About Amanda Ashby
Amanda Ashby was born in Australia but now lives in New Zealand. She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. She owns far too many vintage tablecloths and likes to delight her family by constantly rearranging the furniture. Amanda also writes middle grade books under the name Catherine Holt.
There is something wonderfully deceptive about Amanda Ashby’s The Widows’ Detective Club series. Set in the seemingly peaceful small town of Little Shaw, the series follows four unlikely amateur detectives—JM, Tuppence, Ginny, and Hen—whose lives have a remarkable tendency to intersect with murder. What begins as an ordinary, close-knit community where everyone knows everyone quickly reveals a much darker side, and fortunately for the town, these four widows are more than capable of getting to the bottom of things. With each installment, Ashby combines cozy mystery, humor, friendship, and just the right amount of suspense, making the series feel as comforting as it is entertaining.
Murder comes to Little Shaw again
In the fifth installment of the series, murder once again finds its way to Little Shaw, this time claiming the life of a nationally beloved actress.
The widows have every intention of staying out of the investigation and allowing the professionals to do their jobs. After all, they have already solved more than enough mysteries to know that getting involved tends to result in danger, chaos, and far more unexpected discoveries than anyone really needs.
Unfortunately for them, Inspector Wallace has other ideas.
When the evidence in the case becomes increasingly strange and difficult to piece together, Wallace turns to the one group of amateur detectives who have repeatedly demonstrated that their unconventional methods can deliver results. Before long, JM, Tuppence, Ginny, and Hen find themselves trying to untangle a bizarre trail of clues and determine who is hiding behind a purple-feathered comedy bird costume before the killer gets away.
And yes, that is exactly as delightfully strange as it sounds.
A cozy mystery with plenty of heart
Having read the previous books in The Widows’ Detective Club series, I already knew what to expect from Amanda Ashby: a clever mystery, plenty of suspense, and, most importantly, a cast of characters who are impossible not to adore.
One of the things Ashby does particularly well is balance the darker aspects of a murder investigation with warmth, humor, and genuine heart. Murder might be at the center of every story, but these books never become relentlessly dark. Instead, the friendships between the characters create a wonderful sense of comfort that makes returning to Little Shaw feel like catching up with old friends.
That balance is one of the biggest reasons I enjoy this series so much. There is enough mystery to keep me guessing, but there is also enough humor and character development to make me genuinely invested in what happens between the clues.
The mystery kept me guessing!
The mystery itself kept me guessing throughout the story.
Ashby carefully scatters clues throughout the investigation while introducing intriguing suspects and gradually revealing more about the circumstances surrounding the murder. The investigation unfolds at a satisfying pace, giving the reader enough information to form theories without making the solution immediately obvious.
However, as much as I enjoy trying to figure out whodunit, the mystery isn’t actually the main reason I keep coming back to this series.
The true magic lies with the characters.
The four widows are the heart of the entire series
JM, Tuppence, Ginny, and Hen are the beating heart of The Widows’ Detective Club, and their friendship is what makes these books so much more than traditional cozy mysteries. The same goes for The Widows’ Guide to Foul Play, too!
Each woman has her own distinct personality, sense of humor, and way of approaching problems, and watching those personalities collide during an investigation is always entertaining. They complement one another surprisingly well, even when they disagree or take their detective work in completely unexpected directions.
And then there is their determination.
These women may not be professional detectives, but once they become invested in a mystery, they are remarkably difficult to stop. Their willingness to follow a strange clue, ask an inconvenient question, or investigate something everyone else has overlooked is part of what makes them such an entertaining group of amateur sleuths.
The banter is still one of my favorite parts
If I had to choose one element in this book and in the series in general that consistently makes me smile, it would be the banter between JM, Tuppence, Ginny, and Hen.
They all have sharp wit and a talent for delivering exactly the right comeback, and their conversations are filled with personality. Their friendship feels natural, making their interactions among the most enjoyable parts of the books.
JM continues to be my personal favorite.
There is just something about her personality and the way she interacts with the other widows that makes her especially memorable to me. I love that the group doesn’t feel like four identical characters who simply happen to solve mysteries together. They each bring something different to the friendship, and that individuality makes their dynamic work so well.
Reading their conversations often feels less like watching a group of amateur detectives investigate a murder and more like spending time with a wonderfully eccentric group of friends who somehow keep finding themselves in the middle of criminal investigations.
You can’t have a widows’ investigation without an extraordinary crime board
Another trademark of the series is the widows’ wonderfully unconventional approach to detective work.
These women have never been particularly interested in doing things the traditional way, and their investigation methods are part of what makes the series so much fun.
Once again, they demonstrate that a crime board doesn’t necessarily have to be an actual board.
This time, a dress form gets an entirely unexpected second career as an investigation tool, becoming the place where discoveries, suspect profiles, and theories are displayed. It is such a wonderfully random detail, but it perfectly captures the creativity and humor that runs through the series.
I love these little touches because they make the investigation feel uniquely theirs. The widows aren’t professional detectives trying to imitate the police. They have developed their own eccentric methods, and somehow, those methods keep working.
An effortless, one-sitting read
Amanda Ashby’s writing flows effortlessly, making this a particularly easy book to fall into.
The pacing, humor, mystery, and character interactions work together beautifully, and I found myself completely absorbed in the story. Before I knew it, I had reached the final page after reading the entire book in one sitting.
That is one of the best compliments I can give a cozy mystery.
There is something wonderfully comforting about being able to settle into a book, spend time with characters you already know and love, follow a mystery that keeps you curious, and simply let the story carry you along.
The Widows’ Detective Club manages to provide both sides of that experience: the satisfaction of following a murder investigation and the comfort of returning to familiar characters whose friendship feels like the true center of the series.
final Thoughts
If you enjoy cozy mysteries with charming small-town settings, strong community connections, quirky and lovable characters, witty dialogue, and clever investigations, I wholeheartedly recommend giving The Widows’ Detective Club a try. The best part is, you can read each book as a standalone if you prefer to do so!
Amanda Ashby has created a mysterious series without becoming too dark, funny without undermining the seriousness of the story, and heartwarming without feeling overly sentimental. At its core, these books are about friendship just as much as they are about solving murders.
And that is exactly why I keep coming back to Little Shaw.
The mysteries are entertaining, but it is JM, Tuppence, Ginny, and Hen who make me want to return for the next one. I will happily continue following the Widows’ Detective Club, and I am already looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble—and, inevitably, what kind of murder—awaits them next.
Because in Little Shaw, you can apparently have a quiet small-town life, a close-knit community, and four wonderfully eccentric widows.
You just can’t seem to have all of that without a murder happening somewhere nearby.
(Jojo’s Verdict: Shelf it!)
From Jojo’s bookshelves to yours, with love!
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