Readers who crave a traditional British village whodunit will be sure to love this series. With an idyllic village setting, myriad colourful characters, and no graphic scenes, this book and this series fall into the 'cozy' mystery category.

I confess, I have not read any of the previous books in the series and found that this, the sixth book in the series, worked well as a stand-alone. There was a soothing vibe to the book, despite the violent murder. The pace of the plot moved along well, and the characters, though many, were easy to distinguish.

This novel spoke to the fact that even the most charming of villages, even the most successful and seemingly innocuous people have the potential to have a dark underside. Appearances can be very deceiving.

"You never knew the whole truth about other people's marriages or what went on behind closed doors. It was a secret and usually very well kept."

The reader cannot help but admire the aging Colonel Hugh. He is kind, intelligent and caring. I liked his cottage, his daily routines, his independence, and his affection for the old cat, Thursday.

The murder victim was an odious man who I felt little remorse for. I'll admit that I did guess who the murderer was at about the 60% mark, but that did in no way mar my enjoyment of the remainder of the novel.

I highly recommend this cozy mystery to all fans of the genre. I am confident that those who enjoy Agatha Christie, Jacquline Winspear, Faith Martin and the like, will enjoy this series.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

A good mystery according to my heart as I liked classic mysteries.
It's a bit slow at the beginning but you cannot help being fascinated by the small village life and the character.
It's well plotted, the characters are fleshed out and the mystery kept me guessing.
Even if I didn't read the other books in this series I had no issues with the plot or the characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

When Lady Ursula Swynford dies her, her daughter, Ruth takes over the manor in Frog End and provides gardening therapy for her husband Dr Tom Harvey's patients. When a body is discovered in a greenhouse the Colonel is asked to investigate due to the lack of confidence in the local police.
A very slow paced story which takes the first half of the book to set up the characters and their history, and the plot. Though not the first in the series it can easily be read as a standalone story. Although mention is made of previous murders no clues thankfully are given as to who the guilty parties were.
A modern, pleasant story of village life with the hint of mystery and murder i.e. a cozy mystery.

This sixth addition to Margaret Mayhew's Village mysteries had all the depth of character and location I've come to expect from this author. I've read several of the previous books in the series so was glad to pick their lives up again in this story. The Colonel is once again called upon by the villagers to solve the problem that the inept police detective can be relied upon to get wrong. That's a little broad for a description of this novel but it does cover the basic ideas you will find in this one.

If you are reading this sixth book as your first dip into the series, you might like to know that the first half of the novel is setting all the characters and the plot in place. I'm not usually patient enough to stick with a book that takes this long to get something going besides daily life in a village, but Ms. Mayhew's style of writing seems to settle me down enough that I allow her to set her own pace without closing the book and walking away. It was a little obvious who the victim would be but not where, why or who. I do have to say I did not like the resolution for the crime in this story and days after finishing the book I'm still unhappy about who committed the crime. At least that does prove how fully involved I was in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publisher for an e-galley of this novel.

Ruth Harvey runs a successful gardening business in the English village of Frog End. When a man dies in a greenhouse, Inspector Squibb shows up. Few people regard the Inspector favorably so they turn to the Colonel to discover the murderer. Charms of English village life abound in this sixth "Village Mystery." I now want to go back and read earlier installments so I understand the village a little better. This review is based on an advance electronic copy supplied through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

Ruth has taken over her dead mother's manor and grows plants for sale there. Her husband is the local doctor and he refers patients to her to work on easy tasks in the garden and help them get their minds straight again.

Severn House and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published on June 2nd.

The gardening project is going along well until they find a dead body in the tomato plants...

Laurence was recovering from a stroke and was not a very nice man. He said nasty things to everyone, so there are plenty of suspects. They ask the Colonel to investigate because the cops have picked the local mentally challenged young man as the killer. No one but the cops believe that.

The Colonel questions everyone and finds no suspects. Then he remembers what one witness said he saw. He goes to ask one person some new questions...

Old fashioned village murder mystery at the manor with a spade in the greenhouse. A good cluedo style mystery with great village characters with deep pasts. Anyone of them could have done it. Inspector Squibb rubs everyone up the wrong way so our Colonel will have to investigate. A nice read to while away an afternoon.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

#TheLifeline #NetGalley Thanks to Severn House, NetGalley and Margaret Mayhew author for this new-to-me cozy mystery series book. "Ruth Harvey runs a successful plant-selling business and provides gardening therapy for an increasing number of her husband Dr Tom Harvey's troubled patients" - troubled describes those working at the nursery as well as others connected to them.

The Colonel is well thought of at Frog End village and kind to all he meets. He has adopted an aging cat, several odd neighbors and often has to "fend off" his daughter in law's plans for his visits.
When a cantankerous man is killed at the nursery, Jacob, their gardener who has issues with relating to others is suspected.

The Colonel is able to solve the mystery, not as adroitly has others expected and life seems to be going on. A new mystery series for me, enjoyable and slow paced.

Return To Frog End.....
The Colonel returns in this latest gentle mystery set in the idyllic village of Frog End. Much remains the same in the village although The Manor has now been taken over by Ruth and husband Tom who are providing some village residents with a much needed lifeline by way of gardening jobs in the Manor grounds. When a body is discovered in one of the Manor greenhouses the Colonel is once again drawn into what appears to be a rather violent murder. One in a series of mysteries featuring Frog End and its residents although it can happily be read as a stand-alone. A wholly relaxed, utterly gentle and endearing read - despite the suspicious death! - from a natural storyteller.

4 stars

This is an excellent cozy little mystery featuring Ruth Harvey at her Frog End Manor. She is married to the very compassionate Dr. Tom Harvey. Ruth is involved with selling plants and gardening at the manor and she encourages others to join her in gardening. She and her husband firmly believe that gardening is a pastime that heals the mind and body.

When a dead person is found in one of the greenhouses, Frog End is turned on its head – once more. A newcomer to the village, Lawrence Deacon is murdered with a garden spade. Jacob, the gardener at Frog's End Manor, is the chief suspect in the murder.

But most people believe that Jacob wouldn't – couldn't – kill anyone. It's up to the Colonel to solve the crime.

This is a very nice little cozy mystery. I liked the characters. Even the multitude of suspects received enough literary attention that the reader had a very good grasp of their personalities. I think it would be wonderful to live in a little village as described in the book. It sounds so pretty and peaceful – except for the occasional murder. (Cough, cough.)

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this very fine mystery for me to read, enjoy and review.