An English Garden Murder by Katie Gayle

An English Garden Murder
by Katie Gayle

ISBN-13: 9781803140667
ebook: 264 pages
Publisher: Bookouture
Released: May 5th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Recently divorced and reluctantly retired, Julia Bird has fled London to enjoy idyllic rural life in the Cotswolds. Determined to have the perfect English garden, her first job is to tear down the old shed, where she unearths much more than she’d bargained for… A body, apparently buried for decades. But who could it be, and who killed them? The police draw a blank, and even the gossip-fest that is the local bookclub can’t remember anyone going missing in the village.

Unable to get on with her garden until the mystery is resolved, Julia decides to conduct her own investigations. So, together with her wayward chocolate Labrador puppy Jake, Julia begins a whirlwind tour of the local residents. And everyone, it seems, has something to hide in this village. As she gets closer to the truth, Julia uncovers something even more shocking… Another body, this time of someone she actually knows.


My Review:
An English Garden Murder is a cozy mystery. It's a clue-based mystery, and I correctly guessed whodunit shortly before Julia. She listened to the village gossip and used her skills learned as a social worker to track down information about the identity of the old murder victim. She made friends with the detective on the case and combined what they knew to come up with theories. The detective immediately pointed out the flaws in some of her ideas and looked into others. They made a good team with the unique information that each could gather. Whodunit was guessable but not immediately obvious.

I loved the heroine. There's an underlying humor to how the author portrayed her foibles and thoughts. Julia's a nice, intelligent person. She adopted a "bad boy!" puppy and liked to think about what a good boy he was when given a firm hand...oops! Off after a bird! Well, a very good boy when he's not being a bad boy. Charming puppy. There was some bad language (though much of it was British bad language). There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this delightful mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

When the Meadow Blooms by Ann H. Gabhart

When the Meadow Blooms
by Ann H. Gabhart

ISBN-13: 9780800737221
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Revell
Released: May 1st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from NetGalley:
If any place on God's earth was designed to help one heal, it is Meadowland. Surely here, at her brother-in-law's Kentucky farm, Rose and her daughters can recover from the events of the recent past--the loss of her husband during the 1918 influenza epidemic, her struggle with tuberculosis that required a stay at a sanatorium, and her girls' experience in an orphanage during her illness. At Meadowland, hope blooms as their past troubles become rich soil in which their faith can grow.

Dirk Meadows may have opened his home to his late brother's widow and her girls, but he keeps his heart tightly closed. The roots of his pain run deep, and the evidence of it is written across his face. Badly scarred by a fire and abandoned by the woman he loved, Dirk fiercely guards his heart from being hurt again. But it may be that his visitors will bring light back into his world and unlock the secret to true healing.


My Review:
When the Meadow Blooms is a Christian historical set in 1925 in Kentucky. Rose was told by her husband that his brother wanted to be left alone, so she's tried to manage being widowed and having tuberculosis by putting her daughters in an orphanage. It was only meant to be for a month or two while she recovered at a sanatorium, but years have past. She's started to suspect that her daughters are being abused, but her doctor doesn't want to release her unless she has someplace to continue to heal. In desperation, she asks her brother-in-law to help. To her surprise, he's willing to bring her family to Meadowland.

The first half of the story was suspenseful as the adults tried to work out how to retrieve the children from the abusive orphanage. We see events from the point of view of Rose, Dirk, and the children. Historical details were woven into the story which helped bring the story alive in my imagination. The characters were complex and grew as people as they faced the present difficulties and past events. There was some romance between Rose and Dirk as they spent time together. But Dirk had to heal from the past first, so much of the second half focused on what had happened to the girl he had intended to marry.

The children prayed to God for help and saw those prayers answered. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable historical.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Death in a Blackout by Jessica Ellicott

Death in a Blackout
by Jessica Ellicott

ISBN-13: 9781448306527
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Severn House
Released: May 3rd 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
1940. Britain is at war. Rector's daughter Wilhelmina Harkness longs to do her duty for her country, but when her strict mother forbids her to enlist, their bitter argument has devasting consequences. Unwilling to stay in the village she loves, Wilhelmina - reinventing herself as Billie - accepts a cousin's offer to come for a visit to the British coastal city of Hull.

The last thing Billie expects on her first evening in Hull, however, is to be caught in the city's first air raid - or to stumble across the body of a young woman, suspiciously untouched by debris. If the air raid didn't kill the glamorous stranger, what did? Billie is determined to get justice, and her persistence earns her an invitation to the newly formed Women's Police Constabulary. But as the case unfolds, putting her at odds with both high-ranking members of the force as well as the victim's powerful family, Billie begins to wonder if she can trust her new friends and colleagues or if someone amongst them is working for the enemy.


My Review:
Death in a Blackout is a mystery set in 1940 in England. It's more of a historical as the first two-thirds of the story didn't focus on the mystery. At that point, newly-sworn-in police constable Wilhelmina and her partner actively asked questions, followed up on leads, and put things together. Historical details provided a distinct sense of time and place, but they were so heavily added that they slowed the pacing. For example, Wilhelmina was supposed to ask questions while a woman did her mending, but instead she watched a sock get mended (in detail) then thought about how people were now encouraged to mend things and why. This could have been cut without changing the story.

The characters were likable but I got little sense of their personalities. We're told a bit about them, but their thoughts and speech patterns were similar and rather monotone. Wilhelmina was extremely observant, focused to the point of not noticing danger, and devoted to justice, but we're never told why she's like this. While the mystery was complex enough that the solution wasn't obvious, this feeling that the characters were stilted and had no real, personality- and motive-forming past beyond the beginning of the book dropped my enjoyment of the story.

There was no sex. There were a couple uses of bad language. Overall, I might recommend this to fans of historical novels that contain a mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma

A Promise Engraved
by Liz Tolsma

ISBN-13: 9781636092492
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
Released: May 1st 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Young, spirited Josie Wilkins' life is about to take a turn when faced with political turmoil and forbidden love in San Antonio of 1836. John Gilbert has won her heart, despite being a Protestant preacher who is forbidden to practice his faith in Texas. Will either of them survive an epic battle for liberty to create a legacy of love?

Nearly 200 years later, Kayleigh Hernandez takes breaks from her demanding job as a refugee coordinator working with Mexican migrants to attend flea markets where she has found a uniquely engraved ring. Enlisting the help of appraiser Brandon Shuman, they piece together a love story long forgotten. But will dangers linked to Kayleigh’s work end her own hopes for leaving a legacy built on hope, faith, and love?


My Review:
A Promise Engraved is set during two time periods: the fight for Texan independence in 1835 to 1836 and the present day. In 1835, Josie faced danger as an enemy Mexican soldier kept trying to rape her. (There were no rape scenes because either she's resourceful enough to get away, her love interest saved her, or rape was referred to in the past without details.) She was also in danger because the Texans were fighting for their independence and she worked as a scout and messenger for them. She underwent a lot of pain and loss, but she found healing as she trusted God to carry more of her hurts and fears. Her romance with John started as mutual admiration and grew as they spent time together. They supported each other.

In the present day, Kayleigh bought a used ring which she later learned was used by Josie to carry military messages. Kayleigh worked with jewelry store owner Brandon to research the ring's past. Then someone started stalking her. Since Brandon was always nearby to come to her aid, a cop questioned if Brandon was the stalker and not a man from Kayleigh's past. Or maybe the attacks had something to do with her job. As much as she liked spending time with Brandon, he also had a claim on the ring and she didn't want to give it up. This prevented her from really trusting him until the attacker could be identified and stopped.

There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romance and interesting historical.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Murder on Madison Square by Victoria Thompson

Murder on Madison Square
by Victoria Thompson

ISBN-13: 9780593337066
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Released: April 26th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Former policeman Frank Malloy is frustrated when a woman requests his private detective services to implicate her wealthy husband in adultery, the only legal grounds for divorce in New York state. Although Mrs. Bing seems genuinely distressed about her marriage and desperate to end it, she refuses to tell Frank the reason she absolutely must divorce her husband and admits she has no legal grounds. Frank explains he won't manufacture evidence for her and sends her on her way.

The following week, Frank and Sarah attend the first ever auto show in Madison Square Garden when they happen to meet the woman's husband, Alfred Bing, who has invested in a company that produces one of the electric motorcars on display. A few days later, the newspapers report that millionaire Alvin Bing has been found dead, pinned beneath one of the wheels of his very own motorcar. But who was driving it? The obvious suspect is Mrs. Bing, but Frank and Sarah find that nothing is as it seems in their puzzling, dangerous search for truth.


My Review:
Murder on Madison Square is a historical mystery set in New York City in 1900. This is the 25th book in the series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this one didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous mysteries.

This was a clue-based puzzle mystery. Frank, Gino, Sarah, and Maeve helped with the investigation and used their unique skill sets. They asked good questions, but they seemed oddly dense about noticing the obvious considering the information they're told. Sarah, at least, should have caught on to what was happening much sooner based on her experiences as a midwife. I caught on from the beginning, so I only strongly suspected two people. Whodunit became clearer as they collected clues and whodunit was guessable based on those clues.

Some interesting historical details about automobiles and divorce laws were woven into the story. The main characters were nice, engaging people and had realistic reactions to events. There were no sex scenes or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait
by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

ISBN-13: 9781952408151
ebook: 314 pages
Publisher: Little Elm Press
Released: April 27th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Sherlock's mother hasn't been herself for months. Her unrest has put everyone on edge even before they leave for a summer in Paris. When they seek to discover who murdered one of Mrs. Holmes' former suitors, old secrets emerge that endanger the whole Holmes family. Can Sherlock uncover the truth before the past buries them all?


My Review:
The Adventure of the Purloined Portrait is a mystery set in 1868 in France. It's the forth book in a series, but it works as a standalone novel as well. The main character is a teenaged Sherlock Holmes, and the story shows how he learned to be a detective. I felt like the author did a good job of capturing the personalities of Sherlock and Mycroft as they developed toward the adult characters.

The author has deeply researched this time period. Historical details were woven into the story, bringing the setting and manners alive in my imagination without slowing the pacing. The characters were logical, asked good questions, and followed up on clues. Whodunit and the bad guys were guessable from the clues, and Sherlock's ideas about what had happened and why were confirmed after Sherlock was captured by them. The official detective on the case also played a role in capturing the bad guys. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable historical mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Death Valley Hideout by Dana Mentink

Death Valley Hideout
by Dana Mentink

ISBN-13: 9781335554994
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense
Released: April 26th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Placed in WITSEC while his brother testifies against a terrifying criminal, Tony Ortega must guard his young niece and nephew from the hit man hunting for them. Death Valley local Willow Duke’s hideout might just be the difference between the little family’s life or death. When bullets start flying, can they thwart a killer long enough to survive and become a family for real?


My Review:
Death Valley Hideout is a Christian romantic suspense novel. It's the fourth in a series, but it works as a standalone. Tony worked to keep himself and his brother's children safe while a corrupt man tried to capture the children to use them against Tony's brother, who was the main witness in a trial against him. The suspense came from repeated attacks on Tony and his family. Willow wasn't trained to fight, but she's loyal, brave, and resourceful and found useful ways to help Tony and protect the kids. Go, girl.

The main characters were engaging and reacted realistically to events. Tony and Willow worked well together and encouraged each other. (I do wonder, however, where that much water came from since they're in Death Valley.) Tony taught his nephew to pray to God when scared, and both Willow and Tony were Christians. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable romantic suspense.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.