Rating: 
Summary: Solid cozy
Review: Dorothy Martin and her husband had planned to move to England when they retired. When he died she decided to go ahead with their plan. She moves to Sherebury England where she starts to put the pieces of her life back together. Because this is a murder mystery she promptly stumbles over the body of Jonathan Billings. To the dismay of her new friend, Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, she starts to investigate and as she gets closer to the solution the danger increases. A charming cozy with a main character whose affinity for hats rivals Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax.
Rating:
Summary: Solid cozy
Review: Dorothy Martin and her husband had planned to move to England when they retired. When he died she decided to go ahead with their plan. She moves to Sherebury England where she starts to put the pieces of her life back together. Because this is a murder mystery she promptly stumbles over the body of Jonathan Billings. To the dismay of her new friend, Chief Constable Alan Nesbitt, she starts to investigate and as she gets closer to the solution the danger increases. A charming cozy with a main character whose affinity for hats rivals Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax.
Rating:
Summary: A cozy, engaging, enjoyable story
Review: I enjoyed this book from page one. Dorothy Martin is an extremely likable heroine. The plot was interesting and the interaction between the characters was realistic and believable. Although Dorothy had never solved a mystery before, the author moves the plot along in a very credible manner. It was not contrived in any way. Dorothy is someone who would make a great next door neighbor. I'm looking forward to the other books in the series.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for fans of classic British Mystery
Review: I fell in love with Dorothy Martin right off the bat. Dams has managed to create a character to equal those penned by Agatha Christie, Dorothy Gillman, Marian Babson, and Charlotte MacLeod. Dams mixes the quaint English village, the recently transplanted American widow, handsome widowed British Detective, and the body of a church official found on Christmas eve into a delightfully delicious murder investigation.
Fans of classic British mystery you won't want to miss any Dorothy Martin mystery!
Rating:
Summary: Cozy Up For This Fun Debut
Review: It's Christmas Eve in the small town of Sherebury. Dorothy Martin, a recently widowed American, is looking forward to her first Christmas as a resident of England. But when leaving the cathedral's midnight mass, she literally stumbles over a body. Soon the questions are flying. Who killed Canon Billings? Since the list of suspects includes most of the town, more importantly why? Dorothy has her hands full trying to figure this one out.I was drawn in by the charm of this book. It starts out rather quickly and the pace never lags until the gripping conclusion. Dorothy is an interesting main character. I felt her interest in the murder was a little under explained, but I was willing to let that go. I really enjoyed the writing style. The first person narration felt like a letter to a friend and the scenes where Dorothy argued with her self were funny because they were so true. Having already discovered this author's other series, I now look forward to reading more in this one as well. She is a truly talented mystery author.
Rating:
Summary: Cozy Up For This Fun Debut
Review: It's Christmas Eve in the small town of Sherebury. Dorothy Martin, a recently widowed American, is looking forward to her first Christmas as a resident of England. But when leaving the cathedral's midnight mass, she literally stumbles over a body. Soon the questions are flying. Who killed Canon Billings? Since the list of suspects includes most of the town, more importantly why? Dorothy has her hands full trying to figure this one out. I was drawn in by the charm of this book. It starts out rather quickly and the pace never lags until the gripping conclusion. Dorothy is an interesting main character. I felt her interest in the murder was a little under explained, but I was willing to let that go. I really enjoyed the writing style. The first person narration felt like a letter to a friend and the scenes where Dorothy argued with her self were funny because they were so true. Having already discovered this author's other series, I now look forward to reading more in this one as well. She is a truly talented mystery author.
Rating:
Summary: Exactly what a cozy should be...
Review: The Body in the Transept is a perfect example of why I switched from being a die-hard thriller reader to being a reader of cozy American and English mysteries. I love the Dorothy Martin and Alan Nesbitt characters and was interested in the mystery until its conclusion. What I didn't get out of this book were nightmares and an unsettled, spooked feeling. Just felt warm and, well...cozy. I plan to read everything this author writes.
Rating: 
Summary: The Body in the Transept and a 'cuppa' - a great combo
Review: The Body in the Transept was fun and satisfying. Here's an American lady leading the life of my dreams - retirement in England in a cozy little English cottage with a cat and an attractive and interested cop just a murder away! Brew a cup of tea and settle back for a pleasant evening.
Rating:
Summary: American homage to Christie, Pym and the like
Review: The British cozy mystery is practically an institution so it's fun when a book comes along that respects that tradition while giving it a different twist. In this case, an American protagonist, Dorothy Martin, guides us through British village life, high church nuances and murder. This book has all of the things I want in a four star rated book. The writing is always competent and sometimes quite witty. The plot moved along with only one or two annoying digressions into tourist information. And, most important, I like Dorothy. Maybe it because I've recently helped my own mother cope with widowhood but Dams has created a character who ran both true and likeable. Of course, the hint of an upcoming romance with the widowed chief constable will have me back for more soon. The mystery itself is solid. There are plenty of suspects with reason to kill the victim. Was it church politics? Was it a matter of musical taste? Was it an agrieved employee? Was it a jealous scholar? I've held back a fifth star for a couple of reasons. While I throughly enjoyed the book it isn't so outstanding that I'll be recommending to friends (yet). Also, as a non-Christian, I felt Dams was a bit heavy handed with the religious angle (even if the victim was a Canon).
Rating:
Summary: American homage to Christie, Pym and the like
Review: The British cozy mystery is practically an institution so it's fun when a book comes along that respects that tradition while giving it a different twist. In this case, an American protagonist, Dorothy Martin, guides us through British village life, high church nuances and murder. This book has all of the things I want in a four star rated book. The writing is always competent and sometimes quite witty. The plot moved along with only one or two annoying digressions into tourist information. And, most important, I like Dorothy. Maybe it because I've recently helped my own mother cope with widowhood but Dams has created a character who ran both true and likeable. Of course, the hint of an upcoming romance with the widowed chief constable will have me back for more soon. The mystery itself is solid. There are plenty of suspects with reason to kill the victim. Was it church politics? Was it a matter of musical taste? Was it an agrieved employee? Was it a jealous scholar? I've held back a fifth star for a couple of reasons. While I throughly enjoyed the book it isn't so outstanding that I'll be recommending to friends (yet). Also, as a non-Christian, I felt Dams was a bit heavy handed with the religious angle (even if the victim was a Canon).
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