Imagine an idyllic country town or village in rural England or America. This is the kind of place that you’d like to visit on a vacation, a place you’d just wander up and down the main street, checking out the shops and tea houses. Maybe you’d stop to sample the local specialty dish at a restaurant or bakery.
Now, imagine this quaint little hamlet suddenly hit with a sharp rise in homicides. The murders revolve around lots of personal intrigue and intricate planning and are all solved by a local amateur sleuth who can see the clues that the inept police professionals can’t.
Author Martha Waters dares to ask the obvious question that is ignored by most murder mystery series novels: “Seriously, what are the odds of this happening in real life?”
A ‘Cozy’ Murder Spree?
The initial premise of this is a fun, cheeky take on the old “Murder She Wrote” joke about so many murders happening around Jessica Fletcher. Think about it: They happen about once a week, maybe more during sweeps. Has no one considered that there must be a thriving illegal drug trade in Cabot Cove? Or perhaps Jessica is the most brilliant serial killer of all time?“And Then There Was The One” takes place in Buncombe-upon-Woolly. The quiet, fictional hamlet in 1930s Britain has been suddenly transformed into a hotbed of homicide. Luckily, there’s Georgie Randcliffe, who is this version of the “amateur sleuth who can see the clues yadda yadda yadda bringing the real criminals to justice” (see above).
To date, Georgie has managed to help the police solve four unrelated murders that occurred within the past year. The second-to-last one even happened at her family’s ancestral home over Christmas—Radcliffe Hall, a sort of modest, run-down Downton Abby.
The most recent case has just wrapped up with the arrest of the local cheesemonger’s wife, Mrs. Marble, for killing her husband. This time, Georgie finds some relief in knowing she had almost nothing to do with solving this case; it was almost entirely solved by the police. Notwithstanding that another of Georgie’s neighbors is dead, it’s a nice change of pace.
Homey Homicides
Her friend Arthur Crawley been reaping big career rewards by reporting on the murders for his paper, The Wooly Register. Georgie has commiserated with Crawley that she can’t help but wonder about the last year’s events. “One murder in a village of this size was a shocking tragedy; two was an unpleasant coincidence,” but four? She thought of herself as “a creature of science, of reason,” and simply couldn’t believe this was normal.
With the rise in popularity of a new mystery author named Agatha Christie, the town has recently found itself overrun by “Murder Tourists.” These visitors flock to Buncombe to check out its local charm and the crime scenes. Some are even hoping to come across another murder while they’re here and join in on the “fun.”
Then, things get more suspicious with the death of the village council chairman, Mr. Penbaker. Chief Constable Humphreys is convinced it was just a heart attack, but Georgie wonders if it’s too coincidental. Arthur suggests they might enlist professional help and reach out to the legendary London detective Delacey Fitzgibbons for his take on the case.
But instead of the seasoned expert, they are sent Fitzgibbons’s young, dashing assistant, Sebastian Fletcher-Ford. But Sebastian acts like a vapid socialite, more Bertie Wooster than Sherlock Holmes, and he’s more preoccupied with knitwear and cream teas than solving crimes.
Can one small town have this many murders?
Meta Mystery
The first few chapters of “And Then There Was The One” are a little disorienting; the reader is dropped into a situation that feels like the middle of an established mystery series. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself checking to see if this is a standalone novel, rather than the fourth or fifth iteration. The fact that Georgie herself questions the improbability of her own trope environment makes it a kind of meta-ponderance.However, this concept quickly becomes more of a cheeky hook rather than a foundation for the novel. Waters is primarily a romance author, and the book quickly falls into the well-worn path of “grumpy/sunshine” or “idiot hero.” It should be noted that this isn’t a “clean” romance.
Georgie’s initial assessment of Sebastian as a “twit” whom everyone else adores creates a delightful tension throughout the first half. She’s the only one immune to his golden-boy charms—at least initially. As the investigation progresses, Georgie begins to suspect that Sebastian might have “hidden depths.” If true, he might finally soften Georgie’s pragmatic heart.
Sometimes, novels with a parody premise like this get published because they’re a cheap gimmick used to overshadow a mediocre talent. Not so here. Martha Waters’s voice in “And Then There Was The One” is decidedly charming, which makes the concept work more than not.
Anyone looking for something that digs deeper into the idea will be a bit disappointed. But those who are fine with Waters’s light touch can easily enjoy this cheeky romance that pokes fun at the cozy-mystery-town trope.
‘And Then There Was The One’
By Martha Waters
Atria Books: Oct. 14, 2025
Paperback, 352 pages
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