The Expectant Detectives, Kat Ailes
The Expectant Detectives, Kat Ailes
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The Expectant Detectives
A Mystery

Author: Kat Ailes

Narrator: Kitty Kelly

Unabridged: 11 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/09/2024

Synopsis

Fresh, funny and heartfelt, The Expectant Detectives is a charming debut mystery about a group of soon-to-be moms-turned-detectives.

“A darkly witty debut. Archly funny and highly recommended!”—Deanna Raybourn

Can they solve the mother of all murders?

For Alice and her partner Joe, moving to the sleepy village of Penton is a chance to embrace country life and prepare for the birth of their first child. He can take up woodwork; maybe she’ll learn to make jam? But the rural idyll they’d hoped for doesn’t quite pan out when a dead body is discovered at their local prenatal class, and they find themselves suspects in a murder investigation.

With a cloud of suspicion hanging over the heads of the whole group, Alice and her new-found pregnant friends set out to solve the mystery and clear their names, with the help of her troublesome dog, Helen. However, there are more secrets and tensions in the heart of Penton than first meet the eye. Between the discovery of a shady commune up in the woods, the unearthing of a mysterious death years earlier, and the near-tragic poisoning of Helen, Alice is soon in way over her head.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.

About Kat Ailes

KAT AILES works in publishing as an editor and freelanced for several years to allow her to take a couple of belated gap years, including hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. She now lives in the Cotswolds with her husband, their young son and her beautiful but foolish dog. The Expectant Detectives was her debut novel, the first draft of which was written largely (and frantically) in three weeks after she submitted the first few chapters to the Comedy Women in Print Prize and was unexpectedly shortlisted.

Reviews

Goodreads review by JaymeO on January 08, 2024

HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY! “Don’t bring Helen!” The Expectant Detectives is a fun cozy mystery from debut author Kat Ailes. It is reminiscent of The Marlowe Murder Club (minus the octogenarians, sub expectant mothers, and one adorable fur baby—Helen)! Alice and her partner Joe move from London to the coun......more

Goodreads review by Karen on May 19, 2024

Let me start this review by saying I believe I am going to be an outlier when it comes to this book. So, please feel free to look at other reviews. Very pregnant Alice and her boyfriend Joe decide to leave London and move to the suburbs where they think they will have an easier lifestyle. No sooner......more

Goodreads review by Judy on November 01, 2023

The book is told from Alice's point of view. Alice is from the city and she and her husband have moved to the small village of Penton, where they don't know anyone and need to make friends and build their lives. Alice is not prepared for the birth of a child. A group of expectant women, all near the......more

Goodreads review by Andrea | andrea.c.lowry.reads on January 08, 2024

This was a cute and at times funny debut amateur sleuth mystery. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆? I am somebody who is all about small town drama and mysteries when I’m reading, and this cozy chick lit crime brought the drama in spades! The quirky amateur investigations everyone got up to make......more

Goodreads review by Maxine on January 17, 2024

Alice is eight months pregnant and she and boyfriend, Joe, have decided that London isn’t the best place to raise a child so they have moved to the small town of Penton, a place Alice describes as ‘hippy posh’. The first night there, they have signed up for a prenatal ‘crash course’, partly to meet......more

Quotes

"Full of charming characters, including Alice’s goofy dog, this fast-paced, original cozy is great fun. A sequel would be welcome."—Publishers Weekly

"Pointed banter between the heroine and pretty much everyone else keeps this debut sharp."—Kirkus Reviews

“A darkly witty debut. Archly funny and highly recommended!”—Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author of Killers of a Certain Age

“The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes is a wildly impressive debut. Pacy, energetic and best of all hilariously funny—without detracting from the shadowy mystery and genuine humanity at its core. Its characters and twisty plot feel absolutely real—you’ll be on the edge of your seat, totally immersed in trying to work out who did it, but rest assured you’re never far from a smile. Cozy crime at its finest!”—Janice Hallett, international bestselling author of The Appeal

“A gloriously smart and witty telling of the darker side of prenatal groups—this is really funny with edge.”—Helen Lederer

“Murdering every mommy cliché with hilarity and heart, this book is a complete triumph. Perfectly plotted, brilliantly observed and just so much fun.”—Lauren Bravo, author of How To Break Up With Fast Fashion

“I LOVED this book! Alice is hilarious, the mystery is compelling and fun, and this group of about-to-be-moms deserves a sequel, and some cake, obvi! Kat Ailes has written a winner of a book and you’ll want to read it immediately!”—Catherine McKenzie, USA Today bestselling author of Have You Seen Her

“The Expectant Detectives is wildly funny, clever, twisty, charming, and unexpectedly relatable. It is exactly the surprisingly heartwarming and uproariously hilarious mystery we all need in our lives. This book is one of a kind and I can’t wait for the next installment.”—Nora Murphy, author of The New Mother

“This fun romp offers hilarious moments while taking on some real-life issues: the fear involved in becoming a first-time parent and the shadows of one’s own upbringing that can darken parenthood, all while Alice and friends undertake the whodunit.”—First Clue

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