CSI Sukey Reynolds is called to Muckleton Manor to process the scene of a murder. The owner, wealthy businessman, Sir Digby Kirtling, had been entertaining a party after the unveiling of a commissioned copy of a famous painting. The dead woman, Una May, works for Digby and had been out in the garden when she was strangled. All the party guests are questioned and it appears that Digby Kirtling is the most obvious suspect, especially after forensic examination reveals a motive. Sukey, of course, isn't buying the simple solution and has her own ideas -- especially when the housekeeper, Miranda Keene asks Sukey to do what she does best -- a little snooping on her own.
There's more to come as secrets are alliances come to light. NO SPOILERS.

I love this series and this was another good one that focuses on Sukey's job and amateur sleuthing as well as on the investigation aspects performed by the Gloucester police, specifically her boyfriend, DI Jim Castle and his team. These characters are all well known the the reader who has started this series from the beginning and it's always a treat to revisit them as each has a fully developed personality and story line of their own. I love their interactions and the detail about the setting so beautifully described in each book. I can't wait to read the next one to see how Sukey develops in her personal and professional life. The writing is excellent and this is a very fast read with some surprises along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

Death under the apple tree is the 7th book involving Sukey Reynolds a single mum and a crime scene investigator and would be police officer, this time Sukey gets called out to a murder at a fancy house after a lunch party and as usual gets drawn in to the investigation much to the annoyance of her part time boyfriend DI Jim Castle who doesn't like how she always gets involved in his investigations,
I didn't feel this was the best book in the series, as all the books have the same formula and Betty Reynolds always seems to write badly about the love interests of the main characters, Why do they have to keep their relationship a secret? thats quite annoying, But for a quick read that doesn't need to much brain power its a good choice.

This is the seventh in the Sukey Reynolds series and whilst it can be read alone I would recommend reading the other books to get a background and idea of characters.

The main characters are back in this book - including Fergus and Jim - even though Fergus is now at uni. This was a fast paced, easy read by Reynolds and I enjoy the series. It is a cosy murder mystery but also more grown up many ways.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC.

summer garden party is in full swing at a grand old house, but under a gorgeous apple tree laden with ripe fruit… a body is discovered.

Sukey Reynolds is treasuring the late-summer sun, taking long walks in the countryside, and enjoying the golden views across the Cotswold hills. At home, she’s busy cooking up feasts for her growing teenage son – amateur sleuthing is definitely off the menu.

When she is called to a photograph a crumbling manor, the day suddenly turns cold. In the charming garden, the body of beautiful Una May has been discovered, and all fingers are pointed at the tempestuous owner of the house, who was overheard arguing with Una that morning…

But who is the rotten apple in this beautiful orchard?

The party was supposed to celebrate a painting of the residents and staff. When the picture is found slashed, the police close in on the landowner, but Sukey is sure they are barking up the wrong tree, and she decides to do a bit of snooping. Which likeness hides a villain? Could it be the lustful lord, the aloof artist or perhaps the heartbroken housekeeper?

Despite her sleuthing, Sukey is no closer to catching Una May’s killer, until she finds a pair of shoes covered in mud from the orchard. With the police convinced they’ve caught the right man, Sukey must solve this baffling case alone. But to find the killer holding the poisonous fruit, she may have to delve deep into the garden…

If books by Agatha Christie, P.D. James or Faith Martin have you hooked, then you will love this murder mystery by the queen of cozy crime!

This book was previously published as Party to Murder.

My thoughts

Rating:4.5

This series keeps getting better and better with each book ,one of the things I love is how much her main character comes to live and seems to grew , and the story never lets me down , with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

law-enforcement, relationships, murder-investigation, art, egoist, cosy-mystery

***** I truly enjoyed it! But I was surprised that the term SOCO was out of fashion and the designation used is CSI. Sukey is a forensic evidence collector with a somewhat hidden relationship with a DI in her precinct, and this makes for some interesting problems. The main mystery is pretty much covered by the publisher's blurb but there's a lot of twists and deliberate red herrings, especially those involving deceptions by the principals in the case. Well written and rather brain grabbing!

4 stars

This book is another great entry into the Sukey Reynolds series by Betty Rowlands.

Sukey's son Fergus is off to university. Throughout the series we have seen him grow up and develop into a fine young man. ( I miss him and his interactions with DI Castle and his mom already.) Sukey's relationship with DI Castle is still going strong even though he still gets exasperated at her getting too involved in cases.

This time she is called to the stately home of Sir Digby. There are been an art show and after the show the estate manager named Una May has been found dead. Of course Sukey can't help but go above and beyond her normal duties in the case.

Who could the killer be? The owner of the manor was seen to be arguing with Una that same morning. But there are more suspects as well: an artist and a housekeeper among others.

As another reviewer stated, I am running out of ways to praise Ms. Rowlands' work. Her characters are likable (for the most part), and interesting. The reader wants to get to know them better. This little cozy/police procedural is well written and plotted. Ms. Rowlands has obviously thought carefully about the story. Her stories are entertaining and read quickly. I look forward to the next in the series. Perhaps now that Fergus has gone away to university, Jim and Sukey's relationship will really take off!

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

When a young woman's body is found in an orchard of a large home of a prominent businessman the Police and their criminal scene investigators are called in. Once again Sukey Reynolds is involved by a friend of her son whose aunt works at the house with disastrous results.
Another good read by Betty Rowlands

Una May lies dead under an apple tree. The house party have assembled to celebrate the unveiling of a painting commissioned by the owner in which they all feature. Suspicion falls on the owner of the house, who had argued with Una that morning

Death under the Apple Tree by Betty Rowlands is a cozy mystery, but it is also a police procedural. While this is the seventh book in the series, it worked as a standalone. However, I believe it would add even more to the enjoyment of the novel if I had read books one through six first.

The novel takes place in England and is extremely well-written. The characters have depth as well as great personalities (both good and bad). Additionally, the author does a great job with helping the reader to visualize the various scenes.

Sukey Reynolds is one of the crime scene investigators and her boyfriend is DI Jim Castle. On the personal side, Sukey’s son, Fergus, is starting his courses at the university and Jim still doesn’t want to be very public about their relationship at work..

For the mystery, both the police and CSI are called to Sir Digby’s countryside manor due to a murder. Sometime during a garden party and after a painting reveal, Una May, the estate manager, is killed. Who did it? Why? Will the killing stop at one? Sukey gets drawn into helping to solve the crimes that are committed in this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the character interactions as well as the assortment of personalities. There are a few twists in the story line which includes murder, relationships, art reproductions and so much more. I recommend this book to those that enjoy cozy mysteries and I look forward to reading more of this series.

Many tanks to Bookouture, Betty Rowlands and Net Galley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

The seventh Sukey Reynolds mystery. This time the :murder is at a country manor with one obvious suspect. As always, a strong sense of place and likable characters make this an enjoyable read. A series that is easy to recommend to a wide range of readers. No language, sex, or gratuitous violence, just an easy escape to the British countryside.
Thank you to netgalley and Bookouture for a free copy.

An intriguing storyline from Betty Rowlands, Sukey in danger again. A cozy mystery for those easy read times.

Having enjoyed the previous mystery, I was really looking forward to settling down with another in the series. While another easy read, I found the formula a little too similar to the previous one and so, while there were certainly some twists and turns, I had worked out who the murderer was likely to be. I struggled a little with the relationships as well as ‘close friends’ were not taken into one’s confidences and the leading man certainly seems to be able to have his cake and eat it,, just coming and going as suits. Hmmm!

With thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for my free copy to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

Book 7 in the Sukey Reynolds mystery. The books can be read separately, but I have read them in order. The main issue is that the reader gets to see the growing up of her son Fergus (he is headed to college in this one) and the continuing progression of her relationship with Jim. This story has an interesting twist with old paintings, the English countryside, and art scams. Must admit I am not overly familiar with Renoir or Matisse, so it was fun to look up the paintings mentioned. Another excellent story in a great series by a wonderful author. Highly recommend this one, as I found it hard to put down.

Death Under The Apple Tree is another adventure in the life of Sukey Reynolds. She just cant help getting drawn into solving the crimes. The characters are diverse and realistic. You'll enjoy this story.

Death Under the Apple Tree is number seven in this series and it does not disappoint. Great characters and storyline. Well written and enjoyable.

Another great entry in the Sukey Reynolds mystery series by Betty Rowlands. I think the best part of this series is how life move along for Sukey and the other characters. As always, the setting and the mystery plot makes for a great read!

She's better this time in that she does think about consequences, to a degree, before she forges ahead. Cosy mystery - girl murdered during a garden party and Sir Digby, the host, accused of said murder. His housekeeper aka lover believes him innocent and Sukey gets involved of course. Nice red herrings, good characterisation as usual and satisfying ending. All in all another good read. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The only problem with this Sukey Reynolds series is that I am running out of ways to say how much I am enjoying them. Not that that is going to stop me from writing these reviews or reading the books for that matter. There is something that is just so enjoyable about the series. The characters of course help. Over the course of the previous six books, we've seen Sukey's son Gus turn from a young teenager to a young man who is off to University in this book. Her relationship with Jim Castle has rumbled along quietly, with moments of passion for our amateur detective in-between the odd bout of disapproval for her snooping ways. I did wonder if they were going to move to a more permanent arrangement now that Gus is away at university, but that doesn't seem to have happened as yet.
The mystery this time was not one that I was able to solve. Sometimes I seem to get there long before Sukey has a clue, but this time I was completely in the dark. The important thing with a murder mystery for me isn't my ability to solve it or not, but really how well it works and how easy the solution is. Fortunately, in this series, the mystery is believable and never too obvious.
I'm keen to read the next book and find out what is in store for Sukey. Will she finally become a detective for real? Will Jim finally be willing to be more open about their relationship? Will Gus become so skilled through his university course that he can solve all of the mysteries for them? I can't wait to find out.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A picturesque setting for a murder. DI Jim Castle believes he knows who the murderer is but is struggling to prove it. CSI photogographer Sukey Reynolds has doubts so goes out on a limb doing a bit of investigating herself. This worries Castle as he knows that she has put herself in danger on previous cases. He and Sukey are in a relationship which he wants to keep secret from his colleagues but some of them have already guessed. Sukey is now living alone as her son Fergus has just started university. A well constructed tale.

When a young woman is murdered in an orchard at the home of a well known businessman it seems to be an open and shut case but when the accussed's mistress asks Sukey for help proving his innocence little does Sukey know that all is not as it seems