An English Garden Murder

Meet Julia Bird: recently single, reluctantly retired, and... an amateur sleuth? Julia Bird has left London for a fresh start in a picturesque Cotswolds village, and the rustic charm and cosy fireplaces of her little cottage are everything she'd hoped for. But when she tears down the old garden shed to make way for a chicken coop, she unearths much more than she'd bargained for... the body of a young woman, apparently buried for decades, thrusting Julia into a baffling mystery. With only one copper on the case in Berrywick, Julia decides to solve the who and whodunnit herself, taking her wayward puppy Jake along for the ride. And so begins a whirlwind tour of the village - from the dotty 90-year-old to the delightful doctor and the village gardener, it seems everyone has something to hide. Soon, Julia is convinced she has discovered the killer's identity, until Jake, a true Labrador, finds a new love of the local lake's waterfowl and instead ends up catching her chief suspect... drowned. Back at square one, with potential culprits galore, Julia - newly nicknamed the Grim Reaper - despairs at ever solving the murders. But as Julia ruffles feathers village-wide, the clock is ticking. There is someone in the village who has killed twice already. Will they be prepared to make it third time lucky to keep their secret safe? This totally addictive page-turning cozy mystery is perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands. Readers love Katie Gayle: 'Wow! I need to get my breath back after that... A lie down in a darkened room is also definitely required to recover!... Moves along at a break-neck pace.' Fiction Books Blog 'Katie Gayle never fails to keep me laughing, entertained, and trying to figure out the mystery til the very end. I absolutely adore this book... 10/10... This book is absolutely perfect!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Fantastic... I can't say enough good things about this book. I just loved every minute of reading it.' Fireflies & Freekicks 'Undoubtedly rollicking good fun. If the need to escape reality for a few hours presents itself, I can highly recommend this hilarious hullabaloo of a read.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars 'There is so much I adored about this book!... The perfect mixture of humour and mystery makes this book an absolute page turner that I would highly recommend to everyone!' Victoria Wilks Blog 'Thrilling and immensely enjoyable... An absolute joy to read... Will have readers laughing out loud and keep them glued to the pages from beginning to end.' Bookish Jottings 'A hilarious romp of a mystery.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars 'Compelling and compulsive... An uplifting, endlessly charming and highly original cosy mystery series... Filled with drama, action, twists... A fabulous, and much-needed, piece of escapism in these times.' Readers Retreat

Meet Julia Bird: recently single, reluctantly retired, and… an amateur sleuth? Julia Bird has left London for a fresh start in a picturesque Cotswolds village, and the rustic charm and cosy fireplaces of her little cottage are everything she’d hoped for. But when she tears down the old garden shed to make way for a chicken coop, she unearths much more than she’d bargained for… the body of a young woman, apparently buried for decades, thrusting Julia into a baffling mystery. With only one copper on the case in Berrywick, Julia decides to solve the who and whodunnit herself, taking her wayward puppy Jake along for the ride. And so begins a whirlwind tour of the village – from the dotty 90-year-old to the delightful doctor and the village gardener, it seems everyone has something to hide. Soon, Julia is convinced she has discovered the killer’s identity, until Jake, a true Labrador, finds a new love of the local lake’s waterfowl and instead ends up catching her chief suspect… drowned. Back at square one, with potential culprits galore, Julia – newly nicknamed the Grim Reaper – despairs at ever solving the murders. But as Julia ruffles feathers village-wide, the clock is ticking. There is someone in the village who has killed twice already. Will they be prepared to make it third time lucky to keep their secret safe? This totally addictive page-turning cozy mystery is perfect for fans of M.C. Beaton, Faith Martin and Betty Rowlands. Readers love An English Garden Murder: ‘There just aren't enough stars for this one, so I can only give it FIVE!! I'm so looking forward to the next book in the series!!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I absolutely LOVED this… Julia Bird was an amazing and lovable character… Once I started it, I couldn't stop until I had finished it. I will definitely be on the lookout for the second novel in this series!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved this very English murder mystery, so reminiscent of Agatha Christie… I loved everything about this book.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Fabulous… addictive… a witty and delightful crime novel full of delicious red herrings, rural mischief and bucolic charm that is impossible to put down.’ Bookish Jottings ‘Oh my, I loved Julia Bird… she is a delight!. I can’t wait for the next one! Please don’t let it be long! It’s a five out of five on the enJOYment scale and highly recommended!’ MoongloTexas ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Really entertaining… I simply couldn't put the book down… Julia's life in the countryside with her newly adopted dog Jake was too enjoyable… I cannot wait to read for Julia Bird's next adventure!… five stars!’ Tropical Girl Reads Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Brilliant!… I really warmed to Julia and especially Jake, her errant puppy and loved the village life…’ Broadbean’s Books ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved this first book in a new cozy, English countryside series and hope it continues for a very long run…’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I really enjoyed this… heartwarming… always entertaining read.’ Jen Med's Book Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I loved this book! I am always thrilled to find a new cozy mystery/series to get stuck into and I thoroughly enjoyed this one…’ A Wordy Woman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I'm pretty sure I want to be Julia Bird when I retire. Charming little cottage in a village in the Cotswolds in England? Check! Best friend who works as a librarian? Check! Time to finally learn how to bake and cook delicious food? Check! Insta-love with an adorable chocolate lab puppy? Check! Distinguished village Doctor who could be mistaken for Sean Connery?… I really enjoyed this brand-new cozy mystery.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A delightful mix of humour & mystery.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Addie Greyborne loved working with rare books at the Boston Public Library—she even got to play detective, tracking down clues about mysterious old volumes. But she didn’t expect her sleuthing skills to come in so handy in a little seaside town . . . Addie left some painful memories behind in the big city, including the unsolved murder of her fiancé and her father’s fatal car accident. After an unexpected inheritance from a great aunt, she’s moved to a small New England town founded by her ancestors back in colonial times—and living in spacious Greyborne Manor, on a hilltop overlooking the harbor. Best of all, her aunt also left her countless first editions and other treasures—providing an inventory to start her own store. But there’s trouble from day one, and not just from the grumpy woman who runs the bakery next door. A car nearly runs Addie down. Someone steals a copy of Alice in Wonderland. Then, Addie’s friend Serena, who owns a nearby tea shop, is arrested—for killing another local merchant. The police seem pretty sure they’ve got the story in hand, but Addie’s not going to let them close the book on this case without a fight . . .

Meet Belinda Penshurst. Castle owner, dog lover... crime solver? Belinda Penshurst loves her home village Little Challham, with its shady lanes, two pubs and weekly market, and she's determined to keep it peaceful. She may live in Challham Castle but she knows almost everything that goes on under her nose. So when irritable pub landlord Tipper is found dead in his cellar, she's perfectly placed to investigate. Retired detective Harry Powell moved to Little Challham for a quiet life. He didn't expect to be dragged into a murder investigation. But the police don't seem half as enthusiastic as Belinda about the case, and there are strange things happening in the village. Particularly the number of dogs that have disappeared lately... Is there a dognapper snaffling schnauzers and luring away Labradors? Is Belinda barking mad to be worried that her brother Marcus was arguing with Tipper on the day he died? Belinda and Harry track down the suspects: the rival landlord, the outraged barmaid, the mysterious man in the black car following dogwalkers around. But are the dogged detectives running out of time to sniff out the killer, before he starts hounding them? A charming cozy mystery full of laughs and eccentric characters. Fans of M.C. Beaton, H.Y. Hanna and Emily Organ will love the first novel in the Belinda Penshurst series! See what readers are saying about Murder in the Village 'Wonderful... I absolutely adored this book! Had me reading and finishing the book in no time! I highly recommend this book! Stunning, a page-turner which stays long in the memory!' NetGalley reviewer 'What a great start to a new series!... A lively, spark-filled investigation... Wonderfully entertaining with the perfect set of ingredients.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Charming... A super quick read perfect for the beach!' Bless Their Hearts Mom, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A zany cast of characters, most of whom are suspected of being dognappers, murderers or both. A humorous mystery perfect for dog lovers' Goodreads reviewer 'Fun, full of mystery... Top notch cosy crime... Has a kind of Midsomer Murders vibe and in spite of the murderer on the loose, kept me smiling from start to finish... Fabulous... I can't wait to see what this fabulous duo get up to next. Fans of cosy mysteries (and dog lovers) are just going to eat this up.' Jen Med's Book Reviews 'Excellent village mayhem and murder' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As friends, the boisterous and brash American Beryl couldn’t be less alike than the prim and proper British Edwina. But as sleuths in an England recovering from the Great War, they’re the perfect match . . . 1920: Flying in the face of convention, legendary American adventuress Beryl Helliwell never fails to surprise and shock. The last thing her adoring public would expect is that she craves some peace and quiet. The humdrum hamlet of Walmsley Parva in the English countryside seems just the ticket. And, honestly, until America comes to its senses and repeals Prohibition, Beryl has no intention of returning stateside and subjecting herself to bathtub gin. For over three decades, Edwina Davenport has lived comfortably in Walmsley Parva, but the post–World War I bust has left her in dire financial straits and forced her to advertise for a lodger. When her long-lost school chum Beryl arrives on her doorstep—actually crashes into it in her red motorcar—Edwina welcomes her old friend as her new roommate. But her idyllic hometown has a hidden sinister side, and when the two friends are drawn in, they decide to set up shop as private inquiry agents, helping Edwina to make ends meet and satisfying Beryl’s thirst for adventure. Now this odd couple will need to put their heads together to catch a killer—before this sleepy English village becomes their final resting place . . .

Alex and Kate Sheppard have found the perfect house; the home they had always dreamed of owning. Nestled deep in the Wiltshire countryside and surrounded by a two-acre walled garden, The Parsonage was to be their own little paradise . . . but nothing stays perfect forever. Soon after moving in they make an impossibly exciting discovery---one that defies every known law of nature and science. They find a blue rose bush flourishing in their walled garden. But as word of their discovery leaks out, the Sheppard's peaceful existence is shattered and they find themselves plunged into a world of coded journals, genetic experiments, cold-blooded greed, and, ultimately, murder. Threatened from every direction, with no one to trust but themselves and Lawrence Kingston, a gardening expert to whom they have revealed their exciting secret---the only way they can save their lives is to unravel the dark, seductive secret of the Blue Rose.

After Ali's cousin Nathan and his intolerable bride Isadora come to stay at the B&B, the honeymoon is cut short when Isadora is found dead at the bottom of a Lake Tahoe ski slope. With Nathan as the prime suspect, Ali is determined to prove he's innocent.