Title: An English Garden Murder
Series: Julia Bird #1
Author: Katie Gayle
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: May 5, 2022
Pages: 264
Rating: 5*
I'll start off by saying I really, really enjoyed this book, I'm so glad I decided to give it more than a quick look! I'm also happy to discover it is the start of a new series, too, And reading more Julia Bird mysteries in future is what I hope to do. Julia Bird has recently divorced and retired, she needs a fresh start So she's hoping moving to a Cotswold village will play that part. Her friend Tabitha lives there already and so She's determined to give her new life a go. She's determined to embrace county living now And ends up with a failed guide dog pup, Jake, somehow. She assumed her life would be boring but soon finds Lots of things that'll occupy her time and mind. There are plenty of secrets to be revealed Starting with a body that has been concealed.... The villagers, setting and places are brought to life Along with a mix of happiness and strife. Such a fun, fascinating read it proved to be With great characters as well as mystery Julia makes new friends but needs to beware As she seems to find bodies inadvertently everywhere! It is an engaging, intriguing read, a page turner, too, I have no hesitation in highly recommending it to you. For my complementary copy, I say thank you, Such a lovely read and this is my honest review.
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.
Katie Gayle is the writing partnership of best-selling South African writers, Kate Sidley and Gail Schimmel. Kate and Gail have, between them, written over ten books of various genres, but with Katie Gayle, they both make their debut in the cozy mystery genre. Both Gail and Kate live in Johannesburg, with husbands, children, dogs and cats.
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