Oh, how I adored this book. After reading a selection of darker mysteries I wanted something a little cozier and this fit the bill.

It was a charming murder mystery involving neighbors and their eccentric land lady. The story is told from multiple perspectives — mainly the tenants but also the investigating cop.

Because each of the residents are so delightfully specific, each point of view is clear and original. The chapters are short and because I enjoyed each person I was never anxious to move onto another character.

On top of that, it was a really good mystery which kept we smiling to the end.

This cozy mystery had a fun, unique structure and delivered some fun twists and turns! This would make an excellent book club read, both for the discussion about the mystery and also the structure of the books. Well-rounded, interesting characters make this a must-read.

3-3.5 stars

A community of people in apartment buildings in Southern California are navigating greedy real estate developers, family secrets and a new formerly incarcerated neighbor. There's a single mother with two children, a woman traumatized by a former stalker, and a quirky matriarch who runs the place. There's also a wealthy woman with a jealous soon-to-be-ex-husband, a man with curious ties to the matriarch, and I think another tenant? There are a lot of characters here, and sometimes it's hard to keep track of who's who. (Also, one character is written in first person while the rest are written in third person, and I'm not exactly sure why that is.)

I enjoyed the beginning and ending of this book but found the middle to be slow. I found the characters a bit flat, if not uneven, and felt like because there were so many POVs I didn't really feel any kind of connection to any particular character, even the ones I was clearly supposed to love. I do think there is an audience for this book, and the comparison to Only Murders In The Building feels apt for genre. This is a sweet summer read for people who like ensembles, protective meddling matriarchs, and amateur sleuths. But I couldn't help but draw comparisons to the Vera Wong series, which in my opinion is a much better version of the quirky lovable matriarch with a brood of found family.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for both the advanced reader copy of this book. This book is out August 19, 2025.

“The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective” by Jo Nichols
Definitely a Cozy, Who Dun-it?
I had to keep a cheat sheet list of the characters, because it takes me too long to remember who belongs to which name, etc. But it was not long before I thought I knew all about each of the characters. And puzzled to the very end trying to figure out who did the deed (and the why). Truly a Worthy Read.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this ARC. I enjoyed the premise and kept reading to get to the bottom of how a corpse ended up in this sweet circle of cottages. The cast of characters is quite a motley crew and somehow all their quirks work to make a found family. However, I just didn’t love the multiple narrators nor their perspectives. I was surprised by the twists and enjoyed that element.

Murder may draw the reader to this book, but it is the cast of unique, broken individuals that live at Marigold cottages that carries the story. I have been struggling to finish books lately because they get bogged down in the storyline. Not so with this author. Jo Nichols creates characters you would want to know, and the plot twist is intriguing. I especially loved the playwright angle of the story. Highly recommend.

I received this as an ARC and am voluntarily leaving an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC of this book!

I absolutely loved this book! I was obsessed with the characters, the plot, the humor, the layout of the book, absolutely everything. To start, this book involved a large amount of POVs. Normally, I find this a bit confusing in books, especially when it exceeds 5 or so. However, Jo Nichols did a fantastic job with individualizing each character and making it understandable. After the first few chapters, I was fully enveloped in the plots of each character and what made them unique. To add on, often when there are a large number of POVs, the characters can become a bit of the same. This was not the case here though. Jo Nichols did a fantastic job creating completely unique character traits for each character. I also felt like each of the characters had something about them that was relatable to the audience. There was honestly not a character that I wasn't excited to read about and see the story from their POV.
As for the plot, I thought that "The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective" had a very fun and cozy mystery plot. I have read a lot of mysteries and this was completely unique and refreshing. I enjoyed that the mystery involved each of the characters. I also liked that this wasn't predictable. This book kept me guessing the entire time. It also kept me laughing because the characters and situations at points were extremely comedic. Jo Nichols did a great job with balancing the mystery and comedy aspects of this novel.
Finally, I really enjoyed the layout of this book. Jo Nichols incorporated short chapters which made the book feel like such a quick read. This book was extremely addicting and the short chapters fed into the fact that I couldn't stop reading! Overall, it was an extremely enjoyable read and I would highly recommend this book!

What a quirky group of residents living at Marigold Cottages.

They all felt safe until one resident that Mrs. B met at the bus stop and invited to live in the studio apartment arrived. Anthony was an ex-con.

All was well until a body was found outside the cottages one day. It had to be Anthony.

Mrs. B, the landlady, insisted it wasn’t Anthony after he was arrested for the murder. How could it be him? She allowed him into their little housing unit.

The tenants get together and try to solve the crime in this cozy read that is a bit confusing but has an engaging storyline mainly because of the characters and all their eccentricities.

You will love how they set up a group text to chat and keep an eye on things. There also are some scenarios that will make you chuckle.

Not my usual read, but entertaining. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

"The perfect summer read, full of charm and heart, written in the vein of The Thursday Murder Club or Only Murders in the Building but with a southern California twist.

Mrs. B, the landlady of The Marigold Cottages is a stubborn idealist who only rents to people she cares about: Sophie, an anxious young playwright with a dark past; Hamilton, an agoraphobe who likes to overshare; Ocean, a queer sculptor raising two kids alone; the perfectionist Lily-Ann; and Nicholas, a finance bro who's hiding secrets.

The tenants live contentedly in their doll-house bungalows in Santa Barbara, just minutes from the beach, until their peace is shattered when Anthony, a quiet, hulking, but potentially violent ex-con moves in. Three weeks later, a dead body is discovered on the streets of the peaceful neighborhood. Anthony is arrested, and the tenants heave sighs of relief. Until Mrs. B, convinced that he's innocent, marches down to the police station and confesses to the crime herself. The tenants band together and form "The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective" to save their beloved landlady. As clues are unearthed and secrets are revealed, the community of misfits only grows more tight-knit... until a second body is found. Full of eccentricity, humor, community, The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective will keep you hooked until the last page."

Though I will point out that Only Murders in the Building was in California this past season...

This was a fun read with a touch a mystery. Mrs. B was a really fun character! I want to be like her when I get to be her age! I thought Hamilton really came out of his shell when people started to visit him. Everyone just really came together as a group to figure out what was going on at the Marigold Cottages. Fun characters!

Really enjoyed this one in front of the fire as the summer night was cooling.

It was cozy and kept me enthralled with the story. It felt a lot like a Hallmark channel murder mystery that I would most definitely turn into.

Quirky, humorous, and definitely compelling. I wasn't sure if this book would be up my alley, so I am pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it! The pacing was solid, the storyline was very well thought out, and the banter between the characters was super enjoyable. No notes.

The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective is a fun found family cozy mystery. Mrs. B rents out her cottages to quirky characters all of whom have some connection to her. When a body shows up behind one of the cottages, an ex-con resident is arrested. Mrs. B does everything she can to solve the murder, even admitting to the crime to get him out of jail. The residents work together to solve the murder forming lasting bonds along the way.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity and the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was interesting and fun to read. Loved the characters. Definitely recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was the first time I've read any of this author's books but it won't be the last! I enjoyed this book so much and the characters were so well written.

With a murder to solve and a loveable accused murderer, it's a race to find the real villan. This cozy mystery was a delight to read with its Hallmark-like community of characters. Diverse and likable (even lovable) characters fill the pages of this book. Puck this one up in pub day if you enjoy a cozy mystery. Thank you, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley, for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Thank you for this fun mystery. I loved the characters and how their quirks became their strengths. Some of my favorite reads are about found families and this is one of the best families. I even found the grumpy old policeman who just wanted a resolution to be fun to read. Sad when true, but fun. The author found a way to include an extremely diverse group of people and bring them together in a believable way. I highly recommend it to all my open-minded, cozy mystery reader friends.

I enjoyed the storyline greatly. It was a compelling mystery, and Mrs. B immediately had me in her corner with her wit and caring for her tenants. I liked the range of characters, even if it did feel like there were too many points of view to focus on.

This book was the perfect cozy escape. Do yourself a favor and indulge in this visit to the Marigold Cottages.
Owned by Mrs. B, the cottages are rented out to a diverse group of characters, each with their own unique story to tell.
Getting to know these characters and following their development was just as enjoyable as trying to solve the mystery.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to read other books by this author.
Thank you St. Martins Press and Net Galley!

4 star cozy mystery | I love a good ensemble cast with unique and interesting characters who all connect. This reminded me of Community Board meets Thursday Murder Club. At the heart is Mrs. B, the landlord and owner of the Marigold Cottages who acts as mother to all her tenants, often acting in the background to keep everyone comfortable and taken care of. When a (handsome) convicted felon shows up needing a place to stay, Mrs. B steps in to provide him a studio. Next thing you know a dead body is found. A classic whodunit with multiple POV and a cast of unlikely friends solve the murder mystery and keep the quaint cottages from being sold to a big developer. If you love a cozy mystery this is for you!