A Date to Die For is the first Hopgood Hall cozy by E.V. Hunter. Released 3rd Feb 2023 by small press indie Boldwood Books, it's 268 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.The second book is also available on KU and a third in the series is due out late 3rd quarter 2023 from the same publisher.
This is a well written, engaging, and finely constructed amateur sleuth mystery pairing an investigative journalist on hiatus, with a handsome PI looking for a missing person related to a family member's dating agency. There's a strong side element of romance, so readers who prefer romance in their cozies will likely enjoy that aspect of the story. The characters are well rendered and mostly believable and the pacing and plot are well done and satisfyingly resolved.
There are potentially distressing elements for sensitive readers including sexual abuse, and prostitution. There is no explicit content or language and the abuse is included from the distant past. As is typical for cozies, there is no graphic on page violence (except in the prologue, briefly), and the language is clean.
Spelling and vernacular are British standard English, but won't likely pose a problem for readers in context.
Four stars. A promising start. With two books extant in the series, and a third due out in Sept '23, it would make a good choice for a short binge or buddy read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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