Review: THE CASE OF THE DOTTY DOWAGER, Cathy Ace

• 
  This edition published in The WISE Enquiries Agency Murder Mysteries Box Set: Books 1-4
  
• Made available on Kindle (Amazon)
• BOOK 1: THE CASE OF THE DOTTY DOWAGER
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09SZLBH5T
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Joffe crime thriller and cozy mystery (February 20, 2022)

Synopsis (Amazon)

A WELSH MURDER MYSTERY BOX SET BOOKS 1–4 four cozy Welsh murder mysteries full of twists (The WISE Enquiries Agency Murder Mysteries Box Set)

THE DETECTIVES
The WISE Enquiries Agency consists of Mavis, Annie, Carol and Christine. One is Welsh, one Irish, one Scottish and one English, hence the name. Drawn together by chance — and a killer — the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency turned their backs on their previous careers to work together to help others. Combining their unique skills, and revelling in their differences, they’re doing their best to make the business succeed. But being private investigators isn’t a bed of roses — there are bills to pay, clients to be managed, and dangers to be faced. Can they manage to do it all, and survive?

BOOK 1: THE CASE OF THE DOTTY DOWAGER
Henry Twyst, eighteenth Duke of Chellingworth, is convinced his mother is losing her marbles. The dowager claims to have seen a corpse on the dining room floor, but all she has to prove it is a bloodied bobble hat. Henry hires the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency. The duke wants the strange matter explained. But the truth of what happened at the Chellingworth Estate is more complex, dangerous, and deadly, than anyone could have foreseen . . .

My Take

I've certainly enjoyed reading the first book in this new recently published series (available only in Kindle and currently at a bargain price). The characters of the four members of the WISE Enquiries Agency are well drawn, very distinct from each other. I'm not sure about the entire credibility of the plot but there was enough good stuff to keep me going.

I will certainly be going on to Book 2 sometime in the future. 

My rating: 4.3

I've also read THE CORPSE WITH THE SILVER TONGUE which was Cathy's first novel.

About the author
Cathy Ace migrated from her native Wales to Canada at the age of 40. She is the award-winning author of the traditional Cait Morgan Mysteries featuring her Welsh Canadian criminology professor sleuth who travels the world tripping over corpses, which have now been optioned for TV. She also writes the cozier WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries featuring a quartet of female PIs who run their business out of a Welsh stately home. Both series have been well-reviewed. Her award-winning standalone, THE WRONG BOY, is a gripping novel of psychological suspense, set in Wales, and has also been optioned for TV.