Death in an English Garden

Murder on Location #5

by Sara Rosett

A common, garden variety murder

Location scout Kate Sharp is enjoying the gorgeous springtime in her favorite idyllic English village while coordinating locations for a Jane Austen documentary, but when she’s assigned to manage a difficult star who has received threats, Kate discovers that danger and death aren’t always on screen.

After a tragic accident in the star’s beautiful English garden, Kate suspects murder. With a sly and secretive murderer intent on putting suspicion on Kate, she must find the culprit before she’s led down the garden path.  

Death in an English Garden is the sixth entry in the popular Murder on Location series from USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett, which are perfect for cozy mystery readers who want to indulge their inner Anglophile.

 

MURDER ON LOCATION MURDER ON LOCATION

Book One - Death in the English Countryside  Book Two - Death in an English Cottage Book Three - Death in a Stately Home  Book Four - Death in an Elegant City Book Five - Menace at the Christmas Market (Novella) Book Six - Death in an English GardenBook Seven - Death at an English Wedding Have you read Sara Rosett’s other mystery series?

If you like historical mysteries with lady detectives, check out the HIGH SOCIETY LADY DETECTIVE mystery series. 

If you like travel with your mystery, check out the ON THE RUN INTERNATIONAL MYSTERIES.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Cozy, British Literature, Contemporary

250 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 23, 2016

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett writes lighthearted mysteries for readers who enjoy atmospheric settings, fun characters, and puzzling whodunits.

She is the author of the High Society Lady Detective historical mystery series as well as three contemporary cozy series, the Murder on Location series, the On the Run series, and the Ellie Avery series. Sara also teaches an online course, How to Outline A Cozy Mystery.

Publishers Weekly called Sara's books, “satisfying,” “well-executed,” and “sparkling.” Sara loves to get new stamps in her passport and considers dark chocolate a daily requirement. Find out more at SaraRosett.com.

Reviews

[Dorothy]

The overall story was light, interesting and consistent with the others in the series. However, I found myself distracted by Kate. Her character development took a few steps back in this story as she made several stupid and short-sighted decisions. It was like she forgot all she'd learned in the previous novels.

[Pamela]

I wish that authors would think of better ways to drive a plot rather than make their heroines do stupid things. I’ve read many cosy mysteries and get irritated when the main characters do things to get an exciting ending for the book.

I like the setting and the story, but the silly decisions really let the plot down a bit.

[QNPoohBear]

Kate Sharp is still in England working on the last episodes of the Jane Austen documentary when the producer, Elise, informs Kate that Kate has to scout a location for the talent! Actress Arabella Emsley is coming to appear in the documentary as publicity for her upcoming adaptation of Emma. The actress has been receiving threatening letters and hopes Kate can secure a home away from home that's safe from intruders. The country manor house and garden prove to be less secure than Kate would like as she spies intruders trying to get to Arabella. Then to Kate's dismay, she discovers Arabella dead in the garden. She assumes it was an accident until DCI Quimby becomes involved. The clues lead to murder with Kate as the prime suspect! Despite her vow to stay out of it, she is now involved and has to figure out the mystery before Scotland Yard locks her up.

This mystery is quite good. While I figured out who the murderer was right away, the story ended up far more complicated than I expected. The clues planted on Kate give an extra element of excitement to the story. As for cozy, there isn't much. There are some visits to the pub and the local inn but Alex is away shooting in Chawton and Kate can't go with him. This means we, as readers, don't get to go to Chawton either. However, the lovers talk on the phone a lot and the romance turns swoony at the end.

Kate is sharp and clever but this time she's in over her head. She does something really stupid at the end that I didn't expect her to do. Alex is such a nice guy and so patient with Kate and her anxiety. I miss his sister and hope she comes home for a vacation soon. It would be fun to see Kate and Grace solve mysteries together. The film crew is mostly all here plus a few new additions. Elise is back to being Type A crazy and driving everyone nuts but the new director Ren Takagi is very kind and mild mannered. He soothes the wounded feelings of all those Elise insults with her demands. He is the exact opposite of Cyrus. Melissa and Paul have eyes only for each other but their relationship still seems new. He deserves to be happy so I hope it works out. Freya, Kate's assistant, loves celebrity gossip and sharing it with Kate.

DCI Quimby is more astute than Kate gives him credit for but he seems to have met his match in Kate. She's too strong-willed to go up against a by the book cop. She knows how to work around his rules to ensure he doesn't suspect she's a murderer but she's also kind of stupid and doesn't give his intelligence enough credit.

In the village Kate continues to confide in Louise who is far less trustful of the police than she used to be. She's still a good friend to Kate though. Kate is watching Slink for Alex and Slink rises to the occasion here. She's adorable and very loyal. Tara and Doug run the local inn. They're nice but a bit clueless. They don't ask questions unless their guests leave without paying their bills.

Arabella comes across as both sweet and vindictive at the same time. She marches to the beat of her own drummer enjoying yoga, money, drama and ignoring those she considers beneath her. I don't think she was such a bad person and certainly didn't deserve to be murdered. Did her ex-boyfriend, nephew of a mobster Stevie Lund kill her so she wouldn't be able to pocket the money from the sale of their former condo? Torrie Mayes, Arabella's assistant, is high-strung, angry and clearly jealous of Arabella's success. She's rude and snobby too and doesn't bother to treat Kate or anyone with any civility. She's more like Arabella than she realizes. Arabella brings along two bodyguards Chester and Sylvester Hibbert. Neither proves to be very efficient. Chester is the strong, silent type while Sylvester is more of a stooge. Both are basically hired muscle rather than protection. Gil Brayden, a low rung paparazzo is annoying, persistent and possibly a murderer but certainly not bright if he thinks he can claim he lives in the village in one of the cottages. Violet, Arabella's sister, is also a suspect. She arrives on the scene and is unwelcome. Violet has a good motive for wanting her sister out of the picture. Violet keeps riding around town acting suspicious. Did she kill Arabella?

Well, the documentary has come to a finish and Kate and Alex need to move on. I'm dying to read the last book but don't have time right now. Next week for sure!

[Linniegayl]

This was another enjoyable entry in the author's Murder on Location series. The Jane Austen documentary series is winding down, and Kate's left wondering what she will do in the future. Can her relationship with Alex (a fellow location scout) last if she moves back to the United States? To make matters worse, Alex is acting rather mysterious.

In this entry Kate has to handle a major -- tempermental -- star in addition to doing her usual location scouting work. I found the mystery intersting, with many potential suspects. I also liked what happens in relationship to Kate's future.

[Kimberly]

I think this is a series that might be better enjoyed if you spaced the books apart and got to revisit from time to time. But, my reading list is so long that I like to blast right through them once I start because who knows if I'll ever make it back around to this author again. I do like the books, the characters, the locations, and the mysteries. Kate is not quite TSTL (too stupid to live) but she came close in this one. Some of the things that they do that you know they absolutely shouldn't are so frustrating, but those are the things that push the plot forward. There is one more so I will finish it but then will need a change of pace to another type of reading for awhile. These are well-written and worth the read if you like cozy mysteries.

[Ashley Kelley]

Like the rest of the series, a sweet plot, but I must say Kate is making some pretty dumb moves and the plot is pretty tired at this point. Honestly I agree with Quimby that Kate's involvement with so many murders is a little unbelievable at best. Suspicious at worst. One, sure. Two, maybe. But at this point, realistically, so much press would be a death sentence for her career. I like the stories, but I think it might have been a better more believable trilogy rather than a series.

[writer...]

Anticipating Jane Austen intrigue in Sara Rosett's British series via an audio listen performed by Sarah Mollo-Christensen (Narrator)

[Linda Baker]

3.5 Stars rounded up. I thought the plot on this one was unnecessarily convoluted, and Kate made some pretty dumb moves, but I still enjoyed it.

[Polly]

I enjoyed this one, but, not as much as the others in the series.

[SOS]

This is the second book in this series that I've listened to in audio book format. It's another entry in the Murder on Location Series. It's just as charming as the first, and I enjoyed it just as much. This time around, we find Kate Sharp, location coordinator, working on a documentary that's meant to air when a new Jane Austen movie is released. The documentary brings a popular actress, star of the JA movie, and her entourage to Neverwoodsmore to film. It isn't long before Kate is onto another investigation of an untimely death. There are the requisite twists and turns, and it isn't until the very end that all the puzzle pieces fall into place.

These books are incredibly well presented and enjoyable. I could see Kate and all the other characters in my head as they're realistic in almost every way. The plot develops logically and keeps you reading or, in my case, listening. The narration was lovely, easy to follow, and easy to distinguish between the different characters. I did wonder if the narrator wound up with a sore throat after voicing some of the male characters. You couldn't prove by listening that those weren't men speaking the lines. All in all, it was a lovely listen, and it made the time fly by.

I received this audio book for free from the author. I appreciate her generosity; however, all opinions expressed in this review reflect my honest opinions formed while listening to this book.

[Jessica]

Wonderful, as usual!

[Elizabeth]

Mr. Evans, to no one in particular, said "Thou stony face reminds me of Anna R. Borden. Let's open some champaign!"

[Bobbi]

The best of the series so far! Really good cozy mystery, although Kate herself had a lot of ‘not so smart’ moments.

[Nikki]

Kate and Alex are back doing what they do best, on location with a Jane Austen documentary.

For some reason Kate has been requested to look after the star of the show, why she does not know. However, this star has had some problems with her ex so is demanding special treatment such as secrecy and bodyguards!

However, as usual there's a murder and Kate finds the body, she's involved and needs to find out who is the murderer.

I really enjoyed this book and it's well worth a read.

[Snow]

My review of “Death in an English Garden,” which is either Book 5 or Book 6 in the “Murder on Location” series. The previous story, a novella called “Menace at the Christmas Market” is listed as Book 4.5 nearly everywhere, so if you’ve previously read that, this is the next installment.

This books earns 4 stars - high entertainment value, some strange and new characters, the reappearance of Alex’s dog, Slink and some very interesting details about money laundering made this a solid book. Personally, I adore Slink and wish that Sara would create a fantastic series about Slink’s adventures in Nether Woodsmoor. (Ok, I’m half-joking. But really, Sara, if you’re reading this, everyone could use more Slink.)

Alex is MIA for the majority of the story. He’s on location elsewhere so Kate is constantly updating him about this crazy situation she finds herself in. Strange and new characters include a selfish actress, the actress’s dramatic assistant, the actress’s two beefy bodyguards, a slimy paparazzo, and the actress’s potentially shady sister. The plot was good and had great curves and swerves. Towards the end, I admit that it got a bit confusing, just so many people seemingly involved in multiple crimes. However, it was all settled by the end of the book and tied up in a bow.

Recommended for readers of Sara Rosette’s other series’, fans of Thriller-Lite, fans of Jane Austen, and anyone wanting to learn more about money laundering. Recommendation for learning how to launder money is for comedic purposes and not an actual recommendation for figuring out how to commit a crime.) I’m off to read book 6 (or 7 depending on where it’s listed) so be sure to come back in a day or so to get my review of the series finale.

[Susan]

This is shown as #5 in the Death on Location series, but the book lists itself as #6. Apparently that is because the novella Menace at the Christmas Market is now considered #5 instead of 4.5. This was a little bit of a departure from the previous books, since Alex is not there - Kate is taking care of his dog Slink. Kate is still working on the Jane Austen documentary, and the latest phase of it involves the "star" Arabella Emsley, who is very demanding. Kate is assigned to find another place for the actress to stay during the filming, since her entourage is too large to fit in the original plan - she insists on bringing along two bodyguards as well as her personal assistant. Later Arabella tells Kate that someone is trying to kill her, and shows her some threatening notes. What with her money-laundering ex-boyfriend and a scruffy paparazzi, who both show up, she may be right. Of course someone is trying to fix the blame on Kate when Arabella is killed, and she manages to get herself in more trouble trying to find out who really did it. It actually gets fairly complicated before the end. I felt there was a lot more to this book than in the previous ones, but that may just have been because of all the shady characters who have to be sorted out. A light easy read, all the same, and quite engrossing.

[Alison C]

Still working on the Jane Austen documentary, Kate Sharp is less than enthusiastic when she is assigned to look after Arabella Emsley, an actual movie star who is there to film an interview for the documentary about her role in a remake of “Emma,” because doing so means Kate has to run interference for anything the diva wants. But when Arabella turns up dead and, worse, Kate finds her body, she realizes that she has to put aside her distaste for the individual and concentrate on clearing her own name, especially since someone seems to be leaving clues designed to make the police suspect her of the crime…. This is the sixth story in the Murder on Location series (the fifth full-length book) and by now the reader is comfortable with Kate and her colleagues, even though in this one her boyfriend Alex is largely offstage. The settings are, as usual, sumptuous, and the mystery is fairly brisk; as a cozy, this series hits all the right spots. There’s no “oh, wow!” moment here, but it’s a very pleasant way to spend a few hours; recommended.

[Jacqueline]

I enjoyed reading Death in an English Garden like I have enjoyed the rest of the Murder on Location series. Kate is finishing up at a filming location, putting everything back exactly as it was, when Elsie, her boss, tells her to leave all that to her assistant and take on a new assignment. Kate is now a Talent Liason, ensuring the spoiled actress, Arabella, is happy and has everything she wants. Arabella will film scenes for Elsie's documentary about Jane Austen. But of course, things go wrong - Arabella confesses she's getting death threats. A Paparazzi climbs over a wall to get into the stately home where Arabella is staying. Arabella seems genuinely afraid of the boyfriend she broke up with. While filming, a heavy statute falls off the Parkview roof and nearly hits Arabella. All of this could mean someone wants to get rid of the actress. Or it could be a clever, but not deadly, publicity stunt. Kate simply wants everyone to be safe, though.
Then one morning, Kate finds Arabella dead in the garden. For a few seconds, it looks like an accident, but when live electrical wires are found nearby as well as pools of water on the stairs - it's no accident. Kate ends up being much more involved in the complicated case than she wanted to be.
Another excellent book in this series. The book ends with Alex proposing and he and Kate getting engaged. I started the next book in the series immediately after this one, because I had to see how Kate and Alex's wedding turned out.

[Thomas]

Kate has to find special accommodations for a rising movie star who is worried about her security.
When Kate discovers Arabella has died, her ex-husband, a paparazzi journalist, her assistant and two body guards are all suspects in Kate's book. When one of the suspects is attacked, another is warning her to keep quiet about something she saw, and evidence being planted against her. She has her hands full trying to prove her innocence to Inspector Quimby. Meanwhile Alex is at the site of another location and is unable to try and protect her from possible harm.
Sara Rosett writes with a flair of keeping her readers attention with plenty of details about the scenery and areas that they are in that makes it easy to visualize what is being discussed.

[Lalla]

This was an exciting read for this series. One of the most exciting and Kate was acting on her own throughout with Alex away on his own business but coming in at the end for an exciting climax. This story is filled with interesting characters and up to date cyber events mixed with the background of Jane Austen. I enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the garden setting. Familiar characters are present as well as a characters including a self involved celebrity, paparazzi, and other characters who add to the story. I don't want to say to much about the plot so as not to spoil it for readers.
There are interesting details for Austen fans about how money figures in Austen's books and was often the theme. I am looking forward to reading the final or at present the final book of this series.

[Maria]

I have mixed feelings about this installment in this series. I like the series better than another by the same author, mainly because the main character here has an ounce of common sense about cooperating with the police. At least until now. In this book, she goes the route of the silly, stupid heroine in the other series and destroys or hides evidence because the police are too stupid to figure out that maybe, just MAYBE, she's being framed. Sigh. This author clearly loves befuddled females, even though this one is smarter and stronger and used to have more sense. So I took off one star for that.

Outside of that, though, this was a pretty good story, with lots of characters and red herrings to analyze.

[Leslie]

Kate is back in Nether Woodsmoor and still working on the Jane Austen documentary. This time there is a famous actress filming some of the historical set pieces and also being interviewed for Austen in the contemporary world. Arabella, a celebrity who is frequently in the tabloids, shows up with two security guards and, possibly, a stalker. The strong security is to keep her safe from her ex-boyfriend. High maintenance becomes Kate's new task until she finds a body and another investigation ensues. Her investigating almost gets her killed, but her wits help save her. Surprises in her personal life will affect future books in this delightful contemporary British cozy mystery.

[Maria Thomas]

This is the 4th book in this series that I've read, although technically I listened because it was the audio version. This audio was well read I thought. The mystery itself had enough plausible red herrings that I couldn't be 100% sure who the guilty one was though I guessed partially correct in the end. Some of the decisions Kate made had me wanting to slap some sense into her but I guess it added to the intrigue.

It is a light, clean, cozy mystery and I enjoyed listening to it.

No sex or language
Violence: a murder, potential peril, physical attack - not graphic

[Marni]

My favorite so far! Kate finds another dead body. DCI Quimby tells her she is either incredibly unlucky or very inquisitive. She and Alex finally get engaged. It can’t be a spoiler because the next book is Death at an English wedding. I love that we are back in Netherwoodsmore for this story and that Beatrice Stone makes an appearance. When she tells them she wants them to have their wedding at Tate House and Alex is surprised that everyone already knows they are getting married, yes we all knew.

[Katherine]

This is not a series that is trying to break any molds, but it's a low anxiety, pass the time kind of book that I read at a moment when I needed that. I read all six books in the Murder on Location series in three days (so the review applies to all of them) and felt quietly happy that some murders were solved and that Kate and Alex get to have a happy life. The location scouting stuff was also pretty cool and something I knew nothing about.

[Carol]

Kate Sharp is whose job is location scout is asked/demanded to first find a house for a star that has been hired to add a little pizzazz to the Jane Austen documentary they have been filming and then watch over her while she is there filming. As Kate gets to know the star and her entourage she finds out the star is being threatened and then even more damning evidence starts to be revealed before a murder is committed.

[Homerun2]

I really enjoy this series about Kate, a movie location scout living in the English countryside. In this adventure, a visiting diva movie star causes problems on the set. When murder occurs, someone is trying to frame Kate.

I did think there were an awful lot of Too Stupid To Live moments in the plot, when Kate blithely decides to hide things from the local constabulary, but it's a minor quibble.

[Dan Boggess]

A Mystery As Elegant as an English Garden

Think this may be the best of the series. Clues left & right, settings and characters well delineated, conversations flowed naturally. Add in a fun little dog, a good love story and believable action what more could you want?
I've enjoyed my time with this series immensely.
Thank you, Ms Rosett!

[Holwanya]

Very enjoyable, well-plotted, quite interesting characters, and I care about the main ones and the local detective. Superb setting including the village, housing, geography and stately home. The plot is quite clever, but not obtuse. A really well-written cozy Anglophile mystery! This was the best I think of the series, thus far.

[Julie]

Meh. Maybe 2.5 stars. Characters were not well developed, mostly one dimensional. Plot was ok but lacked any humor. I think my biggest issue is that Kate is not an appealing main character and is unemotional. Also, it pisses me off when the lead in cozy books knowingly puts themselves in danger. I doubt I'll read another.