3.5 stars. Enjoyable historical mystery. Well-researched and a fun read from the historical fiction standpoint. The mystery was a little shakier - the final twist was a bit out of the blue and felt rushed? But I'll definitely be interested to see where this series goes.

I loved spending time with all the characters in this book. The Victorian England time period is one of my favorites so this book was my cup of coffee (I would say tea but I don't like tea).

This is a debut novel but I hope it is just the first of many. Taking place in London in 1815, newly-widowed Lily Adler has returned to a society that does not readily accept strong women without a husband. While attending a ball given by her friend, she stumbles across a body. Teaming up with a navy captain and a mysterious heiress, they set out to find out who the murderer is and hopefully uncover the truth before there is another victim. I am looking forward to more adventures involving this team. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I really enjoyed this mystery. The period was right up my alley. Our heroine is recently widowed and still trying to find her footing in London. She has help from a dashing Captain and also her childhood schoolmates. I was not able to figure out the "ah ha" moment too early, which I love. So many novels today have too weak a storyline and it is too easy to guess the ending. This mystery involved several characters and was interwoven perfectly. I definitely will be reading more form this author.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me a review copy!

4.5 rounded up to 5 stars, because I really do think this would have been 5 stars if I hadn't just read a novel set in this time period.

The only reason (besides the one stated above) that this isn't 5 stars, is because the first 30% is kind of slow. It takes awhile to pick up, but once it does things get CRAZY. The beginning's slowness is almost necessary just to set the pieces in place that will basically be your cast for the entire novel. Names are dropped around quickly, but they get re-introduced quite a bit so you don't ever forget anyone.

The mystery aspects are also very nice and I felt that the ending was properly led to without outright telling us who did it. It does all get revealed of course, but I felt that Schellman did a great job of not showing us the culprit too early. Everything felt like it was revealed at just the right time and Lily Adler was a great protagonist. The motive felt real and not forced, and all the evidence lined up perfectly.

This book's main characters: Lily Adler, Jack, & Ofelia were also all great. I loved them all so much. The only characters in this book that I didn't like, were the ones you aren't supposed to like. All the characters have such great depth to them.

basically: imagine a female Sherlock Holmes, but less pretentious. Also the ending scene made me feel all the butterflies.

This was a great story and I neeed book 2 right now. This title is definitely in the running for the best book I read this year.

This was so much fun to read! A vintage murder mystery set in London, 1815. A young widow is being pushed to re-enter society after her young husband's death. She is still deeply in love with him but with a friends encouragement she attends a season opening party and discovers a body in the garden. This is when her independent spirit shows itself and she takes on the task of solving the mystery. Needless to say, people are appalled! The novel was well constructed and delivered. Minimal predictability with fully developed characters, some of whom developed great relationships. So looking forward to book 2. I received an ARC in exchane for an honest revue.

Just okay in my opinion. There's potential here, but it was never fully realized. In a field increasingly packed with female detectives in vaguely Victorian England, I think I'll stick with Laetitia Rodd

This was a fun historical novel! The author did a great job with the several twists and turns. She kept me guessing through the entire book!
I enjoyed meeting Lilly, Captain Jack and all the rest. I can't wait to see what develops between Lilly and Mr. Page. It looks to be a series so I cannot wait to read the next installment!

We meet Lily Adler, a young widow returning to polite society after the death of her husband who she is still deeply mourning. During a party thrown by her best friend, she stumbles on a body in the garden. She feels it is only right that the young man's killer be brought to justice, and if the Bow Street Runners won't do it then she will with a little help from some friends.
The characters are well written, and I look forward to seeing the relationships evolve through the series. Lily is a unique woman for 1800 London. She is clever and independent., often leaving the men around her speechless.
I enjoyed this book from the very first page. In fact I was on vacation when I started this book and even with all the things to do and see, it was easy to find time to read such an enjoyable book. I received the book as an ARC from NetGalley in return for my honest review.

cozy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, 19th-century, historical-fiction, historical-research, London

Excellently researched!
Lily was widowed too soon from her beloved and has moved to London at the suggestion of her in laws where she has lived for the past two years. At least she has a few friends there are is of an independent nature. Navy Captain Jack Hartley had an English father who married a local while in India and was a good friend of Lily's husband. He learns flexibility. Lily finds a good and capable friend in young Miss Ofelia Oswald, an heiress from the Caribbean West Indies whose English father sent her to London to secure a husband. Bow Street provides another good guy by the name of Mr Page, and then there are the ragamuffins who...
The plot is ingenious and the other characters are also well done! Enjoy!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

The Body in the Garden by Katharine Schellman is an intriguing historical mystery.

Lily Adler is a widow who has returned to London to begin her life anew. She is still very much in love with her husband and has no interest in looking for a new husband. In fact, she is quite independent in many ways which makes her rather odd in London society of the early 1800's. The secondary characters, Captain Jack Hartley and Miss Ofelia Oswald were great supporting characters that often moved the story along. The plot was smoothly paced, the characters were well developed for a first book in a series and there were enough red herrings and twists to keep me guessing until the reveal. I didn't have a clue who was behind the murders and treason until the end which made it an good read for me.

The Body in the Garden by Katharine Schellman is the first a hopefully long-standing series (A Lily Alder Mystery).
Ms Schellman has created a real gem. I loved the fiesty Lily and the array of secondary characters (Jack, Jem, Serena, Ofelia, Mr Page, etc). I think Lily has a lot of potential, and I also see several potential love interests already.

I enjoyed the time period, 1815 London, and I also enjoyed the complex murder/mystery.

This series has so much potential that can be drawn from these top-notch characters and material. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am submitting this to my GR account immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Bookbub, and B&N accounts upon publication.

The Body in the Garden by Katharine Schellman, is a historical murder mystery. Lily Adler is as independent as she is lost when she first returns to London. She has lost her husband and is struggling to set up a life for herself alone as a widow. On one of her first forays into society she stubbles upon a murder. Shocked that the magistrate is going to not investigate this crime she takes it upon herself to discover who the murdered man is and solve his murder. In her seacrch, she becomes friends with her late husbands best friend, and a young lady newly from India who is just as out of her element as Lily is. As bodies pile up around Lily, she learns to depend on her friends and herself as she navigates society on her own as a widowed lady. Schellman is a bit prosy in sections, but she keeps you guessing until the end. I'd rate this a 3.5 - 4.

An enjoyable Historical Mystery. This was a fun read, offered up several suspects and enjoyable characters.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this book 5 stars, it was so much fun to read! I loved the characters and their relationships with each other. Lily and Jack’s friendship was just the best and I loved every interaction.

This is a historical fiction murder mystery, kind of Sherlock Holmes-esque with a witty female protagonist. It takes place in the sophisticated London society in 1815. Lily has recently lost her husband and moves back into London’s society where she stumbles upon a body… in the garden of course.

These characters were well crafted and Katharine Schellman’s writing is beautiful. I loved the intricate plot and with each turn she kept me guessing. It took me a lot longer to guess who the killer was than most books, and that was so much fun!

I really enjoyed spending time with these characters! It looks like this book is the first of a series and I look forward to read the next installment!

Post on Instagram about this book will be up today (10/22) at @Bayley.Pepper

#TheBodyInTheGarden#NetGalley#
Review By: ILoveToRead/Librarian
I received this book in return for an honest review.
The Body In The Garden is a delightful historical mystery featuring amateur sleuths. Lily, a recent young widow, returns to London to begin her life anew. A bit unorthodox in her thinking for her day and time period, she must mask her true thoughts to fit comfortably among her peers, London's royalty and wealthy aristocrats. At a ball, while striving to appear as inconspicuous as possible, she unfortunately overhears two men arguing. The gist of this argument, blackmail. The argument turns ugly. A stranger is shot in the garden, his unidentified body a puzzle to everyone.
When Lily learns the authorities have accepted a bribe to overlook the murder, she takes matters into her own hands to see justice done. With the aid of Jack, a dashing Navel officer, she sets out to nab the killer.
This is not a simple task. The twosome discover a diabolical plot, putting their lives in danger. Eventually, they learn the identity of the killer who has killed again and are able to see this person pay for the terrible crimes.
I highly recommend this very entertaining book.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Crooked Lane books for sharing this ARC in exchange for my review.

I do enjoy a good mystery and this one works quite well. Lily Adler is a widow of two years who has returned to London to start getting on with her life. A murder takes place at a party given by her close friend Serena and it seems it is up to her to solve the mystery. She gets help from a couple new friends along the way.

I really enjoyed this story. The characters are well developed and there's a good plot to enjoy throughout. I was quite interested in the Bow Street runners part of the story. I'd vaguely heard of them but didn't know much about them until I read the historical information at the end. So I learned a bit of history while being entertained too. There's also a bit of a multi-cultural cast included which livens things up a bit. It's also pleasing to see two of the main female characters who are quite capable of more than the average woman of the time.

I rate this book somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars. I can't quite decide. Review to be posted publicly a week ahead of publication.

This was such a fantastic read! I absolutely love anything historical mystery that's well written and original but Regency mysteries are what I really enjoy to read when I get a good one and this certainly didn't disappoint! Lily was a wonderful protagonist and the secondary characters made this book even better! The historical details were realistic and atmospheric and the relationships and interactions between characters were wonderful. The humor added makes it perfect. I agree with those who have said it reminds them of Anna Lee Huber's books and Sherry Thomas's series. Definitely a must read if you enjoy multi dimensional characters, historical mysteries and just an overall fun book to read.

This is a detailed and steadily paced murder investigation read, with a strong female lead. The plot is well-thought out and there’re enough fleshed out characters to hold interest.
I did find the pace a bit too steady, I’d have like more speed and drama personally to build the intensity.
The historical detail works well to build a believable period world for the reader. Mrs Adler, our widowed protagonist makes a great female ‘Sherlock’ and her sidekicks add dimension and interest. I did want more from Jack though, more roguish behaviour and spark with Mrs Adler. However, as this is a series there’s plenty of scope for this relationship to develop.
Overall a detailed, fun murder mystery historical read.

The feisty widow at the center of this mystery is Lily Adler.She witnesses a murder and throws herself into solving it.Witty repartee,Victorian intrigue,flirty back and forths.... this book has it all.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC