, 2024
Alan’s honorary great-niece Lucy is visiting Sherebury from Chicago to deliver a series of lectures about fundraising, and Dorothy is happy to make her acquaintance too. Lucy is also in love, but when her fiance is struck and killed by a speeding vehicle in London while making a surprise visit to see her, Alan and Dorothy begin to have second thoughts about his character, whether his death is an accident and who might have wanted to kill him….This is the 25th and so far last of the Dorothy Martin cozy series, which has carried readers all throughout the UK in some delightful and some dreary books; I mostly just read this for the sake of completeness. That said, it’s a reasonably good finale for Dorothy and Alan, along with their cats and faithful dog, plus the new addition of a very determined little kitten. Why the couple makes the decision they do at the very end is beyond me, though, given that Alan has kids and grandkids, and Dorothy has nieces and nephews, but perhaps Ms. Dams is setting things up for a new series with a character introduced here. In any event, a mild recommendation for this one.
December 27, 2022
Dorothy Martin and her husband Alan are unexpectedly hosting his god daughter, Lucy, who is now a professor in the states. She's quite charming, and decides that Dorothy is her aunt, which endears her forever. But when Lucy begins to extoll the virtues of her fiancee, both Alan and Dorothy smell a rat. Then, when he is struck and killed by a car in London on his way to see Lucy, the investigation begins in earnest. There are some wonderful red herrings, which are always fun in a mystery novel.
January 8, 2025
A retired American schoolteacher and her retired British ex-policeman husband have a pleasant life in an English village. Their life is changed when they become embroiled in a mystery involving the murder of their visiting niece's fiance Iain. They work with the local police to help solve the mystery, including the fact that Iain had a shady past.
November 7, 2022
Dorothy is back, so is Alan.
Dorothy and Alan have a visiting niece of Alan’s stay with them and it leads to all sorts of problems with people she knows through working as a fund raiser for American Colleges and Universities and comes to England to give a seminar on her work.
Dorothy and Alan have a visiting niece of Alan’s stay with them and it leads to all sorts of problems with people she knows through working as a fund raiser for American Colleges and Universities and comes to England to give a seminar on her work.
November 17, 2022
One of her best!
Plot twists galore. An intriguing international mystery using high tech sleuthing, lots of food and drink, and good old fashioned experience with human nature. Change is in the air.can’t wait for sequel.
Plot twists galore. An intriguing international mystery using high tech sleuthing, lots of food and drink, and good old fashioned experience with human nature. Change is in the air.can’t wait for sequel.
November 19, 2022
Dams is a damn fine storyteller
Utterly enjoyable. The story got a little wonky at one point, which kept me from giving it 5 stars. I just hope she keeps spinning these lovely stories. And that it isn’t 2 more years before the next one comes out.
Utterly enjoyable. The story got a little wonky at one point, which kept me from giving it 5 stars. I just hope she keeps spinning these lovely stories. And that it isn’t 2 more years before the next one comes out.
July 9, 2023
3.5 A very complicated tale of murder and other unsavory criminal behavior with activities ranging from the United States to the U.K. As always enjoyed another story featuring Dorothy Martin and her husband Alan.
February 18, 2024
Brilliant
I have now read 25 Dorothy Martin mysteries and absolutely loved them all I cannot put them down once I have started reading them I have learnt such a lot of history about US and England I do hope there is going to be more books I can’t recommend them enough
I have now read 25 Dorothy Martin mysteries and absolutely loved them all I cannot put them down once I have started reading them I have learnt such a lot of history about US and England I do hope there is going to be more books I can’t recommend them enough
October 21, 2025
Despite the irritations of over generalisations about the English, I enjoyed this, probably more for the continuation of the story of the main characters than the plot!
As an aside... vets must be shuddering at the over feeding of pets!!!
As an aside... vets must be shuddering at the over feeding of pets!!!
October 30, 2022
I've loved all 25 of the Dorothy Martin mysteries, but I think this one may be my favorite. Here's to 25 more (because they really are that good)!!
November 2, 2022
Disappointing plot.
It was more about meals and guesswork. Alan spent all his time on the phone to his connections. Plot was very predictable. It was. Not worth $20.00!
It was more about meals and guesswork. Alan spent all his time on the phone to his connections. Plot was very predictable. It was. Not worth $20.00!
December 8, 2022
Coziest of cozies. When Alan's adopted niece comes to visit, he and Dorothy are once again plunged into a convoluted mystery that takes all their wits to solve.
February 26, 2023
Love this series
Another great story worthy of your time. Our favorite characters and new ones too. A great read, over too soon.
Another great story worthy of your time. Our favorite characters and new ones too. A great read, over too soon.
July 27, 2023
Great light reading—very good entry in a good series!
August 17, 2023
So excited to have a book that uses Indiana as a plot place.
December 1, 2024
Solid cozy.
May 16, 2025
3.5 stars
November 13, 2022
A wonderful book you will not be able to put down, and how charming to meet Penny Brannigan again !
October 26, 2022
Alan's mobile wakes Dorothy with a text from Lucy, the daughter of the daughter of Helen's best friend, who is Alan's unofficial great-niece. She is coming to Sherebury to head a conference on fundraising. Dorothy agrees they must ask her to stay at their house. Lucy arrives, and soon tells them about her friend who is a wonderful, goodlooking, and smart man who is raising money for COVID victims. She shows them a gorgeous engagement ring inside her shirt which he doesn't want her to wear yet for some unknown reason. Alan is a little worried because she didn't declare it coming into the country, and it wasn't insured, so he offers to take it to be appraised and to insure it.
The next day, the dog Watson brings in a baby tortoiseshell kitten. Dorothy takes it to the vet and finds it is a male, and quite valuable. They name it Mike, and Watson and Mike become inseparable. Alan comes home with the ring which is fake stones, but he insured it for it value of 500 pounds. When Iain flies to London to be with Lucy, he is run down by a car in London. They find he was carrying a passport with a different name, and very soon realize that Iain is not the perfect fiance that Lucy had thought.
The more they find out, the more they decide that Lucy is better off without Iain. Several friends help in discovering more about Iain and the man he has been working with, as Alan, Dorothy, and Lucy work with their friends and the police to figure out who killed Iain, and what he was up to.
There is a lot of excitement near the end, and then we are celebrating Mike the kitten as the hero of the day.
The next day, the dog Watson brings in a baby tortoiseshell kitten. Dorothy takes it to the vet and finds it is a male, and quite valuable. They name it Mike, and Watson and Mike become inseparable. Alan comes home with the ring which is fake stones, but he insured it for it value of 500 pounds. When Iain flies to London to be with Lucy, he is run down by a car in London. They find he was carrying a passport with a different name, and very soon realize that Iain is not the perfect fiance that Lucy had thought.
The more they find out, the more they decide that Lucy is better off without Iain. Several friends help in discovering more about Iain and the man he has been working with, as Alan, Dorothy, and Lucy work with their friends and the police to figure out who killed Iain, and what he was up to.
There is a lot of excitement near the end, and then we are celebrating Mike the kitten as the hero of the day.
November 5, 2022
Dorothy Martin's mysteries is amongst the longest running cozy mystery series and Ms Dams delivered another well plotted and entertaining story that kept me guessing.
I was glad to catch up with the characters and happy that this is well done mystery.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
I was glad to catch up with the characters and happy that this is well done mystery.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine
November 1, 2022
I do love a good murder mystery, especially when it involves a pair of more mature amateur sleuths. I haven’t read anything in this series before - my error - but I’ll certainly be looking for them now, especially as this is the 25th book in the series. Dorothy and Alan are great characters, fully rounded, with a wonderful selection of pets and friends. There is a really good, and plausible, plot, nice lines of enquiry and a good ending. I read it fairly quickly and really wanted to know how it finished. A very satisfying read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.q
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.q
October 13, 2022
Jeanne M. Dams' long-running Dorothy Martin Mystery series--26 books in as many years--is for readers who enjoy a low-key cozy mystery with a lovely retired couple as unofficial investigators. Dorothy had a long career as a school teacher, and Alan was chief constable of the county in which they reside in Sherebury, England. Both had been widowed, meeting when Dorothy, an American, was vacationing in England and Alan was still a constable. Since that time they have helped solve many murders together--with the help of law enforcement, of course.
This book focuses on Alan's "unofficial" grand-niece, who is visiting the couple as she presents lectures at the nearby university on fund-raising. Lucy has barely arrived when her fiancé, who is traveling from Illinois to meet up with her, is killed in a hit-and-run accident. The search for clues as to why the murder occurred, and whether her fiancé was really who he claimed to be, results in an interesting plot that requires both Dorothy and Alan to use their contacts from their previous investigations across several countries.
I enjoy spending time with this engaging couple who have such an admirable marital relationship--they really do "complete" each other--not to mention their friends and their pets, including an adorable, tiny kitten adopted by the family dog. And yes, the kitten plays an important and unexpected role in the plot. I recommend it as a quick, comfort read.
My review is based on a complimentary pre-release copy of the book.
This book focuses on Alan's "unofficial" grand-niece, who is visiting the couple as she presents lectures at the nearby university on fund-raising. Lucy has barely arrived when her fiancé, who is traveling from Illinois to meet up with her, is killed in a hit-and-run accident. The search for clues as to why the murder occurred, and whether her fiancé was really who he claimed to be, results in an interesting plot that requires both Dorothy and Alan to use their contacts from their previous investigations across several countries.
I enjoy spending time with this engaging couple who have such an admirable marital relationship--they really do "complete" each other--not to mention their friends and their pets, including an adorable, tiny kitten adopted by the family dog. And yes, the kitten plays an important and unexpected role in the plot. I recommend it as a quick, comfort read.
My review is based on a complimentary pre-release copy of the book.
October 18, 2022
Jeanne Dams writes perfect British cozy mysteries in books that I have been reading since the very first in the series. This is number twenty-five. There are the setting in a cathedral town, a likeable ex-pat, Dorothy, who is of a certain age; Dorothy’s husband, Alan, a retired highly placed police official; those around them and, of course, a mystery in each entry.
This time Alan’s unofficial great niece is visiting. However, all does not go according to plan and Lucy’s fiancee is murdered. Who was this man really? Why was he killed?
Readers read the novel knowing that the case will be solved and that order will be restored. This is exactly the appeal of a cozy title; the reader can relax and enjoy while the author is trusted to do what they do best as Ms. Dams does here.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for this title. All opinions are my own.
This time Alan’s unofficial great niece is visiting. However, all does not go according to plan and Lucy’s fiancee is murdered. Who was this man really? Why was he killed?
Readers read the novel knowing that the case will be solved and that order will be restored. This is exactly the appeal of a cozy title; the reader can relax and enjoy while the author is trusted to do what they do best as Ms. Dams does here.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for this title. All opinions are my own.
December 12, 2023
Finally got to read the book missing in my series - love these!
October 13, 2022
When Alan's unofficial niece arrives in Sherebury from the U.S. to teach a course at the local college he is thrilled. Dorothy less so since Lucy will be staying with them. But having a house guest is the least of the couple's problems when it appears Lucy's fiance, Iain is not what he seems and is run down by a hit and run driver in London. Lucy is devastated when Alan's investigation uncovers criminal activity by Iain and his business partner. With intercontinental law enforcement and efforts by Dorothy and Alan closing in on the fraud and the hit and run killer Lucy's life is threatened.
This is the 25th title in the long running series featuring American expat Dorothy and her retired police detective husband, Alan. The charm of Sherebury and it's inhabitants and the animal menagerie that now includes a new kitten make it a pleasant read despite a convoluted and confusing plot. I'm happy that Dorothy's constant need for food and complaints about her aching knees are not as prominent as in previous titles.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to read this cozy.
This is the 25th title in the long running series featuring American expat Dorothy and her retired police detective husband, Alan. The charm of Sherebury and it's inhabitants and the animal menagerie that now includes a new kitten make it a pleasant read despite a convoluted and confusing plot. I'm happy that Dorothy's constant need for food and complaints about her aching knees are not as prominent as in previous titles.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to read this cozy.
October 17, 2022
Alan, a retired constable, and Dorothy, his American wife, have settled nicely into their marriage- and solving crimes. Alan's great niece Lucy has come to stay while she lectures at a college and she's eager to introduce them to her fiance Ian but then he's killed in a hit and run accident (or is it) in London. As in all good cozies, it turns out, sadly, that Ian wasn't the person Lucy thought he was. Alan and Dorothy put their skills and their contacts to work to get answers for her and open a can of worms in the process. I like this series (and this will be fine as a standalone) because of the way this mature couple relates to one another as a team. And the settings, as well as the mysteries, are terrific. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews