The Reverend Annabelle Dixon Cozy Mysteries: Books 1-8

by Alison Golden, Jamie Vougeot

★★★★★ “Annabelle’s adventures are a pleasure to follow.” Meet Reverend Annabelle Dixon, a madcap lady vicar with a taste for sweets and a nose for crime who lives in the village of Upton St. Mary. Usually. Charming, slightly gauche, very tall, this thirty-something priest has just been appointed to the pastoral St. Mary’s Church, in the picturesque village of Upton St. Mary, Cornwall, England. As Annabelle faithfully ministers her quaint parish, trouble seems to follow in her footsteps. Instead of her beloved tea and cake, she is regularly served a heaping plate of murder. Now if only she could have a second helping of handsome Inspector Mike Nicholls… You'll love this cozy series because everyone loves mysteries with comedy, great food, and intrigue. **These books are clean, cozy mysteries that contain no swearing or graphic descriptions of violence or bedroom activities.** This digital box set contains all eight mysteries in this best-selling Death at the Café: When Annabelle makes plans to meet her old friend Sister Mary, she has no idea that she will soon find herself embroiled in a double murder mystery. Murder at the Trouble arises for Annabelle when she visits a newcomer hoping to welcome him to her flock. But instead of a chat over tea and cake, Annabelle is served a heaping plate of murder, and another helping of handsome Inspector Mike Nicholls! Body in the A young boy running through the woods unearths a buried human bone, and a cold case is soon re-opened. Of course, Reverend Annabelle, with her insatiable appetite for mystery and crime, simply can’t leave it alone. Grave in the When her beloved Mini Cooper breaks down, Reverend Annabelle Dixon is forced to make a stop at Mildred’s Garage where she stumbles upon a gruesome surprise. Can Annabelle find a killer before the killer finds her? And can her cute canine friend put the inspector in a better mood? Horror in the Annabelle has agreed to fill in for the local minister on the tiny Scottish island of Blodraigh. But she has no idea she’s about to be drawn into a web of murder, mystery, and intrigue. As Annabelle begins her investigation, she must struggle against the incompetent local police, as well as a community steeped in suspicion and gossip. Killer at the A sinister cult. A body. A mystery more devious than Annabelle’s diet… A quirky group and a strange ritual send Annabelle fleeing into the woods…where she promptly trips over a dead body! Fireworks in When a French priest collapses at Easter Mass, the church suspects foul play. A missing junior priest quickly becomes the prime suspect, but not everyone agrees and when Annabelle’s oldest friend asks for help, how can she say no? Witches at the When a visiting vicar stumbles over a corpse, the list of possible killers seems endless. But then someone burns down Annabelle’s wedding marquee just days before the ceremony, and she finds herself in a race against time. Pick up this special offer (and a cup of tea) before it disappears! ! What readers are ★★★★★ “Alison Golden writes wonderful cozies with beautiful, almost poetic, descriptions not just of nature or cathedrals but of the lowly, everyday things we all encounter and dismiss.” ★★★★★ “Reverend Annabelle at her best.” ★★★★★ “I love this series!!!” ★★★★★ “A delightful read.” ★★★★★ “Well done!” ★★★★★ “Charming cozy mystery.” ★★★★★ “So much fun!” ★★★★★ “Lots of action, suspense, and fun.” ★★★★★ “Witty who done it.”

Start The Reverend Annabelle Dixon cozy mysteries today. A series you won't want to put down!

1554 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 23, 2022

About the author

Alison Golden is the USA Today bestselling author of the Inspector David Graham mysteries, a traditional British detective series, and two cozy mystery series featuring main characters Reverend Annabelle Dixon and Roxy Reinhardt. As A. J. Golden, she writes the Diana Hunter thriller series.

Alison was raised in Bedfordshire, England. Her aim is to write stories that are designed to entertain, amuse, and calm. Her approach is to combine creative ideas with excellent writing and edit, edit, edit. Alison’s mission is simple: To write excellent books that have readers clamoring for more.

Alison is based in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and twin sons. She splits her time between London and San Francisco.

To receive three free books, updates about new releases, exclusive promotions, and other insider information, sign up at: http://www.alisongolden.com.

Reviews

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed these books and hope there will be a volume 9.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 1 – Death at the Café

Annabel is to meet her childhood friend that she hasn’t seen since she became a minister and Mary became a Nun.

When she gets to the rendezvous place, Mary is almost in a panic as a woman who Mary was supposed to meet about possible financing for a hospital in Africa where Mary was stationed. fell over dead as soon as they met.

Actually, the young woman was NOT who Mary was expecting to meet, because she was expecting a much older woman.

Shortly afterwards, Mary and Annable meet the elderly lady at her home only to have her also die suddenly. Making both Mary and Annable the prime suspects.

This was an overall enjoyable story.
Book 2 - Murder at the Manor

It’s now three years later and we find Annabel at a Vicar in the village of Upton St. Mary.

With rumors abounding about a new resident who moved into a manor just outside the village.

Annabel goes to visit only to find a body instead of having a nice visit.

Phillipa accuses Annabel of kleptomania as some of the cupcakes she makes on a daily basis keep disappearing.

Pro’s:

Developed characters, and a solid story along with some humor to keep things light.

Con’s:

While it is an enjoyable story as all of Alisons are to read.

One of my pet peeves are when the murderer is introduced so late in the story.

I spent 19+ chapters trying to figure out who the murderer is only to find that I’ve wasted all of that time as none of the current characters were guilty.



Book 3 – Body in the Woods



A young boy finds what appears to be a human bone in a shallow grave.
This starts off a cold case of approximately 20 years.
It involves two sisters and their friends just before one of the sisters disappears.


Meanwhile, both Inspector Nicholls and Phillipa are behaving oddly.



Book 4 - Body in the Garage

Annabel has a problem with her vehicle, she parks on the side of the road and walks to the local garage.

When nobody greets her or answers her calling out to them, she checks the garage and finds the owner's body under a vehicle.

There’s lots going on in this story, with the normal charitable donations lacking, and many of the men keep disappearing for hours at a time.

Book 5 – Horror in the Highlands

Annabelle goes to visit her brother and niece in Scotland. She meets an elderly couple who had purchased titles and three-square feet of pasture of a castle on the isle from the internet.
With the theft of some valuables from the church safe, and a murder that Might be connected to it. And no way for the police to get to the island because of a storm. Annabelle is up to her cassock in another investigation.
Alison's story are great reads with descriptions of scenery that make you want to go and visit the places mentioned. This was a wonderful story that contained a little violence and some laugh out loud moments. I hope to see more of her brother and his family in future books.



Book 6 - Killer at the Cult


Annabelle is invited to observe a celebration with a group that many in the town consider a cult. When the celebration starts to get out of hand, Annabelle cuts through the woods to go to her car, in the process stumbles across the body of one of the members. When the visiting inspector arrests the father of one of the girls, Annabelle is not so certain they have the right person, and starts to investigate on her own at the request of the local constable.



Book 7 - Fireworks in France
Annabelle receives a surprise visit from her childhood best friend, Mary, who became a nurse and a nun while Annabelle when to Seminary to become a minister.

Mary is in distress as the Priest over her parish died suddenly while in the process of giving the Easter sermon. It appears his death was not an accident. And is hoping Annabelle will be able to offer her help and save the reputation of a young priest who is Mary’s friend.

To make matters worse. While they are investigating the Priest murder, the Mother Superior is found to have died also, Only Annebelle believes her death to be suspicious.

Meanwhile, Mike has his own plans for the trip, and it didn’t matter where they went for him to set his plans in motion.

And while all of this is going on. Mary (who has been a nun for several years now) is being tested about her calling to the ministry. The only question is will she remain true to her calling, or will she look to begin a new path for her future?

While it took a bit for the story to develop, once it did start it was the type of story I’ve come to expect from this author, a solid mystery with developed characters and a good plotline. There is also a romantic jaunt in this one that’s a little more pronounced than usual. But it’s a bit funny and definitely laughable watching the threads come together.



Book 8 – Witches at the Wedding



This series has memorable characters that feels like family that I always look forward to getting to meet again.

Annabelle and Mikes's wedding is closing in fast.

And poor Phillipa doesn’t know what’s going on with the Bride to Be.

She’s more interested in another murder than finalizing her wedding in less than a week's time.

Apparently, this book will close out the Reverend Anabelle Dixon Mystery series.

I’m really sad to see this series end as book one Death at the Café was my first mystery by author Alison Golden.

All of the books in this series can be read as standalone books.

Including the last two which cover the engagement and wedding.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely not! Rant to follow.

I find it highly suspicious that this book is rated so high when the individual books are not. Why are there no written reviews for ratings 1-3?

I’m a lover of cosy mysteries, but I like my sleuths to be competent.

The about the author states, the stories are designed to entertain, amuse, and calm with the author wanting to write excellent books that have readers clamouring for more. This was the complete opposite for me. By chapter 7, I was annoyed and thought what kind of nonsense did I just buy?

Reverend Annabelle Dixon gives the impression of a ditsy adult whose only thought is on cakes. So much so that she would ignore all instincts of danger to eat cake. Sister Mary gives the impression of an excitable five-year-old or should I say a scaredy-cat five year-old. Someone who should be more skilled as a nurse who is building hospitals in Africa.

These two seem to be fumbling through everything. I like cosy mysteries where there is cooperation between the sleuth and the detectives in charge not the sleuth getting themselves constantly in trouble and the detectives following along. They’re supposed to have a common goal…find the killer, but in this story, Mary and Annabelle just clumsily fumble through trying to figure out who the killer is.

This is the kind of book that you’re so distracted, in a negative way, by the personalities of the main characters, that you forget that you’re listening to a cosy mystery and trying to figure out who done it. With that said the mystery was laughable. It was not a mystery at all. A child could figure this out.

The moment Reverend Annabelle runs back through the home where a woman has just been murdered just to get cake, I was done. I thought, for real?? I’m sure that the author meant this to be funny and that there’s a reason for this, but it was highly ridiculous.

Even with the distraction of the main characters, I kept getting the distinct impression that the author had no idea that Africa was not a country. Every mention was as if Africa was a country rather than a continent. Maybe I’m just nitpicking but every reference to “I need to go back to Africa”, or “they need me back in Africa”, or “she’s doing wonderful work in Africa building hospitals” led me to believe the author truly believes Africa is a country rather than a continent with about 54 countries.

Now let’s talk about the mystery. I Find it funny when some cosy mystery authors make situations so absurd that you wonder if they thought or reread before sending it off to editing. For instance, Annabelle is on her way to meet her friend Mary in the opening of this book. Mary is there standing beside a dead body. After speaking to the main detective and he rushes off, Mary realizes she has a note that was given to her by the deceased person still in her pocket. They rush to find the detective only to see him speeding off, do they approach a sergeant or any other cop on the scene to have them radio to said detective? oh no, they instead decide that they are going to see Teresa because the note states Teresa is in danger. So they find a phone and call her up and she tells them to come right over and gives them her address. Do they then use that same phone to call the detective, tell him about the note and tell him that they’re on their way to Teresa’s house? Oh no, they do not. Up until this point you get the impression that this is set in a not modern society where things such as cell phones don’t exist, but you would be wrong because they do. Annabelle and Mary go off to see Teresa. They think her house is beautiful. She gets killed by a poisoned ice shard in front of them. They run out of the home and have to go looking for a phone box, again, giving the impression that this is not a modern society. The police arrives an hour later, and by that time, the house is a mess and the ice has melted. This is when we find out that Annabelle simply didn’t want the disruption from a cell phone and left hers at the church; like cell phones don’t have do not disturb or the ability to put them on silent. Why not include the cell phone? This would not have hindered the story.

It also begs the question why doesn’t Mary have a phone?

Maybe it’s partially the narration, because Mary’s character graded on my last nerve. I tried, and tried to push through to at least the end of the first book, but only lasted until chapter 13 before I gave up. For curiosity sake, since I had an inkling of who the killer was, and I wanted to know if I was right, I skipped to chapter 19, and yup. I was right.

I’m sure based on the 4.29 rating of this series there are many that like this. I am not one of them and I will not be wasting my time reading the second book or any of the other books in this series I’m getting my credit back and returning this book.

[John Presler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #1 - Death at the Cafe
Reverend Annabelle Dixon has been assigned to St. Clement's Church in London. Her mentor, Father John, has his doubts about her ability to survive in the tough environment. She set his mind at ease with her determination and upbeat personality. One thing she can't resist is finding justice for people who have been murdered.

Book #2 - Murder at the Mansion
Reverend Annabelle Dixon has relocated from London to the quaint countryside town of Upton St. Mary in Cornwall, England. She has been the vicar here for about 3 years and has become a beloved member of the community. When Sir John Cartwright buys a secluded mansion in the area, rumors of shady dealings pop up. Unfortunately, when she returns, Reverend Annabelle learns that Sir John is dead.

Book $3 - Body in the Woods
While running home from school, Dougie Dewar trips over something sticking out of the ground. It was not a tree root as he initially thought and he is worried that he will be in trouble for tearing his good school clothes. At first, Aunt Shona is hesitant to believe him, given Dougie's wild imagination, but he finally convinces her to hear him out. The result is the re-opening of an unsolved cold case from years past.

Book #4 - Grave in the Garage
Reverend Annabelle is driving her Mini toward Folly's Bottom, when it suddenly dies. Walking back to town, she gets a ride from Alfred Roper. When they reach the garage, she discovers Mildred Smith dead under a car in one of the service pits. Ted and Aziz, two employees who work for Mildred, are also missing.

Book #5 - Horror in the Highlands
Annabelle is supposed to be on vacation, visiting her brother and niece on the island of Blodraigh, Scotland. She also agreed to fill in for Father Boyce, who is on holiday, by covering the Sunday church service. Following the Sunday service, Annabelle is shown a jewelry box that was found in an abandoned house. Almost immediately, the church is broken into and the box is stolen. The next morning, Harry Anderson, the owner of the local pub, is found dead on the beach.

Book #6 - Killer at the Cult
Inspector Mike Nicholls is out of town at a conference and Annabelle has her hands full with the rehearsals for an upcoming children's play. While having tea at Flynn's Tea Shop, she notices some new people in the market area. They seem to be passing out flowers, but the town folk appear very uncomfortable around them and at times downright rude. The group is refered to as a "Brotherhood", with Theo Westmoreland as the leader. When Westmoreland is found murdered, the acting Chief Inspector, Brian Ainslie, is certain he has an open-and-shut case. But is it really that cut-and-dry?

Book #7 - Fireworks in France
It is Easter Sunday in Upton St. Mary, so Reverend Annabelle and Mike Nicholls are spending an enjoyable afternoon together with their dogs, Molly and Magic. Upon their return to the church, Philippa meets them at the door and announces that Annabelle has an unexpected visitor. The visitor is Annabelle's long-time friend, Mary, a Catholic Nun. Sister Mary is from a convent in the remote village of Ville d’Eauloise, France. The village priest, Father Julien, died suddenly at the Easter Sunday service and a junior priest, Father Raphael, is missing. Everybody automatically assumes he is guilty of murdering Father Julien. Mary insists that Father Raphael is innocent and asks Annabelle's help to find the real killer!!

Book #8 - Witches at the Wedding
In three days, Reverend Annabelle and Inspector Mike Nicholls are scheduled to start the next stage of their lives following their wedding. Father John, Annabelle's mentor, is on his way to Upton St. Mary to perform the ceremony. Father John does not normally drive, which results in him getting lost. In his attempt to turn around, he backs into a barn and gets stuck. When he looks to see what the problem is, he discovers a dead body.

The Reverend Annabelle Dixon mysteries are all extremely well-written stories with believable characters, realistic situations, and very interesting locations. You also get a better understanding of some of the various locations through Annabelle's travels. This is an Absolutely Wonderful series and I am eagerly looking forward to more of the wonderful Reverend Annabelle stories!

[Tom Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Reverand Annabelle Dixon Series
Annabelle is a “bit “ quirky, is a very popular Vicar, absolutely loves sweets and pastries, and never fails to get involved in a murder case.

As with all well written series, the characters continue to develop and we discover more and more about them with each novel.

You simply cannot help loving Annabelle more and more with each new entry in the series.

Every book is even better than the previous one and the very first one is fabulous.

Once you begin, you’ll be unable to put them down and now you can purchase the entire set at a bargain price.

Treat yourself to an after Christmas present.

You’ll be extremely happy you did!!!

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun!

Not being a religious person I was a bit apprehensive at first, but I need not have been. This was a fun enjoyable read. Not a dud in the bunch. The last chapters of 8 were really drawn out after the crime was solved, but I guess since it was the last of Annabel, it was an appropriate send off. I’m bummed that their adventures ended at 8, but it’s nice to think of it as a “happily ever after” ending.

[lloyd tewcragg · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting mysteries looking forward to Inspector Graham books

I found these books interesting first the life of the reverend and the mystery with the stories. I am looking forward to starting the Inspector Graham’s books.

[Eva Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this series. It was lighthearted yet serious in spots, warm and genuinely funny. Her characters were believable. Best of all, though the story is about an Anglican Vicar, it is not at all preachy. I loved it.

[Karen Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a summer treat!

As a cross between The Vicar of Dibley and Father Brown, this series is delightful! And as a retired Episcopal priest I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures of Annabelle Dixon!

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

God, love, mystery and cake—who needs anything more!?!

I love mysteries that include romance; but this collection added even more to enjoy. Lovely reads that will keep you going to the very last one and the. Looking forward to what comes next.

[Marie Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great series. You'll fall in love with Annabelle and her friends. It was enjoyable to spend time in her village and its quirks.

[Mark Skeplorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely bit of light gentle reading, miss marple crossed with midsummer murders with a bit of father brown mystery’s thrown in.