On this page you’ll find just a handful of the wonderful shorter reviews the Amy Rowlings Mysteries have accrued so far. Over at Amazon and Goodreads the books average 4 or 5 stars, across 90% of the ratings. Thanks to everyone kind enough to leave a written review.
Murder At The Mill
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 April 2024
This is a new author to me, but I’ve already ordered the next two books on this one alone. A great story, with believable characters, and clever twists and turns. Highly recommend.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 August 2023
I took a chance on this book and am glad I did! Amy Rowlings works in a textile factory where the boss’s son is a perennial perv, the girls can generally avoid his handsy style until he ends up dead.
Along comes DS Bodkin and the game is afoot. Amy fancies herself as an amateur detective and insists on getting involved in the murder. Set in the 30s, Amy is a really likeable character, full of sass. The plot runs along smoothly and has a very satisfying ending. I very much enjoyed Murder at the Mill and am looking forward to another adventure with Amy and Bodkin. Highly enjoyable read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2024
This was a brilliant book. Kept me riveted. It was also really funny in places. I‘ll be looking for a follow-up to this. Amy and Bodkin make a great team.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2024
A totally deserving 5 stars.
An absolutely amazing reading experience, beautifully descriptive of both surroundings and characters. I was so totally immersed in the characters and plot that I did not want the book to end. You can tell how much thought the author has put in, to produce such an enthralling book.
I was humming and hawing all the way through, debating “whodunit” and no I did not manage to figure it out!!!! Really well thought out with plenty of spanners in the works to throw us off the scent, brilliant.
Amy fancies herself as an amateur detective and Bodkin is the real deal, their relationship is such fun, Amy can be quite sassy when she fancies! I cannot wait to see how things progress between them both in the next book. I actually felt like I really knew the characters and Amy doesn’t half get you rooting for her. I love it when a book has such developed characters from the start, it makes it such a pleasure to read.
This book was a salve for my reading soul.
Death At The Lychgate
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 December 2023
Really enjoyed the book. Bodkin is almost a hapless detective aided by friend and amateur sleuth, Amy Rowlings. They have a lovely friendship and she’s instrumental in helping Bodkin uncover vital clues to the murder mystery. This book is full of glamour, deceit, mystery and, of course, murder! Go read it now, it’s honestly such a good read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 June 2023
Another brilliant crime novel featuring Amy and her detective friend, Bodkin. Who on earth would want to murder the vicar? This brilliantly thought out story has red herrings galore to put the reader off the scent, but Amy is on it! And without wanting to give any spoilers, of course she, along with Bodkin, sorts the whole mess out. These books are easy to read; the characters are homely and you feel you know them, and you find yourself glued to the book to find out what new situation is going to be revealed next. I love these books and am looking forward to the next one.
5.0 out of 5 stars a cracking good mystery
Reviewed in Canada on 11 January 2023
Move over Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot; there’s a new sleuth in town. Amy Rowlings is her name, and solving crimes is her game.
This is the second Amy Rowlings/DS Bodkin book, and I hope there are many more in this cozy mystery series.
The author has created likeable characters who could be someone you’d meet on the street. Although when it comes to affairs of the heart, Bodkin is a bit thick, that’s one of the things that makes him so likeable and authentic.
I’m looking forward to more books by T.A. Belshaw.
5.0 out of 5 stars Echos of Christie
Reviewed in France on 15 September 2023
A wonderful read in which the heroine is frequently referencing the latest Agatha Christie novel she’s read. How appropriate. The plot of this novel intrigued and baffled me much like the great Christie’s work did. Belshaw is an author to watch… and read. I will be following this series.
The Murder Awards
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 December 2023
I loved these characters immediately, and I was so excited when I knew book 3 was being written and couldn’t wait to read it.
What a read it is too. We join back up with amateur sleuth Amy Rowlings, hapless detective Bodkin, best friend Alice and the rest of the gang.
This time a man is found stabbed to death and the scant clues give Bodkin and Amy little to go on. Meanwhile she’s relieved from her factory job a couple of days a week to help out the richest in society dress.
This is set in May 1939, before the outbreak of World War 2. This means its very much about the setting and characters, and a simpler time. It’s a fictional village.
The issues of corruption in business, the complicated relationships, wealth and poverty, finding happiness in what little you have. Family, friendships, loyalty, love, devotion and betrayal.
I loved the story of little Beth. The way the clues are brought together and the killer revealed was brilliant and clever. Another brilliant read by this wonderful author. Already excited for book 4.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 February 2024
I haven’t read this author before & I was starting at book three of the Amy Rowlings Mysteries but that didn’t matter. A cosy crime set in the 1930s was apparently just what I needed.
Amy & DI Bodkin receive a late invite to a swish civil awards evening in the local Town Hall. The winner of the Man of the Year is found dead in a corridor having collected his award &, finding they are short staffed, Bodkin calls on Amy to assist (she is police accredited after all). Plenty of suspects, of course, & a fabulous cast of characters lay before our intrepid duo.
Insight into a bygone age is a constant undercurrent, good & bad; you can see the glamour but also feel the poverty. An easy writing style made me read this quite quickly & I loved the simplicity of the tale. Just like Agatha Christie, the clues are there & lovingly laid out at the denouement. Not sure why I haven’t read this author before but that will be remedied, especially as the next book is out shortly.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2024
A last-minute invite for DI Bodkin and Amy to a fancy evening at the Town Hall where Chief Supt Grayson is receiving a public service award ends in a case of murder for Spinton police when local construction developer and Man of The Year award winner Nelson Kelly is found stabbed in a corridor by his publicist. The station is very understaffed so Bodkin initially arranges for Kent police accredited Amy to accompany him to his interviews with female witnesses and after that she finds herself fully immersed in the investigation. There are plenty of suspects, ranging from a corrupt former mayor, various rival businessmen using bribes and insider knowledge to win council contracts, and jealous spouses and lovers, producing a complete tangle of lies and deception for Bodkin and Amy to wade through in order to find the truth behind Nelson’s death. Meanwhile the real losers in this story are the poverty-stricken families living in rat infested slums and forced to rely on church charity to make ends meet. It’s a story where the kindness of some townspeople makes a stark contrast with greedy conniving others.
With its beautiful Art Deco inspired cover, this is a great Golden Age murder mystery full of slow and steady detecting which includes a final gathering of all the suspects in a denouement worthy of Poirot. There are return appearances from regulars such as Big Nose Beryl, blonde bombshell Trixie and Amy’s parents, but sadly we don’t see as much of favourites the wonderfully talented PC Ferris who has earned a singing spot at the swish Milton Hotel and Amy’s very capable and reliable best friend farmer and single mother Alice. It’s lovely to see the developing tender and caring relationship between Amy and Bodkin is still going strong too and long may it last!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 November 2023
Imagine you’re swept back in time, to a bygone era, a time before WW2, before sweeping societal reforms and before all of the technological breakthroughs that we take for granted now.
What starts out as a potentially tedious night out at an awards evening for Amy and Inspector Bodkin, turns into a murder investigation following the discovery of the body of one of the award winners. Amy steps up to help Bodkin with the investigation, due to him being overstretched due to understaffing.
The story follows the investigation, but also gives an insight into life in the 1930s, highlighting the abject poverty that some are forced to live in, compared to that of the more affluent members of society.
This book was an absolute joy to read, and I loved being kept in the dark until Amy did her big reveal, when all of the facts and evidence was laid out against the various suspects. The sweet simplicity of the storytelling was a breath of fresh air.
Murder on the Medway
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 May 2024
When you immerse yourself into the world of The Amy Rowling Mysteries, you are taken to a bygone age where respect, manners and a ladies morals and integrity were the basis of society.
I absolutely love how Amy’s relationship with Bodkin is unfolding at a gentle pace.
I read this book in 2 days…. So come on Mr Belshaw we need Book No.5
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2024
Honestly, this series is so brilliant, the latest offering Murder on The Medway was awesomeness personified.I could not wait to dive right in and catch up with Amy, Bodkin and friends. This series just gets better and better.
In this book Amy, who is an amateur sleuth, becomes a more pivotal part of the investigation with Bodkin. As an accredited investigator it gives her certain privileges and Amy uses them to the full! Amy is a fabulous character and I love how her, and Bodkin interact with each other.
There is a little more back story also about Bodkin and it really brings him to life and helps us relate/understand his character.
A full five star from me and praise to T A Belshaw for such a brilliant series that you will not want to put down. This is one of the best.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 April 2024
1939 whodunit mystery.
Book Four from Amy Rowling and it’s a cracking read.
Young Effie Watkins is discovered in the reeds beds at the side of the gurgling Silverstream, Amy and Inspector Bodkin are spending a pleasant afternoon together, never a dull moment with these two around.
As the investigation intensifies Amy builds up a list of suspects.
What a blinding book this is, from this amazing author. All the characters in this series grow on you and you feel completely drawn into them.
I loved this book four the best in the series and eager for more to come.
Chill out it the perfect read to make your reading day complete.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 April 2024
It’s the start of the industrial holiday fortnight and while Amy and Bodkin, now an item, are enjoying the sunshine in the local park, a group of children nearby discover the body of a young woman in the reed bed of the Silverstream that runs into the River Medway. Bodkin and Amy wade across to the body which shows no sign of how she died. DCI Laws, horribly understaffed, asks Amy for her help on the murder investigation and she is delighted to receive her own identification card from the police. Hot on the case, she traces the origin of the woman’s dress and soon the pair have a name for their victim. It transpires young Effie Watkins was a bit of a wild child with some rather unsavoury friends. Has she really left them all behind in Maidstone, could one of her new male admirers from the local boating club whose affections she toyed with be responsible for her death or maybe it was an angered and jealous wife or girlfriend? Bodkin has serious concerns for Amy’s safety as she continues to investigate the affluent members of the Highwater Boat Club on her own, and at the same time Amy’s worries surrounding a battered woman and her children opens a whole can of worms in her friendship with Bodkin as more of his hitherto unknown history is revealed, including at last his first name!! Once again, Amy relies on her idol Agatha Christie’s famous sleuth’s methods to help Bodkin catch a killer.
With another fantastic Art Deco inspired cover, this is a great Golden Age murder mystery full of slow and methodical detecting, and a great range of worthy suspects.
There are return appearances from regulars such as the wonderfully talented PC Ferris who has earned a singing spot at the swish Milton Hotel and Amy’s very capable and reliable best friend farmer and single mother Alice. It’s lovely to see Amy finally getting to really take part in the investigation alongside Bodkin and also to learn more about the man’s past and family as he and Amy develop an even closer relationship. I wonder what the future holds for this pair next! 5*
Hopes and Fears: An Unspoken Christmas Story Featuring Amy Rowlings
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 January 2024
Wonderful and a happy ever after! My eyes are shining with tears. It couldn’t have ended any other way. Superb!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 November 2021
This amazing author never disappoints his readers with brilliant storylines and well-rounded characters that come to life on the page. Readers of this author’s Unspoken series spend time catching up with the familiar characters of Amy, Alice, the farm workers and their friends in the approach to Christmas 1940. This cosy Christmas story is both heartwarming and intriguing as the surprises and twists in the story kept me turning the pages – once I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down. The characters are like old friends to readers of Trevor’s previous novels but that shouldn’t put off new readers, you will be drawn into their world and compelled to read the other great books by this author. Highly recommended.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 December 2021
Love T A Belshaw’s writing – he really is on a par with the old greats such as Catherine Cookson. A perfect read to hunker down with over an evening or two, getting to grips with some great characters and welcoming in the festive spirit! Highly recommended.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 December 2022
I am yet to read the Unspoken trilogy on which this is a continuation but I have read the cosy mysteries which feature both Alice and Amy. It was odd not to see Bodkin pop up.
This story is mainly Alice’s, she’s taken on two evacuee children to her countryside farm. Stephen and Harriet are great kids, they have clearly settled into life on the farm and Alice is great with them.
As a surprise, Alice decides she will invite their parents to stay over Christmas. However she discovers that Rose has kicked her husband out. Rose is thrilled at the invitation and is desperate to see her kids, however the war and snow have a different idea.
Amy is still working in the factory but is now producing soldiers’ uniforms. When she learns Rose’s house has been bombed she decides to go to London to try and locate her.
This is such a sweet heartwarming story and the relationships with all the characters is so wonderful.I want to be around that table, just listening to them chat.I love Amy from the cosy mystery series and her character is just as sweet in this. Someone you’d love to be best friends with, and it shows throughout as she’s shown kindness by (almost) everyone she encounters.
It was nice to learn more about Alice and you can see why her and Amy are friends.
In short, this is a race against time, with the backdrop of World War 2, and heavy snow, interspersed with wonderful characters a brilliant story and great ending. I may have shed a tear.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 December 2022
This book was an utter joy to read. I loved the characters, the authors style of writing and the plausible storyline. A lovely book to read whilst curled up in front of a warm fire with a glass of mulled wine. 5* from me.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2021
What another fabulous read! I took Hopes & Fears on my recent holiday as I didn’t want to wait until Christmas and as usual I was just hooked from the first chapter. Trevor’s writing makes me feel like Im actually in the room as I feel like I know the characters so well. The flow of the chapters between Alice, Amy, Godfrey etc kept me intrigued throughout. Trevor’s research clearly stands out and I’ve learned so much throughout this book. Another 5* book. Thanks Trevor x