The Potting Shed Murder

Hill House Vintage Murder Mystery #1

by Paula Sutton

From the creator of Hill House Vintage and “Queen of Cottagecore” (Vogue), a fresh, witty, fun, and delightfully quirky cozy crime novel set in a seemingly sleepy English village for fans of Richard Osman, Parini Shroff, Benjamin Stevenson, and Anthony Horowitz.

“Miss Marple for the 21st Century.” ―S.J. Bennett, author of The Windsor Knot

Welcome to the beautiful, bucolic village of Pudding Corner, where there's death amongst the dahlias . . .

Daphne Brewster has gladly swapped south London for Pudding Corner, a Norfolk hamlet full of quintessentially English charm. With a mix of stone cottages, Georgian architecture, and Victorian Gothic houses all nestled together and surrounded by fields of gold and green, Pudding Corner and its neighboring village of Pepperbridge seem as far from the bustle of city living as one can get.
 
For Daphne, joy at moving into beautiful Cranberry Farmhouse with her husband, James, and their three young children is tempered by some concerns about being the only Black woman for miles around. But within a few short months, Daphne has become known as the parish’s “Vintage Lady” and has set up her own shop. Business is thriving, and so is her family. As for Pudding Corner, it’s rapidly revealing itself to be filled with complicated, intertwined lives on par with anything she left behind. Then the local school’s headmaster is found dead in his allotment patch, unleashing a storm of secrets and scandal.
 
Even a sleepy village has its social hierarchy, and as her new friend, Minerva, becomes a target of whispers and speculation, Daphne can’t resist getting involved. Fighting for the underdog comes as naturally as sourcing the perfect vintage piece. But there is more at stake here than Daphne could have guessed, and a killer who has succeeded once is all too willing to try again . . .
 

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Crime, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2024

Reviews

[Grandma Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Outstanding narrator. Very British cozy. Several twists and turns. This book focused on a murder and different, complicated relationships. The characters were well defined. I do hope this becomes a series.

I was blessed with an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.

[India (IndiaReadsALot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This book just solidified for me that the cosy murder mystery subgenre is the best crime subgenre that exists in our universe. It just ticks all the boxes for me.

And I believe this book is the perfect book to represent the subgenre. This book was a great read with an interesting small village mystery stuffed full of interesting characters and mysterious pasts.

I wanted to talk about a few key points though. Daphne, our amateur detective, does something I haven't seen many characters do in these stories and that is solve a mystery through compassion. It is through Daphne's kindness as well as her inquisitiveness that leads the reader to learn more about the village and its inhabitants. It's Daphne's kindness that allows these people to open up to her and reveal their closest guarded secrets. And I rarely see that in the mystery genre and it was incredibly refreshing.

The setting of this book is a fully-realised and extensively written. I was so engaged as I pictured the primary school, the corner shop, Pudding Corner, the fete everything. I truly hope this becomes a series as I want to spend more time in Pepperbridge as Sutton paints such a beautiful and vivid picture. I could fully visualise myself walking down the high street.

The other thing I want to highlight is how great the characterisation was of our suspects. This story follows not only our detective Daphne but also our suspects as they go about their lives. While normally we just follow the detective and learn alongside them all the facts and clues, this time around we get to witness some of the action through the eyes of the suspects themselves. Following the characters the way we do made me feel connected to them on a more personal level and I felt that I understood them more. This made me engage with the book more as a whole as I wanted to learn more about the characters and see what they do next.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, The Potting Shed Murder. by Paula Sutton, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I found this book slow and boring. I did not care for the characters either.

[Gales Tales70 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good cosy crime, slow burn but wasn’t really for me

I just reviewed The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton

[Michaela | bumblebeeslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Potting Shed Murder is a cozy mystery set in a small town in rural England, called Pudding Corner.

You know it is going to be a perfect cozy mystery, when the town you get to read about is called Pudding Corner! FMC Daphne Brewster, her husband James, and their 3 children decide to move away from the busy and not so safe city of London, to a much smaller, quieter, and slower town called Pudding Corner. They move into a lovely old home, Cranberry Farmhouse in Pudding Corner, next to a larger small village, called Pepperbridge. Daphne also quits her busy job in the city, and find herself enjoying restoring antique furniture. As Daphne and her family are settling into their new cozy life, they learn that Mr. Papplewick, the headmaster at the children's school, has been found dead in his potting shed. Initially everyone assumes a heart attack, but eventually the authorities discover foul play seems to be at hand.

Daphne's friend Minerva gets the first finger pointed at her as the likely suspect, by Mr. Papplewick's widow, Augusta. So Daphne puts on her sleuthing hat and starts to unravel this very tangled mystery of who murdered, and why they murdered, Mr. Papplewick.

This story gives you all the cozy vibes, of course with an unsuspecting murder in the small town. There is a lot of history and secrets to untangle, to truly get to the bottom of the crime. There are multiple possible suspects as Daphne weaves her way through the town gossip web, and uncovers secrets about the villagers who have lived in Pepperbridge their entire lives and did not know some of the secrets that lead to Mr. Papplewick's murder. This story, while a cozy mystery, is actually pretty sad at the end when you learn the truth behind a few of the characters childhood hurts, and how that made them who they are in the current day.

I enjoyed Daphne's character, I felt like she wasn't the typical sleuther that we find in a cozy mystery, more so that she kept finding herself in situations where she was able to piece together the different events on the day of the murder. But once she became determined to discover the truth, she left no stone unturned, and was still surprised at the end when she finally made the very unsuspecting discovery.

It will be fun to return to Pudding Corner and follow along with Daphne in another sleuthing mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the author for a copy of this book!

[ColleenSC (colleenallbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Kensington Books for sending me an ARC. This was a fun and cozy read! My only complaint was the book could have used more editing. It was wordy and repetitive at times. BUT overall I enjoyed it. Cozy and entertaining. Loved the MC and her experiences adjusting to life in the country after living in London. The author really set the scene and created some intriguing characters. I would definitely read more in the series.

[Rhianna Skelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cosy murder mystery?! What a time to be alive. I really enjoyed this book that sits so comfortably in this sub-genre of murder mysteries.

We follow the majority of the story with Daphne, one of the kindest main characters you will ever experience. This kindness really allows the world building and storytelling to shine through this book. You feel as though you are walking around the quaint little town of Pepperbridge alongside her.

Paula Sutton has a fantastic way of using this character and world building to keep the murder mystery just that - a mystery! There’s even times they’re not sure it’s a murder! I honestly forgot momentarily about one of the characters while we were focusing on the others as I was so invested in them.

It’s a slow burn to begin with, but it really picks up the pace (as I believe is fairly usual for this genre) around the 65/70% mark when it becomes impossible to put down, you just need to know what happens! This book is incredibly fun and I enjoyed reading it. It will be the perfect summer read for 2024!

Thanks again to NetGalley and dialogue books for this ARC. The Potting Shed Murder will be published 4th April 2024.

[Chris Hollingworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m left with mixed feelings about this read. I was harbouring hopes of a cleverly and subtly intriguing cottage mystery which would leave me reeling at its resolution. A truly captivating murder mystery, I suppose.

I found the narrative slow to accelerate towards the moment of the murder, and even then, I felt it was hampered by the lack of real drama in the crime’s discovery, the drawn out focus on heart attack as the cause of death, and the clues and red herrings which I felt were a little clumsy and therefore immediately unconvincing.

While there were characterisations I truly enjoyed (we’ve all come across Marianne Forbeses…), too many of the residents of Pepperbridge were caricatures for me, and it prevented me from truly investing in them (or even caring about them), and the narrator’s apparent compassion for helping others felt a little disingenuous.

While I am pedantic about editorial mistakes and proofreading, this book perhaps had the most of any book I’ve read recently and it without a doubt affected my experiences of reading it.

[Barbara Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in what I hope is a series. A village school headmaster is murdered and there are no end of suspects. Perfect for lovers of the Marlow mystery novels.

[Not Quite A Bookshop · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author, a black woman of Caribbean origin who left the rat race of the city for a quieter life in the Norfolk countryside surrounding herself in ‘cottage core’ aesthetic writes about a black female protagonist of Caribbean origin who leaves the rat race of the city for a quieter life in the Norfolk countryside recycling furniture in shabby chic style. Self indulgent, egotistical or just plain lazy?
I did not like this book at all but I need to quantify that statement so, both the writing and narration scream ‘BBC English’ which is neither relatable nor easily flowing. I did wonder if this were set in the 1940’s but modern day references kept popping up - indeed the author does mention the actual year at one point, so that excuse went out of the window. The many references to Boden (are they on commission?) when describing a character’s appearance were jarring. As for the audio, too many mispronunciations to count which were highly irritating - a female pig is sow as in cow not as in sew. Back to the writing, the ‘white’ characters are insulting caricatures of the ‘English White Middle Class’, the text slow, over flowery and in the whole unnecessary in its descriptions which left me screaming ‘get to the point!’ And on that issue, I want a book to pull me in from the first chapter, especially a murder mystery book, which should rely on intrigue rather than references to Pashley bicycles (is the author after a free one?). The murder in this book is painfully slow in arriving then even more painfully slow in its unveiling, described at great pains from all angles. The plot is simple with no true red herrings and a reader of cosy crime will spot that the doctor is a wrong ‘un from the offset. Had this not been an advanced reader copy which required a review, I would have given up about 5 minutes in.
In a word - Dreadful.
Seriously, if you’re looking for cosy crime then try Hannah Hendy’s Dinner Lady Detectives or Jonathon Whitelaw’s Bingo Hall Detectives series, both of which have witty, fast paced plots with highly engaging characters.

[Rhode PVD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts as a cozy mystery, but takes a turn toward suspense. The classic English village with secrets under the dahlias was fun. I also liked our main character, and the author’s idea of using a BLM book for kids as part of a plot point. That said, this book needed one more line edit and tightening. I was also surprised and a bit disappointed by how much of the plot was driven by multiple middle aged people being obsessed with the loves of their youth. If the disappointments of my dating life at 18 define my entire adult life, that’s so depressing and insular. All of the women characters, aside from our heroine, have empty, basically wasted lives - they had chances for something else but subsided into stultifying existences or live for their child instead of themselves. Why? It’s not truly explained. So, on the surface a romp, but underneath, a look into a sad and sexist world.

[Bina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
A solid cozy mystery debut that took a bit to get going. The author seems to have really followed write what you know, but is just too likeable not to pull it off.

The book shines especially in the loving and detailed descriptions of the setting, the houses and gardens. This seems to be turning into a series and I'll be reading book 2 to follow the author 's progress. Hoping for a bit more bite and more fleshed out characters 🤞🏼

[Tinka Novák · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little murder mystery. I found the start to be a little slow so it took me some time to get into the story. I did like that we got to really know the characters. For me personally there were some moments where I found the English language a bit too difficult for a non-native speaker but it didn’t get in the way of reading this book.
I liked the twists and turns, some I could have guessed and some left me very surprised.
All and all a nice book to read!

[Melissa Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sweetest book - the perfect book to read when overwhelmed by the world. I love Pudding Corner. I loved that I guessed every piece of this mystery. It was the least stressful and loveliest read. I am pre-ordering the next book in the series.

[Miss Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took a while to get started at least 60 pages in before things got interesting, I enjoyed the writing and the descriptions, some things I could see coming quite early on, but the ending was better than I expected. I love murder mystery’s and this was in my top 20, definitely worth a read, but you have to stick with it to get to the good stuff.
Would be interested in a follow up, or more books in this series.

[The Bookish Elf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paula Sutton, better known to her hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers as Hill House Vintage, has made a remarkable transition from showcasing cottagecore aesthetics to crafting compelling cozy mysteries. Her debut novel, "The Potting Shed Murder," launches the Hill House Vintage Murder Mystery series with considerable charm, though not without a few growing pains that prevent it from achieving complete literary perfection.

The author's background in vintage styling and rural living permeates every page, creating an authentically atmospheric setting that feels lived-in rather than manufactured. Sutton's intimate knowledge of Norfolk countryside and village dynamics lends credibility to her fictional Pudding Corner, making it a character in its own right.

Plot and Pacing: A Well-Cultivated Mystery Garden

The story follows Daphne Brewster, a Black woman who has relocated her family from south London to the seemingly idyllic village of Pudding Corner in Norfolk. When beloved headmaster Charles Papplewick is found dead in his allotment potting shed, the tranquil facade of village life begins to crumble, revealing decades of buried secrets, unrequited love, and dangerous obsessions.

Sutton constructs her mystery with the patience of a seasoned gardener, allowing clues to germinate naturally throughout the narrative. The pacing mirrors the rhythm of rural life itself—deliberately measured rather than frantically urban. This approach works particularly well in the cozy mystery genre, where atmosphere often trumps breakneck action. However, some readers accustomed to more immediate gratification might find the early chapters somewhat leisurely.

The central mystery unfolds through multiple perspectives and timelines, revealing how past actions in this close-knit community have created a complex web of motives. Sutton demonstrates impressive skill in planting red herrings without making them feel artificial, and the ultimate revelation of the murderer's identity feels both surprising and inevitable—the hallmark of excellent mystery writing.

Character Development: A Rich Ensemble Cast
Daphne Brewster: A Compelling Protagonist

Daphne emerges as a refreshingly complex amateur sleuth. Sutton wisely avoids the common pitfall of creating an unrealistically brilliant detective figure. Instead, Daphne's investigative instincts stem from her natural curiosity, protective instincts toward her new friend Minerva, and her outsider's perspective that allows her to see village dynamics more clearly than longtime residents.

The author handles Daphne's racial identity with nuanced authenticity, acknowledging the realities of being one of the few Black residents in rural Norfolk without making it the singular defining aspect of her character. Her fears about her children's acceptance, her determination to prove herself worthy of the community, and her occasional self-doubt feel genuine and well-researched.

The Village Ensemble: Secrets Behind Every Cottage Door

The supporting characters are where Sutton's storytelling truly shines. Each villager harbors secrets that feel organic to their circumstances rather than contrived for plot convenience:

Augusta Papplewick transforms from a seemingly tyrannical headmaster's wife into a tragic figure whose controlling behavior masks deep insecurity and loneliness
Minerva Leek represents the village's marginalized community, carrying family secrets that span generations
Doctor Ptolemy Oates initially appears as the quintessential kindly village doctor before revealing darker depths
The Warburton sisters exemplify how assumptions can poison relationships for decades
Writing Style and Atmosphere: Cottagecore Meets Crime

Sutton's prose captures the visual beauty of the Norfolk countryside with the practiced eye of someone who has spent years photographing and styling rural aesthetics. Her descriptions of Cranberry Farmhouse, the village streets, and the surrounding fields create an immersive sense of place that makes readers feel as though they're taking a leisurely stroll through Pudding Corner themselves.

The author excels at balancing cozy charm with genuine menace. While the setting remains picturesque, Sutton never allows readers to forget that real danger lurks beneath the surface tranquility. This balance is crucial to successful cozy mysteries, and Sutton manages it with considerable skill for a debut novelist.

However, the writing occasionally suffers from over-explanation, particularly in exposition-heavy passages where characters' backstories are revealed. Some dialogue feels slightly stilted, lacking the natural flow that comes with more experienced writing. These issues are relatively minor and likely to improve in subsequent installments.

Thematic Depth: More Than Surface Charm

Beyond its mystery elements, the novel explores several compelling themes:

Community and Belonging

The story examines what it means to belong to a community and the price of maintaining that belonging. Daphne's journey from outsider to integral community member parallels her investigation, showing how understanding a place's hidden history becomes essential to finding one's place within it.

The Weight of Secrets

Every major character carries secrets that have shaped their lives for decades. Sutton demonstrates how silence and assumption can be as destructive as active malice, creating suffering that spans generations.

Appearance Versus Reality

The contrast between Pudding Corner's postcard-perfect exterior and its complicated emotional landscape serves as the novel's central metaphor. Sutton suggests that idealized visions of rural life often mask the same human complexities found anywhere.

Technical Execution: Strengths and Areas for Growth
What Works Well

The mystery construction follows fair play rules, providing readers with sufficient clues to potentially solve the crime alongside Daphne. The final revelation feels earned rather than pulled from thin air, and the psychological motivation behind the murder is both believable and tragic.

Sutton's pacing allows for genuine character development, making readers care about the outcome beyond mere puzzle-solving. The integration of social media age concerns with traditional village life feels natural rather than forced.

Areas for Improvement

Some plot threads feel underdeveloped, particularly Marianne Forbes's storyline, which seems to exist primarily to provide red herrings rather than meaningful character exploration. The resolution, while satisfying, arrives somewhat abruptly after the lengthy build-up.

Certain dialogue exchanges lack authenticity, particularly when characters explain plot points to each other in ways that feel more like author exposition than natural conversation.

Final Verdict: A Promising Series Launch

"The Potting Shed Murder" succeeds admirably as both an entertaining mystery and an atmospheric portrait of contemporary rural English life. While not flawless, it demonstrates genuine promise for the Hill House Vintage Murder Mystery series. Sutton's authentic voice, combined with her obvious affection for her characters and setting, creates a reading experience that feels both familiar and fresh.

The novel is a good read for its solid mystery construction, engaging characters, and immersive atmosphere, though minor technical issues prevent it from achieving true excellence. For cozy mystery enthusiasts and fans of English village fiction, this debut offers a delightful escape into a world where even murder can't entirely diminish the charm of afternoon tea and village fetes.

As Sutton continues to develop her craft, subsequent installments in the series have the potential to elevate this promising foundation into something truly special. The groundwork has been expertly laid in the fertile soil of Pudding Corner—now we wait to see what blooms next in Daphne Brewster's investigative garden.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book but I couldn’t. While the plot was solid and it was fairly well timed, it was overwritten in places so much so that I had to stop for a bit. Also, the over romanticisation of the countryside made me want to throw something. I grew up in a small village - they are not like this. The mix of trying to super cosy and trying to be modern and respectful of everyone just didn’t work. A bit more grit would have actually made this a better novel and a cosier read.

[Sally White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m finding myself in a somewhat difficult position as a friend of the author and one of her biggest cheerleaders. Reviewing a first novel needs careful consideration and having urged Paula to write more over the years I am immensely proud of this book and her abilities.
As a story it’s great. Midsummer Murder mixed with the Marlow Murder Club creates a heady brew of intrigue and suspense. I’m very much looking forward to exploring Daphne’s world over the coming years and wish Paula every success with her new career.
The biggest criticism I have is of the poor editing and apparent lack of proofreading. (I, however, am a pedant.)

[Fleurtje Eliza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daphne tells herself at the end of the book to never ever ever talk to strangers again, but how would that be possible in a village that was completely new to her and therefore everyone unknown to her after she left London?!

Don't be fooled by the low-key, toned down cover as this is a book bursting with secretive and yet quite colorful characters! Yes, there is death amongst the dahlia's, but there is so much more than that...

Good thing I saw on Goodreads that this is a first in a series. I honestly can't wait :)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

[Stephanie Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

**My thanks to Kensington Publishing for providing me with an advanced review copy via NetGalley**

5 stars

I loved this book so much more than I expected to. I was anticipating a run-of-the-mill cozy, and in many ways it is a very standard cozy. It’s just that the writing was so tight, the characters so real, and the feeling it gave me was so similar to reading a Miss Marple story. Paula Sutton has managed to capture the thing that makes the genre special rather than writing “just another” book of its kind.

Our amateur sleuth is a newcomer to a sleepy English village, a Black woman from South London who has moved into a picturesque cottage with her husband and children. As a newcomer, she’s able to see past some of what the locals take for granted, but her friendliness and helpfulness smooth her transition into the local social scene. Sutton neatly threads this tricky tightrope—outsider enough to have a fresh perspective, but not too much of an outsider for the locals to confide in—very skillfully, perhaps because of her own experience as a London transplant to rural life.

The central thread of the story, protagonist Daphne’s observations and eventual investigation, is laid out in chronological order, but the surrounding narrative is pleasingly nonlinear, vignettes from before and after the titular murder dotted in throughout the novel to give us a quilt-pieced view of the village story. Every piece of the story, however small, had a part to play, which was oh so satisfying to see as the mystery unfolded.

I would highly recommend this title to fans of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and other classic cozy mysteries. It beautifully encapsulates the charm of village mystery without indulging in the cutesiness that has turned me off of many contemporary cozies. It’s a good story, a good mystery, and a very good time.

Spoilers for a final thought on an element of the story: My one “off” note about the book is how odd I find it that the narrative never really addresses the fact that Augusta raped Charles in their early courtship. Perhaps it’s because taking advantage of a blackout drunk man wouldn’t have been viewed as rape at the time it was committed, but in the present day it certainly does, and I wish it had been addressed.

[Liz Mannegren · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, when it comes to cozy mysteries, there is no setting better suited than that of an English village in the countryside. In the first of a new series by Paula Sutton, The Potting Shed Murder gives us all the quintessential elements of the genre with a curious amateur detective, a cast of quirky suspects and side characters, and a delicious small-town setting as backdrop for the murder.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery. While the story is primarily told from Daphne's perspective, we get multiple points of view from various suspects and community members -- and this all flowed smoothly, adding to the reveals and slow-building tension of the story.

The writing style is quite description-heavy and occasionally leans toward run-on sentences (particularly in the first few chapters). Initially, this made it a little more challenging to fully immerse myself in the story. However, once I got into it, this cozy, conversational vibe lent itself well to the charm of this quaint English-village setting, and I really enjoyed the writing as a whole.

The Potting Shed Murder is a slower, leisurely read. The setting is an absolute gem, and the author does an excellent job of capturing the charm of this village, complete with the hierarchies and drama within. While certain aspects of the plot were a little predictable, I always enjoy the final reveals to see if my deductions were correct. There were a lot of fantastic characters here, and I look forward to getting to know the inhabitants of Pudding Corner (such a delightful name for a setting!) further in future stories.

Thanks to the publisher for my gifted advance copy!

[Phoenix2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

'The Potting Shed Murder' is the first book in the 'Hill House Village Murder Mystery' series.

The story is a classic cozy mystery, taking place in a small English village in the countryside, where a family of Londoners takes refuge, but comes face to face with a murder that our main character, Daphne, simply can't dismiss.

The characters were interesting and quirky, and I loved the main lead, who was a breath of fresh air and adorably noisy without getting annoyed. I also enjoyed how the author weaved a complex web of narrations from different characters' perspectives, and yet, the story was pretty straightforward and easy to follow.

The mystery was interesting as well, but the village life and the characters stole the spotlight!

Finally, the audiobook was nicely narrated and produced.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an audio version of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I'll start by saying that the narrator was excellent. I feel this would be extremely difficult, yet so important to a reader's enjoyment.

The author does a fantastic job of developing all the characters and possible suspects at the beginning of the book, before we ever get to the murder of Charles. It's easy to remember who is who. By the time you actually figure out who the killer is, the author has already led you there.

Daphne, the main character, is very likable. Yet I felt the way she was able to come by some of her clues was quite a stretch. (The Raincoat) And I'd be happy to not hear the words "niggle" or "babbling" again. Also there is sooo much description given and is often repetitive.

I think this would make for a great movie or mini series. I can see Augusta as Helen Merrin in her Mobland character perfectly. All in all a great, quick read (or listen).

[Grace J Reviewerlady · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very English murder mystery!

Daphne Brewster and her family have had enough of life in London - it's so expensive for one thing, and they feel very much as if they're part of the rat race. So they move to the village of Pudding Corner, to a slower pace of life with a decent local school and neighbours who talk to you. Then the local headmaster is found dead on his allotment and local gossip is on fire. What is going on? When Daphne's new friend is accused of being the guilty party, she finds herself getting drawn into finding out who the perpetrator is . . .

I really enjoyed this one, it was refreshing to read a book with different races where it wasn't the main focus of the book. Daphne Brewster was a delightful character and I really hope this develops into a series. It's an enigmatic read with several very plausible red herrings and I decided, many times over, 'whodunnit' only to find myself thwarted at every turn. Never would I have suspected the real culprit! An excellent read and one I'm happy to recommend to all readers of good cosy mystery fiction. 4.5*.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book ok. None of the characters were particularly likeable, and even though Daphne is the main character, I could not find myself interested in her or her investigation. Many times, I found the author was too wordy and sometimes I skipped entire paragraphs and didn't muss anything important.

I took a long time to read the book because I wasn't invested in it.

[Hviareadsbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you RB Media and Netgalley for the ARC!

AHHH this was a prefect little cozy mystery! The characters were believable, the small town tea was piping, and the ending was satisfying. I liked the characters being so messy and toxic, each one with their own internal demons and poor behaviors. It reads like an old timey murder mystery, but set in the modern era with more progressive characters. I really liked how the author explored the way small towns are often filled with dark and traumatic back stories they won't share.

Can't wait for book 2!

[Zarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very twee but very enjoyable "cosy" murder mystery. Just don't read the cast list at the front as it gives away some major spoilers, including who gets offed (which isn't revealed until ages into the story!).

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow to start but a good read.

[Kiran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a great cozy murder mystery book! I loved the establishment of the setting and the cast of characters. I wish it was a bit quicker at the beginning but overall this was such a fun read!

[Erin Willetts · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute cosy murder mystery but didn’t have the wow factor tbh