ARC Review: The Expectant Detective by Kat Ailes

The Expectant Detectives
Author: Kat Ailes
Series: The Expectant Detectives (Book 1)
Publication: Minotaur Books (January 9, 2024)

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

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.

My Thoughts: Alice and her partner Joe have decided to leave London for Penton, a sleepy village, since they are expecting a child in the very near future. Alice has some concerns about making new friends, but attendance at a class preparing women for childbirth opens new avenues for her.

Unfortunately, one of the attendees goes into labor at the second class and delivers a baby girl before medical help can arrive. The class is held above a shop selling herbal remedies and is run by a man who stopped Alice on the street after her first doctor's appointment and offered her herbal remedies for her ailments. Alice thought it was just a little pushy to discuss intimate details regarding her pregnancy with a complete stranger. She's surprised to run into him again as she and Joe go to class. She's even more surprised to find him dead at his counter when the class and the birth are over. 

She and some of her fellow pregnant ladies decide to investigate the death especially when it is learned that one of the lady's same sex partner is being accused of the murder. Despite the urging of the police inspector who happens to be the sister of another of the women attending the class, Alice and a couple of others decide to look into things. After all, they are all on maternity leave and more than a bit bored. 

Between secrets and goings-on at a local commune which was founded by the victim, though he left it after, Alice has a lot to investigate. A death and a disappearance from the commune plays into the story too. 

This book was very funny. I've never been pregnant but can appreciate the trials and tribulations of a women just weeks away from giving birth. Alice and her lovely, but stupid, dog were great characters. I enjoyed this story very much. 

Favorite Quote:

"No," she said. "It's not cool. And we're not talking about it."

But I had so many questions! Why did people keep stopping me from asking questions when there were so many intriguing ones just begging to be asked.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.