Murder In The Flower Beds

by Gillian Larkin

A Short Cozy Mystery

Getting involved in a murder investigation had never been part of Ray Rosenthorpe’s retirement plans. But here he was, on a Saturday morning in a garden centre, looking at a dead body in a shed.
A woman Ray knows is standing over the dead body with blood on her hands. She claims she had nothing to do with the murder, and asks Ray to help clear her name. Being the kind-hearted soul that he is, Ray agrees to help her.
With his best friend, Cain, at his side, the two are soon deep in their investigations.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Cozy, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook

45 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 14, 2016

About the author

I'm an avid fan of mystery stories. I started reading Agatha Christie novels at an early age. My favourite fiction detective is Poirot, I love his fussy ways and his attention to small details. I love the TV series, 'Murder She Wrote' and have watched every episode. I like working out who the killer is, and what the clues are.

I live near Leeds, Yorkshire, which is in the north of England. My two daughters live with me and they are understanding about my passion for mystery shows! I've now discovered 'Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'.

I've been wanting to write my own mystery stories for years - and now I finally have.

You can visit my website, and connect with me. To get a free pdf copy of 'A Different Shade of Death', sign up to my newsletter.

You can also follow me at my Amazon author page.

Reviews

[Krissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

**This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Boom**

Quick and cute and easy to follow. It wasn't a very complicated mystery which I appreciated. At first it seemed like the short story was going to be too heavy handed in the character department since everybody was introduced one after another pretty early on. But luckily I was able to catch up and keep everybody straight.

The narrator, Sheree Wichard, was decent. She did her best to put a lot of life into this short story. I would listen to her again.

Final Rating: 2.5

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder In The Flower Beds (A Ray And Cain Mystery Book 1) by Gillian Larkin is a good, clean cozy mystery by one of my favorite mystery writers. Always a joy to read one of her books. They are just the right length, depth, and interest for a pleasant read before bed and they never disappoint. This one is a good old fashion murder mystery involving a local celebrity. A fun read with twists.

[Sandra Nedopričljivica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good spin-off from Julia Blake's series. I like Cain and Ray since then. It's nice that author appreciated readers opinion to get some space for these two male characters. The plot was too simple, it's not hard to guess who did it, so further I expect more. Gillian's still my favourite cozy author so......

[Emmalynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty basic

This is an offset from the Julia series featuring Cain and her father Ray. Why do you have to make Cain so wimpy? Comeonnnnn anyway, gardening, a book,a murder and done

[Klara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, cute, cozy mystery. It's not bad, but it didn't captivate me very much. There's a lot happening, maybe a bit too much, but nothing stands out specifically. The writing is simple and easy, making it a quick read. However, even though it was quick, there were times when I had to force myself to keep reading. I did enjoy seeing Ray and Cain together more, and it was amusing how Ray found himself in a situation similar to his daughter's before. Despite not wanting to investigate, like Julia, he ended up uncovering the murderer. Ray is a ray of sunshine who sees the good in everyone and is willing to help and protect anyone.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far I've really, thoroughly enjoyed all of the books by Gllian Larkin that I've read. They are all very entertaining, light reads, with well-drawn characters, and skillful plotting. This is the first book in the Ray and Cain series and I'm assuming it was a spin-off from the Julia Blake series since Ray is Julia's dad. This time it is not Julia who stumbles upon a dead body, but Ray, who was always warning her not to get involved and to let the police do their jobs. Julia is quite enjoying not being in the hot seat for a change. I love this whole family. These short novels are like having a nice visit with good friends.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and fun cozy mystery! I have read many books by this author so I was familiar with the characters. I've enjoyed the way Ray has taken Cain under his wing so to speak. So this was a delightful story that involved the two of them. Looking forward to the next story to see what kind of escapades they can get into next!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book as I do all of Gillian Larkin's books. They are fun cozies, but have a really good story to them. I love her characters and the way they interact with each other. I can almost feel sorry for the murderer because she makes the murder seem justified.

[Cynthia Carlisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quaint mystery

A very short cozy mystery. I read it one sitting. It was funny, interesting, and entertaining. I would read more books by this author.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited, some get that way some freebie sites some her site/email, #2 & #3 by siging up at her website, some have bought other ways and come in different sets/collections, some collections/books are Julia Blake Murder Mysteries, Butterworth Mysteries, Storage Ghost Murder, Ghost Storage Mysteries,Second Hand Ghosts, Ruby and Nessa Ghost Hunters, A Pearl and Derek Mystery, A Ray and Cain Mystery, Cara Daniels, and others others. Every now and then something doesn't make sense, but might be reading out of order or could be difference from story to story, some detail or other.

Ray And Cain Mysteries - Box Set 1
Murder In The Flower Beds
The Missing Wife
A Clean Murder
The Final Scene

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny and entertaining. A different twist on the sleuths. Glad to see older sleuths in action.

[katsn52 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth the time to download

It's lucky I got this book for free, and that it was just a short story. I'll have to remember not to get this author again, the writing was so amateurish. The character Cain was so preposterous I figured he had to be written as comedy...but very bad comedy. Is there a zero-star rating?

[Corrine Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good light read!

Four stars for a really simplistic story, which is just what I was looking for today. I know I'll enjoy the next one at the right time, too.

[Marisa]

Amazon - 17/12/2016

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Ray and Cain mystery is great. A strong start to this series.

I love these characters, I love their double act, and I am so looking forward to more of their jaunts.

[Michael C. Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder in the Flower Beds

I really loved Murder in the Flower Beds. It was a very cozy mystery with some very heart warming lines running through it.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in the Flower Beds: A Ray and Cain Mystery, Book 1
: Gillian Larkin

This was a fun short cozy murder mystery. The characters were quirky yet mostly likable. I want to find out what their next adventure will be.




The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed by Sheree Wichard.


“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

[Ashley Hedden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder in the Flower Beds by Gillian Larkin was a good quick read. I enjoyed reading about Ray and Cain trying to clear the name of one of Ray's friends who was standing above a man who was murdered. This was a good read and I didn't expect who was the true murderer.

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was gifted this book with the understanding that I would leave an honest review. Sheree Wichard did a good job of narrating this short story. This book was okay but not great. I would listen to more books read by Sheree Wichard.

[Jenn Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apparently finding dead bodies runs in the family. Julia Blake's father and his friend are out and about when they happen to stumble on a dead body. This mystery was not only a quick read but it was suspenseful and entertaining as well. I probably could have finished it in one day but I reserved this book for reading while waiting to pick up my daughter from preschool. Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!