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	Title:	Murder at an English Pub
	Author:	Alice Castle
	Published:	July 3, 2024, Bookouture
	No. of Pages:
	Cover Price:	$9.99 Paperback

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Alice Castle has released the first installment of her new Sarah Vane series, Murder at an English Pub, a light cozy that introduces new characters – retired ladies – that are unique.

Sarah, the protagonist, is widowed, and has just moved to Merstairs, a quaint little village by the beach, near her old friend Daphne, who offers to let her store some of her things at her cluttered beach house. While cleaning things out (Daphne isn’t particularly neat), they come upon a trunk that contains the body of pub owner Gus Trubshaw.

Castle is a good storyteller, and the British aspects make the story delightful. She is able to capture the culture, and readers will feel like they are there. Sarah Vane is a likeable character, and readers will enjoy reading about her. Castle does an excellent job developing and introducing the characters in this book. Sarah Vane seems to be a good detective, and her investigative skills are viable.

All told, cozy aficionados will find that they have a fun, new series to read. The writing is good, the story is good, and this book is a fast read. I used the audible version, and the narrator was very English and very excellent. Those who like audible books will like this one. Bookouture, the publisher, publishes several of my favorite authors, and Castle may just be another one.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.