Daphne has just moved from busy London to the quiet community of Pudding Corner -- a picture perfect English country town. She's brought her family to settle there, and establishes a successful vintage goods business. Things are calm and peaceful, until the local headmaster is found murdered, and a friend of Daphne's is unfairly accused. Against all odds, and as a newcomer to a tightly knit town with decades of secrets, Daphne must help her friend to clear her name. Great story for all cozy mystery fans.

I love a good cozy mystery!

This one reminds me of my favorite kind - British cottage cozies! Paula Sutton brings her own delightful flavor, and creates a beautiful new series I can't wait to read again!

"Daphne often wondered what mysteries these trees had seen in their time. The different families meandering in and out. What did they make of the current mistress being a Black woman from south London? She doubted that it would even warrant a stirring of their leaves. After all, these trees had witnessed far more interesting cultural changes over the decades than an influx of different skin colors."

There are lots of colourful and quirky local characters here to keep things interesting. The amount of secrets seething under the surface though is astounding but at the same time fairly usual for a small English village setting. An interesting and unusual amateur detective with a large busy family make this a different read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Life is too short to read books that are more about the vintage items described than the actual crime.

This was not for me.

The author went on and on about every vintage item discussed and truly lost the plot.

I read about half the book, but still had no idea what was going on, and couldn't keep going.

I'm sure others, especially those who are fans of the author's Instagram, will appreciate this, but it wasn't for me.

Loved this cozy mystery! Daphne Brewster has left city life behind and moved to the country. But the murder of a local headmaster might disturb her idyllic life, especially when her friend is accused of the murder. Great characters and twists and turns to keep you glued to the end of the book.

I loved this charming fun mystery. The small English village setting is atmospheric for the readers enjoyment. The character of Daphne as the protagonist was likable and savvy. The added paranormal element of a character is fun and added intriguing mystery.
The sleuth was well crafted and enjoyable to conclusion. I look forward to the next in series. Thank you to Net Gallery and the publisher. A quintessential English village cozy to sweep the reader away into a true cozy mystery.

This is a cleverly crafted book with a charming small-town setting. It's fun to sleuth along with Daphne., and there are ample suspects. The prose is descriptive and easily pulls the reader in. The pace is a bit slow, but this is still an enjoyable read.

This is a very witty, clever book. I think readers will enjoy the plot and the characters. I highly recommend.

Daphne and her family have moved to a village in Norfolk to get away from the big city of London. Her family is thriving, her new business is off to a good start and things are going well – until the body of the school’s headmaster is found, and one of her new friends is accused of the crime. Never one to back down from a fight, Daphne sets out to find out what really happened in that allotment patch.

This appears to be the author’s first fiction book, which usually makes me nervous, but the book blurb sounded good. I took a leap of faith, and I’m glad I did. I really liked Daphne, her husband James, and most of the others in the village. Despite being the only Black woman in the area, Daphne has found her niche and making friends, always hard to do in a close-knit community. The setting is described so well I could hear the kids on the playground, smell the garden soil and visualize the school carnival atmosphere.

The murder victim seemed to be well-liked in his community, but there were still a few seemingly obvious suspects. Maybe I read too many mystery books, but some of them seemed almost *too obvious. As the investigation continued and they learned more about the victim, other possible suspects emerged. I kept changing my mind about who the guilty party was, but I never did land on the right person until just before it was revealed in the book. I hadn’t even considered the motive, but it made sense.

Goodreads shows another book in this series coming this summer. I’d like to continue the series, so I’ll keep an eye out for it.

I first heard about this book as I follow the author's "Hill House Vintage" Instagram account and enjoy the style and gardening. The book seemed to borrow heavily from the author's life. Unfortunately, I found this book to be a slog. I was simply not invested in the characters or story, and would often feel like I had spent a long time reading without getting very far. I liked the premise and the sense of place, but most of the characters were bored miserable rich people and their darling children. The descriptions felt repetitive and the story dragged on.

Daphne and her family leave behind the crime, traffic, and expense of London for the delightfully silly town of Pudding Corner. The setting gives me the same open coziness as Shady Hollow, promising an enjoyable experience. As an amateur sleuth enthusiast, I love the fresh take that our FMC starts the series with a husband and kids.

After learning more about Paula Sutton, I’m fascinated by the personal elements she wove into this story. Those details elevate it beyond a cookie-cutter cozy mystery. As a Christian, I don’t enjoy reading about a Wiccan character. For that reason I won't continue the series.

Special thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Paula Sutton is known in the UK as a lifestyle blogger, highlighting her charming country home, garden, and vintage furniture. This is her first foray into fiction, and it’s wonderful. The main character, Daphne Brewster, has left the hurly burly of London for the quiet of the countryside, along with her husband, kids, and cute dog. As the only black woman in a very white village she’s affably acclimating to her new surroundings, friendly with everyone from the irritating Diana Spencer wanna be mom to the doctor next door, full of interesting gardening facts which Daphne finds she desperately needs.

She finds the village is seething with as much intrigue and gossip as any London street, which any careful reading of any number of golden age mysteries could attest. This leisurely read has the vintage feel of an E.F. Benson Lucia book with it’s loving, humorous and clear-eyed look at the village residents. As Daphne acclimates, she also accidently finds a new career: painting and restoring vintage furniture. She even sets up shop as she begins to find a few clients.

The first is a fellow mother named Minerva, who is ostracized by the other moms for being odd. Minerva lives in a kind of wicca style commune on the edge of town with her son, Silvanus. Daphne’s friendship with Minerva is something the other mothers aren’t too sure about, and the Diana Spencer mom, a social climber named Marianne, tells her it’s straight up social suicide. Undeterred, Daphne accepts the commission of creating a bed for Silvanus and attending his birthday party along with her kids.

During the party, she sees Daphne in an intense conversation with the headmaster of the village school, Charles, and while she’s unsure of exactly what she’s witnessed it certainly makes her uncomfortable. As rain buckets down that evening, a series of highly charged conversations and encounters seem to follow Charles, and the next morning he’s discovered dead in his potting shed of an apparent heart attack.

His wife immediately accuses Minerva of poisoning him despite a lack of any evidence, and Minerva goes to ground. Daphne’s attempts to contact her completely fail. Meanwhile, various people fall under suspicion as Charles’ death is (of course) proved to be an actual murder. The relationships between Charles and all in his orbit become of vital – and fascinating – importance.

This book has many things going for it. The setting is dreamy – what I call “English Village Porn” (example: The Marlowe Murder Club) where, while there are murders, there all also reasonably priced Georgian homes to be had. The delineation of the characters is carefully and skillfully done, and more importantly, memorably done. Each one is a little gem of a portrait, and combined with the threads of the story, the characters become jewels on the web of the story Sutton is telling.

The often slyly humorous tale is still a penetrating look at human nature, a reminder to readers that Agatha Christie found a universe of possibilities in the British village. The real life people who live in the lovely village turn out to have real life problems. This is a wonderfully perfect debut.

A nice start to a new cozy series that sees Daphne, her husband James, and their children move from London to Pudding Corner thinking that it will be a kinder gentler place to live. But wait- almost immediately, she finds herself wrapped up in the mysterious murder of the headmaster of the local school. Classic cozy- more to the victim than it appeared and more than one suspect. This is an initial entry so there's a bit of worldbuilding of this slightly twee setting and character. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Looking forward to seeing where Sutton takes this next.

The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton is the coziest little crime novel with just the right amount of sass and secrets. It’s set in a delightfully gossipy English village. Daphne stumbles into a local murder that shakes up her quaint new life in Pudding Corner. This book is witty and sneakily clever. A total treat full of quirky village drama!

The Potting Shed Murder by Paula Sutton is a highly recommended cozy murder mystery.

Daphne and James Brewster and their three children have moved from London to the Cranberry Farmhouse in Pudding Corner with the neighboring village of Pepperbridge, in Norfolk. The family is settling into the country life and their children are happy at Pepperbridge Primary School. Daphne is known as the "Vintage Lady" and she has a shop with restored and hand-painted furniture.

Life in the country, however, means Daphne is actually meeting her neighbors, something that didn't happen in London. When the headmaster of Pepperbridge, Charles Papplewick, is found dead in his potting shed on his allotment patch, the list of suspects and motives, along with plenty of secrets and accusations begin to appear.

Daphne is the amateur sleuth in this cozy mystery as she carefully pieces clues together that could determine who was responsible for the murder - and there are several suspects. Some suspects are unlikable right from the start, others are sympathetic. There are several flashbacks exploring motives. The narrative follows Daphne and all the various people who could be suspects in the death of Papplewick. Daphne is also a very appealing character and it would be nice to see her return in another mystery.

The writing is descriptive as it creates a picture of the setting and introduces all the people in the village. The pace is even but slow for much of the novel, picking up toward the end. It's actually the quality of the writing that elevates the novel and encourages you to continue reading even though the pace is so slow at first. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of cozy mysteries, but this was a nice interlude.

The Potting Shed Murder is a good choice for cozy murder mystery fans. Thanks to Kensington for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

The Potting Shed Murder is a cozy mystery set in a small town in rural England, called Pudding Corner.

You know it is going to be a perfect cozy mystery, when the town you get to read about is called Pudding Corner! FMC Daphne Brewster, her husband James, and their 3 children decide to move away from the busy and not so safe city of London, to a much smaller, quieter, and slower town called Pudding Corner. They move into a lovely old home, Cranberry Farmhouse in Pudding Corner, next to a larger small village, called Pepperbridge. Daphne also quits her busy job in the city, and find herself enjoying restoring antique furniture. As Daphne and her family are settling into their new cozy life, they learn that Mr. Papplewick, the headmaster at the children's school, has been found dead in his potting shed. Initially everyone assumes a heart attack, but eventually the authorities discover foul play seems to be at hand.

Daphne's friend Minerva gets the first finger pointed at her as the likely suspect, by Mr. Papplewick's widow, Augusta. So Daphne puts on her sleuthing hat and starts to unravel this very tangled mystery of who murdered, and why they murdered, Mr. Papplewick.

This story gives you all the cozy vibes, of course with an unsuspecting murder in the small town. There is a lot of history and secrets to untangle, to truly get to the bottom of the crime. There are multiple possible suspects as Daphne weaves her way through the town gossip web, and uncovers secrets about the villagers who have lived in Pepperbridge their entire lives and did not know some of the secrets that lead to Mr. Papplewick's murder. This story, while a cozy mystery, is actually pretty sad at the end when you learn the truth behind a few of the characters childhood hurts, and how that made them who they are in the current day.

I enjoyed Daphne's character, I felt like she wasn't the typical sleuther that we find in a cozy mystery, more so that she kept finding herself in situations where she was able to piece together the different events on the day of the murder. But once she became determined to discover the truth, she left no stone unturned, and was still surprised at the end when she finally made the very unsuspecting discovery.

It will be fun to return to Pudding Corner and follow along with Daphne in another sleuthing mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the author for a copy of this book!

The premise of this book ok. None of the characters were particularly likeable, and even though Daphne is the main character, I could not find myself interested in her or her investigation. Many times, I found the author was too wordy and sometimes I skipped entire paragraphs and didn't muss anything important.

I took a long time to read the book because I wasn't invested in it.

I recognized the name of this author from a profile that I had read about her in a magazine. I loved Sutton's sense of personal style (vintage) and was eager to see what kind of writer she was. Here, she has penned a mystery that readers will enjoy.

Spring time seems like the perfect moment to focus on a title with gardening...and murder. This is what readers find when a school headmaster is found dead on his allotment.

Newcomer to the community (after choosing to leave London), are Daphne and James. They are an interracial couple with three children who at first wonder how they will fit in in a less urban setting. Daphne seems to be accepted and liked for her sense of style. But, what will happen when Daphne gets herself involved in the investigation? What will happen when her friend is accused of the crime? How will sleuthing impact Daphne's standing in her village? Read this one to find out.

Some reviewers have noted that this title is written a bit muddily. Still, it is worth a look in my opinion. I enjoyed both the characters and the setting. I hope that the author will have a second traditional mystery for us.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

Daphne Brewster and husband moved their three children from London to the cozy village of Pudding Corner in Norfolk hoping to find peace in the countryside. Everything seems idyllic until the local schoolmaster is found dead in his allotment potting shed.

When it is revealed that it was murder, Daphne starts looking at the locals differently. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to kill Charles Papplewick.

Augusta Papplewick, the widow immediately accuses Minerva Leek, who is a friend of Daphne’s and lives in a commune outside of the village. She believes Minerva was having an affair with Charles. There are also a couple of odd sisters who own the local convenience store who seem to have had a secret past with Charles. Augusta had been an early suspect for me because of their unhappy marriage.

Daphne investigates because she believes Minerva is innocent and soon finds herself in over her head. Can she catch the killer before Minerva is arrested?

This was the first book that I’ve read by this author. The author is a skilled storyteller. The characters felt like real people and were quirky enough to be entertaining. Tension built slowly through to the unexpected twists and turns at the end. I hope to read more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and John Scognamiglio Book Publishing for an advanced readers copy for my honest review.

I will be posting my review on my blog at Virginig-Gruver.com, Goodreads., and Linkedin. I will also post reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble when we get closer to the release date.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. about a mixed race family that moves from South London to a small village. The main character is a spunky, smart Black woman named Daphne, who’s raising her family along with her husband and running her own business. She gets drawn into trying to find out who murdered the local headmaster of her children’s school. It was a bit drawn out for me, but I didn’t guess who the killer was until close to the end. So that was well done. There was some suspense towards the end and then it wrapped up quickly. Daphne was a likable protagonist and I can definitely see this as a series.


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