Hi, everyone!
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for MURDER AMONG THE ROSES (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #1) by Liz Fielding on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions Book Tour.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
In the peaceful village of Maybridge, you wouldn’t expect to find a dead body in the rose garden. And certainly not two.
Abby Finch is horrified to discover the bones of a baby long-since buried under a rose bush in the garden of her soon-to-be ex-husband Howard’s family home.
She immediately calls the police but she can’t get hold of Howard. He’s off on a jolly with the very pregnant soon-to-be new Mrs Finch.
Abby will do whatever it takes to keep things cordial for the sake of her three children. But when Howard learns the press have found out, he’s livid. He accuses Abby of sabotaging his fledgling political campaign.
And then, just two days later, Abby finds Howard himself.
Lying dead in the very same rose garden.
Throat slashed with her own garden spade.
Now Abby is the prime suspect.
Somebody in this quiet village is hiding a dark secret. And Abby will have to dig deep to uncover the truth.
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MEET THE DETECTIVE
Brilliant gardener and the busy mum of three, Abby Finch’s dreams of winning gold at Chelsea Flower Show were put on hold by an unplanned pregnancy and marriage. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. These days she’s kept on her toes looking by her beloved family, running her own business and dealing with her imminent divorce. In an effort to keep things cordial, she’s allowed her ex to bully her into restoring the garden of his family home. Thankfully she’s surrounded herself with a great group of friends to lean on.
THE SETTING
Pretty Maybridge is a charming village set in the sheep-dotted Cotswolds hills, with a long history stretching back to Tudor times. It’s the type of place where everyone knows each other, but there’s a wonderful bookshop on the corner of the bridge, a popular riverside café and a bustling market at Christmastime. And with Bristol nearby and a big supermarket round the corner.
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
MURDER AMONG THE ROSES (Maybridge Murder Mysteries Book #1) by Liz Fielding is an outstanding cozy mystery start to a new series set in the quiet and quaint village of Maybridge featuring a unique protagonist. From the beautiful cover to the resolution of the mystery, I was unable to put this book down.
Abby Finch loves her gardening business and is trying to remain civil with her soon to be ex-husband for the sake of their three children, but he has coerced her into cleaning up his family’s estates gardens after the death of his grandmother. As she is digging up a rose bush, she discovers the small bones of an infant. She immediately reports the find to the local police.
When Harold Finch returns from a weekend trip with his fiancée, he immediately confronts Abby about going to the police and accuses her of trying to destroy his budding political aspirations. After Abby has a run in with his fiancée, she goes looking for Harold and finds him over the baby’s grave, dead.
Even with several people in and out of the garden that day, Abby, the soon to be ex, is the prime suspect. As she begins to investigate estate records researching the time the bones of the baby could have been buried, she begins to bring to light dark secrets Harold’s family tried to keep buried.
This is a fantastic cozy mystery. The author does not begin immediately with the murder, but introduces Abby, her family and friends and other characters associated with Harold and the divorce. It was fascinating to read how Abby went about researching the estate and journals from the past to bring to light the murderer in the present. The story pulled me in with characters that are fully developed and believable. I feel the pacing of this cozy mystery plot is flawless, and the twists and red herrings are perfectly placed. I am very interested in how the author will move forward in this series and cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
I highly recommend this cozy mystery!
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About the Author
Award winning author Liz Fielding was born with itchy feet. She was working in Zambia before her twenty-first birthday and, gathering her own special hero and a couple of children on the way, has lived in Botswana, Kenya and the Middle East, all of which have provided rich inspiration for her writing.
She has written more than seventy books, several of which have won awards, and sold over 15 million copies. In 2019 she was honoured with the Romantic Novelists’ Association Outstanding Career Award. She lives in West Sussex.
Social Media Links
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It was a wonderful read! Thank you.