I really enjoyed this historical mystery. Lily has moved to London after the death of her husband. On her first night back she is invited to a party from an old school friend. She decides to take a break from the party and get some fresh air. She hears an argument and finds a dead body. The police have no interest in investigating so she does. I really enjoyed the characters and the historical setting. The mystery was good with lots of suspects but I was able to solve it. I will be reading more in this series. Enjoy

Lady Lily moves back to London after the death of her beloved husband to finally be on her own and to start living again, no longer relying on the charity of her in-laws or parents. Her first time back in society, her very best friend hosts a ball and begs Lily to attend. As Lily takes a stroll through the garden in the evening she happens upon an argument between two gentlemen, here's a shot ring and discovers a murdered man. With her husband’s best friend, Jack, she begins investigating on her own because she has witnessed a bribe between an individual and the police Magistrate so that this particular crime is not to be investigated. Fantastic first installment of a new series. I enjoyed it very much.

When I opened a Netgalley account a few years ago, I imagined getting few book approvals. Imagine my surprise to suddenly being approved for 20. 😳 In my ongoing attempt to catch up, I just plowed through this cozy mystery set in London, 1815

This is the first book in the Lily Adler Mystery series. Just finishing her 2 year mourning of her husband, Freddy, Mrs Adler is back to London society. Wondering how she will now spend her time as a young widow in a society set on everyone following a certain protocol, she stumbles upon a body in the garden while at a party. When Lily learns that the investigation is suddenly closed, she plans to solve the murder of the unknown man. Off she goes with her new friend Ophelia and Captain Jack, her deceased husband’s best friend, to solve the mystery. Weaving her way through upper class English society balls, shops, scheming ways to collect clues with corruption abound, you will find yourself turning the pages quickly.

I generally don’t read cozy mysteries, but I found myself entertained. Right now there are 3 books in the series available, in September 2023 you can pick up the 4th. If you’re into ready about independent, strong women in history (albeit fictional), be sure to pick this up!

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read & review this novel!

I wanted to like this one more than I did. It has all the things I would usually like in a historical mystery but it didn't keep me engaged like I thought it might.

I gave this a three out of five stars. It was an interesting read but it wasn’t a favorite. It did keep me interested and kept me wanting to keep reading. I liked the main characters of this. I might be interested in continuing with book two but I’m not sure yet.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of A Body in the Garden.

This novel was honestly a surprise, while I enjoy a good mystery and an amateur sleuth hunting for clues; I do know that most novels set in the late 1800's deal with the heighten social classes and restrictions on gender roles. With this being said the character of Lily Adler was smart, witty and broke regular social norms set for her to follow. The story begins with Lily returning from her mother-in-laws after mourning her husband for nearly a year or two (the timeline for that wasn't as clear, but I believe it was a year). Lily now settles in London to start her life, but where and what that is she has no idea until she stumbles upon a dead body in the garden of her friend's home. Rattles with questions and appalled by the dismissal of the police, she sets out to solve the case herself with a few companions at her side.

The mystery itself kept me on my toes and while it had it's predictable moments, the dialogue between the characters themselves was enjoyable. I found myself hoping for another clue, another piece to the mystery that had yet to be considered. The ending of the novel itself wasn't as much of a surprise as the true of events that led up to the killer being caught. I highly enjoyed this first novel in the series and looking forward to reading the next two installments.

Lily moves to London after her husband’s death to be on her own and to start living again. Her first time back in society she finds a murdered man. With her husband’s friend Jack she starts investigating because the police have been paid to not investigate.
Goodreads

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2020; Crooked Lane Books

The Body in the Garden is the first book in the Lily Adler mystery series. Much like books set in the 1800s, Lily is newly widowed so has much more privilege in upper society (much more meaning, a pinch above none). She feels compelled to solve the mystery of the body in the garden as she overhead a conversation, and was the one to find the body. This is a promising series, but it did lack a bit of suspense and the oomph in the characters. I am down for trying another book in the series.

***I received a complimentary copy of this eBook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

This is an amazing start to a series. I look forward to the next books and have already recommended it to everything I can think of.

The Body in the Garden is the first title in the Lily Adler historical mystery series. A second book has already been published. This one will be an engaging treat for those who enjoy cozies set in the past. The characters are brought to life and readers will be interested in their connections to one another.

At a time when a woman’s role was to be a wife, in this story set in 1815, Lily is a young widow. This makes her place in society different from that of her peers. When the story opens, Lily has recently returned to London. Her best friend invites her to a ball, assuring Lily that, as she now wears lavender mourning garments, it is acceptable to attend. While at the soiree, Lily overhears a heated conversation in the garden. When a murder occurs, she is determined to find its cause, especially as the nascent police service has been paid not to investigate.

The victim is a friend of Miss Oswald. She is of mixed race, born outside of marriage but acknowledged by her father and is a young woman with a great fortune. She, Lily, a friend of Lily’s husband named Jack, and others are involved in the unfolding events.

Reading this book requires some suspension of disbelief. I am not convinced that Lily would have been able to do all that she does had she been a real person in this time period. However, readers who will not be bothered by that will find this to be an easy and enjoyable read.

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

Archived before I could read this book unfortunately. I was not able to read this book. Sorry about any inconvenience.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 is the first (and hopefully not the last) in the Lily Adler series. Set in London in 1815, it opens with young widow Lily returning to society life after two years of mourning for her late, beloved husband. While attending a ball held by her best friend, Lily overhears a heated argument in the garden. Shots are fired and Lily ends up finding the dead body of some unknown man. When the police are bribed into forgetting the matter, Lily feels compelled to get involved and solve the crime herself.⁣
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Reading this, I could definitely tell the author did her research. The book was peppered with period details that were both interesting and informative. I totally learned a thing or two! I thought the main character being a young widow was a fresh perspective for this genre, since we often see either young unmarried ladies or older women in the role of female sleuth. Lily's "helpers" - a mysterious heiress and a dashing naval captain (swoon) - added some spice to the story (although I thought the constant bickering between the heiress and the captain might have been a tad overdone). Although on the surface this book is a cozy mystery, I appreciated how the author lightly wove in topics such as grief, privilege, and race.⁣
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If you love mysteries and Jane Austen era London, you should definitely check it out. Thank you to @NetGalley and @CrookedLaneBooks for my e-ARC!

An extremely well-written novel. The details were what really made this book and I found myself lost in Lily Adler’s world.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was soooooooooo good! I loved it. There was so much suspense!

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I do love a historical mystery accompanied by a romance! This was such a nice read to spend time with over the busyness of the holiday season and I'm looking forward to the next book.

I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and particularly historical mysteries. Katherine Schellman did a terrific job in creating the glittering world of 1815 and introducing us to the daring, fascinating Lily Adler. Lily is a delightful heroine who believe in breaking all the rules and in the early 19th century, the rules were certainly rigid for young widows like lily. A keen observer and an excellent judge of people, Lily throws herself into a murder investigation, knowing she's the only person who has a chance of solving the crime. A wonderful read and I highly recommend it.

Hi, I lost the eARC of this book so I won't be able to review this book. I hope you understand. I really wanted to read it but unfortunately my phone got formatted and I lost the copy.

Thank you to the publisher for a free copy to review.
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What I Enjoyed: Our protagonists-- Jack and Lily were utterly delightful. I truly enjoyed their dialogue and friendship. The mystery overall was nothing special, but it was complex and led to many possible suspects. The setting-- I am down for early London!

What I Didn't Enjoy: The pacing-- I felt there were too many times when the plot stalled.
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Overall, I will enjoyed the story and hope to read the second one when it comes out!

i really enjoyed the start of this series, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this plot. I look forward to where this series is going.

Plot: I don't like to talk about the plot too much with mysteries, because I'm always worried I'll spoil the mystery for someone. But I will say I quite liked the plot, and the mystery was really well done! I guessed part of what happened, but not all of it, which is always nice. And I liked the side plots that were all happening, too!

Characters: Lily was a great main character! I liked all the supporting characters, too!

The Cover: I like it!

Overall: This was a really good start to a new mystery series! And I look forward to reading another book about Lily!