I recently read The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen. This mystery is the story of a young newspaper reporter’s embroilment in a search for a missing child. Treading carefully between those advising her not to get involved and a nearly mystical pull to solve the case, she travels around 1968 England. The reader learns of heartbreaking relocations from the World War II era intended to keep children safe from German bombing. The banter between the main character and her policewoman roommate make the reader chuckle as they meet an interesting batch of characters during the investigation. The flashbacks to the war era are appropriately solemn, but I was hoping to hear a bit about swinging 1968 London by way of a pop culture reference or two. This novel is a nice read and has enough twists to keep the reader guessing. Very enjoyable.

Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing for a copy of The Rose Arbor. It has been great fun to give you my personal views.

Liz Houghton has been reduced to writing obits for The Daily Express due to a great expose she wrote that was. OOPS, about an MP and a call girl who just happened to be an old school chum of the owner of the Express. The story of the day is the kidnapping of Little Lucy, a MP's step-daughter, but there is no chance at all of Liz getting a scoop while stuck in obits. Her best friend and flatmate, Marisa, works as a detective constable at Scotland Yard and has been put on the case to provide "a woman's presence" if Lucy is found. Marisa and her boss are sent to Dorset to check out a tip, so Liz calls in sick and tags along.
That decision unravelled not only Liz's life but solved the current case, several missing persons cases, unearthed a body, and introduced her to a possible love interest, who was NOT married, for once!
This is an amazing historical novel with dual timelines and snippits of the experience of the missing girls. Liz draws on her own experiences to figure out "what if" and more often than not is mostly right about what did happen.
It was a great read with an emotional rollercoaster, but very satisfying at the end.

This was such a good and interesting story. Well written and absorbing. Didn't put it down til i finished it !! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher

Another win by Rhys Bowen!
I always look forward to Ms. Bowen's books, and this one didn't disappoint. In this story, Liz, an obit writer for a newspaper is trying to make it back into the newsroom, She accompanies her policewoman friend Marisa and her boss on a case concerning three missing little girls. Liz delves deep into each case and could lose her job, but she is determined to solve the cases and get a scoop on the latest disappearance. It's a multi faceted story and one I read in two days. Loved it! Highly recommended!

Rhys Bowen is such a fabulous writer. This wartime mystery is full of heartache and surprises with the mysterious disappearance of three little girls and the reporter who with the help of her flatmate, digs up some amazing history. Thank you NG for this page turner.

Good mystery set in 1968. Interesting characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Fictional history is the best way I can describe it. Dual settings in England during World War Two in the 1940s and the hippy years of the 1960s. Three little girls sent to safety in the country side miles away from bombing of London vanished. No one saw or heard from them again. And then in the 1960s a kidnapping of another little girl. Vanished with no trace. The kidnapping is high profile and is in all of the news media. Two young roommates, one a police women at Scotland Yard and a female news lady, who has been relegated to obituarys, pursue the current kidnapping, colliding with the missing children of the past.
I really enjoyed this book. It is witty and suspenseful with a touch of romance. Thank you Ms Bowen for teaching me about the lost children of WW2. I'm sure these fictional little girls were not the only ones missing.

The beginning of The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen begins in 1943 with the removal of everyone from Tydeham when the town is requisitioned by the military for operational training. We get a flavor of the people who reside in the town and it is an important backdrop for the story when it picks up again in 1968 with Liz Houghton. Liz is demoted to writing obituaries for a London newspaper after her investigative article would have exposed political corruption. She and her roommate police officer Marissa begin investigating the case of a missing child, whose case stirs memories of similar missing girls from decades ago. Liz finds herself drawn into trying to solve the old cases as visions of the past lead her to clues. Bowen’s narrative of both time periods draws the reader in and the book is a gripping read. There is a little romance too as well as a nicely portrayed female friendship between Liza and Marissa.

DNF at 41%

The story was interesting enough, but the constant spewing of anti-hippie rants and the promotion of right-wing ideas gave me the major ick. At first, I just tried to ignore all of this, but it is just so tiring to force oneself through prejudiced stories, so I gave it up. It's a shame, because if it weren't for the significant aforementioned flaws, the book would probably be great. Hopefully the rest of Bowen's books don't adhere to the same bigoted ideology, and hopefully the characters in this book do not reflect Bowen's own belief system.

I received an ARC ebook from NetGalley.

The Rose Arbor will grab your attention and never let go until the final period. The recent disappearance of a child brings memories of three children who disappeared during WWII. News reporter, Liz Houghton, whose roommate Marisa, is a policewoman wonders if these cases could possibly be connected. Her probing into the four cases becomes personal, though, when she has a vision of a body being buried…and indeed there is a body. Rys Bowen has woven a plot full surprises as new revelations emerge. This mystery should not be missed. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

Enjoyable WWII and 1960s dual timeline mystery set in London and various English countryside locations. 20-something friends Marisa and Liz, a policewoman and newspaper reporter respectively, embark on unravelling seemingly unrelated missing children cases from the 40s and present day (60s).

There were well-placed red herrings to keep my interest, and prove me wrong! I have read other Rhys Bowen books but this is the first that falls into the mystery category. Some of the resolutions seemed quick and convenient (mother of 1960s missing child comes to mind) but overall it was an entertaining and engaging story.

Rhys Bowen never ever disappoints and this new book is a delight. 4 girls have disappeared over time and the heroine of the day goes out to find out what happened to them whilst searching for answers about her own life. Bit of a mystery, bit of romance, bit of life in the ‘40’s/‘60’s and how women & children where treated, sad in places but on the whole a joyful story with a lovely ending.

I was living in Weymouth in the 60’s and can vouch for the authenticity of what it was like there then…I even felt I was back in woolworths! Marvellous!

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

This book is for readers of Historical fiction and mystery alike. It is a beautiful blend of both genres. It tells a tale of what happened to the village of Tydeham during and after WWII. At the same time it brings the reader into the time period twenty plus years post war as young adults are abandoning traditional lifestyles and opting to live their lives in communes.

Rhys Bowen’s story however is more mystery than Historical Fiction. The protagonist, Liz Houghton, is an obituary writer who wants to become the hard hitting news reporter she knows she is. She lives with her best friend/police officer Marisa. When Marisa is assigned to the case of a missing girl, Liz finds her story. Following the case leads them to the village of Tyneham and has Liz wondering if she has been there before. Not only that, it leads her to wonder if the present case is related to 3 cold cases of missing girls lost during the war.

I couldn’t put this book down. I loved the inclusions of the little girls perspective as Liz tries to uncover the truth. I also loved that this story was full of complications. I almost didn’t know how to feel. If you love stories that leave you wondering who the bad guy is, then this one's for you. It’s not a fast paced mystery, but includes details of locations and lives that will feed your historical curiosities as well.

The Rose Arbor is a mystery set in 1968.

Demoted London Journalist Liz is keen to help find a missing child. She needs a good scoop to get her back in favour. Liz’s flatmate Marisa works for the police and is on the missing child’s investigating team. She tells Liz that they have a potential sighting of the child in Dorset. Deciding to follow Marisa to Weymouth, Liz worms her way into helping search out some local spots.

They visit the village of Tydeham, now abandoned because the army needed the area to practice for the D-Day landings, two and a half decades earlier. Here Liz has a flashback; she remembers being there.

Forbidden to help further with the current missing child, Liz roots out a cold case; three missing war-time child evacuees, who all got on trains to the west country but never arrived. She hopes that there might be a tenuous link that she can use for a winning article.

The Dorset location appealed to me as a few years ago I visited the real abandoned village of Tyneham which this story is based upon. I liked the mystery elements too, especially those surrounding the missing evacuees. Liz’s own backstory unfolds with a few surprises, while her determination to hunt out details and follow clues made her a likeable character.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "The Rose Bower" by Rhys Bowen.
Ms. Bowen takes us back t0 1968 London for a mystery rooted even further in the past (1940s England) that has echoes in that decade.
In 1968, everyone is riveted by the a young girl's disappearance. "Little Lucy" went missing from a small park when her au pair was temporarily distracted.
Liz Houghton is a newspaper reporter vanquished to the Obituaries column; her roommate is a WPC (Woman Police Constable) who's seconded to work with a Detective who is investigating the child's disappearance, when there's a reported sighting close to the deserted village of Tyndeham (a village that had been taken over by the British Armed Forces for 'invasion practice' in 1944 and subsequently left in ruins). Liz, hoping for a scoop that will take her back to the newsroom, goes along. On the way there, Liz learns of the disappearances of three little girls some years earlier, which still weigh on the mind of the Detective that she is accompanying. In wartime evacuations, they left their homes and never returned.
While visiting the abandoned village, Liz has some kind of psychic connection and believes that she witnessed - as a small child - the burial of a person on the property of Tyndeham Grange. This sets off a series of insights that her reporter's mind cannot ignore, and Liz begins a voyage of discovery into her own past and the possibilities and circumstances surrounding the wartime disappearance as well as the current kidnapping.
A well written historical whodunit for fans of any kind of mystery. Ms. Bowen's avid readers will certainly enjoy this one, and new readers might be tempted to explore her other books.

This latest book from Rhys Bowen has everything I've come to expect from this excellent author: A fantastic story within a story, a wonderful mystery to keep the pages turning, likeable characters you root for, and exquisite attention to historical detail that makes it seem you have dived into the past and emerged into 1968 and WWII = era England. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and spent a very pleasant day following the twists and turns while trying to solve a murder that dates back to WWII. I really hope some wise soul makes this into a miniseries - it would be just perfect on Masterpiece Theater! I loved this and it will definitely be a keeper once I get my hands on a paper copy!

This was a page turner! I wasn’t expecting the ending. It felt a little abrupt after the long build up throughout the book, but I was grateful for some answers!

"The Rose Arbor" by Rhys Bowen is a gripping historical mystery that weaves together the haunting tales of lost children, post-war Britain, and a journalist's quest for truth. This novel kept me enthralled to the point that I stayed up most of the night reading—an occurrence that rarely happens for me. But it does need a content warning for violence directed at children.

Set in London during 1968, the story follows Liz Houghton, an obituary writer, who seizes the chance to break back into the newsroom when a young girl's disappearance captivates the city. Liz's best friend Marisa, a police officer on the case, leads them to Dorset, where they unravel a mystery dating back to World War II. Three girls vanished during the Blitz evacuation, and their stories lead Liz to the requisitioned village of Tydeham, left in barricaded ruins after the war. As Liz delves into the past, she discovers connections that are both eerie and inexplicably familiar.

While the novel is expansive and ambitious, offering a captivating exploration of the war and postwar experiences in rural and urban England, there are moments where interactions felt rushed, particularly in Liz's scenes with James.
I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to read this ARC and offer an unbiased review.

2 / 2

The Rose Arbor is a historical mystery and thriller that tackles post-war Britain, the stories of lost children evacuated to the countryside and never heard from again, and whether some truths are worth exposing.

I really enjoyed the tangled plot lines, the finely crafted mysteries of which there were several. I loved the gender dynamics, the women working to find their place in male-dominated careers. the historical details were really interesting and vibrant, both sad for all of the damage and upheaval and hopeful for the reparations to come. I also think Liz as a character was easy to follow in terms of her motivations, her reasonings, and her world view.

In terms of feedback, I did feel some interactions were rushed. Liz's scenes with James sometimes lacked emotional depth or examination when I wanted it most. Also, when they're searching the caved in house, Liz says, "Oh look, James!" twice within the span of a page or so. There are just these small moments that could stood out to me as needing a little more polish, but the overall story is very expansive and ambitious, and I appreciated it very much!

Thank you so much to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC and offer my unbiased review!

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!