The Tree of Death

Rosemary & Thyme Mystery

by Brian Eastman

When the body of a man is discovered, the village of Baffington is thrown into chaos, reigniting old rivalries, family difficulties and unacknowledged passions. Even the local vicar appears to have motives - but, for Laura and Rosemary, almost everyone in Baffington is a suspect.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

288 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2005

Reviews

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to have a mystery centring around gardening and trees. Also to have two reasonably intelligent female amateur detectives, running a business.

This is a basic village mystery and I would say the author took about a week to write the book. There is a TV series.

[Cidney · Rating 2 out of 5]

After picking this book up I discovered it was written by the writer of the Rosemary and Thyme mysteries. Oh dear. I've only watched one episode of the series and didn't make it to the end. So this isn't looking good for the book then. It was very slow paced and I wanted to propel it forward, I can't say that I liked either Rosemary or Laura that much, they're a bit wishy washy.

The story revolved around Laura's cousin Keith turning into a vicar of a small village, or one of several rural villages, called Baffington. They haven't been there a night (or maybe two, I've quite forgotten now) when an unpleasant villager is found dead, shot through the heart in the churchyard with a crossbow. I felt a Midsomer Murders episode coming on. Which would've been preferable. The villagers have been practising because they have a medieval fete coming up. It never really picked up the pace and I can't believe I identified the murderer that soon in any book. Sadly to say I won't be reading any more of these books, and I'm glad I didn't manage to watch an entire episode of the series!

[Lillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous. I found most of the characters unlikable. Even Rosemary and Laura were a bit grating on the nerves. Rosemary's decision to overlook being held against her will just because she found the cretin attractive didn't ring true to her character. Instead she chose to get her revenge by getting him fired. Both Laura and Rosemary seemed a bit man crazy. Although I already knew who the murderer was and the major plot points of the story, the novel didn't hold any interesting back stories or details not included in the tv program. It was all rather dry.

[Tory · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cosy mystery based on the British show "Rosemary & Thyme," which is similar to author/producer Eastman's other shows "Jeeves" and "Poirot." This novel, the second in the series, is similar to the first in that the characters and their motivations are fleshed out in more detail. The plot is little more complicated than the plot of the first novel but still an enjoyable read.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Rosemary and Thyme, so when I saw this title (without the Rosemary and Thyme reference), I remembered the episode and was sucked in completely. The fact that it had so much more detail made it thoroughly enjoyable for me.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second in the series of cozy mysteries set in Britain.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this because I love the show.

[John Barclay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not as much fun as the first of the series. I loved the TV show, but this seemed more like a Midsomer Murders than R&T. Still kind of fun and cozy mystery stuff, but not really the flower/garden things that I liked. Also, there was less of the interactions between the two of them. Still, I like the setting and the plot (while a bit crazy) was fun and creative.

[Almeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

These ladies have more gardening strength than a bulldozer and a backhoe! My muscles ache just reading about their churchyard renovation.

They never set out to solve a crime, but their nosy and caring nature accomplishes the task anyway.

Easy cozy read.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable crime novel with lots of twists and turn and a really satisfying ending. It's definitely going on my lists of books to re-read!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow but I think it is the perfect audio book to listen to during my commute.