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Posie Parker Mystery #12
Murder in a Chelsea Garden
A GLAMOROUS PERFUME LAUNCH WHICH REEKS OF NOTHING BUT DEATH…
London, Midsummer, 1925
London is in bloom and the sun is shining. But trouble is lurking around the corner…
Posie Parker, London’s premier female Private Detective, has been summoned to Chelsea, to the House of Sinne, the fashionable London perfume house.
Anouk Sinne, the most brilliant perfumier of her age, has been receiving blackmail demands, and asks Posie to investigate, but is blackmail just the tip of the iceberg?
A launch party for the House of Sinne’s highly-anticipated new fragrance is just about to take place, and Posie finds herself rubbing shoulders with some very famous people, but after the ‘reveal’ of the strangest perfume Posie has ever experienced, things take a chilling turn for the worse…
When Anouk Sinne herself is found murdered in her own garden, Posie must investigate, and quickly. And what she uncovers are secrets everywhere, and motives galore.
And when the killer ingeniously kills for a second time, Posie realises that nothing at the House of Sinne is quite what is seems, and that, like perfume, glamour and fame are sometimes fake and always ephemeral.
Does the motive for these murders lie in the garden in Chelsea, or rather in the shadows and heartaches of the past?
And can Posie stop the killer before they strike again?
A totally gripping and glamorous 1920s historical cozy! Fans of Agatha Christie and Downton Abbey are in for a treat.
'Murder in a Chelsea Garden' is the twelfth book in the delightfully classic English Posie Parker Mystery Series, although the novel can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story in its own right. This is a clean read, with no graphic violence, sex, swearing or strong language. If you love an action-packed historical cozy crime with a feisty protagonist, download a sample or buy 'Murder in a Chelsea Garden' now.
˃˃˃ THE POSIE PARKER MYSTERY SERIES available exclusively on
'Murder Offstage' (Book #1)
'The Tomb of the Honey Bee' (Book #2)
'Murder at Maypole Manor' (Book #3)
'The Vanishing of Dr Winter' (Book #4)
'Murder of a Movie Star' (Book #5)
'Murder in Venice' (Book #6)
'The Saltwater Murder' (Book #7)
'Murder on the White Cliffs' (Book #8)
'Marriage is Murder?' (Book #9)
‘Murder in the London Lights’ (Book #10)
‘Murder in Tuscany’ (Book #11)
~more on the way!
To be the first to hear about L.B. Hathaway's new releases sign up for the newsletter.
London, Midsummer, 1925
London is in bloom and the sun is shining. But trouble is lurking around the corner…
Posie Parker, London’s premier female Private Detective, has been summoned to Chelsea, to the House of Sinne, the fashionable London perfume house.
Anouk Sinne, the most brilliant perfumier of her age, has been receiving blackmail demands, and asks Posie to investigate, but is blackmail just the tip of the iceberg?
A launch party for the House of Sinne’s highly-anticipated new fragrance is just about to take place, and Posie finds herself rubbing shoulders with some very famous people, but after the ‘reveal’ of the strangest perfume Posie has ever experienced, things take a chilling turn for the worse…
When Anouk Sinne herself is found murdered in her own garden, Posie must investigate, and quickly. And what she uncovers are secrets everywhere, and motives galore.
And when the killer ingeniously kills for a second time, Posie realises that nothing at the House of Sinne is quite what is seems, and that, like perfume, glamour and fame are sometimes fake and always ephemeral.
Does the motive for these murders lie in the garden in Chelsea, or rather in the shadows and heartaches of the past?
And can Posie stop the killer before they strike again?
A totally gripping and glamorous 1920s historical cozy! Fans of Agatha Christie and Downton Abbey are in for a treat.
'Murder in a Chelsea Garden' is the twelfth book in the delightfully classic English Posie Parker Mystery Series, although the novel can be enjoyed as a stand-alone story in its own right. This is a clean read, with no graphic violence, sex, swearing or strong language. If you love an action-packed historical cozy crime with a feisty protagonist, download a sample or buy 'Murder in a Chelsea Garden' now.
˃˃˃ THE POSIE PARKER MYSTERY SERIES available exclusively on
'Murder Offstage' (Book #1)
'The Tomb of the Honey Bee' (Book #2)
'Murder at Maypole Manor' (Book #3)
'The Vanishing of Dr Winter' (Book #4)
'Murder of a Movie Star' (Book #5)
'Murder in Venice' (Book #6)
'The Saltwater Murder' (Book #7)
'Murder on the White Cliffs' (Book #8)
'Marriage is Murder?' (Book #9)
‘Murder in the London Lights’ (Book #10)
‘Murder in Tuscany’ (Book #11)
~more on the way!
To be the first to hear about L.B. Hathaway's new releases sign up for the newsletter.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2021
172 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
L.B. Hathaway
29 books334 followersCambridge-educated, British-born L.B. Hathaway writes historical fiction. She worked as a lawyer at Lincoln’s Inn in London for almost a decade before becoming a full-time writer. She brings her love of detective novels set in the Golden Age of Crime and an obsession with English history to her own writing.
The Posie Parker series of cosy crime novels span the 1920s. They each combine a core central mystery, an exploration of the reckless glamour of the age and a feisty protagonist who you would love to have as your best friend.
Her other interests, in no particular order, are: very fast downhill skiing, theatre-going, drinking strong tea, Tudor history, exploring castles and generally trying to cram as much into life as possible.
The Posie Parker series of cosy crime novels span the 1920s. They each combine a core central mystery, an exploration of the reckless glamour of the age and a feisty protagonist who you would love to have as your best friend.
Her other interests, in no particular order, are: very fast downhill skiing, theatre-going, drinking strong tea, Tudor history, exploring castles and generally trying to cram as much into life as possible.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
November 22, 2021
A good mystery but not my favorite in the series. I disliked the ending with the reappearance of an old foe. And I feel that it wasn’t necessary to make Richard as thick headed as he was in this case.
February 22, 2024
Posie Parker is London's premier female Private Detective and not a Honourable Lady as in so many of the 20's set mysteries. I have loved this historical mystery series from the beginning and love various characters that are associated with Posy.
This was an interesting mystery about a perfumier who has been receiving blackmail threats prior to a big reveal of her new perfume so has called in Posie.
I like that Posie keeps things close to her chest, it does give us a chance to pick up on clues and I certainly fell for a couple of red herrings along the way! I also enjoy the author's Historical Notes.
A five star read because I love this series, familiar and conforting.
This was an interesting mystery about a perfumier who has been receiving blackmail threats prior to a big reveal of her new perfume so has called in Posie.
I like that Posie keeps things close to her chest, it does give us a chance to pick up on clues and I certainly fell for a couple of red herrings along the way! I also enjoy the author's Historical Notes.
A five star read because I love this series, familiar and conforting.
February 5, 2023
it’s been 12 books of this fucking archnemesis count caspian delarosa bullshit and the next book will finally put an end to that? i can’t fucking wait.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2023
There are so many “cosy mystery” series, especially this side of the pond, that I couldn't know which one are decent enough for fussy people like me and which ones are mostly for old ladies and young, blonde hairdressers. Most of them being self-published or published by companies that only have a handful of authors, you'll agree that trusting an unknown author isn't an easy task.
Fortunately (and serendipitously!), while I was hunting for something else on Amazon, I was suggested a Kindle excerpt of the 12th instalment in the Posie Parker series, and it captured me. I usually don't start with #12 in a series of 15, but it happened this time.
I have to say, it was a greatly pleasant surprise! Even if, in my opinion, today's plethora of detective fiction is generally lower in quality than the creations of the “Golden Age” of the genre, from Anthony Berkeley Cox to Patricia Wentworth, I try to keep my expectations realistic, and to remember that even Agatha Christie's works were sometimes questionable from a logical or a plausibility standpoint.
Now, this text isn't without flaws; some of the unknowns could be guessed as one approaches the end; and the dénouement seemed too verbose to me. What matters, though, is that I found the text enjoyable, and little else weighs much when reading fiction.
Why, of course, it's rather too convenient to have a husband that's Chief Constable. And I don't find it likely, even in 1925 and even when you live near the British Museum, to walk home alone at 11:30 pm, as a woman. But we can indulge the author, for her sins are not severe.
I'm told that Mr Minks is a constant presence (or absence!) in this series, but I found it touching to read this snippet here:
A final set of observations, first laudatory, then critical. The historical notes at the end are highly welcome; I always thought such notes are much needed, yet very few authors bother to educate the reader.
And yet, she bungled something. The “late flight to Paris” from Croydon couldn't have existed back in 1925. You see, commercial flights in the 1920s and 1930s were primarily operated under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC), which meant that pilots needed to maintain visual contact with the ground and surrounding terrain to fly safely. At the time, airports did not have the sophisticated lighting systems that we have today, which made night flying more difficult and dangerous. As a result, commercial flights typically did not operate at night, except in emergency situations or in other rare cases. Croydon was indeed the first airport to operate scheduled night flights in the late 1920s, but only for mail, not for people! It wasn't until the 1930s that scheduled night flights became more common for commercial passenger travel. At the other end, Paris Le Bourget began offering night flights only in the 1930s, with Air France starting the first regular scheduled night flights in 1933. So I reckon that no scheduled flight could have left Croydon for Le Bourget in 1925 past 6 pm, or maybe 6:30 pm during the summer. (The average flying speed at the time was of about 100 mph or not much more, say under 140 mph.)
LATE EDIT/CORRECTION: It looks like the Air Mail flights (Imperial Airways) from Croydon to Paris were also carrying passengers in the late 1920s. Probably not yet in 1925, though, but who knows?
The ending left us with a mystery to be solved (or not?) in the next novel. Is it a habit in this series? I'll have to read more to find out.
4.5 stars.
Fortunately (and serendipitously!), while I was hunting for something else on Amazon, I was suggested a Kindle excerpt of the 12th instalment in the Posie Parker series, and it captured me. I usually don't start with #12 in a series of 15, but it happened this time.
I have to say, it was a greatly pleasant surprise! Even if, in my opinion, today's plethora of detective fiction is generally lower in quality than the creations of the “Golden Age” of the genre, from Anthony Berkeley Cox to Patricia Wentworth, I try to keep my expectations realistic, and to remember that even Agatha Christie's works were sometimes questionable from a logical or a plausibility standpoint.
Now, this text isn't without flaws; some of the unknowns could be guessed as one approaches the end; and the dénouement seemed too verbose to me. What matters, though, is that I found the text enjoyable, and little else weighs much when reading fiction.
Why, of course, it's rather too convenient to have a husband that's Chief Constable. And I don't find it likely, even in 1925 and even when you live near the British Museum, to walk home alone at 11:30 pm, as a woman. But we can indulge the author, for her sins are not severe.
I'm told that Mr Minks is a constant presence (or absence!) in this series, but I found it touching to read this snippet here:
Posie stood briefly at the kitchen window and fingered the old red velvet curtains she’d hung there almost five years ago, when she’d been accompanied on this crazy little London venture by no-one at all, only her father’s old Siamese cat, Mr Minks. She’d installed these curtains specially for him; this office had become his playground, his domain, and he’d run up and down the velvet drapes here merrily, even though he was quite an old cat, swinging from them with abandon.As someone who recently lost an irreplaceable cat, I have the feeling that the author herself has lost one, and that Mr Minks was a real cat, years ago. Unless it happened to you, one cannot know how upsetting it really is.
Posie looked out into the darkness, remembering the time, three years back, when Mr Minks had vanished. Stepped out of his life, into the darkness of eternity.
The last link to her life with her father in Norfolk, gone.
She’d been more upset than she’d thought possible.
Cats.
She wouldn’t have another. She’d decided there and then. It was too upsetting when they died.
A final set of observations, first laudatory, then critical. The historical notes at the end are highly welcome; I always thought such notes are much needed, yet very few authors bother to educate the reader.
And yet, she bungled something. The “late flight to Paris” from Croydon couldn't have existed back in 1925. You see, commercial flights in the 1920s and 1930s were primarily operated under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC), which meant that pilots needed to maintain visual contact with the ground and surrounding terrain to fly safely. At the time, airports did not have the sophisticated lighting systems that we have today, which made night flying more difficult and dangerous. As a result, commercial flights typically did not operate at night, except in emergency situations or in other rare cases. Croydon was indeed the first airport to operate scheduled night flights in the late 1920s, but only for mail, not for people! It wasn't until the 1930s that scheduled night flights became more common for commercial passenger travel. At the other end, Paris Le Bourget began offering night flights only in the 1930s, with Air France starting the first regular scheduled night flights in 1933. So I reckon that no scheduled flight could have left Croydon for Le Bourget in 1925 past 6 pm, or maybe 6:30 pm during the summer. (The average flying speed at the time was of about 100 mph or not much more, say under 140 mph.)
LATE EDIT/CORRECTION: It looks like the Air Mail flights (Imperial Airways) from Croydon to Paris were also carrying passengers in the late 1920s. Probably not yet in 1925, though, but who knows?
The ending left us with a mystery to be solved (or not?) in the next novel. Is it a habit in this series? I'll have to read more to find out.
4.5 stars.
January 22, 2023
Convoluted and unbelievable, even for fiction
One of the things that makes mysteries enjoyable for the reader is the chance to piece the clues together as the story unfolds and try to get to the solution before the author explains it all. In this story, like others in the series, that is not possible. Miss Parker is always “jotting a note to” someone—which has a vital clue we are not privy to. That, added to the fact that the mystery itself was ridiculously (and unnecessarily ) convoluted, made this book a disappointment for me.
Also, it is completely absurd for Miss Parker to be telling the individuals at Scotland Yard what to do—as if they are her own employees. Her husband, the Inspector, has been emasculated and made completely irrelevant, pretty much spending the majority of this story chain-smoking, as he did the last story.
It would be great if as much attention was paid to developing the characters as was paid to creating a “clever” plot.
One of the things that makes mysteries enjoyable for the reader is the chance to piece the clues together as the story unfolds and try to get to the solution before the author explains it all. In this story, like others in the series, that is not possible. Miss Parker is always “jotting a note to” someone—which has a vital clue we are not privy to. That, added to the fact that the mystery itself was ridiculously (and unnecessarily ) convoluted, made this book a disappointment for me.
Also, it is completely absurd for Miss Parker to be telling the individuals at Scotland Yard what to do—as if they are her own employees. Her husband, the Inspector, has been emasculated and made completely irrelevant, pretty much spending the majority of this story chain-smoking, as he did the last story.
It would be great if as much attention was paid to developing the characters as was paid to creating a “clever” plot.
January 18, 2024
Me and Posie Parker have had some up and downs.
I liked the start but then I feel a bit excluded, Posie makes notes and direct Scotland Yard to do things sort of off page and I don’t get to see the clues.
The author tries to be a bit floral at times and it feels off every time. We’ve been told that it’s a hot summers day, having an ice Popsicle for lunch is needed and then someone falls “on the cold, cold floor.”
Was the series always this dark and depressing? Dolly is drunk and sad and is there a single joke in this book? Been awhile since I read this series but there were jokes in it at the start?
And then the ending…
2,5 stars but round up
I liked the start but then I feel a bit excluded, Posie makes notes and direct Scotland Yard to do things sort of off page and I don’t get to see the clues.
The author tries to be a bit floral at times and it feels off every time. We’ve been told that it’s a hot summers day, having an ice Popsicle for lunch is needed and then someone falls “on the cold, cold floor.”
Was the series always this dark and depressing? Dolly is drunk and sad and is there a single joke in this book? Been awhile since I read this series but there were jokes in it at the start?
And then the ending…
2,5 stars but round up
January 23, 2022
3.5 stars, actually. I liked the complexity of the mystery, but I'm starting to feel like Posie not believing in coincidences is just an easy out for the author to do whatever she feels like with little regard to how plausible certain events are. Or how cheesy. Additionally, I really don't think this nemesis business should be forced. I know the next story is practically built on it, but I'm sure there could have been several other reasons for Dolly to leave? And what about her health that has been failing for the last 3 or 4 books?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2022
awesome mystery with a great twists at the end
I first thought there were too many extraneous characters and i was frustrated, once again, to have to keep them sorted but, as usual, the solving of the mystery was played close to the chest and Posie solvea it all involving every last character and then resurrecting past characters that affect Posie very personally. Truly one of the best in the season and a cliff-hanger to the next one!
I first thought there were too many extraneous characters and i was frustrated, once again, to have to keep them sorted but, as usual, the solving of the mystery was played close to the chest and Posie solvea it all involving every last character and then resurrecting past characters that affect Posie very personally. Truly one of the best in the season and a cliff-hanger to the next one!
January 17, 2023
I missed these books after setting my kindle aside for a long while, but was disappointed in the quality of this one. At first, I was confused as I expected a pregnant Posie. I also needed to stretch at Richard’s almost incompetence, and his so modern way of allowing Posie to solve it all for Scotland Yard rather than as an assist. Would those detectives jump at her requests like they did? I’m not so sure. I have the next one. Maybe #13 will be lucky.
March 12, 2024
I’m fascinated by this audiobook series, and Chelsea Garden is another humdinger! Exceptionally well written with details that define the setting, the distinctive characters and the twisty mystery so well. The interactions and situations involving the ongoing characters are never dull. The thread of creepiness adds interest and tension. The excellent performance of the narrator is a perfect match for the story. Choose the version of this book!
October 16, 2021
One of the best yet
There is a caveat to that however. I simply cannot believe that someone as high as the Chief Commissioner of police would be either so thick or so blind. It really wasn't necessary to make him so just to make Posie solve the case. That was badly done in an otherwise really good story.
There is a caveat to that however. I simply cannot believe that someone as high as the Chief Commissioner of police would be either so thick or so blind. It really wasn't necessary to make him so just to make Posie solve the case. That was badly done in an otherwise really good story.
October 28, 2021
Wow, another great read from LB Hathaway. I adore reading about Posie, she is fearless and has a knack of uncovering the truth, her stoic husband, Richard of the yard is also a good character who clearly loves his wife. Can't wait to read the next installment in Paris I guess to find Dolly and avoid the Count Della Rosa!
December 30, 2021
Love this series
Posie is hired by a renowned maker of perfume to find out who is sending her blackmail notes but before Posie can begin the women is murdered. So starts a most compelling story of deceit, lies and murder. With an array of suspects, Posie and her Police Commissioner husband have their hands full funding the murderer and solving a most devious case.
Posie is hired by a renowned maker of perfume to find out who is sending her blackmail notes but before Posie can begin the women is murdered. So starts a most compelling story of deceit, lies and murder. With an array of suspects, Posie and her Police Commissioner husband have their hands full funding the murderer and solving a most devious case.
May 15, 2022
Nosy Posie does it again
Amazingly convoluted murder with long lost children; conspicuous consumption; and countesses. I’ll not give away the plot so read it yourselves, after you read the first 11 Posie Parker adventurous mysteries, each one better than the last. You’re welcome.
Amazingly convoluted murder with long lost children; conspicuous consumption; and countesses. I’ll not give away the plot so read it yourselves, after you read the first 11 Posie Parker adventurous mysteries, each one better than the last. You’re welcome.
March 13, 2025
Posie, Posie, Posie, why is she so much more cleverer than her husband, the chief of Scotland yard? Why would the author do it this way? Why couldn't it be that Richard Lovelace is just as smart as Posie and that they are equals in solving mysteries?
And now the old foe is coming back. why couldn't he just die? isn't' there more foe out there than this old one? Seriously!!!
And now the old foe is coming back. why couldn't he just die? isn't' there more foe out there than this old one? Seriously!!!
November 30, 2021
Loose does it again
It is such an enjoyable mystery and leaves me WA tiny more . The descriptions of the characters are so complete...I could imagine them all. please send Posts on her next trip soon!
It is such an enjoyable mystery and leaves me WA tiny more . The descriptions of the characters are so complete...I could imagine them all. please send Posts on her next trip soon!
December 2, 2021
Something is Rotten in Chelsea
Great book with some very strange and scary characters. Poor Posie, what a mess she gets into this time. I do hope all will be well with Dolly. There have been signs along the way in the books.
Great book with some very strange and scary characters. Poor Posie, what a mess she gets into this time. I do hope all will be well with Dolly. There have been signs along the way in the books.
December 13, 2021
In my opinion this is my favorite
I have the entire series of Posters Parker's books. This is by far my favorite. It was a page turner for me and I could not put it down.
I would definitely recommend this one and will continue to read/buy more Posie Parker's boob series.
I have the entire series of Posters Parker's books. This is by far my favorite. It was a page turner for me and I could not put it down.
I would definitely recommend this one and will continue to read/buy more Posie Parker's boob series.
December 27, 2021
It's crazy to me how L.B. Hathaway can still make this series so exciting and fresh, 12 books into the series! New adversaries, old adversaries, Posie is always right in the thick of everything!
I was literally on the edge of my seat!
Highly recommend!!
I was literally on the edge of my seat!
Highly recommend!!
January 16, 2022
I love the Parker Posie books and this was one of the best. Lots of twists and turns and intriguing characters. However, I don't understand who the two women are in the prologue. Is anyone else confused about that?
February 12, 2022
Murder in a Chelsea Garden delivers on everything a cozy mystery should, charming characters, interesting setting, and a plot that is just challenging enough to also be fun. As with all the books in the Posie Parker series, I had a lovely time.
January 18, 2023
great mystery
Starts with a rather lovely house party that will include the revealing of a new perfume by a master perfumer. A very complicated and interesting mystery ensues. Fascinating characters.
Starts with a rather lovely house party that will include the revealing of a new perfume by a master perfumer. A very complicated and interesting mystery ensues. Fascinating characters.
August 17, 2023
A great book, very suspenceful. kept me guessing until the very end. lots of information about the making of perfume, and the gathering of the ingredients needed to poduce tjhe best ones.
Hard to put down.
Hard to put down.
September 26, 2023
Hmm. Time to stop reading these. The series started out madcap fun but has gotten way less fun. I used to enjoy Richard's support but now he seems reduced to a bumbling lapdog while Posie runs the show on her own. The mystery was grim. Dolly's a mess. This one just felt a bit depressing.
November 18, 2024
Much too much of the “reveal all the evidence at the end.” Also, maybe it’s the author’s own latent desires, but every single book it’s “omg the most handsome man she ever saw,” which makes one wonder about the fictional stock of increasingly unearthly handsome men in this book series…
February 12, 2025
3.5-4 stars. I enjoyed this book but I must admit that there was a good chunk of it in the middle that didn’t hold my attention at all. However the last part picked up so quickly and became really good again. Great ending and set up for the next book in this series.
March 1, 2025
Lukijana Clare Wille.
Kirjassa oli todella monimutkaiset juonikuviot kaiken taustalla. Posie järkeili kaiken ja lopussa oli poirotin tyyliin suuri syyllisen paljastus. Ja syyllistä en tietenkään arvannut. Pidin tästä, vaikka hieman synkeä olikin.
Kirjassa oli todella monimutkaiset juonikuviot kaiken taustalla. Posie järkeili kaiken ja lopussa oli poirotin tyyliin suuri syyllisen paljastus. Ja syyllistä en tietenkään arvannut. Pidin tästä, vaikka hieman synkeä olikin.
October 17, 2021
Another hit!
Complicated as a Christie mystery, colorful characters with in-depth personality are a continuing feature of this series. One of my favorite series.
Complicated as a Christie mystery, colorful characters with in-depth personality are a continuing feature of this series. One of my favorite series.
October 23, 2021
The best one yet. The series just keeps getting better and better. Can’t wait for the next installment!
November 16, 2021
Great story with lots of twists and turns and blind alleys. Well drawn characters and atmosphere. Can’t wait for the next one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews