Mostly Murders

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC, book 1 of A Campervan Detective Mystery. This book releases today, July 28, 2026.

It had all started with a chance remark, the kind that men make to women all the time and then accuse them of having no sense of humour when they don’t laugh.

When Sadie Sutton discovers that her husband is cheating on her, she grabs her Miniature Schnauzer, Sam Spade, buys a bright orange campervan and leaves her boring life in London in favour of the small seaside town of Winching, a place that holds fond memories for her as it was her father’s favourite place in the world.

Here, she meets the Vintage Vanettes, a small friend group of feisty females who welcome Sadie with open arms and teach her the basics of campervan living, and when Sadie quite literally stumbles upon a dead body, she and the Vintage Vanettes take it upon themselves to sleuth out the truth of what happened to Winching’s retired headmistress Charlotte Woolf, who had enemies all over town.

The Campervan Detectives is a cozy mystery, but it is also a story of friendship, community and second chances in life. It is a warm, genuine and comforting story of a group of very different women who have all faced rejection and loss, and all choose to stick it to the patriarchy and capitalism and pursue their own version of happiness in their campervans.

Pick up this one if you are looking for an underdog story with amateur sleuthing, fun banter, hints of romance, quirky locals and a journey of self-discovery for a woman in her late fifties who has finally had enough of diminishing herself to please an unappreciative husband. I really enjoyed this one, and I highly recommend this for cozy mystery fans, and for anyone who believes that it’s never too late to find happiness and purpose in life.

Cozy mystery