In January I shelved this as a to-read book, and I have no idea why I did that. Did I see it on a list of anticipated publications in 2025? Did I see someone else mark it as to read and read the blurb and decide it was for me? And why did I also put it on my library request list ahead of its publication? I have no idea. I feel like so many books show up in my life and I either know exactly how they got there, or I have no clue. Nothing in the middle.
Welcome to Murder Week is a sly book in that it takes a couple different subgenres and weaves them together in ways I wasn’t completely expecting, but that made a great deal of sense. It’s a cozy mystery in that the main “murder mystery” of the book is fake. Our main character Cath is through a series of events in the Peak District of England at a week-long event where guests take the role of detective in the vein of some of England’s classic mysteries. It’s all a fundraiser for the town and Cath’s mostly estranged, now deceased mother had booked it for them without Cath’s knowledge, and the ticket is non-refundable. She is teamed up with two other people, her cottage mates Wyatt and Amity, also traveling solo for their own reasons, whom she forms easy friendships with, which is unexpected for her since her life in Buffalo is small, without many friends at all.
As the trio embark on the competition that has brought them to this part of England in the first place the mystery aspect of the books gets a little less cozy (although still within its bounds as a genre), as a second mystery gets added to the mix. Wyatt and Amity decide to help Cath unpack her personal mystery around her mother’s motivations in addition to the competition fake murder and we are following along as these three find unexpected friendships, navigate a town where people are not being themselves on purpose, while trying their best to suss out a bit of truth. There’s also a bit of romance for Cath with one of the townspeople. I debated with myself back and forth about whether this counts as a Mystery blended with Romance book, or if it just has a romance subplot, and I think that even with the way it ends it probably leans more towards romance than Romance, but it’s a rather large part of the plot overall. This is definitely a Mystery Book first and foremost, though.
This book isn’t asking a lot of its reader, but it is offering a quiet place to spend a few hours where the stakes are relatively low, and the writing is of a relatively high quality. If you like cozy British mystery shows (think Father Brown or Death in Paradise) then this is probably up your alley.
3.5 rounded up.