Thursday, May 2, 2024

BLOG TOUR - Mystery on Meadowsweet Grove


DESCRIPTION:


Saxford St Peter is having an open gardens day! But one of the villagers has murder, not marigolds, in mind… And now Eve Mallow needs to unearth a killer.

Everyone in Saxford is delighted when jeweller 
Cleo Marbeck suggests a prize for the village’s best garden. Flowers are planted, grass is cut, and the competition is on. But the event only digs up dirt… Twenty-five years ago, a young woman fell to her death in Cleo’s house, and rumours soon resurface about Cleo’s part in the tragedy.

Eve’s best friend Viv is hosting Stevie, her son’s fiancĂ©e, ahead of the wedding. On the open garden day, Stevie has a horrible flashback: the memory of a woman lying at the bottom of a staircase. But she sees it in a totally different house from the one where Honor died…

Hours later Cleo’s body is found, drowned in her own pond. Almost everyone in Saxford has been in and out of her garden, sowing suspicion everywhere. But Eve is convinced the flashback has triggered the crime… and when the police turn their sights on Stevie, she’ll have to work fast to solve the case and save the wedding.

So who wanted Cleo in the ground? The son of the woman who died, out for revenge? The employee passed over for promotion? Her long-term lover, who she refused to marry? And why do so many suspects live on Meadowsweet Grove?

When someone else takes a tumble downstairs, Eve knows she’s close to grubbing up the truth. 
But can she catch the killer or is she heading for a fatal fall?

A page-turning and completely charming English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Faith Martin and Sarah Yarwood-Lovett.


MY THOUGHTS:


Title:   Mystery at Meadowsweet Grove
Author:  Clare Chase
Series:  Eve Mallow Mystery #12
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Genre:   Cozy Mystery 
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 384
Date of Publication: May 2, 2024
My Rating:   4 Stars 

Eve Mallow is an obituary writer, but that is just the tip of the iceberg as to what she does. Because of wanting to write great tributes, Eve looks into the backgrounds of those she writes about, often finding herself doing a fabulous job as an amateur sleuth So, Eve has proved Show more than adept at solving murders. However, in this latest outing, the original murder took place a quarter of a century ago, and comes to mind due to a flashback of a young woman about to marry.

The young woman, Stevie, who has had the flashback, is the fiancĂ© of Eve’s best friend’s son. Eve’s friend Viv has been in many of the books in this engaging series. As Eve is interested in knowing about the long ago murder, a current murder takes place. So Eve goes about trying to solve both murders. She is wondering if Stevie’s flashback is connected to the current murder, so quite naturally Eve is determined to do more than simply write the upcoming obituary.  

But, that is not why Eve is in Sanford St. Peter. She is there as it is open gardens day. Going from enjoying the beautiful gardens as well as to see who will win the offered prize for the village’s best garden, to solving murders, is exactly Eve’s specialty. Eve, and her dear friend Robin - a former police officer now gardener - further grow their close relationship by assisting the police and working to solve the murders. 

Twelve books in and this series has never lost traction. Instead, each story, and Eve’s delightful approach to solving murders, is just the exact cup of tea one needs when it comes to enjoying a light read, and one that is impossible to put down.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Clare Chase writes classic mysteries. Her aim is to take readers away from it all via some armchair sleuthing in atmospheric locations.

Her debut novel was shortlisted for Novelicious’s Undiscovered Award, as well as an EPIC award post-publication, and was chosen as a Debut of the Month by LoveReading. Murder on the Marshes (Tara Thorpe 1) was shortlisted for an International Thriller Writers award.

Like her heroines, Clare is fascinated by people and what makes them tick. Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked in settings as diverse as Littlehey Prison and the University of Cambridge, in her home city. She’s lived everywhere from the house of a lord to a slug-infested flat and finds the mid-terrace she currently occupies a good happy medium.

As well as writing, Clare loves family time, art and architecture, cooking, and of course, reading other people’s books.

You can find Clare's website and blog at www.clarechase.com

Social Media
Website: www.clarechase.com 
Bookouture email signup: https://www.bookouture.com/clare-chase

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much for this lovely review, Robin - and for all your support throughout the series!

    ReplyDelete