Murder and the Moggies of Magpie Row

Clarice Beech #4

by Kate High

'Animal lovers will delight' Ann Granger

'A real treat . . . I loved it. Cats, dogs, murder and a credible and relatable heroine' Barbara Nadel

When Clarice Beech finds her friend Peter Ramsey dead in his kitchen, she believes he's succumbed to a fatal heart attack.

Peter, who lived in one of the five cottages on Magpie Row in the Lincolnshire Wolds, was a keen supporter of stray cats - which made him very unpopular with the neighbours. And after Chris Morris, an alcoholic neighbour, disrupts Peter's funeral, insisting Peter was murdered - and he knows who the murderer is - Clarice discovers there's no shortage of possible suspects among the Magpie Row inhabitants.

Who, behind Magpie Row's idyllic façade, might have had murder in mind? And, after his outburst at Peter's funeral, where is Chris? And is Clarice, with her mission to tend to Peter's strays, as well as uncover the truth about her friend's death, putting herself in danger's way?

Genres: Mystery

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 29, 2023

Reviews

[Lisa Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Clarice finds Peter, her friend, dead in his kitchen, she assumes he as succumbed to a fatal heart attack.

Peter lived on Magpie Row and took in stray cats. Some of his neighbours didn't like this. Clarice begins to wonder, was Peter actually murdered?

This was an enjoyable, cosy mystery (with lots of cats involved). I liked Clarice's character, she had such a soft spot for Peter with him being on his own for so long. Some of his neighbours were just awful. I had a few suspicions as I was getting through the story, but I didn't get it right. This book is part of a series, but can easily be read as a standalone.

[Holly Jotham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and cosy murder mystery. Was a bit slow paced for me but I liked all the comments about what the animals were doing!

[Marsha Raasch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming British cozy mystery, full of dog and cat rescue people, a widowed vicar, and a murdered gentle eccentric poet. Totally worth an afternoon's time to read.

[Hannah stressedreader]

dnf

[M3lissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why this lost two stars (a tear falls honestly 😨)

- Weirdly there are way too many characters initially - why are names of people being mentioned once then never followed with any detail, relevance or information
- why are there Americanisms - no it’s not cute or quirky - cell phone? - for a book set in Lincolnshire
- why so manny subplots - marijuana cookies - politics of feeding the elderly drugs ? - alcoholism - grief - moving to Oxford - moving away from friends - dead mum - dogs - HUH- I mean where is the RELEVANCE
- conversations also felt poorly written - I mean has anyone ever had so much to say to every single character about bloody well food poisoning
- not obvious that this is like #4 in a series this should be somewhere on the cover or something


Things I did like
- mention of cats
- I guessed the killer

[Xander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this is the works in an offer, so I picked it up based on the name. I'm really glad i did. It's a really easy reading book. Will absolutely be reading the rest of the series. I did work out who it was, but the nosey neighbours of magpie row kept me on my toes. There were many twists and turns to keep up the interest and so many characters to meet and get to know. Really loved this book. I can't wait to get stuck in and read the rest.

[Terri Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faced with the discovery of her friends body, Clarice thinks nothing of Peter's death, that she puts the cause of death down to another heart attack. but during his funeral words are exchanged in a heated moment and views of Peter's death starts to change, bringing chaos to the small and quiet row of cottages in Magpie Row.

I really enough the pace of this book, even without reading the other books in the series, but I know that will change.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery itself is good and so are some of the relevant themes but it was just too sweet for me.
I won't need another of High's books. The characters are okay although Clarice just doesn't seem very realistic to me. The plot did keep me reading as it was actually interesting to read about the unique people on Magpie Row. I guess I no longer enjoy reading how a private person manages to find the murderer before the police do.

[Sian Witch reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like to read a cozy murder mystery sometimes but this one just bored me
The main character had no quirks or charisma and I had worked out who done it very early on
I mean if you want a cozy book you really font have to think about it might be worth it

[Dylan Nellist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly cute and the murder kept me intrigued throughout despite the fact I clocked who the culprit was early on. I'm not a big murder fan but the animal sides to this story were my favourite aspect and the English countryside gave a cosy feeling.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable gentle detective type story. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing along the way. Will certainly read more by this author.

[Becky Lisi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read, feels cosy yet thrilling at the same time. A great detective story with a comforting feel - if that's possible. Great read.

[Theresa Dudley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read.

[Yzma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at the library due to the beautiful cover. While not exactly riveting, it was engaging enough to finish even after discovering it was the fourth book in a series.

[Lorraine Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cosy, fun, yeah. If that's your happy place. Bit too many mentions of arts and crafts era interior design, but hey.

[Gabi forder · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 tbf I didn’t know it was a series

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was cosy and well written. It's part way through a series but it can be read as a standalone.

[Suzanne Clackford · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read which isn't too long when you're in a book slump. The first half was a bit slow but picked up in the second half. I would recommend to someone who enjoys a lighthearted murder mystery.

[Cidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice easy read to pass the time away sitting in the garden, and if you are a lover of cats and enjoy reading cozy books about murderers then this is definitely the book for you.

Clarice runs an animal sanctuary and rehomes cats, lots of cats. Peter is a friend and committed to her cause, she visits him regularly as he lives in a row of 5 cottages built originally for farm labourers, he is sporting marks on his face of being injured, he says he had a fall and as he is elderly and has a heart condition Clarice can believe this. Peter feeds feral cats or just simply any stray cat and she has come to give him some boxes of cat food. When she calls again a day or two later she finds him dead on the kitchen floor. Later on she finds out that he has been beaten by the obnoxious man on the end who with his wife and three youngsters is living with his mum and dad as they have nowhere else to go now. Claire is married to a police officer called Rick and she mentions this to him. He orders the pathologist to take another look at Peter's body. Verdict he was most likely murdered.

Now I don't think I would like to live in what seems to be a nice village in Lincolnshire if the local police force and the pathologist can't spot whether a person has been murdered or not. However Clarice seems to becoming astute at questioning people about their whereabouts. She also discovers that Peter's home has been broken into. Why wasn't the house secured when they believed it was murder, there seemed to be delays all round here. I did manage to spot the murderer just after half way through, am getting quite good at this game now!! Although it does annoy me when I'm proved right as this tells me the book could either have been much shorter or could have made it harder to solve.

Either way as I said at the beginning if you are a lover of cats and like gentle murders then this is the ideal book for you.

[Sian Morant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 4th novel in the Clarice Beech cosy series.

Clarice calls on her old friend Peter Ramsey and finds him very much deceased in his kitchen. Peter has already been hospitalised with heart problems previously and Clarice's first conclusion is that he has suffered a heart attack. Clarice was seeing Peter to help him with some feral cats. Peter adores them, but his dogmatic approach to having them around his cottage and not neutering them has brought him into conflict with all his neighbours in Magpie Row. Then another death occurs and Clarice starts to question whether Peter's death was as innocent as it first appeared.

This is an easy-to-read, gentle detective story. There is, however, enough of a story to save it from banality. The character of Clarice is well thought out. She is a bit eccentric, but not overly so. Her relationship with police inspector Rick Beech is also believable.

An undemanding read, certainly, but one that is well thought out and written.

[Louise Goddard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pleasant book, quite steady and probably the calmest crime novel I've read.

I am usually someone who cannot figure out who the killer will be at all, but this one, I knew straight away.

I like crime novels to be gripping and sending you all over the place. Not knowing where the next lead will take you. But I didn't have that with this one.

As a cat lover, I always enjoy stories with cats involved. I enjoyed Clarice and her connection with the characters, her relationship with her husband and her love for animals. But I would have loved to see her in a romance novel instead.

If you want a calm introduction to crime fiction, this may be a good start. But for me, a lack of punch even though I enjoyed the book. I wouldn't be inclined to read more of the series.

[Marit · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fourth story in the Clarice Beech series is just as enjoyable as the others. One of the inhabitants of Magpie Row, Peter, a keen supporter of stray cats, is found murdered by Clarice. At his funeral another resident of the five cottages points the finger at the residents, suggesting one of them is the murderer. Gradually events and discoveries take place with Clarice determining the murderer and the motive. A gentle cosy mystery filled with lovely cats, adorable dogs, animal welfare and friendship.

[Amberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started and finished date – 11.11.25 to 15.11.25.
My rating – Three Stars.
This book was okay but bit boring and I think the book needed some tweaking. I think people who like seeds of murder by Rosie Sandler or mystery on hidden lane by Clare Chase may like is book. The cover of the book was simple but stunning and I like the colour palette at was used on the cover of book. The writing was fine, and the writing took to get used to also the ending of book was okay. I think both the setting of the book was okay and the atmosphere was fine. The mystery was okay, but it could be better, and suspense was okay. I really like the parts of book at involved both animal sanctuary and cats. I found the paced in the book was well structured and steady paced. The characters were okay, but they needed to be flash out bit more and I think then was too many characters

[Jordan Farrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book about a woman and her policeman husband and a bunch of close knit nosey neighbours. Two people in one street are murdered presumably connected and Clarice finds both bodies. while trying to run an animal rescue at the same time she is involved with solving these connected cases and no end of other neighbourly drama. good read generally and pleased I tried something different.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit slow, sedate, and overly polite to be a winner for me, but it's entirely competent and well written.
I found it a bit heavy on description of things that didn't actually contribute to the plot. I did spot the murderer very early on, but of course I didn't know why.

All in all, not really my cup of tea but very well done.

[Kathryn Taylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - the book was a pick for my book club, didn't really appeal to me.