I did that one thing I really dislike doing: I read the series out of order. Thankfully I don't think this installment gave anything in the previous book away. Well, anything that really matters. However, by this book I have come to not only realize that Sukey is not a overly smart detective but that I am okay with that. She does notice little clues and make connections that others might miss, but she does not have a knack for actually solving crimes or keeping herself out of anger. Instead of reading these books as an amateur detective series with a strong female main character, they seem to be more enjoyable as books about a woman and mother who stumbles into crimes. Good fluff reading!

Sukey Reynolds is enjoying a quiet period at work, taking time to get her garden in hand, catch up on some cooking and spend time with her son. Then she’s called to the charming Ivy House to photograph the dead body of a young woman, whilst collecting evidence at a nearby hotel, which had a break-in around the same time as the murder, she starts to wonder if the two cases might be linked.
Although she voices her theories, her detective colleagues are in no mood for any more of her amateur sleuthing & Jim Castle tells her to leave things alone but Sukey being Sukey once she’s got the bit between her teeth there's no letting go. She’s also concerned about a homeless young man Matt who seems to have disappeared.
Another enthralling read that had me drawn in from the start. I love then ongoing romances of Sukey & Jim & Fergus & Anita. Red herrings abound plus there are twists & turns along he way that had me guessing & I must admit I didn't guess who the true villain was. This is the fifth book in the series & whilst it could easily be read on its own, I’d recommend reading the series in order
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

As usual in the series, a very well written police procedural with an excellent plot and fantastic characters. The plot is intricate and has a lot of twists, and the pace is very good.

Title: Death at Ivy House

Series: Sukey Renolds #5

Author: Betty Rowlands
A quaint cottage in a pretty Victorian terrace with a neatly tended garden stands quiet and still… but inside the bedroom a woman lies dead upon the floor.

Sukey Reynolds is enjoying a quiet period at work, taking time to get her garden in hand, catch up on some cooking and spend time with her son. Murder is the last thing on her mind…

But when she is called to the charming Ivy House to photograph the dead body of a young woman, Sukey feels compelled to drop everything and do all she can to shed light on this baffling mystery. And whilst collecting evidence at a nearby hotel which had break-in around the same time as the murder, she starts to wonder if the two cases might be linked.

The manager just happened to let slip that one of her guests went white as a sheet after reading about the death and disappeared shortly afterwards. The very same guest whose room was broken into… Sukey has a shrewd suspicion about who this man might be, and she fears he too could be in danger.

Although she voices her theories, her detective colleagues are in no mood for any more of her amateur sleuthing. Sukey realises that if she wants to pursue her lead, she’ll have to do it alone. When Sukey agrees to a secret meeting by a remote river, has she made a terrible mistake? Has the killer lured her into the woods and into a trap?



My Thoughts

Rating: 4.5

Would I recommend it? yes

Will I read the rest of the series? yes ( in fact I've all ready read books 1-6 )

Would I read anything else by this author? maybe

Once again Sukey's in the middle of things and their not good, especially since it looks like the case maybe linked to the mob , and can she truest the person she's to meet in a secret meeting or is this the killer waiting to end her life, the more she finds out the more things are not what they seem to be , this story just like the others had me reading it to the very last page , with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read it and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

Sukey Reynolds is called out to a murder scene at Ivy House on her return to work after walking into the town centre and buying a Big Issue. The lady at Ivy House has been beaten to death and Sukey is called to photograph the scene. There have also been a number of burglaries and then also another two murders together with the disappearance of the Big Issue seller. Are these crimes related and if so can Sukey help to find the murderer?
A very enjoyable read with the characters in the series becoming more familiar making you look forward to the next book in the series

Death at Ivy House was my first encounter with the author (Betty Rowlands) and with the protagonist of this series (Sukey Reynolds). Later I discovered that this was already the fifth book in the series.

I had no great difficulty reading the book without having read the previous episodes as there are not many references to previous books.

One thing I found confusing: the main character has a relationship with one of the detectives in the book and sometimes he is referred by his first name and at other times as DI Castle. Even the protagonist (Sukey) is sometimes referred to as Mrs Reynolds. I can understand that in dialogues in a work situation Sukey would refer to her lover as Sir or DI but in the narrative I found the constant switch between formal and private names confusing and unnecessary.

I found the story quite entertaining and well written. Don't know if I will read the other episodes, but might just give them a try.
I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is the fifth book in the Sukey Reynolds series however it is fine to read as a standalone. I do think it would be more enjoyable if you knew the background of the characters though Rowlands does alluded to previous cases and history.

This is an enjoyable mystery that reads well and quickly. However I preferred the previous book more.


Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an ARC.

This book has a fantastic story line, excellent characters and is just wonderful. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and I enjoyed it immensely.

Book 5 in the Sukey mysteries. Really enjoy this series and the characters of her boyfriend Castle and her son Gus. DId find it irritating a bit that Castle was so dismissive of her ideas, but naturally he was worried about her, and for good cause. A well detailed cozy mystery, and one I highly recommend.

Sukey Reynolds is an intelligent woman working as a Scene of Crime Officer while wishing she had been able to follow her original career path and become a police officer instead. She quite often gets involved in the cases she collects evidence from and is sometimes a great help or conversely gets completely the wrong end of the stick. This is quite encouraging as I almost always fail to guess whodunnit in Ms Rowlands' crime stories and usually end up surprised at who is responsible. Don't let the gentle nature of the story style fool you; they are very cleverly worked out and written in a flowing and easily readable manner.

When a badly beaten woman is found Sukey is sent to the scene to collect evidence and finds she is unable to distance herself from the young victim and her obviously painful death. She wonders if nearby crime scene at an hotel is linked in any way to the first and investigates on her own time when a young man she has befriended goes missing from the same hotel after finding out about the original death.

The main characters are all present once again, as they try and solve what becomes a spate of nasty murders which Sukey's lover, Jim Castle, is now investigating. There is far more crime in this book and I loved all of it. The procedural aspects are fascinating and meld well with the family time which is the second mainstay of this series.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to all fans of Ms Rowlands and cosy crime aficionados everywhere. The story was really good and I enjoyed it thoroughly, I hold out hope for more very soon.

This is another cozy mystery.

Sukey finds herself investigating a brutal murder of ex hooker who turned mistress. When she arrive at the scene you think it be the jealous boyfriend who did it but as she see things aren't what they appear especially when a another murder happens and she believes it's connected.

DI Jim doesn't believe her theory and dismiss it when she is told not get involve she put herself in danger to prove she right.

I like this series but I annoy with Sukey boyfriend Jim you'll think he would listen to her and ask her for help because it seems to me she sees more then what detectives see.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

SOCO staffer Suzy Reynolds is investigating a very brutal murder of an ex hooker turned mistress. Before she gets too far into her investigations another violent murder occurs. Without much evidence to go on, Sukey is sure they are connected. Soon a body is found in the river, three murders and a missing “Big Issue” seller. Is there a connection? Inspector Jim Castle is none too pleased when Sukey puts herself in harms way.
The fifth in the series, find as a stand alone. I enjoy Betty Rowlands books, so easy to pick up and escape into the story. Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for an electronic arc. I recommend this book.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Death at Ivy House is Book 5 in the Sukey Reynolds Mystery series. These can be read as stand alone books, but the character development does happen over the course of the series, and may be more enjoyable read in order. Sukey once again finds herself in the midst of multiple murder investigations. She alone believes there are connections that others, especially her boyfriend and lead detective, do not agree with. This book, like the others in the series, is full of twists and turns and the story always keeps me guessing. Unlike the other four books I read, this one was a little harder to follow at times, as there seemed to be many names and characters that continually pop up. Several times I had to look back to figure out who a character was.
With that being said, it was still a great read, I truly love this series and I am looking forward to Book 6. Thank you NetGalley!

Another enjoyable story from Betty Rowlands, Close call for Sukey this time. An easy read and a break from all the psychopathic murders.

Loving this series so far but found this one hard to follow with different names popping into the story but with no real explanation why, that said still enjoyed it

Thanks Netgalley, the Publisher and the Author. Not sure what review I can write about this series except they are fabulous, love the characters and the writing, roll on No.6

Death at Ivy House is the 5th Sukey Reynolds book, Sukey for anyone who doesn't know, is a wannabe police woman but unfortunately she has never had the chance to progress in her earlier police career so now she has to be content with being a SOCO, photographing the crimes rather than solving them, but that doesn't stop her interfering along the way. I love the way Betty Reynolds writes its all quite quite charming and its all very jolly hockey sticks and reminds us of when times were better and even though these are murder mysteries there is no gratuitous violence just a fun whodunit. This story has several murders along the way but are they all connected?

I’ve really enjoyed all Sukey Reynolds novels by Rowlands to date. Engrossing and satisfying reads. Although this wasn’t my favourite of this series, it was still enjoyable and kept me guessing til near the end, just as a good mystery should!

Book Five in this wonderful series I read each book as it’s published this is another wonderful #Sukey thriller can’t wait for the next.#netgalley #bookoutture

When SOCO Sukey Reynolds arrives at the scene of a murder little does she realize that she would see some things the detectives didn’t. While it at first appears the murdered woman was killed by her jealous boyfriend, Sukey starts connecting dots to some other calls she has been on and things she has overheard.

Unfortunately her boyfriend, DI Jim Castle, doesn’t believe her theory is strong and dismisses it out of hand. But Sukey being Sukey, she keeps poking around and eventually DCI Lord hears her theory and tells Jim to pay more attention to Sukey. Unfortunately Sukey doesn’t always listen when her superiors tell her not to get involved in investigations and gets herself into a sticky spot trying to find a homeless man she believes is in danger and could help the police solve the murder. But Sukey’s luck may have run out and she could be the third victim, because things aren’t exactly as she thought.

I truly adore this series and the main character, Sukey Reynolds. She has a good head on her shoulders and it’s time for her to move over and become a detective in her own right. The mysteries in this series keep you guessing until the very end as to who truly did it and why. Can’t wait to read the next book in this series! A MUST READ series for those who enjoy British and police cozy mysteries.