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ahlroos99's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Riktig mysdeckare som var svår att sluta lyssna på!
hermoine7's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
linneaandspybat's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
laurenalice4's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
corita's review against another edition
4.0
“An English Garden Murder” is the first book in Katie Gayle’s “Julia Bird Mystery” series. If you like cozy mysteries, this one has lots of twists and turns and a town populated with colorful characters.
Some cozy mysteries are easy to figure out. This one will keep you guessing as you put the clues together. There are enough clues to figure things out and enough twists to surprise a reader.
Julia Bird, recently divorced and retired from a career in social services, moves to a charming cottage in the Cotswolds. With extra time on her hands, she turns her energy to adding a chicken coop and chickens to her property. When the builders discover a body in her yard, work stops and life gets interesting.
To fill her time and her curiosity, she begins her own investigation, which leads her and the reader on a merry chase. Along the way, she makes some friends, annoys a few people, adopts an energetic Labrador puppy named Jake, and gives Miss Marple some competition.
Overall, this was a fun read with a challenging crime puzzle to solve. Every cozy mystery needs some eccentric odd balls, a charming man, and a complex set of clues. This book has them all. Plus, the setting is spectacular: a river, a cozy cottage, a garden, a handsome doctor, and, of course, a body buried in the backyard.
Julia is trying to deal with the loneliness that follows a divorce, a new town, and nothing much to do. Her social worker skills and contacts come in handy as she tries her hand at solving a twenty-year-old mystery.
Sometimes she’s a little pushy, but she has a good heart and a mischievous dog to keep her humble.
I mostly enjoyed this book. I wanted more depth to some characters, especially her one long-time friend, who only occasionally entered the story. Some characters felt like caricatures (perhaps for humor?); however, I assume future books will address this.
There are some digressions and seemingly inconsequential meandering in the prose, but they aren’t too lengthy.
This book is a great start for a cozy mystery series, and I look forward to the next book. If you like cozy mysteries, I recommend this one.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC book.
Some cozy mysteries are easy to figure out. This one will keep you guessing as you put the clues together. There are enough clues to figure things out and enough twists to surprise a reader.
Julia Bird, recently divorced and retired from a career in social services, moves to a charming cottage in the Cotswolds. With extra time on her hands, she turns her energy to adding a chicken coop and chickens to her property. When the builders discover a body in her yard, work stops and life gets interesting.
To fill her time and her curiosity, she begins her own investigation, which leads her and the reader on a merry chase. Along the way, she makes some friends, annoys a few people, adopts an energetic Labrador puppy named Jake, and gives Miss Marple some competition.
Overall, this was a fun read with a challenging crime puzzle to solve. Every cozy mystery needs some eccentric odd balls, a charming man, and a complex set of clues. This book has them all. Plus, the setting is spectacular: a river, a cozy cottage, a garden, a handsome doctor, and, of course, a body buried in the backyard.
Julia is trying to deal with the loneliness that follows a divorce, a new town, and nothing much to do. Her social worker skills and contacts come in handy as she tries her hand at solving a twenty-year-old mystery.
Sometimes she’s a little pushy, but she has a good heart and a mischievous dog to keep her humble.
I mostly enjoyed this book. I wanted more depth to some characters, especially her one long-time friend, who only occasionally entered the story. Some characters felt like caricatures (perhaps for humor?); however, I assume future books will address this.
There are some digressions and seemingly inconsequential meandering in the prose, but they aren’t too lengthy.
This book is a great start for a cozy mystery series, and I look forward to the next book. If you like cozy mysteries, I recommend this one.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC book.
booklovingmom_'s review against another edition
5.0
I received a copy of An English Garden Murder through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle is the first mystery in the new Julia Bird Mystery series. Julia Bird, a retired social worker, has just moved to the Cotswolds after a divorce and is making herself at home in her newly purchased country cottage. When she starts working on making the backyard her own, she stumbles upon a body buried in her back yard. After the discovery of the body, Julia starts to investigate on her own and ends up stumbling upon another body, or two.
I really enjoyed An English Garden Murder and found this to be a great read. I intrigued by the Cotswolds setting, pulled in by the inviting and interesting characters and my attention was held by the mystery. The mystery kept me guessing until the end in who the murderer was, twisting and turning with many false leads along the way. I had a good time reading this first mystery in a hopefully long series and look forward to seeing what comes next for Julia Bird. I would definitely recommend this to cozy mystery fans!
An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle is the first mystery in the new Julia Bird Mystery series. Julia Bird, a retired social worker, has just moved to the Cotswolds after a divorce and is making herself at home in her newly purchased country cottage. When she starts working on making the backyard her own, she stumbles upon a body buried in her back yard. After the discovery of the body, Julia starts to investigate on her own and ends up stumbling upon another body, or two.
I really enjoyed An English Garden Murder and found this to be a great read. I intrigued by the Cotswolds setting, pulled in by the inviting and interesting characters and my attention was held by the mystery. The mystery kept me guessing until the end in who the murderer was, twisting and turning with many false leads along the way. I had a good time reading this first mystery in a hopefully long series and look forward to seeing what comes next for Julia Bird. I would definitely recommend this to cozy mystery fans!
bieneina's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was an entertaining start to a new English cozy mystery. Julia Bird, divorced, retired, and recently of London, moves into a picturesque Cotswolds cottage to start the next phase in her life. When a body is discovered under her shed, things get complicated...
I enjoyed this one a lot. The setting was quaint. The characters are likable. It had a cute dog. The mystery was well plotted and kept me guessing. A fun read from start to finish. I can't wait to see what this author has in store for these characters in the next book!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
This was an entertaining start to a new English cozy mystery. Julia Bird, divorced, retired, and recently of London, moves into a picturesque Cotswolds cottage to start the next phase in her life. When a body is discovered under her shed, things get complicated...
I enjoyed this one a lot. The setting was quaint. The characters are likable. It had a cute dog. The mystery was well plotted and kept me guessing. A fun read from start to finish. I can't wait to see what this author has in store for these characters in the next book!
**ARC Via NetGalley**