THE WIDOWS' DETECTIVE CLUB

Welcome to the world of Little Shaw, nestled deep in the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, England. It’s a small village with charming buildings, quirky characters and four friends who are bonded in widowhood, as they stumble over dead bodies. While it’s best to read the books in order, they can be read separately and I’ve tried to keep the spoilers to a minimum.

However, if you are a rule-abiding citizen with a fear of getting arrested for doing things the wrong way (like Ginny Cole, and a certain author who shall remain nameless) the reading order is:

Book 1: The Widows’ Guide to Murder (out now)

Book 2: The Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing (out now)

Book 3: The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery (out 30th June 2025)

 

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The Widows’ Guide to Murder

When suspicion falls on the daughter of her friend Hen, because of a perfectly innocent threatening letter, Ginny’s sure the police are letting the real killer walk free, and together with fellow widows JM and Tuppence, she’s determined to find the truth.

Between following the trail of local gossip, digging up graveyards at midnight, and discovering dark secrets about the village’s past, sleuthing seems simple enough. But when another body is found, Ginny starts to wonder, are they in over their heads?

And when the widows’ snooping puts Ginny too close for the killer’s comfort, will her new life in Little Shaw end as dramatically as it began…?

‘I just loved this book, I read it in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down. The story was so good, I just had to read on to find out more. This book has some amazing characters they just seem so much fun. I was very sad to have come to the end of this book and I look forward to the next book in the series.’ Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

‘This was such a lovely read! I love an older character and a cosy murder mystery… So many twists and I didn’t ever consider the killer… Perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club!’ Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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The Widows’ Guide to Backstabbing

When librarian Ginny Cole discovers a body in Little Shaw’s beloved haberdashery shop, she finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation. The victim? Arrogant shop owner and spring fete judge, Timothy Harlow, found with a pair of sewing scissors plunged into his back. While the police are quick to arrest Milos, a charming young upholsterer, Ginny thinks the case has been sewn up too neatly.

Together with her friends – no-nonsense JM, craft-obsessed Hen, and irrepressible Tuppence – Ginny delves into the village’s secrets. Between apologising for her kleptomaniac cat and making marmalade for the spring fete, she discovers that behind Little Shaw’s quaint façade lies a tapestry of rivalries, affairs, and deadly ambitions. And when her own car brakes are sabotaged, Ginny realizes the killer is still at large – and getting closer.

With help from the widows and an increasingly exasperated Detective Inspector Wallace, can Ginny unpick the clues before the murderer strikes again?

‘It’s a fun on the edge of your seat mystery. Twists and turns you never expect. Once again I love the characters,like her friend Hen who is obsessed with crafts. Ashby gives a real story with such great detail we become a part of the mystery. The story is easy to follow yet keep you guessing. You will love this adventure. I can’t wait for more.‘ Reader review, ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 
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The Widows’ Guide to Skulduggery

When a human skull gatecrashes her friends’ big day, it officially becomes the worst wedding Ginny Cole has ever been to. But as the assembled guests await the police, the two families staring daggers at each other across the aisle, Ginny starts to suspect that these nuptials were deliberately sabotaged. Together with her fellow widows in crime-solving, JM, Tuppence and Hen, she decides to uncover who wanted this marriage dead on arrival.

The police have no interest in a twenty-year-old skull, so Ginny and her friends have free reign to investigate. But untangling a web of family feuds and ancient village rivalries soon escalates into much more when a new body turns up…

The widows have stumbled into a devious plot decades in the making, but can they find their way to the truth before one of them joins the village body count…?

 

If you love Sarah Yarwood-Lovett, Robert Thorogood and The Thursday Murder Club mysteries, you’ll adore this charming cozy mystery full of page turning twists and endearing characters.

DOMESTIC THRILLERS

Sally Rigby and I have been friends for over twenty-two years and have presented numerous workshops together as well as spending far too much on the time on the phone and Internet, talking nonsense. But when she suggested we try writing a domestic thriller together, something clicked and we decided to try it. Neither of us were sure if it would work because we’re quite different in our approach. I’m someone who changes their mind a lot when it comes to stories and I have been known to dump entire sections, whereas Sally is a lot more linear and is not a fan of wasting words. Yet, because we knew each other so well, our differences seemed to work to our advantage. We both hope you enjoy these stand-alone domestic thrillers and we’ll let you decide if you can tell who wrote what!

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The Stepmother

She’ll do anything to protect her family…

From the moment I met Nathan, a widower with two small children, I knew I would do anything for him. Sam and Sienna were both desperate for a mother and I knew I was perfect for them. I would raise them as my own, love them like my own.

I would die for them.

So when a missing teenager is found lying on the side of the road, my first through is for my precious kids. Are they home? Are they safe?

And then I discover something much worse. That the children I’ve raised could somehow be involved…

But I made a promise that I would protect my family at all costs.

Even if the consequences are deadly….

‘So many twists and turns, no way could I have predicted the ending. I can’t recommend it enough, well worthy of 5-stars’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

‘This is a real page turner of a book and you never know where the next page is going to take you!’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

‘Loved this book. Twists and turns all the way and then an explosive ending!’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

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The Ex-Wife

My life was perfect until she came along. Norah.

Younger, prettier and about to marry my own ex-husband, they are a walking cliché.

I hate her. I hate them both.

She’s taken everything from me – my husband, my life, my home – but I refuse to allow her to take Cassie, my beautiful daughter. That’s a step too far.

Now I’ve discovered that Norah plans to have a baby of her own and that causes me no end of problems. She could destroy everything and reveal my deepest, darkest secrets.

That can never be allowed to happen.

No matter what it costs…

A brand new psychological thriller that will keep you guessing till the end! Perfect for fans of Sue Watson, Nina Manning, Shalini Boland

‘This book was a brilliant read from start to finish, with lots of twists and turns. Right till the end that I couldn’t have predicted.‘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

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I Will Find You

Ashleigh: A creative, free spirit and loyal. But Ash is tormented by her demons and a past that refuses to be laid to rest.

Jessica: Perfect wife and loving mother. But although Jessica might seem to have it all, she lives a secret life built on lies.

Grace: An outsider, always looking in, Grace has never known the love of her sisters and her resentment can make her do bad things.

When Ashleigh goes missing, Jessica and Grace do all they can to find their eldest sister. But the longer Ashleigh is missing, the more secrets and lies these women are hiding threaten to tear this family apart.

Can they find Ashleigh before it’s too late or is it sometimes safer to stay hidden?

‘I enjoyed this book immensely. It had three main characters, all sisters. The love hate relationship between them was told to keep the reader guessing. The ending blew me away because the reveal was not who I thought.’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

‘The excellent writing duo of Amanda Ashby and Sally Rigby have once again written an exciting and edgy thriller!‘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

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Remember Me?

Paul Henderson leads a normal life. A deputy headteacher at a good school, a loving relationship with girlfriend Jenna, and a baby on the way. Everything seems perfect.

A shocking message…

Until Paul receives a message from his ex-fiance Nicole. Beautiful, ambitious and fierce, Nicole is everything Jenna is not. And now it seems Nicole is back, and she has a score to settle with Paul…

A deadly secret.

Remember Me?

But Paul can’t understand how Nicole is back. Because he’s pretty sure he killed her with his own bare hands….

Which means, someone else knows the truth about what happened that night. And they’ll stop at nothing to make Paul pay…

‘This is the first book I’ve read by these authors and I was pleasantly surprised. With every page it became more difficult to put down. So I did what anyone would do, I left work and came home to read it straight through. It was so good, it really was. It definitely kept me guessing and the ending was definitely a twist! Don’t hesitate, read this book today!‘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

BACKLIST

Some of my older books are currently out of print, but I do have the rights back and am working to make them available again. While they’re different from my cozy mysteries, they do all contain small towns, warm humour and just a little bit of shenanigans.

ADULT

YOUNG ADULT

I’ve always loved Amanda Ashby’s books, and this one is no exception! A delicious sweet romance with quirky, relatable, fabulous characters! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

 

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Today a book that I had pre-ordered came, but I had gotten on the Kindle store and discovered that Amanda Ashby had a new book out too so I bought it too! There was no contest for which book I would read first, I immediately started How To Kiss Your Crush.  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

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I am delighted to report that this book completely fulfilled all my hopes. This adorable romance novel has a very satisfying HEA. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review

 

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MIDDLE GRADE