#BlogTour: The Expectant Detectives by Kate Ailes @Kat_Ailes @ZaffreBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #TheExpectantDetectives #KatAiles #CosyCrime

Book Synopsis:

For Alice and her partner Joe, moving to the sleepy Cotswold village of Penton is a chance to embrace country life and prepare for the birth of their unexpected first child. He can take up woodwork; maybe she’ll learn to make jam. But the rural idyll they’d hoped for doesn’t quite pan out when a dead body is discovered at their local antenatal class and they find themselves suspects in a murder investigation.

With a cloud of suspicion hanging over the heads of the whole group, Alice sets out to solve the mystery and clear her name, with the help of her troublesome dog, Helen. However, there are more secrets and tensions in the heart of Penton than first meet the eye. Between the discovery of a shady commune up in the woods, the unearthing of a mysterious death years earlier and the near-tragic poisoning of Helen, Alice is soon in way over her head.

CAN YOU SOLVE THE MOTHER OF ALL MURDERS?

My Review:

The Expectant Detectives is a lovely, light hearted and funny read that I really enjoyed.

Firstly I loved the fantastic characters the author has created and enjoyed following them throughout the book. They were such real, relatable characters that reminded me a bit of myself when I was pregnant with my eldest. It was very interesting to follow them from not trusting each other to having a lovely friendship group.

The story starts off slow as the author sets the scene but soon becomes very addictive. I wasn’t sure how it would work with having pregnant detectives but I needn’t have worried as it actually helped create some very funny moments that had me laughing out loud. There were lots of twists that kept me guessing and I found it fun to try to solve the case alongside the characters.

The ending was brilliant, especially as I wasn’t able to guess who the murderer was which I always love. I’m hoping there will be a sequel as I’d love to spend some more times with the characters, though it might be interesting to follow them trying to be detectives with newborns or toddlers .

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book.

About The Author:

KAT AILES works in publishing as an editor and freelanced for several years to allow her to take a couple of belated gap years, including hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. She now lives in the Cotswolds with her lovely husband, their young son and her beautiful but foolish dog. The Expectant Detectives is her debut novel, the first draft of which was written largely (and frantically) in three weeks after she submitted the first few chapters to the Comedy Women in Print Prize and was unexpectedly shortlisted.