Review: And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters

I received this book via the publisher Atria Books. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters
Published by Atria Books on 2025-10-14
Length: 352 pages
Reviewing eARC from the publisher Atria Books
Rating:
Reading Challenges: #NGEW2025, 2025 New Release Challenge

From Martha Waters, the author of the “enchanting” (Entertainment Weekly) Regency Vows series, a new historical romance set in 1930s England with a murder mystery twist.

In a quaint village in the Cotswolds, Georgiana Radcliffe has accidentally become an amateur detective after helping solve four murders in a single year. When the chairman of the village council turns up dead, everyone agrees with the official ruling of a heart attack, but Georgie can’t help but suspect that the council chairman is a fifth victim. Now, murder tourists are flocking from around the country, in hopes of becoming sleuths themselves.

Along with her reporter friend, she reaches out to a famous London detective for assistance in ascertaining why they have become a magnet for murder. But the fancy detective is simply too busy—or can’t be bothered—to help, and instead dispatches his secretary, Sebastian Fletcher-Ford—a posh womanizer who, truthfully, is just trying to get out of his hair, much to practical, no-nonsense Georgie’s dismay. But as they investigate in the charming Buncombe-upon-Woolly—with plentiful scones, sheep on the village green, and murder tourists at every turn—Georgie finds that her previous assessment of Sebastian may have been wrong, and rather than solving a murder, she may be solving for love instead.

And Then There Was the One by Martha Waters is a cozy mystery romance set in the English countryside of the 1930s. Inspired by Agatha Christie, this book follows the story of a series of seemingly unconnected murders in a small town. When the council chairman turns up dead and it is ruled a heart attack, Georgiana Radcliffe believes he is the fifth victim and sets out to prove her theory.

I really enjoyed this story. I’ll be the first to admit that mystery is not my go-to genre, however, I love Agatha Christie and couldn’t help but pick this one up based on the title alone (though I do enjoy Martha Waters‘s romances). Waters does Christie justice here, creating a story that stands on its own while bringing in some of my favorite elements of the original.

Georgie is a fun character to follow. She’s the daughter of an aristocrat though they don’t own much in the way of land anymore. As such, she becomes the person people in the village go to with their problems, in this case, murders. Georgie handles it with grace and an inquisitive nature. Her affinity for plants makes her an excellent choice in rooting out what is happening as each victim has been poisoned. But she needs help, so she enlists a famous London detective. However, he isn’t what she expected.

Sebastian Fletcher-Ford arrives in Buncombe-upon-Woolly with his posh clothes and voracious appetite. There’s only one major problem with him: he isn’t the famous London detective, but is instead his secretary who needed to leave town urgently after causing a scandal at Scotland Yard. Determined to prove his worth, he offers his help to Georgie, and she quickly learns there’s more to Sebastian than fancy sweaters and food.

Overall, I really enjoyed And Then There Was the One. It was a quick, fun read full of tension, both from suspense and romance. The banter between Sebastian and Georgie is believable and full of laugh out loud moments. If you are a fan of cozy mystery and historical romance, I highly recommend it.

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